Aussie brainpickers

Hi one and all,
We are Australians 1yr in of a 5yr plan to liveaboard a Yachtfisher and cruise the Great Loop. Our goal is to return to America in 2020 - we RV'd for 8 months in 2010 and did a lap of the USA - purchase a used 50-70ft yachtfisher or pilothouse flushdeck. Do we have questions? Well, yes just a few, about 300,000 of them!

First things first though.
It will be our first large boat - experience to date - owned 20ft inboard sportboat on Sydney harbour.

US Immigration - our plan is to enter USA under established Visa regs, ie stay for up to 6months at a time. Last time, an application was made and granted for an extended visa to stay in excess of 6 months.

USCG - only UScitizens can register a vessel under USCG regs -
- state registration appears ok from what I have gleaned.

Boat Insurance - essential - we were able to secure RV insurance (THUM ins co.) for our road trip so am assuming boat insurance is available to non-us citizens. Ballpark cost and general insurance information is proving quite difficult to research. Will get quals/licenses etc from USCG or Squadron and/or others to mitigate risk.

Money - building our stack, right now purchase will be in the 200-300kus range. Forex and business conditions will dictate affordability. Superannuation (401k) and stocktrading will finance living, maintenance and fuel. Extensive budget being constructed to ascertain "real cost" of boat ownership and operation.

Vessel - Comfortable, reliable and dictated by senor's snoring - happy wife, happy life, soundproof cabins each end of the boat will keep her sweet.
A third will join us, my brother, so a 3rd dble or queen cabin will be required.
My research has revealed plenty of vessel options in the price range and with this configuration. Pouring over boat ads has become quite a seductive obsession.

The way we see it, an active, free-spirited retirement living on our floating home, travelling in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

regards
KnA + D

Welcome.

You got some ambitious goals. What is missing from the narrative is your boating experience. The Great Loop is about 6,000 miles and typically takes a year of boating under many varied circumstances. You will need some experience with boat maintenance in addition to navigation and seamanship. It would be best to get some boating experience before you get to the USA.

Also, I would suggest a sport fish is a poor choice of boat for this endeavor. First, it is designed to go fast to get you 50 miles or so out into the ocean, then do a few hours of fishing and then go fast to get home before darkness. There are few places on the loop where you will be able to go fast. Second, sport fish often have tuna towers and high air draft. You will need to have an air draft of 19 feet or less with lowered masts and poles.

You might want to join the American Great Loop Cruisers Association. They publish a lot of useful information on the loop. Also, read as many blogs as you can of folks who are on the loop or have completed it. Cruising America's Great Loop is also a good source for loop info.

Best of luck on your planning.

Update

Hey mate how are your plans going I have some similar goals albeit about 8 years out, be happy to cathc up sometime and chat about what I have found out so far

Welcome aboard the forum. The above advice seems pretty sound to me. You should be able to get a lot of help on here re your plan. But the plan might need some re-jigging on reflection.

Boat2020 - update

Things are progressing nicely on the grand plan to live-aboard. Its been a while since I was last here, but a message from a fellow aussie recently has prompted me to respond.

But firstly a response to Donsan, thanks for your interest but you have miscued on the type of boat we seek to own, rather than a sportfisher as you have assumed - yes they are hardcore, high HP, a quick and expensive get to fishing grounds, fill the coolers (aka esky's in Oz) and hightail it home for a feed and a stiff drink after checking the serious dent in the plastic fantastic courtesy of the fuel dock spend - our choice is a yachtfisher or CPMY, comfy, slower boat with easy stern access, - think Viking54/60, Hatteras 52 or Californian 55 CPMY's.
And yes, the great loop is a journey of significance, one that Ive researched with great vigour. Lapping the loop for us may well be a 5-10year plan. There's so much to see and experience, slow boating, easy livin' and all the while being mindful of the seasons to avoid those boat buster hurricanes and freezing NE winters.

The AGLCA is a wonderful organisation, they even have radio podcasts focusing on the watery travels of looping nomads.


G'day to Aus996, might you be a Ducati fan?? Would enjoy a local voice to bounce ideas around with. Where you at? I'm in Sydney.

The way I see it, I'd rather be on a watery journey of discovery in my latter years than living in dogbox across the road from the golf club and down the road from the RSL.

yes mate got the 996 in the lounge at the moment, unfortunately it will be one of the things things I depart with when I retire, I dont think I can fit it on a boat. More than happy to catch up and have a chat, flick me a PM , I am in Canberra but get to Sydney quite regularly, more than happy to sit down over a coffee and swap mad dreams about liveaboad and retirement in the carribean etc, I am about 10 years out from retiring unless lotto came through last night (highly unlikely) but that hasnt stopped me from starting to formulate a plan, look forward to hearing from you cheers

For what its worth I also have a 55 4 door chev, in need of a ground up resto,(another damn project) I am figuring you may have something similar

60chev said:

....The way I see it, I'd rather be on a watery journey of discovery in my latter years than living in dogbox across the road from the golf club and down the road from the RSL.

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aus996 said:

....I am about 10 years out from retiring unless lotto came through last night (highly unlikely) but that hasnt stopped me from starting to formulate a plan, look forward to hearing from you cheers

Click to expand...

Wow, only just realised that your first post was some 18 months ago 60Chev.

However, to both of you, I'd say don't place all your eggs in the 'when I retire' basket. I bought our boat with some Super I was able to access 15 years ago, and glad I did. Having recently had a brush (successfully treated) with the big C, and realising my retirement funds are not going to support a boat for long, I find the prospect of being close to a golf course and the local RSL quite attractive, and we are workign towards that as we speak. Mind you, the RSL on Bribie Island puts on very good meals, and the Pacific Harbour Golf and Country Club will be a nice environment I think. That gold course looks quite challenging.

My claim to (nearly classic) car fame, just to be in the current swim, so to speak, is a 1990 Celica GT4, which I still drive to work every day, still goes like a rocket, and looks near new.

Nice pete, well done on beating the big C, mates wife died just before chrissy, 6 months from diagnosis to death, before that perfectly healthy 46 year old, so you really cant pick it. Scares the bejesus out of ya if you think about it too much.
I think when we get to retirement doing things like this resonates a lot more because the risks associated with the commitment far outweigh watching life through a window in a retirement village.

I am fortunate that I am in a super scheme that will deliver a fixed pension income for life so I can work my budget around that, the main things I am working on now is health and fitness to be mobile and healthy enough to enjoy retirement and have a plan, as they say retirement is the number one killer of men over 50
Nice boat by the way.
What do they say about golf, its a good way to spoil a nice walk

aus996 said:

What do they say about golf, its a good way to spoil a nice walk

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I prefer to look at it that even if I play bad, the more shots off course, the more effective the exercise. Which is why I never use a buggy.

It seems this thread is broadening out to a reflection on the idea of retirement as a long term goal and a focus on the realities as that gets closer.
I with the others am pleased you are no longer threatened by cancer Peter but it certainly focuses your attention on what is important doesnt it? I am about to "retire" for the last time next month as I turn 70 but for me retirement is about having choices and putting priorities into different areas. For the last 3years we have had the privelege of a job where I worked 2 paid days a week for 3months and then had one month off and we flew to the boat to enjoy Sydney and the Hawkesbury and to reconnect with a son, daughter-in-law and 3 grandkids as well as friends. We are choosing this time to drive to Sydney with our Samoyed dog and to spend an extended period on the boat with a jobs list a mile long, none of which has to be done in one place or with the boat immobilised. We plan to continue to explore the Harbour the Hawkesbury and beyond who knows where at this stage. Like you Peter we have limited super or other investments so who knows how long we may be able to keep the boat but that will be one of the choices we will have to make when the time is right. Perhaps my question now is what do you other guys do with your retirement time? And maybe this is time to have another thread for this so we dont hijack 60chev's post?
What do you think?
John