Min Realistic expenditure?

[Victorious]

I am prgressing well with the rebuild of Victorious and she will probably be ready for the water just too late to be worthwile launching her this year.
Funds are minimal and I anticipate having to sell the larger workshop tools to pay for the crane/lorry/party.
I have a small industrial injury pension, A boat big enough to live on and no other assets.
I gotta live Somewhere... The UK is cold, expensive and somewhat hostile to livaboards...
The Med is warmer
Greek Islands?
How much would i need to "get by"?

<hr width=100% size=1>www.victorious.co.uk

 

[Talbot]

IIRC Stingo posted the results of his survey of liveaboard finances and it was something like:

£500/month - need some additional income to make ends meet.
£700/month - Just about possible provided all possible economies were observed.
£1000/month - Occasional nights out at restaurants or even a short stay in a marina/forums/images/icons/smile.gif
£1500/month - No problems, even the occasional cigar!

all this assumes that your boat is a raggie.

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[chasroberts]

Wow! What a question!

As always it really depends on how you define 'get by'. I've seen accounts of people who seem to do quite nicely on £120 per week and others who seem to need to spend much more. Obviously, long stays in Marinas, phone calls to the UK every day, restaurant meals and the like all increase the amount you need to budget and conversely the less you partake of all this then the less you will need. It's a bit like the 'how long is a piece of string?' question.....

If you get a chance, have a look at a book called 'Sell up and sail'. Not sure of the authors' names but it's written by a couple who are 'doing it' and has recently been reprinted if my memory serves me well. This has quite a good section on budgets and accounts. You'll be able to find it with a search on Amazon. Also try a search on the various boating web sites and so on.

Whatever, the main thing is to keep in mind that you WILL do it, one way or another. Good luck with your research.....

<hr width=100% size=1>Semper in excretum sum. Sole profundum variat!

 

[steve_cronin]

\"Sell up and Sail\"

That would be Bill & Laurel Cooper wouldn't it?

Are they still in Levkas marina?

Steve Cronin



<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[ubuysa]

There was an article in the April 2003 YM by Mary and Richard Neate with pretty detailed tables and graphs showing their expenditure in various Med countries (pages 24 to 28 if you're after a reprint). They reckoned it could be done on as little as £100 per week. In 1999 their average weekly expediture was £123, in 2000 it was £96 and in 2001 it was an incredible £87 per week /forums/images/icons/shocked.gif

Tony C.

<hr width=100% size=1>There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[scarlett]

We two live on a 30 footer in Greece for four months of the summer and have a budget of £20 a day when sailing. We eat out simply three of four times a week. Rent scooters for sight seeing. We always spend less. Good over winter dry storage costs about £1000 all in. Ask if you want to know more.

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[ubuysa]

That's just your daily spending money though, right? It doesn't include insurance, spares and the like, does it?

We (two) plan to try living aboard full time in the Med from later this year and getting by on my paltry (flaming world economy /forums/images/icons/mad.gif) £10000 pa pension. I expect to have to seriously watch the pennies on that small an income. What do you think?

Thanks....Tony C.

<hr width=100% size=1>There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[bbilly]

Talbot,
Do you know what these costs are? Are they for 1 or 2 person on a 30' or on a 40'. I s'pose you could estimate the cost of maintaining the boat based on size and maintenance levels and then add per person per month. Divide the total by person and that's the number. Costs could be quite detailed and shown over time. This should be quite easy to setup on a spreadsheet, have you seen one anywhere? Does anybody know where I can find this data or contribute.? I'd like to build a spreadsheet (in time) and post it.

Billy

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[scarlett]

You are nearly correct. Insurance is not included. £400 ish from Pantaenous. I started the second hand boat 3 seasons ago antifouled with Coppercoat. I did everything else that needed doing and adding --- I thought. The sum I mentioned does include all running repairs and maintainance, that I cannot do myself. So far this has been a new immersion heater at about £20 and some mast top work at about £25. It does not include new gear such as an extra anchor or alternator regulator, things with which I should have set off. Good but not 100% essential.

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[pandroid]

The details are on Stingo's site <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.stingo.co.uk>here</A>. Click on the link marked 'cruising budget'

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[AndrewB]

I'm quite sure from my own experience that people who quote super-low figures are simply ignoring boat costs. Of course, if you've got a new boat, or spent a tidy sum doing it up beforehand, you may get by without heavy maintenance costs for a year or two, but they catch up with you in the end.

Some people set out without budgetting at all for maintenance. Their abandonned, clapped out old wrecks are for sale ultra cheap all round the blue water circuit.

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[Ric]

I tried to read "sell up and sail" and got fed up with the author's irritating lecturing know-it-all style. I found Jimmy Cornell's "world cruising guide" far better. He distills the advice of lots of people, and allows the reader to make their own judgement. That book has a section on budgeting. Great read for other reasons. Unfortunately my copy fell overboard - must get another!

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[ubuysa]

For the Med there's another book called "Sail for the Mediterranean" by Claire James published by Adlard Coles ISBN 0-7136-6249-2. My copy was £16.99 and it's an easier read than "Sell up and Sail" though similar in content.

Tony C.

<hr width=100% size=1>There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[Talbot]

I have no further details, but believe they are averaged out for abt 36 ft boat and a couple.

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[scarlett]

Andrew.
I don't take it personally but what heavy maintainace costs on my plastic boat have I ignored? Consumables for an engine service at the end of the season is less than £100. Sail repairs are pennies if you do them yourself. As a cruiser who likes to sail howerver light the wind I am happy to go slowly eg less than 3 knots in the light Ionian winds. I have been known to reef just to go slower ad make a wonderful sailing day last a few hours longer! So I am happy with my five season old sails. There is little else that requires maintaince beyond a spot of grease, WD 40 or sticky tape to spoil our £600 a month allowance. Hopefully.



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[rpthomas]

Andrew - where can I find one of these ultra cheap yachts? Ideal for me!!

Richard

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[scarlett]

Neglected value

Andrew is right. All over, there are semi abandoned 'dreams'. You have to be prepared for a lot of 'neglect' and uncertainty. It may be hard to find the owner if the boat is not in a 'regular' spot. Some boat boats sell for as little as the amount she owes the marina in which she is decaying.

An alternative is a well loved boat but not a popular model choice.

Better value is the good boat of someone who has given up through ill health.

Ask a friend in the area of your choice to look out for something that might be well within your budget.

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[ongolo]

Hi victorius,

Do you know how to read private mail on this forum?

I can let you have figures for other parts of the world which could be much lower.

Two people can live for GBP100,- per month, if they are non smokers non drinkers.

One of the keys is to be able to maintain your boat. The type of engine in your boat can be a major expense. I found out the other day that an oil filter for a Cummins cost GBP100,- and an injector GBP500,-.

A simple engine hat you can maintain or overhaul, simple rigging ( I see you have a gaff a step in the right direction), good food that you prepare yourself more to your liking than any restaurant can do and you can be well away.

What most people missing here, the are all set to be in the Med where it is (relatively to the rest of the world) expensive.

Make a study where the monthly income is the lowest in the world. That is where you will live the cheapest with your pension.

Sri Laka was good a few years ago, PNG is still good if you can handle the climate, the east coast of Africa is exactly like the Carribean, minus the expense and minus loudmouth americans.

In Madagascar or Zansibar, you can have a good lunch for US$0.33 (33 cents)and an excellent supper for US$0.50 (50 cents) if you eat where the locals eat.

When you get older and have to maintain your boat, plenty of helping hands because they have nothing to do and you are their friend or you pay very small wages ( by UK standard).

regards and good luck

Ongolo from Africa

It will be a poor country, the people will be more down to earth, and you make genuine friends. However, for that you will have to leave Europe, then coco nuts, pineapple and much other fruit is free. Fish and meat are not poisoned with heavy metal or saturated with grow hormones. You are welcome to send me private mail and I will provide more details.

<hr width=100% size=1>1000 dream about it, 100 talk about it, 10 start and 1 completes it

 

[Victorious]

Thanks to all so far
Some interesting views and food for thought.
Its a few years too late for choosing the right boat.
After 5 years obsessive toil. I am a tad attached to Victorious and i can think of no better advert for my shipwifery skills than 40 ft of my own work
Certainly short handed.. possably singlehanded (more so than most) I am not planning on making any epic ocean crossings and the Med is accessable as well as being warmer than the "silly money" Solent.
Maintainance of the hull is not too much of an issue as she has been TOTALLY rebuilt with a constant eye to the fact that if it dont last, Its me that will fix it and me that gets the blame.. Engine is a nice simple Perkins.
My accident endded my carreer to a large extent and whilst i still have the knowlege and expirience, With little more than one hand i dont work at very "commercial" pace these days. So whilst ever hopfull of the occasional Shipwright stuff, I cannot realisticly reley on it for any significant income.
If I stay in the Solent, where its a few quid a night to even anchor most places My £300 a month might stretch to the parking fees, But I'd starve!
I invisage needing more money for the first year as i discover Where NOT to go and generally learn by my mistakes.
As i said... I gotta live somewhere..... and so has Victorious.
I am looking forward to it all.
I have always felt that contentment is only found afloat (not wet.. just afloat) )



<hr width=100% size=1>www.victorious.co.uk

 

[Anonymous]

East Africa

Ongolo, I'd be very interested to hear about East Africa - maybe it's worth starting a new discussion thread? I know very little about the region; still less about yachting there. Security, language, food, health care, local taxes, import duties, regulations, boatyard facilities, spares, availability of fuel, etc. One of the things that is attractive about the Med is that we understand the systems and customs, or the locals understand us, to an extent! Also, we can get good healthcare and cheap easy flights back to the UK when we want. On the other hand, it is crowded and very expensive.

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