A quick google suggests a single mast sailboat can be had for around $50K. Which is a lot of money for a hobby. But it’s insanely cheap if it’s your house.
But how much does it cost to keep it at a marina per year? And repairs and such?
Don’t worry not asking to prove you’re rich and need to be eaten or whatever. Wanna know how much money I need to be able to say “fuck it” and quit my job and live on a sailboat.
What do you do for work? Your costs are low, but they aren’t zero. I imagine it’s nearly impossible to get work if you have to go out to your boat every day or you don’t have reliable internet.
Also, is it possible to get/run AC on a boat your size? Florida sounds like hell without AC. I don’t think I could manage living there for long without it. I guess you can get in the water to cool off pretty easily though.
After 25 years in tech I’m starting to look for my “out”. I have a ton of experience with electrical (signals/rf too), plumbing, mechanical, woodworking, finishing, engines, etc There isn’t much I can’t fix. As far as nautical experience goes, I’m a novice but I recently went through a small boat certification course and planning on being a “trailer sailor” for a couple years or more to build up experience. I grew up near Charleston SC harbor, and I think the ocean is calling me back.
A couple of questions; how do you find work or how does work find you? Do you have a home base where your tools are located or are you doing these jobs in “random” ports you travel to? (You can message me if you don’t want to share your industry secrets publicly 😉 )
/edit Found your blog so I got some reading to do.
I definitely appreciate your words and completely understand what you’re saying. I finished reading your blog and like your “raw” perspective. You should update it with an “where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going” post. It feels like a short story, over the span of several years, but you have a bit of a cliff hanger there 😉
I had a bunch of other stuff written but I removed it because it was scatter-brained and all over the place. I may in fact reach out to you for conversation. While our bearings might not be the same, I think there’s a lot to learn and I like your style.
Depends on the marina, one of my local ones charge $50 per foot a year, plus membership of ~$600-$700 yearly. But this is on a river with no ocean access, not sure how that would change things.
Dock fees generally range between $400-$800 a month, and that usually includes water and electricity. I think sewage is extra.
Best way to think about marinas is mobile home parks plus. Most folks there are just normals tryna get by on the cheap. Very occasionally you’ll get some landlord or HOA Karen type that thinks their shit doesn’t stink, but it always does.
Maintainence is the real killer for the wallet on a boat though. Mobile home units can’t sink, so maintaining the home isn’t as optional as it would be otherwise. You still get sea gypsies occasionally in floating wrecks anchored just off the docks, but that’s everywhere really.
Local classified right now has a 29 foot sloop with extra sails, recent bottom paint, and a 9hp outboard plus dinghy for $5700 CDN. It’s been up a while, you could bargain down, the seller seems motivated. It’s a 1978 boat so really skookum fiberglass on that.
A mooring buoy costs around $1500 to plop down but sometimes you can get one second hand for less. (Every Canadian is entitled by citizenship to a mooring buoy or two.)
An equivalent RV costs around $15k with nowhere to park.
People who assume that they are going to buy stuff new are just locked into a class-based mindset.
Yeah I’m too poor for a boat but I know a few people who live on them because they’re a cheap way to live a chill life. It’s very possible to be working class on s yacht, I’ve also known a few people who move and crew yachts so it’s very way for me to imagine the human tragedy these attacks can bring.
I hope we can devise a technology to keep people and marine life safe.
A 29’ boat isn’t going to have a 29’ liveable area.
First off, a boat narrows so much at the front that a 29’ boat is really closer to 25’ at best. Then it might be 10 feet wide, so you’re looking at about 250 square feet. Most of that is gonna be deck so cut that in half again if you want your living space to be out of the elements.
When you go under the deck you might think there would be plenty of room, but you need to have fuel, engine, generator, bilge, etc.
So in your remaining closet-sized space you need to be able to eat, sleep, cook, use the restroom, store your shit, entertain yourself, etc.
Around here you can buy a serviceable 29-foot sailboat for $5k, and a mooring buoy for $1k. It’s cheaper than a van by the river FFS.
People who live on sub-40-ft sailboats are usually just hanging in there. Source: that was nearly me before my fortunes changed slightly. Boats are underpriced because they are a lot of work.
My sister is a corporate executive. Her walk in closet is objectively larger than a 29-ft live aboard. Hell her ensuite bathroom is bigger than that and she lives in a duplex. You are lacking real world context I think.
A 29’ boat isn’t small, what kind of walk-in closet do you think people have? Your comment makes you seem really out of touch.
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A quick google suggests a single mast sailboat can be had for around $50K. Which is a lot of money for a hobby. But it’s insanely cheap if it’s your house.
But how much does it cost to keep it at a marina per year? And repairs and such?
Don’t worry not asking to prove you’re rich and need to be eaten or whatever. Wanna know how much money I need to be able to say “fuck it” and quit my job and live on a sailboat.
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Fascinating! Thanks for the impromptu AMA!
I couldn’t do half of the DIY stuff that you seem to put it. Just here to say that sounds damn impressive.
I guess you travel to follow warm weather? Or how is life in winter?
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What do you do for work? Your costs are low, but they aren’t zero. I imagine it’s nearly impossible to get work if you have to go out to your boat every day or you don’t have reliable internet.
Also, is it possible to get/run AC on a boat your size? Florida sounds like hell without AC. I don’t think I could manage living there for long without it. I guess you can get in the water to cool off pretty easily though.
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After 25 years in tech I’m starting to look for my “out”. I have a ton of experience with electrical (signals/rf too), plumbing, mechanical, woodworking, finishing, engines, etc There isn’t much I can’t fix. As far as nautical experience goes, I’m a novice but I recently went through a small boat certification course and planning on being a “trailer sailor” for a couple years or more to build up experience. I grew up near Charleston SC harbor, and I think the ocean is calling me back.
A couple of questions; how do you find work or how does work find you? Do you have a home base where your tools are located or are you doing these jobs in “random” ports you travel to? (You can message me if you don’t want to share your industry secrets publicly 😉 )
/edit Found your blog so I got some reading to do.
deleted by creator
I definitely appreciate your words and completely understand what you’re saying. I finished reading your blog and like your “raw” perspective. You should update it with an “where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going” post. It feels like a short story, over the span of several years, but you have a bit of a cliff hanger there 😉
I had a bunch of other stuff written but I removed it because it was scatter-brained and all over the place. I may in fact reach out to you for conversation. While our bearings might not be the same, I think there’s a lot to learn and I like your style.
I’m drowning in this text, I’d be dead inside a month.
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Awesome info. Thanks for the write up. Have always been curious about the economics.
thank you for sharing… learned a lot
Depends on the marina, one of my local ones charge $50 per foot a year, plus membership of ~$600-$700 yearly. But this is on a river with no ocean access, not sure how that would change things.
That’s actually very reasonable. Yeah I’m sure it’s way more money on like the French Riviera, but I don’t want to go to places like that.
I gotta learn how to sail tho haha.
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Dock fees generally range between $400-$800 a month, and that usually includes water and electricity. I think sewage is extra.
Best way to think about marinas is mobile home parks plus. Most folks there are just normals tryna get by on the cheap. Very occasionally you’ll get some landlord or HOA Karen type that thinks their shit doesn’t stink, but it always does.
Maintainence is the real killer for the wallet on a boat though. Mobile home units can’t sink, so maintaining the home isn’t as optional as it would be otherwise. You still get sea gypsies occasionally in floating wrecks anchored just off the docks, but that’s everywhere really.
Local classified right now has a 29 foot sloop with extra sails, recent bottom paint, and a 9hp outboard plus dinghy for $5700 CDN. It’s been up a while, you could bargain down, the seller seems motivated. It’s a 1978 boat so really skookum fiberglass on that.
A mooring buoy costs around $1500 to plop down but sometimes you can get one second hand for less. (Every Canadian is entitled by citizenship to a mooring buoy or two.)
An equivalent RV costs around $15k with nowhere to park.
People who assume that they are going to buy stuff new are just locked into a class-based mindset.
Yeah I’m too poor for a boat but I know a few people who live on them because they’re a cheap way to live a chill life. It’s very possible to be working class on s yacht, I’ve also known a few people who move and crew yachts so it’s very way for me to imagine the human tragedy these attacks can bring.
I hope we can devise a technology to keep people and marine life safe.
A 29’ boat isn’t going to have a 29’ liveable area.
First off, a boat narrows so much at the front that a 29’ boat is really closer to 25’ at best. Then it might be 10 feet wide, so you’re looking at about 250 square feet. Most of that is gonna be deck so cut that in half again if you want your living space to be out of the elements.
When you go under the deck you might think there would be plenty of room, but you need to have fuel, engine, generator, bilge, etc.
So in your remaining closet-sized space you need to be able to eat, sleep, cook, use the restroom, store your shit, entertain yourself, etc.
If they actually live on it instead of owning a house, I’d still not consider them part of the rich who should be eaten.
A 29’ boat is absolutely tiny to live on. The overwhelming majority is taken up by things the boat needs to be a boat
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But your back yard is infinite.
Boats are the original tiny home.
Around here you can buy a serviceable 29-foot sailboat for $5k, and a mooring buoy for $1k. It’s cheaper than a van by the river FFS.
People who live on sub-40-ft sailboats are usually just hanging in there. Source: that was nearly me before my fortunes changed slightly. Boats are underpriced because they are a lot of work.
My sister is a corporate executive. Her walk in closet is objectively larger than a 29-ft live aboard. Hell her ensuite bathroom is bigger than that and she lives in a duplex. You are lacking real world context I think.