Month 10 Expenses of Cruising and Living on the Boat

[weavis]

You know, a cruisers boat is his home.
Each home is different, the contents, the lifestyle, the heating, the cooling, the toilet situation..... what is deemed important for one is not the same for another.

My apartment has 4 bedrooms. I pay tax, insurance, electric, gas water and whatever else they can find to take off me. I DO NOT pay the same as the apartment under me, mine is individual and related to my use of consumables and power, but we pay for the same things.

Don has a Hunter. From what he has said in the past, he has kept it pretty much up to spec, with one or two things that need doing but nothing serious. He did a lot of the manual work himself. He chooses to use Marinas, to visit places, to use the electric in a certain manner, to eat out a lot. This cost cannot be equated to say Mike OReilly in his expenses.

First: different location.
Second, different boats.
Third: different insurance.
fourth: different emphasis on lifestyle.
etc etc.

What I am getting from Dons kind sharing of expenses, is what the AVERAGE COST of staying in a marina is in the area he cruises in. What the cost of fuel is and how he uses over a set distance in the absence of wind. Im seeing that there is a regular monthly cost for repairs and updates.

When I take all this into consideration, the ABSOLUTE costs required for his size of vessel, then if my vessel is the same or close, I have an idea what the minimum costs will be.

When it comes to systems replacement, some will opt for cheaper and some for the best.......that is personal choice.

What it tells me so far is that Dons Hunter is pretty economical to own and operate.

Im pleased for him.

[sailorboy1]

Just to clarify I'm in a slip for the first time since March and I'm plugged into shore power for the first time since last January (last Oct was the first time I had been in a slip in 8 years). Except for having a diver clean the bottom once I've done all the work on my boat since buying it (almost 7 years) except some sail sewing.

Cruising on sailboat isn't about sailing if you expect to go anywhere. And anyone saying they could sail down the ICW is an idiot who knows nothing!

For the areas I've been in (US Northest to the Bahamas) I would say my $ spend a month is lower than most. Yes I've met the loe dollar cruisers living on dried good. They sure were happy to come over to spend time on my boats and enjoy a real meal.

I put my expenses out and try to give enough detail and background for others to make use of the numbers. I don't know why it results in so many "I do it for less" comments without details to support it. Either give details or keep going t to yourself as just a another made up story. I don't really care how much others are spending and don't really care if people like how I spend my money.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Why do you use marinas so frequently? I find your use of marinas to be excessive, our cost was $0.

On some level, I am ashamed [emoji6]

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

On some level, I am ashamed [emoji6]

Coffee splutter...

[a64pilot]

It's hot as Hades here in S Fl. And then we are in the beginning of that season that shall not be named.
When we are complete here, we are going to sit out that season in the Marina in Brunswick Ga, with shorepower and both AC's running.
I have had years of misery training in my time in the Army, I do not need to repeat them, I know how to be miserable.
Marina's if you find one reasonably priced and rent long term are not bad at all. What is bad is when you try to wheel into one here in S Fl. and they want $2.50 a night per ft, plus electricity and maybe another fee. That is when you blow the budget on Marinas.
Myself, I am nervous being where I am this time of year too.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by daletournier

In fact its approx 50k aud which is exactly my budget. If you yanks would just knock that dollar of yours down abit I could buy more coffee.

If we did that your increase in consumption would offset the advantage.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

What is bad is when you try to wheel into one here in S Fl. and they want $2.50 a night per ft, plus electricity and maybe another fee. That is when you blow the budget on Marinas.

That works out to be more expensive that staying in Porto Montenegro during July high season parked across the quay from the Saudi Prince aboard his 300ft mega yacht.

I just asked the other day, the rate was €116 for a 17 meter boat. For $2.50 ft.are you provided a five star full-time concierge service?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ALhptBMufak

[a64pilot]

I didn't take it, I took the $30 a day mooring for one day, which I still think is way overpriced. Course I have a dislike for mooring fields, I'd rather anchor out myself. I fear that in the US, Fl anyway, they are the future.

Contrast that though with us staying in Downtown Ft Lauderdale the other day, City Marina, right beside the Mega Yachts. $40 a night including power. They know it's off season and maybe the city wants to encourage use of their Marina?

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

On some level, I am ashamed [emoji6]

Actually there are a thousand people on this thread that are ashamed right now. You proved it can be done and blew their excuse of "I can't afford it right now!"

Good on ya and keep enjoying life!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Thomm,

I can tell you honestly what it costs, because we sail nearly everywhere and never stay in marinas, but the trouble is... nobody believes me, so why bother since it only seems to start arguments. It's more than $500/month and way less than $3500. People spend what they have and feel comfortable spending. I budget capital improvements to the boat such as new sails, from a separate long term account.

I figured you could sail/cruise for much less than $3,500/month.

If you want to sail/live near the ICW, you can have a boat at a marina, an apartment, a couple cars, and enjoy all parts of both land and sea.

I rode my bike a bit too far yesterday, 25 miles (I'm old plus 60) so I went to bed early.

When I awoke at 4:50 am the wind was up a bit so I went sailing. I was trying to be quiet getting the outboard started at 0730 but it seems whenever you try and do something like that it never works out and before you know it I'm cussing it up a bit.

Finally got it going but probably didn't make any friends with the liveaboards etc.

It was a very nice sail though about 16 miles ..................

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I figured you could sail/cruise for much less than $3,500/month.

You can of course, and you can spend lots more.
What is so valuable about this thread is it breaks those expenditures down, so that you can see where their money went.
Armed with that, then you plug in your type of living expenses and maybe get an idea of what it would cost YOU to cruise, which of course is what we are really after, not what it cost Don to cruise
We don't eat out nearly as much, however I'm a sucker for gadgets, and my Wife, clothes, and we may take a Marina more often if an affordable one can be had, so maybe while our expenditures may be more or less, it's maybe in different things.

However I have become of the opinion that the saying it will cost what you have is actually pretty accurate, or said another way, if you have it you will spend it and if you don't you'll find ways to get by without.

Finally figuring this out has to some extent taken some of the stress off of me that I had when deciding to Retire early or not, also there is the acceptance that I'm Retired now. We are out of the planning stage, now in the implementation phase.

However the threads like this one put me at ease and to some extent allowed me to retire early, before I started the research, I honestly figured that cruising was simply out of my tax bracket, the rich cruise, not poor working slobs like me.

[Kenomac]

Good Lord, I'm just watching from a distance as a fellow cruiser dropped his anchor for the night right in the middle of the marina off the town quay/cruiseship dock; that's going to go over big with the locals. He'll learn his lesson about 10pm when the nightclub cranks up the tunes and when the harbormaster knocks on his boat at 5:00am and tells him to move because the Queen Mary needs to dock.

I guess that's his way of stretching a euro.

[a64pilot]

He may want a slip, but they are closed? I've done that myself, I've heard tie up to the fuel dock too, but I'd rather anchor.
However the disco would ruin that Marina for me, cause if it's loud in front of the Marina, it's loud in the Marina.

Course he may be a local?

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

However I have become of the opinion that the saying it will cost what you have is actually pretty accurate, or said another way, if you have it you will spend it and if you don't you'll find ways to get by without.

If you are not careful your level of living will always rise to meet your income. A gem from a former brother-in-law who never had a pot to pee in. When he made it, he spent it. Got a 2nd job to pay off debt and a year later he was deeper in debt!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Good Lord, I'm just watching from a distance as a fellow cruiser dropped his anchor for the night right in the middle of the marina off the town quay/cruiseship dock; that's going to go over big with the locals. He'll learn his lesson about 10pm when the nightclub cranks up the tunes and when the harbormaster knocks on his boat at 5:00am and tells him to move because the Queen Mary needs to dock.

I guess that's his way of stretching a euro.

You can actually do that up here (or come close) in many of the small seaside towns or get a slip for the night at $1.50/ft

In Onancock, VA, the anchorage is maybe 30-40 yards from the wharf/dock and they have a dinghy dock. It's a very small old town.

Also once out to the bay, it's almost 30 miles wide there so you can sail back and forth across and find other treasures, good anchorages, dock side restaurants, old movie theaters, art shows, etc

It's one of the few places along the ICW where you can sail and find rather cheap moorings and marinas should you need one. Late August through October it's almost perfect.

The creek into Onancock is 5 miles so it's very protected. Anchoring in there is like being anchored on the local lake. I believe the depth is 8' all the way in.

https://www.waterwayguide.com/featur...ck-town-marina

Then there's Deltaville, VA on the opposite shore, but I doubt you can anchor near the marina there. It's only 1.00/ft/night though for a slip

Deltaville Marina on Jackson Creek, Virginia - Just minutes from the Chesapeake Bay!