The NEW BudgetBoater.com

[Budget Boater]

After years of procrastination, the new BudgetBoater.com has been launched. It is now as it was originally intended - about boating on a budget.

 

BudgetBoater.com was inspired by my many years of sailing on home built Wharrams and other home built boats, and generally on far less money than most other cruisers I ran into. My first year cruising, we were out there on a budget of just $238 per month, and our grandest year of cruising was a measly $745 per month.

 

The unique thing about BudgetBoater.com is that is will be filled with the stories, accomplishments, and helpful tips from the cruisers past and present, not just one source. Please visit and contribute your Budget Boating experiences. We eventually hope to be giving away gear and prizes to the best submissions.

 

Also on the new site is a Forum for budget boating, including a place to buy and sell boats and gear, a gear section, and a submissions page for getting your stories and information out there.

 

BudgetBoater.com does not replace WharramBuilders.com, as one is dedicated solely to Wharrams and the building of these fine boats, and the other is dedicated to cruising on a tight budget.

[Galway Bay]

Congratulations and I wish you every success.

[Budget Boater]

The first year of cruising with just $238 per month was back in 1998 (aboard a Tangaroa MKIV). The luxury year of $745 per month was 2004 (aboard a Tiki 30). Both of those years, I was cruising in expensive locales where most prices were 4x that of US prices.

 

With the current devalued dollar, and all things being equal with regards to boat, equipment, and personnel of the past, I would still be able to cruise on $750 per month. The two biggest areas that I saved were: I NEVER went to a dock and anchored out 100% of the time, and didn't use much fuel. Most of our expenses were food and maintenance.

mgtdOcean said:

Looks like it wil be a great site and looking forward to the content!! 

Curious what years did you record those monthly amounts? We can easily do $1500 Today. How does that compare to your numbers when we take out inflation and dallor devaluation?

Thanks

Ed

[Ann and Neville Clement]

ON Peace IV, Nev and I  never go to marinas unless they belong to friends and are therefore free.  We never eat in restaurants and never have any paid folks work on our boat other than young friends who climb the mast for a thank you bottle of rum.  We do have a mobile phone while in the States and we do have a Verizon computer gizmo for access.  We use Glidden oil based polyurethane paint on top of the good epoxy and two paint system that Peace started with years ago and it seems to hold up better than the old two part paint.  We buy our antifoul commercially through a friend.  We make most of our trip north and south offshore so use the wind and save on gasoline. Our expenses are not minimal, but certainly not much.  We sure love living this way!  Houses are way more expensive.  Ann and Nev

[dennis schneider]

Hi Ann and Nev! We built a Tangaroa in the 70s and lived for 2 yrs in the Caribbean on$100/month; like you, we avoided marinas, we also had no electricity, used the outboard only for entry, and were young. Now I'm starting a 45' cat at the age of 71 for living aboard, after planning and building this home around this project,( having taken 30 yrs to get everything ready). As you can read from my other comments, I have tried to make members aware that there are cheap haul-out possibilities here in Goodland. If you ever come to SW Florida, or know someone who - like Alex back in Jan 2012 - needs to avoid commercial marinas like Crackerboy's, have them get in touch with me: I can help. dennis

[Ann and Neville Clement]

I have not yet tried it, but we are expecting to haul Peace (Tiki 46) in Georgia at a shrimp boat platform haul out next autumn for bottom paint to be done by us and the cost mentioned was good.  Friend used it with similar sized home built ply cat to his own design so the place is open minded.  If this does not work, I may very well look up where the heck Good land is in florida.  Never heard of you so far.  Have used Walter Greene's yard in Maine and that was wonderful and cheap but involved expensive crane due to shallow river requiring long reach to lift Peace.  It is good when we can all help each other.

[wakataitea]

we travel since 1999 and i experienced a high increase of costs for customs, immigration etc. fees in the most counties since 9/11

 for example. here in the Philippines we spent for 6 month 750 us only for immigration fees. here in it is Malaysia free. the most countries in the south pacific except the French one (they are free) are quite expensive too. we are travelling on a very low budget too and have to decide real careful where we want to stop...

we realised although that the cheap countries, like Philippines, Vanuatu etc, often more harder on our purse them expensive places like New Caledonia or French Polynesia. if it is cheap, you spend the money faster....

we meet Glen Tieman in pohnpei. he told us that he lives on 5 us a day... i told me that he almost didn't stop in any place in the pacific because of high check in and out fees.

organised rally's getting a real problem, pushing up the prices in may islands too and safe bay's are now full of mooring where you have to pay for. no space to anchor any more.

we see a serious problem for everybody who what's to sail the world on low budget in the future.

one thing for sure... it is not getting cheaper... sadly, we are the "white trash of the ocean....

[WaveDancer & Bella]

The quick and high rising costs for bluewatercruising are a concern for me too. I wonder if I should not better invest into a (guest-) house in the Philippines where we could host sailing guests, keep my Tiki or build/buy for instance a Child of the sea and do some island hopping within the Philippines archipelago. Cruising the Pacific and visiting the few remaining nice places could be done occasionally on boats of friends or by charter. On the other hand flight costs have to be considered too. Two different future life concepts. Plus many Pacific or SE-Asian Islands are not the same as they used to be (check Glenn Tiemann's report and others) cruisers are often not welcomed anymore and/or get ripped off. Have to make soon a final desicion about my future. 

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Great!  See ya there!   Ann and Nev

[Bernard Leclercq]

Goodland is near Marco Island wchiche is near naples in SW florida just accross from Fort lauderdale on the east coast. As far as I know there is a big marina expensif and a small one. Good luck

Ann and Neville Clement said:

I have not yet tried it, but we are expecting to haul Peace (Tiki 46) in Georgia at a shrimp boat platform haul out next autumn for bottom paint to be done by us and the cost mentioned was good.  Friend used it with similar sized home built ply cat to his own design so the place is open minded.  If this does not work, I may very well look up where the heck Good land is in florida.  Never heard of you so far.  Have used Walter Greene's yard in Maine and that was wonderful and cheap but involved expensive crane due to shallow river requiring long reach to lift Peace.  It is good when we can all help each other.

[dennis schneider]

No Bernard, I was referring to a really classy PUBLIC boat (ramp= about 30+ ft wide) here in Goodland since 2011. They will let you haul out a Wharram-type catamaran, using your own method. Naturally, you couldn't do this with a Gemini or such heavy condo-cat). You could find it under Collier County, Parks & Recreation, Goodland Boat Park,(I wouldn't call and ask for permission, because they might think you are going to repeat what happened here last winter(see below), and you won't be doing any such thing, right?

I envison you using pipes under the keels to roll up(down) on, and a hired 4-wheel drive to pull her out onto the level. Then you would just continue exchanging the pipes from in back to up forward, until you are off to the side(about 200 feet).  Come on one of our monthly spring high tides (2.4 ft-2.8ft) on a weekday late afternoon, work into the night (when there is no traffic, and you are allowed use of the facilities- all night). That's what I've done before (elsewhere). Last winter a local tried to pulll out a 63 ft 60 yr old ChrisCraft-type thing and it became a disaster taking almost 4 weeks to remove from the parking area. The Parks and Rec officials remained cooperative and understanding thruout!!!.

  Your Cost? I think its $8 to put in-out.,plus a  slight daily parking fee. There is no electricity or water hook up a la rec vehicle trailer park, but I might be able to rum you some lines from my housedirectly opposite,,,.. You can also tie up at the  - again - public docks adjacent to the ramp for a very reasonable fee.

                                                     .dennis("Tevake"1979-81Tangaroa mk 1; starting 2nd hull of my 45' cat now. Free rooms and board for anyone wanting to help and vacation here in scenic 10000 Islands south Florida)..

[Galway Bay]

Hey Dennis you are braver than me starting such a big project and I am a bit younger ! I just had to google your ramp - yes it does look fine !

[dennis schneider]

hi Galway Bay; yes, and that orange dot in the left center is my home, and magnification also shows my own boat ramp , but that's another story... dennis