"Not Counting" costs of cruising and living on boat

[sailorboy1]

Since I have 69 months of data that I can sort I wondered what my costs would be if I applied some "not counting".

If I do some "not counting" and include only the following categories:

General Living - Food, soda, alcohol, clothing, sundries, other
Boat costs - upgrades, repairs, maintenance
Fuel (diesel, gas, propane)
Fees
Water
Boat Registration
Boat Insurance

For my wife and I it averages out to $2,113/mo. the 69 months. If I take out boat "upgrades" I can get it down to $1,956/mo. If I then take out a guess for soda, alcohol, and "better" food I can get down to $1,458/mo.

So that is my "not counting" min and I wouldn't be posting this as I wouldn't have a cell phone for internet, but guess could wander around looking for a hotspot.

Now this leaves out:

Boat upgrades that made boat living much better
Dining and drinking out
Communication, storage, shipping
Marina
Electric
Medical
Transportation and travel

[Chotu]

Thank you for continuing this analysis.

[kayakerChuck]

Thanks for the numbers.

A friend planned on about $600/month. His reality is closer to $2800- he's not liking reality.

[AKA-None]

Kind of like a former member who wouldn’t count all the upfront costs to renew everything and then claimed he could live on a ridiculous tiny amount

I suspect your new numbers are similar to what you would spend if on land?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

I suspect your new numbers are similar to what you would spend if on land?

All my numbers are pretty much the same as land without adjustments.

If I add my boats costs + marina + electrical + insurance it is pretty much what my last house plus utilizes used to cost me.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

All my numbers are pretty much the same as land without adjustments.



If I add my boats costs + marina + electrical + insurance it is pretty much what my last house plus utilizes used to cost me.

That’s fair and mostly expected

[chris mac]

Timing comes into effect too. While we are in the Bahamas, 5-6 months per year, our average expense has been as low as $500 usd. However when we get stateside we then have to replenish food stocks, parts, repairs, upgrades, insurance, ect. So our monthly average over the course of the year goes way up. It comes out to very close to what sailorboy shows.
So it's very easy to honestly say we have cruised the Bahamas on $500 per month... because we spent 5,000 per month over the summer getting ready for it!

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Since I have 69 months of data that I can sort I wondered what my costs would be if I applied some "not counting".

If I do some "not counting" and include only the following categoriestspot.

I've kept track of your counting for a long time and I've admired your reporting; however, when I first saw that your plan was to try some "not counting", I thought you were going to drop the ledger for a while.

When my wife and I retired to full time cruising I counted for one year to see that we were cruising well below our income and I quit the counting! Your perseverance has been admirable and a service to many!

[aqfishing]

Found this interesting:

https://www.facebook.com/svOcelot/ph...9597022094039/

https://scontent-cpt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...wQ&oe=62BBC61F

[aqfishing]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Since I have 69 months of data that I can sort I wondered what my costs would be if I applied some "not counting".

If I do some "not counting" and include only the following categories:

General Living - Food, soda, alcohol, clothing, sundries, other
Boat costs - upgrades, repairs, maintenance
Fuel (diesel, gas, propane)
Fees
Water
Boat Registration
Boat Insurance

For my wife and I it averages out to $2,113/mo. the 69 months. If I take out boat "upgrades" I can get it down to $1,956/mo. If I then take out a guess for soda, alcohol, and "better" food I can get down to $1,458/mo.

So that is my "not counting" min and I wouldn't be posting this as I wouldn't have a cell phone for internet, but guess could wander around looking for a hotspot.

Now this leaves out:

Boat upgrades that made boat living much better
Dining and drinking out
Communication, storage, shipping
Marina
Electric
Medical
Transportation and travel

Many thanks for your efforts!

[Letterkenny]

Where are you cruising at again?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by chris mac

Timing comes into effect too. While we are in the Bahamas, 5-6 months per year, our average expense has been as low as $500 usd. However when we get stateside we then have to replenish food stocks, parts, repairs, upgrades, insurance, ect.

That's the truth. High month before and high expense after. But all that gets "counted" in this thread except for the marina/electric/water because I am the only one who ever sometimes has to do that I am told

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I've kept track of your counting for a long time and I've admired your reporting; however, when I first saw that your plan was to try some "not counting", I thought you were going to drop the ledger for a while.

When my wife and I retired to full time cruising I counted for one year to see that we were cruising well below our income and I quit the counting! Your perseverance has been admirable and a service to many!

I have to keep counting because I had no income for the first 4 years so needed to keep the long term view. Had a small income the fifth year and currently income covers about 60% of a "normal" month (I don't really know what a normal month is other than my pipe dream hope). All planning has been to get to next year when we will have 100%+ of target costs and mostly wasn't expecting a problem from then on. But we have an unplanned family cost that wipes a lot of that out.

It could be just where and who I hang with as far as other cruisers, but I would say I am average spender for the group.

I haven't reported month 69, but I still counted it.

[John_Trusty]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

I suspect your new numbers are similar to what you would spend if on land?

I really doubt that you could comfortably live in Florida, even discounting housing and auto as Sailorboy1 did, anywhere close to $2 K monthly. Of course, it all depends on where and how you cruise - marina vs. anchors. Insurance alone that allows you to be south of Hatteras during the next five months will cost you over a grand a month for your cruising boat, about double what it would costs to insure a small condo for the same risks.

I am grateful for Sailorboy1's bookkeeping efforts, and will dutifully divide by two before showing the results to my wife.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

Insurance alone that allows you to be south of Hatteras during the next five months will cost you over a grand a month for your cruising boat, about double what it would costs to insure a small condo for the same risks.

well the low cost people "self insure" which is code for no insurance

If you have ever been to Boot Key or Key West you see how it is done. But it isn't "cruising" it is living on a boat