Low Cost Cruising Details

[smbdyiam2]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

This was never met to be that. It was just met to be a monthly cost with a category breakdown. Of course that is just what I met it to be and it never really had a chance.

What you want is this old thread:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-ii-79067.html

okay SB my mistake just read it wrong. I was thinking reading low cost cruising when should have been reading cruising costs not details.

[Ed moro]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I have posted 41 months of MY cost of cruising and living on the boat details.

Over the years there have been lots of threads and posts of people saying they cruise on $500/mo, $1000/mo etc. But there are never posting of any long details and it always the details are vague and full of “not counting”.

If you are a successful low cost cruiser please post your costs and breakdown of items for at least the last 2 years. Show me the error my ways with facts, not stories. I definitely would think people on lower $/mo budgets would know where their money is going.

You can watch Emily and Clark on YouTube, they have a complete breakdown of what they spent each month. They live on their sailboat for under 1k a month.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I have never had the yard to "do" something

If you only spend $325/4 per yr on boat maintenance that's great for you. I know I spend more than that for things like cleaners etc. I'll leave it to you to decide how to maintain your boat.

Meanwhile the thread isn't about different boats and their costs, or how I spend my money, it's about a true accounting of the low cost people's costs.

I have little hope of the thread coming back to topic but I will make attempt at a push.

just noticed that you got something incorrect in my post I didn't say 325 / 4 was my maintenance cost . I said that the 325 cost difference in yard done bottom jobs would cover my fuel bill for 4 years . ( I sail everywhere I can ) no schedule so no hurry

[thomm225]

So I guess the thing that most stands out to me as a person that plans to cruise when I get older (I'm only mid 60's) is why would you as a person out cruising the world now be worrying about what others spend to cruise?

As long as you can afford your lifestyle what difference does it make? You are out cruising

That's what we do while working and planning.

So I guess my question is when I get to be a "real cruiser" would I need to be close to internet reception so I can get opinions on the cost of cruising?

Something doesn't seem right here if the goal is to cruise......so maybe times have changed and folks simply cannot drop off the grid anymore

Maybe this is cruising today to sail to paradise then argue on the internet over cruising costs and other sailboat related matters?

You see if that's the deal you can sail off on the weekend if you live near the water and then get online and argue/discuss then go do something else the following week

[sailorboy1]

You wouldn't have to worry as i bet all your friends will help you along. I am sure you can cruise on $631/mo with no “not counting” so stop wasting your time and put action where your typing mouth is.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by thomm225

So I guess the thing that most stands out to me as a person that plans to cruise when I get older (I'm only mid 60's) is why would you as a person out cruising the world now be worrying about what others spend to cruise?

As long as you can afford your lifestyle what difference does it make? You are cruising!

That's what we do while working and planning.

So I guess my question is when I get to be a "real cruiser" would I want to be close to internet reception so I can get opinions on the cost of cruising?

Something doesn't seem right here if your goal is to cruise......

Or is this the new cruising thing to sail to paradise then argue on the internet over cruising costs?

You see if that's the deal you can sail off on the weekend if you live near the water and then get online and argue/discuss then go do something else the following week

Thomm225, I think you missed a fundamental point: People who have not started cruising yet don't know how much their new lifestyle will cost them.

Usually they are going to quit their jobs and they will have limited and/or fixed incomes.

So there is anxiety about whether or not they'll have enough. The list of expenses is quite different from living ashore.

In that case it is pretty understandable for them to ask what other people spend.

As for the arguing...Well, that's what Cruiser's Forum spawns. It's normal

In the first place Sailorboy1 was skeptical about other people's vague claims so he asked for definitive reports. He basically thinks that people's expectations that they can cruise for $500/month are stupid (they are). He got a few solid answers but mostly people do not have the discipline or inclination to keep track of their expenses so they wing it, or cover their ignorance by claiming it's nobody's business.

And then there were people who wanted to argue about what was a cruising expense and what was just living or life style expense, which in my mind is really stupid (a particular life style ashore might cost quite a bit more or less when living on a boat, they should be able to understand that).

And finally there are people who didn't understand the question and want to argue that the answers are not the expected tips on how to save money, which is what they were hoping for.

For me, there was a ton of useful information reported. I am out cruising, and have been for 25 years, and I know my costs to the dollar for every month for about 20 categories (which I reported), but I don't mind looking at what other people are doing; it might help me reduce my expenses. It least it could point me to where I should look a little closer.

It was a good discussion.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

You wouldn't have to worry as i bet all your friends will help you along. I am sure you can cruise on $631/mo with no “not counting” so stop wasting your time and put action where your typing mouth is.

I don't need to sail to the Bahamas to get online and talk about the cost of cruising

I'm thinking $1500/month with $500 here and there when I freak out and simply have to get the hell off the boat and go some place or to replace something worn out.

I may even need a replacement the auxiliary engine which I should be able to do for around $500........like you can because large boats and small boat cost the same to cruise right!?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Thomm225, I think you missed a fundamental point: People who have not started cruising yet don't know how much their new lifestyle will cost them.

Usually they are going to quit their jobs and they will have limited and/or fixed incomes.

So there is anxiety about whether or not they'll have enough. The list of expenses is quite different from living ashore.

In that case it is pretty understandable for them to ask what other people spend.

As for the arguing...Well, that's what Cruiser's Forum spawns. It's normal

In the first place Sailorboy1 was skeptical about other people's vague claims so he asked for definitive reports. He basically thinks that people's expectations that they can cruise for $500/month are stupid (they are). He got a few solid answers but mostly people do not have the discipline or inclination to keep track of their expenses so they wing it, or cover their ignorance by claiming it's nobody's business.

And then there were people who wanted to argue about what was a cruising expense and what was just living or life style expense, which in my mind is really stupid (a particular life style ashore might cost quite a bit more or less when living on a boat, they should be able to understand that).

And finally there are people who didn't understand the question and want to argue that the answers are not the expected tips on how to save money, which is what they were hoping for.

For me, there was a ton of useful information reported. I am out cruising, and have been for 25 years, and I know my costs to the dollar for every month for about 20 categories (which I reported), but I don't mind looking at what other people are doing; it might help me reduce my expenses. It least it could point me to where I should look a little closer.

It was a good discussion.

Okay.

Maybe I just have to poke SB1 every now and then for not being a nice guy like me.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvZAScVd7po

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

You wouldn't have to worry as i bet all your friends will help you along. I am sure you can cruise on $631/mo with no “not counting” so stop wasting your time and put action where your typing mouth is.

Did you forget your meds today?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Did you forget your meds today?

Nope just look at the post prior to yours and you can see his only purpose in life to troll me. Now you are feeding him making him feel he has a fan. I would tell you he is about to break out in a beach cat story, but guess now he is an inner tuber.

[thomm225]

Chill out....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhk7..._radio=1&t=372

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpbrvJzHITU

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by wingssail

...People who have not started cruising yet don't know how much their new lifestyle will cost them.

Usually they are going to quit their jobs and they will have limited and/or fixed incomes.

So there is anxiety about whether or not they'll have enough. The list of expenses is quite different from living ashore.

In that case it is pretty understandable for them to ask what other people spend....

It's understandable, but it's also like asking: How much does it cost to live on land? It's close to a meaningless question without context and details:

• Where do you want to live?
• How large is the house you want to live in?
• How many people?
• What type of lifestyle do you want to live by?
• etc...

The same goes for cruising. Where do you want to cruise? In what type of boat? How many people? What is your desired lifestyle? Etc...

This is why these threads ALWAYS produce the same answer: It depends. Or more accurately, it presents a range that usually extends from about $1000/month to about $5000, with a few upper and lower outliers tossed in for good measure.

If you really want to learn what it might cost YOU, then talk to a cruiser who ticks off as many of your planned options as possible: same location, similar boat, equivalent lifestyle.

Or better still, go cruising for a while. This will teach you what you really need to know about what your expenditures are.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

It's understandable, but it's also like asking: How much does it cost to live on land? It's close to a meaningless question without context and details:

• Where do you want to live?
• How large is the house you want to live in?
• How many people?
• What type of lifestyle do you want to live by?
• etc...

The same goes for cruising. Where do you want to cruise? In what type of boat? How many people? What is your desired lifestyle? Etc...

This is why these threads ALWAYS produce the same answer: It depends. Or more accurately, it presents a range that usually extends from about $1000/month to about $5000, with a few upper and lower outliers tossed in for good measure.

If you really want to learn what it might cost YOU, then talk to a cruiser who ticks off as many of your planned options as possible: same location, similar boat, equivalent lifestyle.

Or better still, go cruising for a while. This will teach you what you really need to know about what your expenditures are.

Mike, it's a lot less a mystery than that. If you read someone's list of expenses you can compare their situation with what you expect yours to be.

(oh, this guy has no refer and lives on a 27 ft boat always at anchor, we'll be spending more than that)

(or, this guy lived in Hong Kong and worked in finance and bought racing sails, we won't be doing that)

And with a little bit of data and a little bit of common sense a person can start to get an idea. Maybe they have to work for another five years.

Me, I had no idea. I somehow got the idea I could live on $600 a month while cruising (in 1996). I had no basis for that. If I'd been reading sailorboy1's thread I might have gotten a better idea. As it was I went cruising and spent all my money in 2 years. Dumb me.

And by the way, this is one of the good things about forums like this: You can ask a cruiser, face to face, how much it costs them and the answer is kind of too personal. Most folks won't really want to tell you that. But on a forum like this, many people will tell all. That is useful.

[SunnySky]

The other thing that I think it's really important to mention when it comes to any budgetary estimate for low cost cruising details is the amount of knowledge and other resources (such as tools/friends/etc) that influence a person's budget and that many potentially bigger ticket items need to be factored in if one wishes to be as accurate as possible.

There is a huge difference between what I would call "frugal" (which I consider to be a compliment) and "cheap" (which isn't, and would include choices like letting deferred maintenance get to the point that a cruising boat becomes a hazard to navigation being used purely for cheap accommodations, using inferior materials that while less expensive will have a dramatically shorter lifespan than using the right replacement, or skimping on anything to do with the rigging or ground tackle set up...).

Take for example cruising at a low cost by someone that has the skills to make their own replacement sails (or the great luck to come across discarded sails that still have plenty of life left in them for free, or a very discounted price) would dramatically reduce the cost of that cruising budget line item BUT that economic savings can't be relied upon by someone with no sewing experience or sewing machine to be able to sustain the same frugal cruising budget...

To sustain a frugal cruising life is certainly possible, but ONLY with the right cruising boat (smaller being a significant advantage..) and the right knowledge base to maintain it (the more knowledge and more adaptability the better...).

Successful cruising, even at a modest budget, requires being a Jack or Jill of almost all trades and everything that one doesn't have the skills to do themselves will translate into a rapidly increasing budget (and less safety at sea regardless of budget).

[Jim Cate]

^^^^^

good, rational post, David!

Jim