Retire and live aboard

[Daydream believer]

If one is not sure of costs & the lifestyle etc, why not try a 6 months afloat abroad & return home for 6 months at a time for a couple of years. Loads of couples do this.

I tried it & soon realised that loosing ones friends & missing family really hurt. After 28 weeks my wife & I had had enough of the loneliness ( not from other people, but missing real friends & family). In fact she got on a plane & left me to bring the boat home on my own- which i am pleased to say really started me off on single handed sailing!!!

 

[Wansworth]

If one is not sure of costs & the lifestyle etc, why not try a 6 months afloat abroad & return home for 6 months at a time for a couple of years. Loads of couples do this.

I tried it & soon realised that loosing ones friends & missing family really hurt. After 28 weeks my wife & I had had enough of the loneliness ( not from other people, but missing real friends & family). In fact she got on a plane & left me to bring the boat home on my own- which i am pleased to say really started me off on single handed sailing!!!

.....that's the sort of situation that should be aired in all these ocean crossing ,liveaboard forums preparing boat and stuff is secondary to mental preparedness.

 

[mjcoon]

3) There are no pockets in shrouds.
Seems to have served me very well.

I'm sure your shrouds have been well served with baggywrinkle...

Mike.

 

[Tranona]

>Your statement that modern diesel engines are only have an 8000 hour life will come as a shock to many charter companies whose Yanmar and Volvo units regularly double this................

Yanmar engines are the most reliable and are the least repaired, no other engines comes close. So it it wouldn't surprise me if they get over 8,000 hours because charter conmpanies maintain their engines properly. However charter companies usually sell and replace their boats after 4 to 5 years so the boats are unlikely to have a huge amount of engine hours. Many sit on the dock most of the time, hence the companies need www.latesail.com Also can you name the charter companies with Yanmar engines that have run over 8,000 hours?

You are (as usual) making sweeping generalisations and. Patterns of usage vary enormously depending on where the boat is kept, how it is used and of course how long it is in use. Not all charter boats are sold after 4 or 5 years - the norm is 6 seasons if part of an ownership scheme. Quite easy to clock up 3-4000 hours in that short time. However, many boats are kept much longer than that or become lead boats for flotillas and such boats can achieve well over 10000 hours. The key to long life is regular hard use and good servicing, particularly oil and filter changes.

This is very different from private boat usage but that does not mean such engines are not capable of high hours, just don't get the chance.

Yanmars and Volvos (and indeed all the engines based on small Japanese industrial engines) are basically equally reliable and potentially long lived.

 

[Bru]

The idea that modern light industrial diesels only have a life of 8000 hours is laughable

That's about four years use in site plant, for example and I can personally attest to Kubotas (the base engines of both Beta and Nanni marine engines) racking up double that and then some again in a much harsher operating environment than a yacht and with only routine servicing and still going strong

In fact, when I worked for a major plant hire operator, engines were rarely if ever a problem or a cause of failure (and when they did fail it was usually due to dirty fuel)