tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post8065584961688418686..comments2023-12-30T01:25:41.427-04:00Comments on Things we did today...: The Cost Of Cruising - Dos Libras' Second YearTammy Swarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-37179918828724269322015-12-07T06:35:21.615-04:002015-12-07T06:35:21.615-04:00Actually out time in the Bahamas was our least exp...Actually out time in the Bahamas was our least expensive. But then the boat behaved herself and nothing broke while we were there... it all waited until we got back to the US. We are not coming back this time. Will let you know how that strategy works out... but hey, by then maybe we will have met and can talk about it in person!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-54648994979668540582015-11-02T20:17:47.333-04:002015-11-02T20:17:47.333-04:00I wish our first year were as low. We have had to ...I wish our first year were as low. We have had to spend about double what we planned. Ouch!<br /><br />We are hoping the Bahamas will be a lot cheaper - if they are, perhaps we'll just stay forever :)<br /><br />Mark and Cindy<br />s/v Cream Puff<br /><br />Mark and Cindy - s/v Cream Puffhttp://www.creampuff.usnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-89607093621165429472015-10-29T16:02:27.927-04:002015-10-29T16:02:27.927-04:00Blue you are correct about the cost of repairs. W...Blue you are correct about the cost of repairs. We've had a hard learning curve and there are so many things we have onboard that a lot of smaller boats don't have. We've thought many times of chunking the generator and had it not come with the boat, we would never have spent the money for one like this. We actually just bought a small portable generator as backup to our generator... (ridiculous I know). The problem with sending it to Davy Jones, is that we're already in so deep with it. We didn't think we were up to building our own water maker, although after installing ours ourselves, maybe we could do it if we had to knowing what we know now... Anyway, it's true, cruising will take all you have! Thanks for your comment and for reading the blog. Wish us luck that our expenses will be fewer in the years to come.Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-10927553129641360972015-10-29T11:48:12.569-04:002015-10-29T11:48:12.569-04:00Given our experience of 8 years on Blue, I think y...Given our experience of 8 years on Blue, I think your breakdown is very helpful for new cruisers. One note of caution; If it is on a boat it will break, not IF but WHEN. (Nigel Calder paraphrased) He is absolutely correct. They only way we could carry on as long as we di was to do everything ourselves. Bottom job, water maker, Deck paint, and on. If you read up and learn, spend some money on tools and talk to others, you will fin not only is it less expensive , but you can fix it yourself and you get the pleasure of the doing. A good example is your generator, If you sent it to visit Davey Jones and bought a new Honda every three years, you would come out way ahead after 6 years with a lot less hassle.<br />In any case keep it simple and you will always know where to find the repair person who fully warranties his work.<br />svbluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15816777045886634495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-35670935962128716782015-10-28T06:50:26.705-04:002015-10-28T06:50:26.705-04:00You're very welcome! We thought living on the...You're very welcome! We thought living on the boat at the dock prior to departure for almost a year would get the "breaking things" phase out of the way... but while we fixed things madly for that year before we left, we've still been fixing things regularly ever since. I don't know of anyone who hasn't experienced this while out cruising. What mystifies me is that I don't remember any previous boat that had so much maintenance to be done when we just kept it at the dock and didn't live aboard. Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-22579671699240745152015-10-28T03:15:34.982-04:002015-10-28T03:15:34.982-04:00We won't be on our boat until December, but th...We won't be on our boat until December, but this sounds a lot like living on land and trying to fix up a house. Always one thing after another needing to be done! Thank you for sharing your expenses. Its helpful to see what types of things come up for cruisers!byn alwayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13989620867093855329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-78149604205557043342015-10-26T15:21:32.080-04:002015-10-26T15:21:32.080-04:00I won't say it out loud but I think we've ...I won't say it out loud but I think we've fixed everything that COULD be fixed...Oh and I found your FB page! I look forward to following you!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-81088289218413788252015-10-26T13:26:40.928-04:002015-10-26T13:26:40.928-04:00Your Year two is looking like our year one.....we ...Your Year two is looking like our year one.....we are hoping for a slightly less expensive year two (like you guys!)<br /><br />Kevin Spellman on S/v Escape Clawshttps://www.facebook.com/EscapeClawsSailingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-45068616183930334052015-10-26T13:14:19.652-04:002015-10-26T13:14:19.652-04:00Thanks Dan n Jaye and Tammy ... I think I can come...Thanks Dan n Jaye and Tammy ... I think I can come off the ledge now. LOL!Cheryl @ Mid-Life Cruising!http://www.mid-lifecruising.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-69369405455801737942015-10-26T12:13:23.108-04:002015-10-26T12:13:23.108-04:00Very true Jaye and thanks for talking Cheryl off t...Very true Jaye and thanks for talking Cheryl off the ledge. Your boat would be more comparable to hers than ours. The extra footage comes at a steep cost. We thought our first year would be the most expensive, now we're hoping that it was just the "terrible twos" and we're done... (knocking on teak)Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-71482202132009071202015-10-26T12:03:47.798-04:002015-10-26T12:03:47.798-04:00Our first year cruising was disastrously expensive...Our first year cruising was disastrously expensive; it included a $5000 repair of the V-drive, THREE tows to different marinas with the problem, and unanticipated weeks of dockage. Thank goodness it happened in the US where, although labor was more expensive, parts were more available! Then it got better in the following years, much much better. We live very well on $2500/month. For Cheryl's benefit, almost $1000 of that is "discretionary" - entertainment, marinas, fuel, inland travel, rental cars, so it's possible to do that $1500 (though we are in our 60s and don't want to live quite so frugally any more). Another advantage is the smaller size of Nirvana -- dockage for your 30 footer and our 33 are somewhat more palatable than the costs for a 40+ footer. And take heart -- some of the best adventure stories come from people who traveled with tighter budgets. (think about this: you meet more interesting "characters" on buses and trains than in cars!)<br />Dan N Jayehttp://lifeafloatarchives.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-47047009359491929122015-10-26T11:45:59.741-04:002015-10-26T11:45:59.741-04:00Oh SORRY!!! You may be one of those who CAN happi...Oh SORRY!!! You may be one of those who CAN happily cruise on $1,500... I just know that I'm not. Our big expenses have definitely been boat upgrades and repairs to systems that many boats don't have. Plus, I hope things change drastically once we get out of the US!!! Keep your eye on the prize, but have a cushion!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-83934532924344495582015-10-26T11:31:58.873-04:002015-10-26T11:31:58.873-04:00Oh, you're scaring me! We're one of those...Oh, you're scaring me! We're one of those couples that has a budget of $1500 per month. But, we're trying to get a lot of the repairs out of the way ahead of time and ... we live on land with cars/insurance, etc. for less than half of your budget! We're hoping if we can do it on land ...<br /><br />Fingers crossed!Cheryl @ Mid-Life Cruising!http://www.mid-lifecruising.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-47478296434099771362015-10-26T11:25:20.398-04:002015-10-26T11:25:20.398-04:00You're very welcome. Thanks for your comment....You're very welcome. Thanks for your comment. For sure we could cruise for less, but not on this boat and not with keeping up a "normal" household and our "new normal" way of life. Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-86556270368432709132015-10-26T11:13:35.306-04:002015-10-26T11:13:35.306-04:00Thank you for sharing this! It's feels realist...Thank you for sharing this! It's feels realistic and honest. I appreciate that!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02984629357331349392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-69124003056915711232015-10-26T10:41:13.019-04:002015-10-26T10:41:13.019-04:00Being in the US is very costly no matter how you l...Being in the US is very costly no matter how you look at it. We are hoping that leaving the US behind will be so much less expensive... maybe we will never return!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-8503958802721284462015-10-26T10:39:49.193-04:002015-10-26T10:39:49.193-04:00Well you guys are doing such basic building stuff ...Well you guys are doing such basic building stuff yourselves, our expenses have been large items that we had to (wanted to) purchase. I take my hat off to you and anxiously await the completion of your project so you can get back to the fun stuff. It really is true that the more stuff you have, the more expensive it is... Keep us in your thoughts at cocktail hour and drink to all of our next year being less expensive, and we will do the same!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-86977995865702569902015-10-26T10:26:00.734-04:002015-10-26T10:26:00.734-04:00Hi Tammy,
Very interesting post! It takes into con...Hi Tammy,<br />Very interesting post! It takes into consideration that not all boaters live the same, and also the area in which you are boating may have something to do with costs. It also looks at the fact that "poop happens" and at any time something may happen to the boat that is expensive to fix. I've seen that with other boaters who have engine problems and have to stay in a certain location for several years to be able to fix their problems. I don't know if you follow Tracie and Steve Boyd, but they are sailing in the Isla Mujeres, Belize, Guatemala, areas, and their monthly expenses are less. They did have a major job done on their boat (recored the entire topside of their boat) but they had planned on that and, in fact, compared prices from U.S. and Mexico. U.S. was $12,000, Mexico was $4,000. So they planned on it happening in Mexico. Even with that included, they're monthly expenditures averaged less than $2,000/mo. They anchored out most of the time, but did some docking. They ate out a lot at first, but then after that wore off, they started eating on board more, and then just going out for drinks. I guess folks need to watch what they do, according to their own budget...and everyone's is different. I liked your post...makes you think!!!<br /> SeaCasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13345178065682528915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-20513522827848956892015-10-26T10:04:36.332-04:002015-10-26T10:04:36.332-04:00Whew!, year 2 was pretty costly for you guys! It&...Whew!, year 2 was pretty costly for you guys! It's actually making me feel *slightly* better about all the money that's been draining out of our pockets this year during our refit! But hopefully we'll both have boats in tip top shape soon and see each other out in the Caribbean. :)Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03445379860780365264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-70511516408578550692015-10-26T09:03:48.768-04:002015-10-26T09:03:48.768-04:00Yes it's truly amazing how much money can be s...Yes it's truly amazing how much money can be spent on a sailboat to keep things in shape. The most ridiculous things will break down and confound your existence. We really do keep a budget and are constantly having to re-allocate money from the "fun stuff" bucket to the "devoured by the boat" bucket. It's not fair! Thanks for your comment and I look forward to your departure too!Tammy Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06779759048984133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377250274517734866.post-1637099106661920592015-10-26T08:46:39.253-04:002015-10-26T08:46:39.253-04:00Great post, Tammy. It's good to see your brea...Great post, Tammy. It's good to see your breakdown - and I'm really looking forward to this next year to see how you do now that "all" of your projects are done. (We know all too well that they are never ALL done). We're trying to get all of those things taken care of, now, before we shove off - and to live on the cheap (other than truly visiting the places we're going!) But who knows what "cheap" will be for us...? Such an interesting lifestyle. Can't wait to get out there and see what happens. In the meantime, I think I may need to stash away a little more cash for repairs... :) sailinglunaseahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01431924476816811805noreply@blogger.com