# Estimating Cruising Costs



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I know this question will cause many a chuckle. But..... I have a strong desire to do some cruising and I have no idea what one should expect in terms of average costs (umm, weekly, monthly or whatever). I need a starting point. If anyone keeps records, I would love to hear from you. I know there are many variables and I know there will be surprises. 
Thanks........... Joe


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Jojo-

This really depends on a lot of factors... like the type and size of boat... how many people you're talking about, what part of the world you're cruising in, whether you like to stay on the hook or in marinas, whether you need to run a diesel genset to produce electricity or have wind/solar, etc. 

Some have done it for as little as $500 a month....others spend $3,000 a month... A bigger boat will have some costs that are higher and some that are lower. Maintenance, dock, mooring and haulout fees will be higher, but often, the larger boats can be a bit more self-sufficient, having water makers, solar and wind electrical generation capability.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

I'm by far from experianced in extended criusing but I think most of the costs are provisions, fuel, and for those that JUST HAVE TO.. $tay at Marina$. 

Eh.. I like being out on the hook and using the self reliable nature of my boat. We have gone 4-5 days without needing to put in anywhere while on Chesepeake Bay. Showers on the boat are a real joy even if they are short.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Cruising world did an article on this a couple of years ago - had actual budgets from six or seven boats ranging from minimal to very well fitted. The lowest figure quoted was about 15K a year, and the highest was just under 70K.

It would be worth checking out the article if you can find it somewhere...it was fairly comprehensive. I think that there is a running thread on this as well over on http://www.cruisersforum.com/


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The rule I go by is-

Cheaper than staying ashore, but you'll still spend more than you planned.

Unless your name is Reid...............


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

Beth Leonard's new book goes into this in some detail using several examples. Much of my pre-cruising budget is going into self-sufficiency and stowage (water maker, generous ground tackle, solar and wind, plenty of room for food stowage, etc., onboard clothes washing, etc.). The idea is to make my trips to shore optional for services and to reduce to a predictable degree my "living" budget...in order to retain control over discretionary expenses.

I wish to avoid marinas in general, but if I spend 30 days on the anchor, I wouldn't object to a weekend docking if a lot of shoreside facilities and attractions were nearby. But the simple fact is that those facilities...or in many cases the marinas themselves...aren't going to exist in quite a few of the places we intend on going. Consequently, I don't think a yearly budget of $25,000 2007 dollars per year is too low, considering that we will have invested a few times that in making ourselves on the boat fairly autonomous of the shore.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Beth Leonard's The Voyager's Handbook would also be a good reference, since she has two or three budgets for cruisers for comparison purposes.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Here...read this:
http://www.bethandevans.com/costofcruising.htm


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## NextBoat (Oct 4, 2007)

Without getting into specifics...because there's already some good advice above...the one thing that I can tell you is that in my experience of cruising the Abacos for 3 or 4 months we (my wife & I on a well equiped 35 foot sloop) spent remarkably little...well, less than I'd anticipated. Having said that if we'd resisted the urge to buy the almost always disappointing cheeseburger and stuck to drinking rum rather than beer we could have spent a lot less. It's a few years ago now but my wife kept a calendar with all our expenses written on it and we still have it if you're interested in the nitty gritty. 

We spent one night every 12'ish days in a marina to fill up on water, run the a/c, do the laundry, pick up fresh food (sort of fresh anyway), drink beer and eat the aforementioned overpriced cheeseburger. The rest of the time was spent living on the hook, eating fresh fish & conch, drinking rum drinks and generally loving life.

If you think you want to spend a lot of time 'on the hook' my advice is spend time and money getting your boat equipped for it while you have an income and then head off and enjoy. We had a nice big battery bank, wind generator, a stupid amount of fresh water storage, wind scoops for ventilation etc etc and everything else in good reliable working order (reliable...yeah sure...this is a boat...something always breaks but that's life).


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Thanks*

A hearty 'thank you' to all that responded to my inquiry. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of responses. The information provided has given me the 'green light' so to speak. I am still a year or so away from my dream but I feel good about it right now.
I will probably buy a boat on the East Coast somewhere and get to know her for a few weeks before starting East. I lived on St. John for 3 years and owned a 37' Islander while there. I sailed all over the VI but never got the chance to go 'down island'. I still have many friends there on the Island and will probably make that my home base.
Perhaps I will meet some of you personally some day.
Thanks again.......... Joe


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## RandyonR3 (Oct 2, 2005)

*Cruising cost*

Many of the answers written are correct, but what we've found is, that just like living on land, you spend what you've got. 
Sounds kinda odd but it's the truth. we've been on the water full time for the past 4 years and have met many people going in all directions, and after awhile the question never comes up, unless you happen to be a new cruiser or wishing to be one. Most everyone works part time here or there to keep the cruising budget full.
As far as money out of our pocket, we've had months where we spent as little as $50.00 but we've had others that we spent $3000.00. Like the month we broke the windless and our ding was stolen.
We spent a mass amount of money to outfit the boat in the first place but the sum of around $600.00 a month is a target we try to stay near.
But you have to understand, we dont drink that much. We only go out to dinner a couple times a month, and I trade a lot while I'm out.. 
Cruisers really dont have much money, so when you can help someone out in exchange for a meal, you've just added to you,re kitty.
Its like, if you don't spend it, you've earned it.
And its not hard at all... A year or so ago I changed the fuel filters on my motor.. Somehow I got air in the line and could'nt get it out. had another cruiser help me out. The payment was dinner for him, his wife, and two kids... The wife cooked up a big stew and baked a couple loaves of bread and we all sat around stuffing ourselves and watching Capt Ron.
We made some great friends and My motor runs great, and not a penny out of our pockets.... Well maybe a couple for the added stew meat.
My point is, you dont have to be a consumer to be a cruiser.


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

You should send that to HoffaLives. He seems a little discouraged and thinks liveaboards need to be rich. The secret is that if you live modestly, you can spend significantly less sailing than in a typical urban setting.

You can also spend significantly more, but I don't know those people.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I, too, had the same question and have been finding good tidbits of information on this and similar boards.

I put together an online tool that can be used to calculate a monthly budget. Hopefully, experienced cruisers will share their actual expenses to help with some comparisons.

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to improve.
"mynextmarina.com/CostofCruising.asp"

Thanks,
Pam


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## heslopg (Feb 14, 2005)

I don't know much, but here are some obervations from my experiences:

Seperate boat repair from cruising expences. You WILL have to repair the boat while cruising. Do some pretty serious vetting of the boat before leaving. Even then, prepare to repair the boat while underway. If leavin the USA, take spares.

Think of your lifestyle now. How much are you REALLY willing to change? How often to you go out to eat? What kind of food you eat? What do you do for entertainment? You get the idea....what do you spend now & what will change? Think this over before you answer too quickly. Take both of you into account. 

Marinas. If you need to be tied to a dock (& shore power) you will find cruising a rather expensive activity. If you have the budget, all the power to you (no pun intended). We almost exclusively anchor out. When we tie to a dock it's pretty much always a free dock (they are out there). I prefer anchoring out, but one should then become a student of anchoring and take it seriously. Just because the anchor is overboard, does not mean you are anchored.

You will probably want to spent some time & money getting your boat outfitted to be more self-sufficient while you have a shore-side income (wind generator, solar power, water maker etc., etc.).

Glenn.
s/v Seawing.


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