# [No title]



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I was just curious to what your monthly cruising budget was. Some people spend near $1000-$2000 a month, while others spend little to nothing a month. So whats your cruising budget?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Boy, this is one of those Pandora box questions! There are so many factors that go into a budget....cruising style being one of the big ones, and cruising location being another.

I cruised Baja California for $250 per month. This was on a boat that had been well fitted out and provisioned before leaving San Diego, and we NEVER stayed in a marina. "Dining out" meant hitting the local taco stand. I have no complaints about the style we pursued, but think that this might be pretty much the lowest end of the budget spectrum.

We now have the boat in a marina in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Slip cost and medical insurance figure as the largest items in our budget at this point. We also have a car, so that''s another added expense...we are living on around $1,500 per month.

If cruising on the cheap is part of the picture, I think that staying away from marinas is probably the biggest key. Thing is, there are certain cruising areas where that may not be 100% possible...many coastal cruising "hot spots" are beginning to enact regulations about long term anchoring, or even prohibiting anchoring altogether, so marinas become the only way to visit those spots. 

I think Baja and the western Caribbean at this point are still places where really cheap cruising is possible. I''m sure there are other spots as well...but the days where we can pick any destination and assume that we''ll be able to just drop the hook to live are dwindling.

Trish
www.takehersailing.com


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

yea its sad that "they" are putting a price tag on everything. Its getting more and more expensive to live, mabey like 90 years ago you could just sail anywhere without barley any money.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

My Bahamas cruising budget for two people, including food, beer, wine, a little rum, a fair amount of fishing, fuel, oil, filters, water but not repairs or other maintenance, marinas, or any resturants, etc is a little under $900 per month.

Cut out the beer, wine and rum and the number is substantially reduced.


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## mcain (Jun 13, 2003)

Yeah, but cut the beer, wine and rum and why go? Better to cut the cruising and keep the beer, wine and rum!

We are leaving in a month or so, and have done tons of research, including friends who have left before us. Most people figure a really, really comfortable lifestyle at $1500 per month. People spend it differently, depending on their priorities. Some spend it on marinas, some on higher insurance payments, some on restaurants and bars, some on sidetrips. But many, many folks seem to converge on the $1500 level. We are planning 1500-2000, including boat insurance, the occasional marina (seldom), occasional restaurants (local, not 5-star), catastrophic-only health insurance, boat maintenance and the other normal expenses (food, fuel, water, fees, mail forwarding). But NOT including any land-based expenses, like life insurance, taxes, any real-estate costs for property, etc. 

Obviously, cut the health insurance and boat insurance and keep the maintenance down by keeping systems simple (we have NOT), will dramatically get the numbers down. Also keep cell phones and other communication down, no trips home, marinas to a minimum can cut costs. These are the things that typically get the costs higher.

Books by Annie Hill and the Pardey''s explain how to cruise much more simply and cheaply.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

mcain--

I think you''ve done an excellent job of budgeting. Very realistic, and good insight into the things that can be dialed up or down to stay within your numbers. There really ARE a lot of choices--the $250 per month I lived on in Baja left out pretty much everything but the basics--no boat or health insurance, no marinas, no inland trips or trips home, no sit-down eating out (taco stands were within budget!), not even any fancy potluck dishes!!! I think the biggest thing I missed living that cheaply were the inland trips to get to know Mexico better. Many of my buddies did some really interesting stuff onshore and learned a lot about specific areas and people, and I wish I could have afforded similar trips. I was able to do some of that further south in Costa Rica and Panama--when our funds allowed it--and the experience was wonderful.

Other than missing that one thing, life in Baja was great on that low number. As I get older I''m getting more cautious, so insurance now figures in to the budget. Am on the west coast of Florida now, in a marina, so costs add up for that too. We are now living in the $1500-2000 range that you cited above.

Trish Lambert
www.takehersailing.com


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## Nereus32 (Jun 23, 2002)

mcain-

Where is your $1500 a month going to take you? What is your planned cruising area?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

1995-1998. 30-ft simple, well-found boat, two adults and two kids. Few marinas, occasional eating out in cheap places. A couple of inland trips. No major repairs, but two haulouts for paint. 3 years total. Average $800. Averaged $400 in Mexico. 

2002 Bahamas. Same boat - bigger kids. Average $1000/mo. We could have sailed anywhere in the world for that assuming no major breakdowns (had a special $10k no-touch fund for that). Would still be out there if one of the kids didn''t have to return for college.


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## mcain (Jun 13, 2003)

fourknots, this is good information. A couple of the biggest expenses that seem optional for cruisers is boat insurance and health insurance. Do your numbers include those two items? 
Thanks.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

What''s my budget - certainly different to yours and aint that the truth.

There are some common things that we all have to allow for but beyond that even if we are being honest with ourselves (and remember there''s a lot of difference between a budget and the real thing) we can make sacrafices or readjustments that make the cruising life quite easy on the purse.

I found cruising around Australia for years that the cost even by today''s standardsd would be less than $10,000 a year even if I lived well. Remember that for you folks in the US of A you can cut that in half depending on the value of your dollar. 

Hey at that rate who wants to be a landlubber?

Johnno


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## jack_patricia (May 20, 2001)

As some of the posts show, not only does a given boat''s budget vary widely from ''the pack'' but a cruising budget is actually a subset of a larger set of financial issues (re-entry costs, boat purchase/upgrade budget, emergency fund, etc., all funneling up to a total financial pot from which they all must be funded).

The best single source for coaching someone through all these issues...but tying them down to a specific boat and cruising plans...is in Beth Leonard''s Voyager''s Handbook (I may have that title off just a bit). Beth knows enough to correlate the financial planning issues with other directly relevant variables, e.g. the simplicity/complexity of the boat involved, and reading the chapter in her book is a big help in sorting out the micro and macro views.

FWIW Latitude 38 regularly carries articles on this topic, more often focusing on cruising on the W Coast of Central America but sometimes farther afield. While the details offered by their readers is always enlightening, their central theme carries right thru all the readers'' comments: you''ll spend what you have and, as a corollary, you''ll make what you have work if you''re committed to going.

Jack


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

While it''s clear that there are lots of variables, I think it *is* really helpful
to get actual dollar figures from people
who have done it, especially when attached to some description of where they cruised, how extravagantly they lived, what size boat, how many people, etc.--that is, correlated to the variables. Too often, people who might know answer the question "how much does it cost" by saying "it depends." (As a culture, we are oddly uncomfortable talking about money.) The answer "this is what we spent and this is how we spent it" is much more helpful as a guideline, and it''s more helpful the more different answers you get. 

So I''m grateful (as I plan my cruise--I''m on the five year plan) for the question and to those who were kind enough to answer with dollars and details.

Several years ago, I was reading figures of about $1,000 a month for a couple to live basically but not impoverished... The figures coming in here--closer to $1500?--seem generally consistent with that, given inflation. The problem is, when I sailed for several months in the Pacific, I knew it was only going to be for several months and I had some money, so I was living pretty well. Will I like cruising as much on half the budget? Hmmmm...


dave.


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## mcain (Jun 13, 2003)

I agree, Dave. The problem with quitting jobs and going cruising for an extended period (years, not months) is the finality of it. Some folks have skills that they can easily take up again later, and their intent is to go cruising for a couple of years and return to the work force. If they spend more than planned, they return to land sooner, if they spend less, they stay out longer.
Others of us are older, ready for early retirement or retired, and have careers that could not realistically be re-started in 3-5 years. This makes the budget and time for departure a more important decision.
That is why having a monthly budget number that would allow a "comfortable" lifestyle--whatever lifestyle you want to maintain--is important. Then ideally exceed that number with a reserve of money. 
So those who have published specific budget numbers have done the cruising community a great service. Even though "everyone is different", and even though "it depends", and even though "you will spend what you have to spend". 
I also believe that the two biggest budget items are health and boat insurance. It is important to know if these two are included in any published budget. Marinas, phone calls, buying stuff for the boat, trips home, eating out--all of these impact the budget, but are adjustable monthly--if the budget is fat this month, eat out more, if not, eat out less. Boat and health insurance are consistent monthly charges and together can be $500/month or more.

FWIW. M.


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## DuaneIsing (Jul 10, 2001)

An interesting thread, indeed. Having not quite started with any cruising (part-or full-time), I can only add what our current plans are:

1. Keeping the boat purchase price low enough so there is enough left from our "pot of money" to fund 5 years of estimated upkeep (insurance, maintenance, upgrades, expendables, etc.). For us, that''s $100K on the boat (taxes paid) and $50K left for 5 years upkeep. I''m told that should be conservative, especially if we buy a boat in good condition.

2. We plan to take about 4-6 months our first year (2005) for a "sabbatical" cruise (after 23 years of steady work for me, and my wife being retired as of 2004). The expense budget for that cruise is $2,000 per month, including boat and medical insurance, food, mooring fees, fuel, entertainment, etc.

3. If we like it as much as we think, we plan to structure our working lives around 8 months a years, leaving 3-4 months for cruising on a slightly smaller budget ($1,600 per month).

4. The only way this works for us (in theory) is that my wife will have a pretty decent pension coming in 12 months a year. Without that, we would have to scale back our boat and budget by half to do this at this time. 

5. We feel we are fortunate to have what we do (less than some and more than others), but in any case we don''t want to put off our part-year cruising life until we amass some extremely "comfortable" amount of money in bank. You never know when your health will fail or something will stop you, so we''re going soon.

6. My engineering/computer skills are not quite as transferable as one might think (at least not directly), but I will find a way to earn enough money during the working portion of the year to make this happen. If we took off for 3 years of solid cruising, and then tried to reenter the workforce, I''m sure it would be tough.

Good luck to all of you in your plans.

Duane


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

We are about to set off on our cruise in 42 days. Notice I am counting.

One thing to keep in mind in buying a boat, used or new, is the cost of getting it prepared for cruising. Even a boat that is in excellent condition will require quite a bit of updating.

2 1/2 years ago I bought a 1981 Mariner CC 39 sloop. It was in immaculate shape, the former and only owner having lived aboard it for 18 years. The surveyors said it was one of the best kept boats they had ever seen.

That being said I have spend about $19,000 to check and update wiring, plumbing, the rudder, etc. So make sure you consider this in your planning factors. Several books I have read have said use a rule of thumb of 1/3 to 1/2 of purchase cost will be required.

I didn''t believe this rule on my first boat, which was new, or this one, but in both cases that figure was about right, in actuality.

Its still worth it thought, just a little stressful as we get close to the goal.

Tony


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Wow! 42 days. I''m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Good luck! If you find yourself with a cash flow problem, email me... I''ll show up on deck with $1,000!

By now, you all have probably seen the latest Cruising World. Cover story:
"How much does it cost?" Basically useful--
in line, I''d say, with the figures here, though they also include the budgets of some more luxurious travellers.

I teach college. I''m hoping to cruise from mid-December to mid-August--destination unknown--probably Caribbean (including, or mostly, western--Belize, Bay Islands), and live cheaply at home while working (Sep. 1 -mid-December)... all for about $20K a year. I''ll be singlehanding part of the time, with a partner (and sometimes her two kids) part of the time (and she''ll add a bit to that $20K budget)... I know I can live very cheaply at home while I teach. If I can get the boat and outfit it beforehand, the figures I''m seeing suggest I can do this (on a small boat--probably under 36 feet--maybe quite a bit under. 

That''s the five-year plan. Right now, I want to get a small boat (a 27'' Albin Vega?) and keep it somewhere tropical (east end of Puerto Rico? Florida Keys? Bahamas? Belize/Rio Dulce? Sea of Cortez?) to sail for 4 weeks Dec.-Jan., Spring break, and part of summer (all these places, of course, are in hurricane zones, I know)... 

Here''s the question. Does anyone know anything about costs--and the practicality-- of keeping a boat--in the water or out--in any of these places? (The Cruising World article cites marina costs of $150 for two months in the Rio Dulce, about $15/day elsewhere in the Caribbean, more in Panama (but under $10/day in Tahiti!)--the $15/day was for bigger, 40'' boats).

dave.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

What an informative post !

Can''t wait for my time to escape. (4 years - got the boat) I hope those numbers don''t jump too much.

Speedy


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Well, FWIW, We''ve been cruising the georgia/north florida coast for a month now.
I''d say that our expenses are close to $2,000. wanting to go in places, we have to pay for dinghy privledges, $5 - $8 a day, and in a couple of places we paid a marina fee. having a few drinks or lunch out also adds up. But if we keep it here, We''re OK and loving it. We''re actually in Beaufort SC now and getting ready to go back south.
Rick & Connie,
S/V Calaloo


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Keep in mind that I have never cruised so I don''t KNOW, I am only offering an uninformed opinion.
I think rather than say the cost of cruising "depends" or "varies" it should just be said "it costs what you are willing to spend". 
I have a wife and 2 small children, house payment, car payment and all the other expenses. I estimate my total monthly expenses at $1600 (no more than $1800 since that is all I earn) I can''t imagine that it would cost more for me to live aboard than it does on shore. I really believe (and I am sure you will all tell me I am wrong) that I could live comfortably but humbly on $500-$600 a month while cruising.


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## eds928gt (Sep 28, 2001)

No doubt there are some who can cruise on a shoe-string. The more important questions are, what is the minimum amount of comfort you and your crew can tolerate, and for how long?

A good budget should include a kitty for unforseen events. Besides higher than usual entertainment expenses, there should be funds set aside for an emergency trip back home, regardless of where you are. In addition, there should be cash on hand in case the boat needs immediate repairs, again - regardless of where you are.

When you factor these (less likely, but) costly expenses into the overall cruising budget it can quickly grow to a figure that easily exceed one''s net monthly income. Bottom line - have your cruising budget reviewed by knowledgeable, experienced cruisers. It''s always better to prepare and budget for the worst, and hope for the best. Doing it the other way is pretty much a guarantee that the cruise will end prematurely or worse. :^(

~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

We have been planning to cruise for years. My wife can retire in a year and I have a 401K. We just bought the boat. Now I am having second thoughts. We dreamed of living at anchor and so far it has been hard to find a place to anchor... Every cove is surrounded by house or condos and has marinas. I hear that even Key West now has a mooring field and restricts anchoring. We have also met some long term liveaboards. It is seeming more and more like a hard life.
Our experience is very limited so far and we hope that we experience some better places. Right now my dream has turned more like a nightmare. Anchoring and living very close to nature but that nature is surrounded by $500,000 + homes and being looked at as a vagrant. The other anchorages have been crowded with jet ski''s and stinkpots. Anyone considering the cruising lifestyle should get some experience on two week vacations before commiting to the lifestyle. It may be better to take vacations aboard and wish for more time than to actually face living aboard year round. We may hedge our bets and rent the house for six months before cutting all land ties. 
On topic we have been hoping to live on about $1500.00/month and keep the proceeds from selling our house as money to reenter life ashore.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Where are you sailing? Sure there are a lot of places like that but there are also a lot of very quiet gunk holes out here.

I am currently on the Florida West coast and there are plenty of good anchorages here.

Tony


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

[No message]


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I am at Mobile Bay. Had the boat at Choctawhatchee Bay. We will be spending about a week on the boat starting this weekend. Will probably head towards Pensacola..Maybe Panama City if the weather is OK. Was looking towards New Orleans but again most of the bays are shallow or full of houses etc. We prefer not to anchor in someones front yard...


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