First Month Cruising Costs

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

3pages and still people are focused on last months marina costs and mixing it with this month.

You need to use bigger fonts in your replies.

So, what are your thoughts about cruising after the first month? Having as much fun as you expected/hoped/wanted? Anythings, good or bad, that you are experiencing that you didn't anticipate? Any gear or boat supplies you realize you would like to have that you don't? Thoughts, comments or suggestions?

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

3pages and still people are focused on last months marina costs and mixing it with this month.

Don't know if anyone else picked up on this but 4 days in a marina for $63 seems a little on the low side.

[thomm225]

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Don't know if anyone else picked up on this but 4 days in a marina for $63 seems a little on the low side.

Yes, this has been mentioned at least 4-5 times. For clarification perhaps read the entire thread, in particular post #19.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Yes, this has been mentioned at least 4-5 times. For clarification perhaps read the entire thread, in particular post #19.

He knows it. Could be he's seeing how many times SB1 will correct him.....

But SB1 may be on his way by now since the weather is about to change ........we are suppose to have a low of 48 degrees F Saturday am

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by skipmac

So, what are your thoughts about cruising after the first month? Having as much fun as you expected/hoped/wanted?

-Friendly places aren't as friendly if you aren't paying $90/night for a slip.
-Guidebooks GREATLY overrate places and make Nowhereville sound like there is something there.
-Lots of planned sights to see ........... aren't worth it
-States with Happy Hour are Great!
-Running out of propane with a non exchange bottle sucks
-Be careful if you haven't changed all your fuel filters ahead of time
-Just because the cruiser next to you looks all battle proven, it doesn't mean they know how to anchor
-It's only some diesel, go ahead and use it
-Be careful about passing up a laundry opportunity
-Hurricanes like Skip's boat more than mine
-Just because you can get a wifi signal doesn't mean it is useful
-Lots of things one worries about ahead of time turn out to be a non issue
-Internet forum crowds don't really change
-There's marine stores just a ride away. Don't get tons of "useful" stuff ahead of time, instead wait to see it it is worth it along the way and get it then.

[sailorboy1]

Oh, and there will be boat maintenance required!

[Sea Dreaming]

-Internet forum crowds don't really change

True since 1990...

[a64pilot]

Little tid bits like that from someone that has just shoved off are very useful for those of us that are getting ready to go.
The Salty types have sometime forgotten things, that concern first timers.

Thank you for posting and please ignore the peanut crowd and keep posting for those that remain silent but hang on everything you write.

[thomm225]

Is the price of the boat included in one's cruising costs? Or is it assumed the boat is paid off and everyone is even whether you are sailing a $200,000 boat or a $2,000 boat.

It would seem that you may have to cruise for many years to get your money's worth out of the higher priced boat.

The PO of the boat I now own sailed/motored to Florida then sailed the islands for a couple years before returning North after 2 years and leaving his boat near here.

I found it 5 years later and bought it for $2,000

The PO's Voyage began approximately 90 miles South of where SB1's starting point was.

Something else to consider. Or you going to be crossing oceans or just motoring down the ICW and cruising the islands for a year or two?

Picture is from 2011 when I found it

[a64pilot]

Usually the boat is assumed to be paid for, or if it's not, no point in including that in costs as that is fixed and you know it before you go.
Insurance is of course another cost, but again, you know that cost before you go too.
Both would be widely variable.

My personal financial planning assumes the boat to be valueless after we stop the cruise, whether that is after 1 yr or 10 yrs, who can say for sure until you actually get out there? I didn't want to rely on residual value as who knows what it might be, and we may lose the boat.

I bet you if you ask the PO of your boat, he would likely tell you that he got his moneys worth out of the boat.

Some only want to cruise for a year or two, some view it as Retirement, meaning they intend to cruise until no longer able to. A very few spend most of their adult lives cruising. Neither is wrong or right. Some they want to circumnavigate, some are happy chasing warm weather up and down the ICW, both are cruisers though.

[Kenomac]

The monthly costs are different for everyone, there's no set formula. Sailorboy likes to eat out, nothing wrong with that, so his monthly food bills are three times more than ours. He understands this and planned well for it. Our boat costs are probably significantly higher than his, but not necessarily so... but we don't eat out as much or do it in a cheaper location. So we also live within our means and plan for it.

Who cares? Everyone's different with different priorities. I know people who spend $10,000 or more a month on the fuel for their powerboats for cruising... so what. If they can afford it, good for them. Not everyone has to undertake this adventure on the cheap.

[dwedeking2]

Being a bookworm I have read just about every book telling the story on how someone "bought a boat and gonna sail around the world". Without even talking about money the range of what "cruising" is, is vast.

It is nice to see these types of posts, especially from someone who's posted a lot in the "I'm getting ready to cruise" category and is switching to the "I'm out there now" category.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Makes me appreciate the SF bay and delta marina's, where the expensive ones are $30 a night and the cheap ones are 1/2 that. power included.

At those rates I can well understand your appreciation for the area.

[thomm225]

It's not about going on the cheap for some of us, it's about is this for me?

I bought the boat above as an experiment to see if I could adjust to cruising sailboats since I had mostly raced extremely fast beachcats with spinnakers in the past (you can do 100 miles in 12 hours without a spinnaker if the wind is right)

This is why I mentioned boat prices. Don't invest too heavily in a boat if you aren't sure unless you just have money to blow. I saw too many cruiser's sailboats in Florida Marinas that never moved

Having sailed and/or motored (power boat) several hundred miles of ocean and ICW along the East Coast, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama Coasts on boats mostly between 17' - 20', it can get a bit old even when sailing at 15 knots plus or motoring at 20 plus.

Now that I have a larger boat, I like to sail across the bay and anchor at the most scenic places here. Kiptopeke, York River, Onancock, Mobjack Bay, etc anywhere from 3-6 days.

Once there it's hiking the trails, kayaking, star watching in the clear air.....
This seems to work for me and the costs are not a concern