DEFINING the Minimalistic Approach to Power Cruising

I originally started a thread entitled Minimalistic Approach to Power Cruising to learn about others' experiences and opinions on this subject. After 200+ posts it is obvious that the definition of what "minimalistic" means wasn't clear.

I'm not sure how we all classify the level of fit-out/finish/quality of boats, but I propose the following:

Minimalistic ==> K.I.S.S. ==> Fully Fitted ==> Yacht Club Bristol

Definitions:
1) Minimalistic - just the bare necessities to travel safely. Running water, pump toilets, even electricity may be omitted;
2) K.I.S.S. - the most simplest systems. Generally non-computer controlled components and systems that can be repaired by a typical cruising couple, large tankage instead of water makers, etc.;
3) Fully Fitted - full gensets, active stabilizers, a/c units, watermakers; full suites of electronics, etc;
4) Yacht Club Bristol - at this level the importance of appearance becomes overriding.

Encouragement award A+ for again trying to define the subjective. Good luck!

We thinks our

"lady" could be classed Under your K.I.S.S

No aircon, no genset, no track vision , no batteries charger, no ice maker, no deep freezer (just a small fridge ) no chart plotter,etc .
But we are far Minimalist like Carabao power-tri !!

Before we had boats with lot of thinks it means more time to ...repare this thinks .

By from Hoa

You might not get any replies on "minimalistic" because by your definition computers and smart phones would not be included.

Having gone thru some different lifestyles, Minimum to me is

A foot pump for F-W , a quality (Crown or Groco K) manual toilet is just fine ,(no Jabsco).

but the Quality of living more depends on physical comfort.

A great (warm dry ventilated) place to sit (inside and out), enjoy the view and the season

a warm dry comfy bed and a galley ,

single burner gymboled Primus , a 10 inch deep sink ,foot powered sea water wash

and a Battery for night anchor light and a car radio is minimal, for extended comfort .

along with a rowing dink that can be operated in 25+K of wind.

Solar bag sun heated shower.

BTDT , and its just fine !

The hard part is finding a companion that enjoys the lifestyle.

Today a $10, chat and chuck, cellphone would be added,

Seems like a great many of us would fall between KISS and Fully kitted. Have an autopilot and you're FK. No active stabilizer and your KISS. BTW, Minimalistic should be replaced with Nautical Camping. It might be more helpful to make a spread sheet of the categories relative to components. As an example:

Lights:
Minimalistic- candles or flash lights
KISS - 12 volt DC only
Fully Kitted - 12 volt DC & 110 Volt AC
Yacht Club Bristol - 110 Volts AC only (generator 24 / 7 )

Ted

FF


I don't think a true minimalist would be found on here. (Wait, someone with Post #1 will pop up). Or maybe just a few. A true minimalist would probably not want to pay for fuel on a trawler when a small cuddy cabin would suffice. Not much different than today's campers. A true minimalist would feel better ina Ford 150 Econoline than a stripped out motor home. Totally different personality types.
I started out minimalist sailing on a 25 Macgregor. When I progressed up to a Catalina 30, after several other boats in between, it was the first time I could stand up and pee. That luxury got me away from minimalist sailing. Moving to Slidell, La was my next step awat from minimalism. there is a bad section of ICW between Ms. coast and the Rigolets to get up into Slidell, La. It was a channel with markers far enoygh apart that they could not be seen from one to the next. It was an area of oyster reefs and a large bay dumping into the channel. No way of knowing how far you drifted off course without GPS.

Feel every breath of wind, fair or foul...strap a couple outboards on a Wharram;

Index of Designs | James Wharram Designs

I considered Willy to be minimalistic before but she dosn't fit any of those categories. We have GPS, electric head, high tech battery monitor and hydraulic steering. And I could do w/o the electric anchor capstan and pressurized domestic water system. We did fine on our Albin w just treadle foot pumps .. had our choice of seawater too.

Murray those are all sailboats. Most of us get along fine w/o sails.

I think the name of this Topic is wrong; should be;


TIP; Read the book "101 easy ways to save a dollar a day"



CeesH

There's a French guy here at the same Marina that responds with "I don't know" each time you ask a question. His vessel is a well-cared-for wooden sailboat and he has a girl-friend/first mate aboard that also doesn't have many answers. They see themselves being minimalist minded. They don't know where they're staying tonight or tomorrow night. They don't know where they will eat or what they will eat. They only have the shelter of their vessel. They have no cruising plan, just simply to go. In order to be a true minimalist, would that include plans and intentions?

Greetings,
"... In order to be a true minimalist...". Boat nekkid y'all.

(NO acceptable image available)

Why so hung up on the definition? If you are out on the water, enjoying yourself, and are actually able to get people to go with you to share the enjoyment...probably doing something right. Who cares if you have a paper map or a fancy chartplotter? I would say the only time it matters is if you pull into a quiet anchorage and fire up your generator to watch the football game, you shall be attacked via my RIB!!!

Larry,
Sounds like the French guy has a P type personality. Like me. I frequently don't know where we're going to anchor for sure until late in the day. Planners (J types) know usually long before the day begins.

Skinny said:

Why so hung up on the definition?

Click to expand...

I really have to ask the same question. Why does it matter so much to you? Why do we need labels? I guess the big question is what are you trying to prove? That you are a minimalist? That's somehow better? Is it any better to brag about how little technology or equipment one uses that to brag about how much?

Number 4 read:
"4) Yacht Club Bristol - at this level the importance of appearance becomes overriding." It seems to me that some "minimalists" have made the appearance of being so overriding as well. I would think there are those in your so called "Yacht Club Bristol" for whom appearance means nothing, but they just enjoy being that way, just as I know there are many minimalists not trying to prove anything, just enjoying life that way.

I just don't like labels and classifications and especially then don't like attaching judgments to those labels.

My understanding of the minimalism movement happening in the world today, is the idea of simplifying your life by reducing things that require you to "own them" and thus are a responsibility for you. There are a number of videos and books around an idea of only "owning" 100 possessions. You would then have less time spent on maintaining, housing, moving, repairing, etc., etc., etc. of your possessions. You are then really free to spend your time truly living life how you want to, rather then being beholden to your possessions you have accumulated. It is a anti consumerism mentality I believe. But you do not forgo items like a laptop, iPhone, etc, you still live your life in the comfort of what you feel are important. It does not mean you are making pillows out of dryer lint, or finding 31 uses of lime wedges left over from your mojitos.

Many of the minimalists I read about are traveling the world unimpeded without the anchors of "normal" life. How you can do that with a trawler or yacht is possible in that definition I guess, but not practical because the boat and all of its systems surely aren't making your life less complicated. But you sure could go simple with very few systems on the boat, kon tiki style. Or by chartering boats and leaving all the responsibilities to someone else. Then you don't own an anchor... And not wondering if it is big enough...

Where's that remote ...


Kevin
Portland, OR

keb said:

My understanding of the minimalism movement happening in the world today, is the idea of simplifying your life by reducing things that require you to "own them" and thus are a responsibility for you. There are a number of videos and books around an idea of only "owning" 100 possessions. You would then have less time spent on maintaining, housing, moving, repairing, etc., etc., etc. of your possessions. You are then really free to spend your time truly living life how you want to, rather then being beholden to your possessions you have accumulated. It is a anti consumerism mentality I believe. But you do not forgo items like a laptop, iPhone, etc, you still live your life in the comfort of what you feel are important. It does not mean you are making pillows out of dryer lint, or finding 31 uses of lime wedges left over from your mojitos.

Many of the minimalists I read about are traveling the world unimpeded without the anchors of "normal" life. How you can do that with a trawler or yacht is possible in that definition I guess, but not practical because the boat and all of its systems surely aren't making your life less complicated. But you sure could go simple with very few systems on the boat, kon tiki style. Or by chartering boats and leaving all the responsibilities to someone else. Then you don't own an anchor... And not wondering if it is big enough...

Where's that remote ...


Kevin
Portland, OR

Click to expand...

+1

This people lives in "my" city Saõ Luís do Maranhão a Mimimalistic life with less to spend then $100 a month, you mean this?

And then I saw a man drinking from his hand, I threw away my cup.

Minimalistic to one man is luxury to another. Simple to one is complex and stressful to another. I am not sure things have anything to do with reducing stress and making life more simple. We have a lot of things but they don't drive our life.

Let me try to explain a little better. Housing as an example. Is the house accompanied by a mortgage and does that mortgage require you to work more than reasonable or in an environment that is stressful for you. If a bare walls $600 per month apartment is beyond your means then there's nothing minimalistic about it. And a $50 million home can be simple for someone who is worth billions and has others taking care of everything.

It's also a lot about attitude and self. There are those who stress over things even when they don't need to. They question everything they spend. Then I think a lot is individual. Others look at my wife and I and think we're doing too much, complicated our life, going too fast, have too much going on. But the pace doesn't feel that way to us. This is our slow, relaxed mode.

Now to boats and equipment. People talk about simplifying by not having certain equipment that isn't absolutely necessary. Well, for us some of those items do simplify life. We would feel like our life had been complicated if we didn't have internet access.

Could we live on less? Of course, we have. But would doing so somehow make our life better? No. For others it's the opposite. Too much technology leads to their frustration. They find extra equipment annoying.

So, really to me if it brings you pleasure without bringing you stress or pressure, then it's your version of simple.

"Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution.

There are many flavors of minimalism: a 20-year-old single guy’s minimalist lifestyle looks different from a 45-year-old mother’s minimalist life. Even though everyone embraces minimalism differently, each path leads to the same place: a life with more time, more money, and more freedom to live a more meaningful life.

Getting started is as simple as asking yourself one question: How might your life be better if you owned fewer material possessions?"

Quote from one of the popular sites on minimalism...

BandB said:

So, really to me if it brings you pleasure without bringing you stress or pressure, then it's your version of simple.

Click to expand...

That's a pretty good summary, I think. Our PNW boat is what I consider fairly minimal for the kind of cruising one does up here. That's compared to some boats I've seen than have every possible means of navigation, communication, and comfort and convenience.

We have a couple of plotters, a VHF radio at each helm station, radar, a depth sounder/speed log, a PA/Intercom, and a compass. We have two engines and a generator, a propane stove, an AC/DC refrigerator, a hot water heater, and a microwave. A couple of Groco EB heads, a handheld shower wand in the aft head, and an expensive anchor and electric windlass cap off the list.

That's pretty much it.

The list of gizmos we don't have is probably longer than the list of stuff we do have.

Some people would not consider this minimalist cruising at all. But we wouldn't want to give up any of it per BandB's definition. Whereas we view things like AIS, satellite phone and internet communications, an autopilot, on-board satellite TV, a DVD player or DVR with a flatscreen, radar overlay on the plotter displays, an EPIRB and a Seawise davit as nice but not necessary to our cruising. So we don't have them.

"Getting started is as simple as asking yourself one question: How might your life be better if you owned fewer material possessions?"

Not at all, and probably worse. We are full time live-aboards and dont have room for anything we dont need. Do we need laptops and internet. Yes! Definitely. That is part of our enjoyment and entertainment. Do I need a dinghy and outboard motor? Yes for fun and entertainment. Do I need a small shop vac? Yes. It helps me free up time to do what I want to do.
And yes, fun and entertainment are necessary for a healthy happy life.
There is a big difference between being 'alive' and mere survival.

It's all a matter of what you want out of life and how much you are willing to put into it.
Nothing is free. I find it a lot easier to drive to a supermarket than to raise cattle and grow my own crops on the back of my boat.

There is a big difference between being 'alive' and mere survival.
Well said Tony B ️️


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

I found the true meaning of 'minimalistic' in regards to boating. Chuck the motor and the hull. Just float on a log. For propulsion - just kick your feet.
So now, instead of working backwards and thinking about what we can do without, lets see what we would like to add to the log.

This is about as minimalist a trip from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands (following the coastline of British Columbia and crossing larger channels and inlets by "boat") as you can get. I defy anyone to find a more extreme example!


Journey on the Wild Coast - the Movie | Ground Truth Alaska

DARE TO DREAM!

Here's the minimalistic approach to power cruising on the west coast of Madagascar.

Just the fact that you own a boat doesn't make you a minimalist. This discussion is truly 1st world only...

This and ten feet of fishing line

Tony B said:

I found the true meaning of 'minimalistic' in regards to boating. Chuck the motor and the hull. Just float on a log. For propulsion - just kick your feet.
So now, instead of working backwards and thinking about what we can do without, lets see what we would like to add to the log.

Click to expand...

I would add another pair of feet for better maneuvering at low speeds and propusion redundancy so I wouldn't have to come home on the end of a rope.

ummm.... uses for limes. Way off topic.