18 months aboard for £30k, inc boat

[mrming]

For a bit of boaty fun (as it’s in short supply at the minute).

Life on dry land has become temporarily untenable, so you decide to take to the seas. You don’t currently own a vessel, and for reasons which are too complex to go into here, you are alone for the duration.

You have £30k to last 18 months, which has to cover purchasing a boat, any fitting out / equipment, and anything else you will need, such as food and any mooring costs. You can go anywhere, but you must start in the UK, and you must be back at your port of departure in 18 months time. You must spend each night on the boat, afloat, and for convoluted tax reasons, you’re unable to work to earn money or goods.

How would you do it? What boat would you buy and where would you go? How much would you spend to acquire and equip your trusty vessel, and how would you live on the remainder?

 

[dankilb]

Like the sound of this... if only it was 18 months ago!

My preference would be to maximise the budget for expenses and minimise the purchase price. Logic being it’d be nicer on a somewhat cr*p boat with the ability to buy some decent stuff, than vice versa.

Maybe an early Moody 33 for me (used to be sub £15k consistently, but dunno about these days). It’d go anywhere I’d need it to and plenty of living space.

I’d head south, usual route to Canaries and then a transat, then maybe aim for Columbia/Panama etc. for cheaper cruising. Home via US East coast. Easy!

 

[Bobc]

I would offer my services for crewing free of charge on boat deliveries, and keep the entire £30k for food, beer, and accommodation between crewing jobs, and for a flight home at the end if needed.

 

[mrming]

I would offer my services for crewing free of charge on boat deliveries, and keep the entire £30k for food, beer, and accommodation between crewing jobs, and for a flight home at the end if needed.

Clever. Where would you sleep between deliveries though? ?

 

[Bobc]

Clever. Where would you sleep between deliveries though? ?

Anywhere that would have me. Hotels even?

 

[dom]

For a bit of boaty fun (as it’s in short supply at the minute).

Life on dry land has become temporarily untenable, so you decide to take to the seas. You don’t currently own a vessel, and for reasons which are too complex to go into here, you are alone for the duration.

You have £30k to last 18 months, which has to cover purchasing a boat, any fitting out / equipment, and anything else you will need, such as food and any mooring costs. You can go anywhere, but you must start in the UK, and you must be back at your port of departure in 18 months time. You must spend each night on the boat, afloat, and for convoluted tax reasons, you’re unable to work to earn money or goods.

How would you do it? What boat would you buy and where would you go? How much would you spend to acquire and equip your trusty vessel, and how would you live on the remainder?

This is like one of those MI6 recruitment questions ?

 

[Bobc]

This is like one of those MI6 recruitment questions ?

Shhh. You're not supposed to tell people where I work

 

[dom]

Shhh. You're not supposed to tell people where I work

Say no more; a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat ??

 

[lustyd]

Easy, I'd buy £5k in supplies, including a Cricut machine and vinyl sheets and then head to a reasonable size marina where I'd find a nice seaworthy but comfortable 40-50 footer with a water maker on board. I'd then print out new names and fit them under cover of darkness before my stocking and departure. I presently have two months before the boat would be noticed missing, by which time I'd be somewhere warmer to sit out the next few months before sailing home. Obviously re-entry to the marina would be under cover of darkness and I'd then scarper!

Then I'd spend the remaining £25k on a nice little coastal boat

 

[Old Thady]

I think it would be tough to make 30K purchase a reasonable boat and keep you going for 18 months.

How about this? Buy a boat for around 15K, spend 10K on fitting out and preparation . Keep 5K for emergencies. Come up with a voyage-based eco-project and get crowd funding to make your trip. The money would go to a charity which would pay expenses and provide a little pocket money. You wouldn't be 'paid' and in the unlikely event of there being any money left over at the end, you could donate it to a similar cause. Money aside, a greater purpose would be good for morale.

 

[Kelpie]

Pah. Wildings (YouTube) just posted their costs- total of £15k for 20 months cruising, including the boat. That's for a couple, and includes the fees for transiting the French canal network.

Now to answer the hypothetical question: I would keep the boat as small as I could bear, and fun to sail. A Vega would be high on the list, comfortable for one person and pretty cheap these days. You could throw enough money at it to totally re-rig it for peace of mind. Don't skimp on the things that matter- a good autopilot, wind vane, ground tackle, tender and outboard.

If you buy a bigger boat you're going to spend more of those 18 months getting it for for the adventure. And if you buy a boat that's 'ready to go" you'll find out that it isn't.

 

[mrming]

Like Kelpie I would also go for a Vega. Not sure how realistic my route is as I’ve been racing all my life and am only getting into cruising, however here’s the first thoughts:

Albin Vega - £6k for a haggle

Some minimal fitting out / gear:
Box of engine spares - £250
New standing rigging - £1000
Storm jib and trysail - £1000
Wind vane - £2000

Food budget £10 a day for 18 months = £5,500.

I have £14,250 left for boat maintenance, mooring fees, cheap plonk and any other costs.

The boat is afloat near Newcastle so I would depart from there. Cross the channel and the Bay of Biscay before sampling the delights of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. A big hitch to the Canaries and then on to the Cape Verdes and Cape Town. I would then turn around and gradually head for home, allowing plenty of time to arrive back in Newcastle exactly 18 months later when the world has completely returned to normal and the market for Albin Vegas is at it’s hottest since the early 70s. ?

 

[Kelpie]

I think your standing rig budget is very generous, I did mine for £450 inc the bottlescrews, ten years ago but I don't think prices have doubled in that time.

 

[V1701]

I was going to take a year off from April last year until you know what happened and do pretty much what you've described. My little Bowman 26 with nearly new engine, newish sails & rigging, new TP & windvane steering was bought for the purpose and having lived on various boats full time for 10 years I knew would work well enough for me (although most would probably "need" a bit more space). She's now in a friendly little marina near Porto (Portugal) where the fees are E1200/year inc. electric, wifi and a liftout. So to answer your question, some people could do it very easily, others who "need" more comfort/space/restaurant meals/packets of fags/bottles of wine, etc. might not...

 

[PhillM]

I was going to take a year off from April last year until you know what happened and do pretty much what you've described. My little Bowman 26 with nearly new engine, newish sails & rigging, new TP & windvane steering was bought for the purpose and having lived on various boats full time for 10 years I knew would work well enough for me (although most would probably "need" a bit more space). She's now in a friendly little marina near Porto (Portugal) where the fees are E1200/year inc. electric, wifi and a liftout. So to answer your question, some people could do it very easily, others who "need" more comfort/space/restaurant meals/packets of fags/bottles of wine, etc. might not...

May I ask which marina as that sounds exactly like where I would like to take Paean in a year or two.

 

[Ningaloo]

Pavoa de Varzim?

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I'd spend threepence halfpenny on an A22 and the remainder filling up its voluminous interior with custard creams. I'd then go wherever I like at whatever speed I like because there's nowt else worth doing.

 

[dolabriform]

I would have bought the boat I sold in March last year (L23SL) that had new standing rigging, seacocks done, new electrics, solar etc. Instead of buying the newer, much bigger boat that will take me anywhere ( and would have blown the proposed budget )
I would then have hopped down south bit by bit, inshore round Biscay and then maybe settled in Morocco for a while. Then headed back up this way.

 

[PhillM]

I would buy a small cheap serviceable boat and setoff. Start with small hops and as confidence and knowledge of her capabilities (and mine) grew, I would get as far as I could. As for coming home, I may well decide that the boat is disposable and sell her just before the time limit and fly home. By not worrying about how to get back, I can go to further and even more interesting places.

 

[siwhi]

Plan:
Step 1: Buy this or similar (Nicholson 32):
1966 Nicholson 32 Mk 2 Sail New and Used Boats for Sale
Step 2: Quick trip to Costco to buy some spam, rice and beans
Step 3: Sail south til warm, then west towards the setting sun
Step 4: Spend the remainder on Pina Colada on landfall
Step 5: Sail home, sell boat