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Cost of living on a sailboat

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 15:30:47 No.2582534 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>2582537 >>2582540 >>2582542 >>2582628 >>2582639 >>2582733 >>2583140

Is there any universe where I could live with all my stuff (I dont have much) on a sailboat full time?

Current costs on land:
rent 1250
food and all else 1250

so Im basically spending 30,000/yr living a simple life on land with no car and one vacation per year. Is this price doable on a sailboat? Why is there so much maintenance all the time?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 15:33:31 No.2582537 Report

Quoted By: >>2582573

>>2582534
It is cheaper if you live on a small boat (24ft), equally expensive if you live on a medium sized boat (30-34ft), more expensive if you live on a large boat.
>t. I ran the numbers for living on a used sailboat in boston once.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 15:35:34 No.2582540 Report

Quoted By: >>2582548

>>2582534
>Why is there so much maintenance all the time?
You are usually in seawater 24/7 which is mildly corrosive. The maintenance is not necessarily that bad though. The most important things are the hull gets cleaned/recoated once a year (costs like $2000) and the backup motor is working

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 15:37:53 No.2582542 Report

Quoted By: >>2582548 >>2582563 >>2582912

>>2582534
There was an article on one of the FIRE blogs awhile ago about this and the guy brought out some numbers. II-RC, it was something like "After the first 5 years of life, a boat will take 20% of it's total cost in maintenance every year" And given that boats I think don't appreciate, this all sounds like a not-that-great deal to me.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 15:51:32 No.2582548 Report

Quoted By: >>2582551 >>2582556

>>2582540
There are always little things needing fixing on boats.
>>2582542
It depends where you live and how much you sail. If you're constantly racking up slip fees in a prime area the costs go up. If your a nomad who avoids major cities and knows the port towns with affordable maintenance life gets cheaper. Get your hull maintenance in Central America for example.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 15:56:19 No.2582551 Report

Quoted By: >>2582598

>>2582548
True, I'm sure you can find cheaper ways to go. But setting some expectations is valuable and if your main goal is to reduce COL, I doubt a boat will do it especially considering how effective real estate is for this purpose.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:03:04 No.2582556 Report

Quoted By: >>2582598

>>2582548
>There are always little things needing fixing on boats.
For little things you can usually learn to fix it yourself. Much better that way as well, since you should know how to jury rig shit if your boat gets damaged in the ocean.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:05:53 No.2582563 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582542
>it was something like "After the first 5 years of life, a boat will take 20% of it's total cost in maintenance every year" And given that boats I think don't appreciate, this all sounds like a not-that-great deal to me.
If you buy a used boat that's worth 20k, that's 4k in maintenance per year. But consider that your rent costs decrease by 25 to 33%, which offsets the cost of the boat compared to an apartment. The main problems with a boat are comfort, space, and having guests.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:25:39 No.2582573 Report

Quoted By: >>2582579

>>2582537
ok I'm thinking of something like 35-38 feet. Something that can go across an ocean. Also what are the odds of dying in a storm on the open oceans?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:33:23 No.2582578 Report

Quoted By: >>2582581 >>2582582

Anyone know how long it would take to learn to sale a 38 foot sailboat across a major leg like Seattle to Hawaii? Whats the learning curve like? Are we talking something like the guitar that takes years to master or something more like shooting a rifle (some technique but can be vaguely good in a few weekends of intensive learning).

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:33:28 No.2582579 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582573
There are ocean crossings done with as small as 22ft sailboats. Seaworthiness has more to do with a boat's quality and construction than its size. (See https://sailboat.guide/discover/blue-water-boats
). Small boats capable of blue water sailing are commonly called "pocket cruisers".
Also has a lot to do with planning to avoid severe weather using forecasts. Dying in a storm in the modern day is rare but it happens.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:34:23 No.2582581 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582578
sail*

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:34:29 No.2582582 Report

Quoted By: >>2582601 >>2582607

>>2582578
>some technique but can be vaguely good in a few weekends of intensive learning
Sailing is a low skill floor, high skill ceiling sport.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:46:50 No.2582598 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582551
I mostly agree. I guess my point is if your goal is to treat the boat as a tiny home your COL can maybe be reduced but if you're willing to be nomadic your cost of living can go down significantly.
>>2582556
DIY reduces costs but doesn't alevate the need for tools and materials. Learning diesel maintenance can also be expensive up front but save money in the long run.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:51:32 No.2582601 Report

Quoted By: >>2582612

>>2582582
A racing crew is much larger than what it takes to get from point a to point B. One person can usually maneuver a 35ish footer but two is more ideal (in fair weather) Racing crews are larger because everything needs to be fast and many things happen at once. I easily 3man crewed a 45 footer in high seas, we could have done it with 2 but the skipper was in his 70s.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 16:56:49 No.2582607 Report

Quoted By: >>2582612 >>2582615

>>2582582
what does this mean? Any idiot can be half decent enough in a few weeks but to be extremely good take years of concerted effort?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:01:28 No.2582612 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582601
>>2582607
Yeah that's exactly what I mean. To sail quickly and in high wind conditions while pulling off maneuvers is very hard. But almost any idiot can be taught to sail in a straight line in calm weather at 5mph.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:06:50 No.2582615 Report

Quoted By: >>2582616

>>2582607
The jib on a 40 foot boat has about six tasks required to change out. One person can do all six tasks several minutes. When racing two to three people do those tasks in about 40 seconds.
Basically any idiot can throw a football and play catch but the NFL is a whole different skill level.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:09:20 No.2582616 Report

Quoted By: >>2582621 >>2582622 >>2582634

>>2582615
okay well I'm not talking about racing jesus christ I'm talking about changing the sails and bobbing around avoiding bad weather on the way to Hawaii while having a beer in one hand...how long does that take to learn??

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:11:32 No.2582621 Report

Quoted By: >>2582625

>>2582616
like a month if you take classes and practice often.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:15:40 No.2582622 Report

Quoted By: >>2582625

>>2582616
It takes a few hours to learn
a few weeks to get proficient
a few decads to master
Learning to navigate without gps, in the open oceans and in the shallows, will take you longer to learn than basic bitch sailing.
I'd wait a year before trying anything alone. Your best bet is to crew someone else's boat on your first open ocean voyage. There are always people sailing to Hawaii.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:21:32 No.2582625 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582621
>>2582622
ok thanks

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:22:43 No.2582628 Report

Quoted By: >>2582635 >>2582638

>>2582534
It's doable but probably a bad idea unless you earn enough to still be saving for a house while living as a floating bum. Boats are basically a black hole that consumes money and even if you don't give a fuck and let it devolve into a filthy dilapidated eyesore there is a certain minimum amount of time and money required to keep it afloat. My parents were big into sailing and I grew up on the water and I would rather live in a trailer park with roommates than live full time on a small sailboat unless I was retired.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:28:37 No.2582634 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582616
The local sailing club near me does classes for like $150-250 for a weekend day. They also put on the local sailboat races. I imagine that may be the best way to go about learning the basics. If you want an actual sailboat as your home, you should probably take a few classes of that nature.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:29:10 No.2582635 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582628
I've seen multiple people do it successfully in their 20s. The key is not to give a shit about what other people think of your boat. Most boats in the marina will be owned by old rich people that treat them more like status symbols than boats and those people are insufferable anyways.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:37:17 No.2582638 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582628
It's cheaper than an apartment in the same area granted you are okay with living in a very small quarters. You have to be relatively /out/ to be okay with a 90sqft home with the freedom of the entire harbor at your fingertips.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:40:27 No.2582639 Report

Quoted By: >>2582641

>>2582534
A lot of people already do this, and they pay for a boat slip to park their boat and sleep on. Mostly so they don’t have to pay rent or a mortgage, like nomadic people. Also so they can travel on the waters across the world. You need a battery for electricity, a water filter and pump for clean fresh water, and fishing supplies as well as rations for food. Internet can be found on land or with cellular data. This can also be a dongle for a laptop or computing device. I think solar panels would save you a lot of money.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:41:55 No.2582641 Report

Quoted By: >>2582643 >>2582644 >>2583139

>>2582639
People even turn pontoons into small floating houses using tents and conversion kits. You can catch fish on your boat and grill it and sleep all on the same vessel. Like on a big river like the Mississippi or Great Lakes and coasts.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:43:01 No.2582643 Report

Quoted By: >>2582687 >>2582718

>>2582641

Brother don’t you underestimate those lakes, those winds will clean kill you if you aren’t careful, an invisible yet deadly force of nature.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:45:19 No.2582644 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582641
In the old days, people built floating houses on the banks of the great Mississippi so they wouldn’t pay rent to anyone. Just wooden houses on floating platforms. Hard hit people trying to survive.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 17:53:37 No.2582653 Report

Quoted By:

I can't afford a studio apartment in my hometown so this appeals to me

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 18:20:33 No.2582679 Report

Quoted By:

Stay on land

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 18:30:08 No.2582687 Report

Quoted By: >>2582718

>>2582643
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUfalY7d83o

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 19:56:48 No.2582718 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582687
>Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by T...
Tony Fucking Rice? Gordon Lightfoot is barely cold in the ground and we're posting covers? The Mariners Cathedral even rang the bells for the Fitzgerald with an extra chime for Gordon when he passed.

Also, more directly to the point of >>2582643
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_kW9HsQM1Y&ab_channel=StanRogers-Topic.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 20:43:14 No.2582733 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582534
From a guy I know, you've always got some maintenance job to do, in the winter it's fucking cold , damp and shit.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 16 May 2023 21:32:32 No.2582758 Report

Quoted By:

I semi live aboard a 40fter

Also I would highly recommend you not do it alone. Besides safely maning a watch being alone at sea really fucks with your psyche and loneliness is more soul crushing than any incel complaining about "nogf" on /r9k/. Also is just so much more fun, shit breaks you always got someone who have lend a hand.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 May 2023 02:53:15 No.2582912 Report

Quoted By: >>2583070

>>2582542
Just become a pirate and keep stealing new ones.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 May 2023 14:31:57 No.2583070 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582912
Yes, I have heard that going to jail is actually the most cost effective way to live, LOL

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 May 2023 16:12:46 No.2583139 Report

Quoted By:

>>2582641
where do you intend on berting on the great lakes in winter? there's one heated berth I know of that's on the chicago river where you can winterover on the boat, but that's it. you'll have to demast to go up the mississippi and that's a super hazardous route until you make it to the Tenn Tom. and then you are spat out into the Gulf which carries an existential risk every time storm season rolls around.

and man I cannot imagine how miserable it would be living on the chicago river through winter. cold as fuck, dirty, loud...I would avoid.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 May 2023 16:14:23 No.2583140 Report

Quoted By: >>2583183

>>2582534
If you can even find a live aboard slot in a marina it's likely going to cost near as much as rent anyway.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 May 2023 17:37:23 No.2583183 Report

Quoted By:

>>2583140
It's generally cheaper than to live in the neighboring city/neighborhood on land, but when you factor in maintenance expenses, it is equally costly.

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