Tips and tricks for minimalist cruising

[TrentePieds]

Na Mara said: "I think there is some confusion about what minimalism is or involves."

Indeed there is! Seems to me that what you are getting at, Na Mara, is that you want to do a maritime Bauhaus, "less is more"-cum-"form follows function" stunt.

Absolutely commendable, and if that's what you wish to do you, you'll find me in complete agreement :-).

However, I have some difficulty with American English because I'm not a native speaker thereof, although, of course, I understand a good deal of it because it contains so many words borrowed from "the Queen's English" :-). I have difficulty, in particular, with the notion that seems to pervade American English that if you attach the suffix "-ism" to an adjective - in this case the adjective "minimal" - then - abracadabra - you've created an ethos, and therefore EVERYONE will understand precisely what you mean :-)!

The same goes, of course, for the propensity to create alleged ideologically cohesive groups by attaching the suffix "-ist" to nouns, such as, oh - let's say, "survivalist".

If your intension in your opening post was to say "don't collect junk", why not just say it :-)?

You may recall that Winnie said: "Short words are best, and short words, when they are old, are best of all!"

All the best,

TP

[boatman61]

A great thread for you to read from back when there were a lot more budget cruising members amongst us that should give you some ideas is called something like..
Cruising for $500/month... pretty sure someone will post a link as I've gotten lazy and use my phone so can't.
Some great ideas about Loadsa things.. plus some silly stuff as normal..

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

I think there is some confusion about what minimalism is or involves. Minimalism done well is not cheap.

This is why I prefer the term frugal. It's not necessarily cheap, although in the long run it usually is. Quality items tend to cost more up front, but hold their value and function a long time.

[MicHughV]

Boatman, I cruised for years and years on a $500/month budget.....never needed, nor wanted anything...always managed to do just fine...in that same period, would often come across cruisers " struggling" along on a $5,000/month budget...so no happy medium here...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Boatman, I cruised for years and years on a $500/month budget.....never needed, nor wanted anything...always managed to do just fine...in that same period, would often come across cruisers " struggling" along on a $5,000/month budget...so no happy medium here...

Likewise... but he may learn some new things/realities that help him decide on how minimal he'd be comfortable with.. there were some hard core minimalists around when that thread started...
A Dave Old Jersey gem if memory serves.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Boatman, I cruised for years and years on a $500/month budget.....never needed, nor wanted anything...always managed to do just fine...in that same period, would often come across cruisers " struggling" along on a $5,000/month budget...so no happy medium here...

My spouse and I currently live on about $1700 CND per month. In USD terms this is about $1,400 or about $700 per person. It's certainly possible to live on a lot less than what most around here think is necessary, but it does require making choices, and living frugally.

[250224]

Originally Posted by boatman61

A great thread for you to read from back when there were a lot more budget cruising members amongst us that should give you some ideas is called something like..
Cruising for $500/month... pretty sure someone will post a link as I've gotten lazy and use my phone so can't.

Sure

- 500 (unburdened happy times): https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...nth-40051.html
- continued by https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-ii-79067.html

- 5000 (screw low down): https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...eply&p=3516879

- either merits: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...st-121428.html

Warning, this probably more material as electric cornell and cop combined!!
PS: what happened with the lot more budget cruising members? Did they all get married?

[wingssail]

We have a slightly different take on "minimalist".

Judy termed it, "living lightly".

So we have what we need, and skip some of what we just "want".

But we recognized that if we rough it too much, ie; camping out, we'd soon tire of that and begin to yearn for the luxuries of land living (condo, etc).

We wanted this liveaboard thing to be life long, not a bucket list adventure.

So some compromises were made:

We bought a crude boat. That is, with less furniture and fancy fit out. We bought an old racing boat with bare fiberglass walls and overhead. But we made sure it had a comfortable bed, comfortable settees for lounging and reading, good intimate lighting and ventilation, and we added a nice cabin sole, fresh paint, and some art for the walls. We added plenty of forced air diesel heat, so we're never shivvering even when it is below freezing outside. It still has bare bolts sticking down from the overhead and lacks doors, but it is roomy, comfy, and homey.

We added (the race boat had nothing) those items which suited a purpose, or better yet, multiple purposes. We use our engine to produce electricity, so no genset needed. Our autopilot is a small raymarine unit, no permanent installation; we shunned fancy electronics and kitchen appliances. We use a small 12v water maker, a small refer, BUT, with a little freezer. Having ice in your cocktail each evening is a wonderful luxury which we afforded ourselves. We knew when we sailed to the tropics that A/C was essential, especially since we were working and dressing every day for professional jobs, so we added a portable air conditioner which we use at the dock.

Speaking of “the dock”, we put out the funds to have a marina berth about 9 months a year. Climbing into a dingy every day was, we knew, going to get old. In several ports of call we bought cars. Busses get old.

We remodeled the galley to add a better stove, sink, and the above mentioned refer/freezer, and we have instant on demand hot water. And 35 years ago we bought a full set of All Clad cookware which we still use.

We did install a good navigation station with a good computer table with permanent laptop, printer and big screen, and a WiFi hotspot, and a great music system, so it became our office as well as entertainment center.

We both knew right from the start, if you don’t sail often, why live on a boat. So we made sure that we kept our boat simple and easy to sail, with few “labor saving devices”. Anything you add to save work adds complexity, weight, and generally gets in the way. No roller furling, no lazy jacks, no boom brake, no electric winches… This has worked. Our log book had over 1500 separate trips, and more coming.

We also knew that sailing needs to be fun in order to keep doing it. We make sure our boat is lively and fast as well as easy to sail. Every trip for us is a chance to experience the joy of sailing on a fun boat. It was for us at the beginning and still is 38 years later.

We said we bought an old race boat. Yes. And it is still a race boat. We have virtually done nothing to make it slower and all the stuff we added was offset by removing internal ballast. The boat is as light and fast as it was the day we bought it and we still race it about 25 times a year, and win quite often. That adds to the “fun”.

So, is it minimalist? Maybe not. Our boat is light, small, and simple. But what we have is a wonderful, comfortable home with a good galley, office, hot shower, great settees and bed, music, heat and A/C and nothing extra, and we love it. It does not feel minimal, it is notcampling out, it feels like pure luxury, but too sparse and we’d not have stayed here, and it is certainly "living lightly" compared to a condo ashore. So that is our approach.
:

[JPA Cate]

Wolfgal mentioned shopping for clothing at op shops. I've done this most of my adult life. It does not bother me to wear something someone else has worn. In high school, most of my clothing was hand-me-downs, anyway. And, I like the idea of "re-purposing" things. I buy my unders new, and the rest used, if I can find something I like well enough. However, I could have rebuilt and fixed up a five year old shirt I burned a hole in that was about the size of an R2E2 mango (the large ones); and I threw it out instead.

One finds one's own ways.

Ann

[Na Mara]

Wingsail I’d definitely say that you and yours have embraced a fairly hard core version of the minimalist lifestyle. More hardcore than I’m willing to embrace.

I think where we differ the most is in our attitude to systems rather than stuff aboard. I absolutely agree that the easier a boat is to sail well the more often it will be sailed, but if I deem some labour saving device to be sufficiently reliable, and of sufficient quality and utility then I will fit it and enjoy the ease it brings to my sailing.

I electrified my furlers to reduce lines around my boat and make it easier to sail. Those selden systems are very reliable and have manual backups. For me this aids in my enjoyment of the boat by making her easier to operate and it also decluttered her decks and cockpit. Thus a minimalist upgrade for me but presumably not something you would consider as such.

[MicHughV]

Ann, you mentioned clothes....in my neck of the woods we have a "Goodwill" store....you can drop anything off there and they will sell it at a large discount.
One would think it would be mostly junk, and there is certainly a lot of junk there, but, interestingly, most of the clothes there are top-of-the-line designer stuff, that some or other millionaire no longer wanted or needed. Of late, it has become quite the " go to" place to find good clothing at bargain pricing..

[Mike OReilly]

Some of my nicest clothes are from the Sally Ann.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

Wingsail I’d definitely say that you and yours have embraced a fairly hard core version of the minimalist lifestyle. More hardcore than I’m willing to embrace.

I think where we differ the most is in our attitude to systems rather than stuff aboard. I absolutely agree that the easier a boat is to sail well the more often it will be sailed, but if I deem some labour saving device to be sufficiently reliable, and of sufficient quality and utility then I will fit it and enjoy the ease it brings to my sailing.

I electrified my furlers to reduce lines around my boat and make it easier to sail. Those selden systems are very reliable and have manual backups. For me this aids in my enjoyment of the boat by making her easier to operate and it also decluttered her decks and cockpit. Thus a minimalist upgrade for me but presumably not something you would consider as such.

Don't read the - €500 thread..

[Chotu]

This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Lines up exactly with my own attempted path that I am on right now.

But we do all do our own things. I’m adding a couple of those extra things to make it a little more homelike. They will have an environmental impact. And they will upset the balance of minimalism. But I’m still adding them. The dishwasher is something I just cannot live without. I’ve been going without for decades. The amount of free time I have spent washing dishes is just crazy.

Originally Posted by wingssail

We have a slightly different take on "minimalist".

Judy termed it, "living lightly".

So we have what we need, and skip some of what we just "want".

But we recognized that if we rough it too much, ie; camping out, we'd soon tire of that and begin to yearn for the luxuries of land living (condo, etc).

We wanted this liveaboard thing to be life long, not a bucket list adventure.

So some compromises were made:

We bought a crude boat. That is, with less furniture and fancy fit out. We bought an old racing boat with bare fiberglass walls and overhead. But we made sure it had a comfortable bed, comfortable settees for lounging and reading, good intimate lighting and ventilation, and we added a nice cabin sole, fresh paint, and some art for the walls. We added plenty of forced air diesel heat, so we're never shivvering even when it is below freezing outside. It still has bare bolts sticking down from the overhead and lacks doors, but it is roomy, comfy, and homey.

We added (the race boat had nothing) those items which suited a purpose, or better yet, multiple purposes. We use our engine to produce electricity, so no genset needed. Our autopilot is a small raymarine unit, no permanent installation; we shunned fancy electronics and kitchen appliances. We use a small 12v water maker, a small refer, BUT, with a little freezer. Having ice in your cocktail each evening is a wonderful luxury which we afforded ourselves. We knew when we sailed to the tropics that A/C was essential, especially since we were working and dressing every day for professional jobs, so we added a portable air conditioner which we use at the dock.

Speaking of “the dock”, we put out the funds to have a marina berth about 9 months a year. Climbing into a dingy every day was, we knew, going to get old. In several ports of call we bought cars. Busses get old.

We remodeled the galley to add a better stove, sink, and the above mentioned refer/freezer, and we have instant on demand hot water. And 35 years ago we bought a full set of All Clad cookware which we still use.

We did install a good navigation station with a good computer table with permanent laptop, printer and big screen, and a WiFi hotspot, and a great music system, so it became our office as well as entertainment center.

We both knew right from the start, if you don’t sail often, why live on a boat. So we made sure that we kept our boat simple and easy to sail, with few “labor saving devices”. Anything you add to save work adds complexity, weight, and generally gets in the way. No roller furling, no lazy jacks, no boom brake, no electric winches… This has worked. Our log book had over 1500 separate trips, and more coming.

We also knew that sailing needs to be fun in order to keep doing it. We make sure our boat is lively and fast as well as easy to sail. Every trip for us is a chance to experience the joy of sailing on a fun boat. It was for us at the beginning and still is 38 years later.

We said we bought an old race boat. Yes. And it is still a race boat. We have virtually done nothing to make it slower and all the stuff we added was offset by removing internal ballast. The boat is as light and fast as it was the day we bought it and we still race it about 25 times a year, and win quite often. That adds to the “fun”.

So, is it minimalist? Maybe not. Our boat is light, small, and simple. But what we have is a wonderful, comfortable home with a good galley, office, hot shower, great settees and bed, music, heat and A/C and nothing extra, and we love it. It does not feel minimal, it is notcampling out, it feels like pure luxury, but too sparse and we’d not have stayed here, and it is certainly "living lightly" compared to a condo ashore. So that is our approach.
:

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

I worked out how much CO2 I release from cooking with gas and its a tiny amount. It works out as 10kg CO2 per month or 120kg CO2 per year from cooking (and that is without using induction in port). I breath out 4-5 times that.

I looked into the cost of switching to electric cooking. The inverter alone would cost twice the price of a new gas cooker. Given the original cooker is 34 years old and doesn't have flame failure its time to change. We have just ordered a new cooker instead. At least it's made in the UK.

However, having an electric kettle this summer powered from solar has made a huge difference to the amount of gas we use, so we bought a single induction hob. Those very nice M&S stainless steel pans we have on board, yep they don't work on induction

Originally Posted by Na Mara

Assuming 15l of diesel usage a week on average ( 4-5 hrs of motoring a week) CO2 from running the engine is about 40kg a week or 2 metric tons a year. It’s the engine that dominates the carbon footprint on a boat, not the lpg for cooking.

I think we could make electric propulsion work with a change in mind set. The problem I can't solve is heating, particularly for early and late season sailing, without being forced to stop in an expensive marina every night. something we try to limit preferring quaint fishing harbours and old boatyards. Our diesel heating is just very good at making life on board comfortable.

Pete