Boat life...again

[Mrcharwe]

I guess its time for my annual update and to see if anyone else is traveling in the same area.

I sold my 30ft sailboat last Feburary. Picked up a element camper and cruised inland and visited some friends and family I hadnt seen in a while. Finally ending up in washington where i landed a seasonal gig that i will be doing for the foreseeable future. After realizing why i gave up on camper vanning (too many people, too much gas and maintenance, harder to find sleep spots) i decided to buy a boat again. I wanted a sailboat, something trailerable in case i want to move quickly, something beachable, and as much as i want to build my ideal boat the cost of materials are so high i was looking at production boats.

A few slipped away, one good sold from under me while driving to look at it. Finally, i hit craigslist where listings go to die because everyone uses facebook now. On there i found the boat i was looking for.

A 19 foot west wight potter. I have no illusions or dreams of crossing oceans on this boat, but two have crossed the pacific and another went england to norway, so thye are capable little boats. With the board and rudder up they draft about 8" and they are flat bottomed, so they sit and sail upright. Add the fact that the 6hp outboard is way more power than needed, so i get about 100 miles on 6 gallons. 5he cabin has plenty of room for two but its currently me and my dog so we have excess space.

I bought the boat in Michigan so the only logical thing to do was head south for the winter. Ive done the east coast so i decided to do the great loop and take the inland river systems south. This required going all the way around michigan to chicago, then entering the illionois river to the mississippi. From there you go up the ohio, down the tenn-tom waterway and end up in mobile on the gulf.

I am currently nearing the mississippi just taking my time heading south. If anyone is doing the loop or plan on being south this winter on a boat, hit me up.

Ive added some pictures, but i dont take many so this is just a glimpse of the trip

 

[marmar]

So cool! Wishing I new a thing or two about boats to live in one myself. Sounds like a way more efficient way to live and travel then van life.
Can I ask you how much does it cost you on average to live on the boat per month? Docking, expenses etc? Just trying to compare with the van living

 

[Mrcharwe]

Boat living is much cheaper than van life if you are comfortable anchoring and dont stay in marinas fulltime. It also important to remember on a boat that cost go up by the foot, marinas, lifts, mainentance, everything increases with each foot.

For me, i avoid marinas and only stay if i have too, like no good shelter for a big storm on the great lakes. I paid $30 a night to moor im downtown chicago, worth it.

Monthly expenses that differ from a van, because food, phone, internet follow you around all the same.

Insurance for a boat is cheap, mine is $10 a month and that includes towing for breakdowns or getting stuck(shouldnt happen in my current boat).

Marinas vary but most are $1-3 per foot. So for my 19ft its $19-$60 a night. I probably average 1-2 marina stays a month normally.

Fuel cost in a sailboat can be non existent, but on the great loop rivers and icw you end up motoring regularly. My 6hp outboard burns .25 gallons per hour so a 6 gallon tank last 24 hours of motoring or about 100 miles. Inboard diesels on bigger boats do well also, my 30ft burned about .5 gallons of diesel per hour.

Maintenance cost vary wildly by boat condition and what type of materials you use. Blogs like volkscruiser focus on reducing cost and living cheap on a boat. Triloboats is similar.

Thats really it, the only other thing is to make sure you have all coast guard required gear onboard, as well as other boat bits. Most of that can be purchased second hand.

My boat cost per month not including food, phone, or internet is:
Insurance $10
Gas $60-80
Marinas $20-60
Maintenance $50
replacing gear $30
So on the low end $170 per month and on the highend $230. Add in food, phone, internet im probably spending $500-$800 per month. I work online and earn $900 a month so i stay under that

Im really loving having a small beachable boat, the only way id go back to a big boat is a bluewater boat to cross oceans. If im staying near shore, this is the way to go.

Any other questions feel free to ask, happy to share what i know

 

[marmar]

Boat living is much cheaper than van life if you are comfortable anchoring and dont stay in marinas fulltime. It also important to remember on a boat that cost go up by the foot, marinas, lifts, mainentance, everything increases with each foot.

For me, i avoid marinas and only stay if i have too, like no good shelter for a big storm on the great lakes. I paid $30 a night to moor im downtown chicago, worth it.

Monthly expenses that differ from a van, because food, phone, internet follow you around all the same.

Insurance for a boat is cheap, mine is $10 a month and that includes towing for breakdowns or getting stuck(shouldnt happen in my current boat).

Marinas vary but most are $1-3 per foot. So for my 19ft its $19-$60 a night. I probably average 1-2 marina stays a month normally.

Fuel cost in a sailboat can be non existent, but on the great loop rivers and icw you end up motoring regularly. My 6hp outboard burns .25 gallons per hour so a 6 gallon tank last 24 hours of motoring or about 100 miles. Inboard diesels on bigger boats do well also, my 30ft burned about .5 gallons of diesel per hour.

Maintenance cost vary wildly by boat condition and what type of materials you use. Blogs like volkscruiser focus on reducing cost and living cheap on a boat. Triloboats is similar.

Thats really it, the only other thing is to make sure you have all coast guard required gear onboard, as well as other boat bits. Most of that can be purchased second hand.

My boat cost per month not including food, phone, or internet is:
Insurance $10
Gas $60-80
Marinas $20-60
Maintenance $50
replacing gear $30
So on the low end $170 per month and on the highend $230. Add in food, phone, internet im probably spending $500-$800 per month. I work online and earn $900 a month so i stay under that

Im really loving having a small beachable boat, the only way id go back to a big boat is a bluewater boat to cross oceans. If im staying near shore, this is the way to go.

Any other questions feel free to ask, happy to share what i know

Thank you for the thorough response!
It sounds like same price wise as myself living in a van, I spend around 500 a month for bills but that's only cuz I took an auto loan to get it ( dumb I know, but at least I got a decent place to live )
It's still a dream though to switch to a boat. Will be looking into it, should start with getting some sailing lessons I guess. And will definitely ask more questions once it gets closer to that time when im ready to get a boat!

 

[Inertia]

Thank you for sharing an update! You are living my dream and inspiring me to keep moving in that direction. I'm trying to finish up my bus camper conversion now, currently installing a very capable solar system and mini-split AC. My plan is to live out of it while refitting a smaller sailboat in a cheap DIY boat yard or on someone's land. What do you have planned when you make it down the ICW to Florida? I'm on the west coast now and will probably spend the winter in the SW desert, but I may chug on over to Florida to visit some folks if I can cover gas for my bus (crying in 10mpg). Please continue to keep us updated! Love to see the adventure. It seems much more peaceful anchoring out than trying to find bus parking on land haha.

 

[shinsofsteel9000]

Awesome that you’re sharing your journey, sounds wonderful! I’ve had similar experiences with my van so I totally get why you went back to sailing. Campervanning has its perks, but sometimes the hustle and bustle can get overwhelming, especially when you’re always hunting for a place to sleep. It's great you found that 19-foot West Wight Potter. That's a solid choice, especially for short trips.
As for your plan on the Great Loop, it sounds like an incredible adventure... you've probably heard this time and time again but just make sure to have maps handy and check local regulations on the water cause different states can have different rules.. It’s also a good idea to invest in some quality gear for the boat, especially if you plan on spending more time in rivers and bays.
And I imagine sometimes sailing with a pet requires extra planning, but those moments on the boat together are so worth it! I’m rooting for your journey and hope you meet many other sailors along the way! 😊

 

[Hurin]

I guess its time for my annual update and to see if anyone else is traveling in the same area.

I sold my 30ft sailboat last Feburary. Picked up a element camper and cruised inland and visited some friends and family I hadnt seen in a while. Finally ending up in washington where i landed a seasonal gig that i will be doing for the foreseeable future. After realizing why i gave up on camper vanning (too many people, too much gas and maintenance, harder to find sleep spots) i decided to buy a boat again. I wanted a sailboat, something trailerable in case i want to move quickly, something beachable, and as much as i want to build my ideal boat the cost of materials are so high i was looking at production boats.

A few slipped away, one good sold from under me while driving to look at it. Finally, i hit craigslist where listings go to die because everyone uses facebook now. On there i found the boat i was looking for.

A 19 foot west wight potter. I have no illusions or dreams of crossing oceans on this boat, but two have crossed the pacific and another went england to norway, so thye are capable little boats. With the board and rudder up they draft about 8" and they are flat bottomed, so they sit and sail upright. Add the fact that the 6hp outboard is way more power than needed, so i get about 100 miles on 6 gallons. 5he cabin has plenty of room for two but its currently me and my dog so we have excess space.

I bought the boat in Michigan so the only logical thing to do was head south for the winter. Ive done the east coast so i decided to do the great loop and take the inland river systems south. This required going all the way around michigan to chicago, then entering the illionois river to the mississippi. From there you go up the ohio, down the tenn-tom waterway and end up in mobile on the gulf.

I am currently nearing the mississippi just taking my time heading south. If anyone is doing the loop or plan on being south this winter on a boat, hit me up.

Ive added some pictures, but i dont take many so this is just a glimpse of the trip

That's awesome. I wish I was at that stage. I'm currently on the east coast doing some Lyft driving to save up for a good boat. I still have so much to learn about sailing though. I probably have to get a small boat to learn on between now and getting to where you are at. This is super inspiring though. 🤘