Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-04-2020, 12:52 PM   #1
Member
 
City: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 5
New and looking for info!

Hi All,

New guy here looking to do some research and see if the cursing life is within budget, and maybe cast-off one day.

Living on and cruising in a boat as been a dream of mine for going on 10 years now. Nothing was ever set in stone and it remained a lofty pie-in-the-sky sort of vision that I could achieve once financially independent. Fast-forward to today, of the few benefits of this whole Covid situation is that I may have the opportunity to work 100% remote. This got me thinking, maybe its time for a change?

My current status is land-locked, so if this vision were to become reality, it would mean selling nearly everything and moving aboard. Obviously, this represents a huge lifestyle shift into something admittedly I am largely ignorant of to-date, so you can bet I'm trying to cross every 'T' and dot every 'I' from a planning perspective.

As for now, the plan is to spend some time asking questions and checking posts to help with planning and see if this could be a reality. Looking forward to hearing experiences and opinions of everyone, and would be very welcome to any resources or links you could provide relating to budgeting, planning, or any useful lessons learned from the old salts on here who have 'been there, done that'!

The vision for now is a Nordhavn 46 if that helps any, but who knows how that will change.

-The 6k Guy
The6kGuy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2020, 12:55 PM   #2
Moderator Emeritus
 
Comodave's Avatar
 
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
Welcome aboard. First I would recommend getting some experience in boating and some formal training. Spend some time at the marinas and talk to poeple and look at their boats, as many as possible to figure out what you really want and need. Good luck with your search.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
Comodave is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2020, 01:20 PM   #3
Member
 
City: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 5
Thanks Comodave for a quick reply!

I've had some basic state courses for small boats that give simple printed certificate or wallet card, and have operated smaller boats on lakes for years, but never operated vessels larger than 23ft so I didn't bother to mention them in this context. Part of this experience is what made me start to fall in love with boating and pursue it more, but I find a lot of the state issued training to be lacking.

Is there a formal training course similar to an ASA 101 certification that would be trawler specific and carries some real benefits and useful knowledge (U.S or global recognition, insurance benefits, etc)? or would it be best to find a more informal trawler school, or rent a captain and boat for a few days?

Thanks again,

-The 6k Guy
The6kGuy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2020, 01:27 PM   #4
Moderator Emeritus
 
Comodave's Avatar
 
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
I am not aware of any trawler specific training. Maybe ask your insurance company what training they require for the size vessel you are considering. And then get started on whatever they specify. You might look into chartering a trawler as some of the companies have training available on trawlers. I think maybe Southwest Florida Charters, or something like that name, have captains available for training. Chartering one for a bit may give you much more insight as to waht you want to do.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
Comodave is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2020, 04:19 PM   #5
Guru
 
BandB's Avatar
 
City: Fort Lauderdale. Florida, USA
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by The6kGuy View Post
Hi All,

New guy here looking to do some research and see if the cursing life is within budget
Wifey B: Cursing is generally free unless done in the wrong place. Then it can lead to a fine, but likely not over your budget.
BandB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2020, 09:34 PM   #6
Member
 
City: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 5
Ha, whoops! That's what I get for celebrating the 4th a bit early, sloppy fingers. 'Cruising' is definitely preferred over 'Cursing'
The6kGuy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2020, 09:53 PM   #7
Guru
 
menzies's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Vessel Name: SONAS
Vessel Model: Grand Alaskan 53
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,235
Lesson number one.

The cruising life is synonymous with a cursing life.
menzies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 09:35 AM   #8
Guru
 
tiltrider1's Avatar
 
City: Seattle
Vessel Name: AZZURRA
Vessel Model: Ocean Alexander 54
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 4,309
Living on a boat is very different than cruising on a boat. I see a lot of people who spend the summer cruising a boat, then decide to live on it full time only to see them move off 6 months later. It’s just not for everyone. Those who do like living aboard really like it and have a tendency to make it sound great and it is great for their personality but not necessarily great for everyone.
tiltrider1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 11:08 AM   #9
Valued Technical Contributor
 
DavidM's Avatar
 
City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,786
Living and working aboard can mean lots of things:

1. Staying at a permanent marina on board a "dock queen". But I doubt if anyone who lusts after a N46 is thinking about that.

2. Mostly anchoring out in nice places but moving with the seasons- like Marathon in the winter (probably on a mooring), NC or the Chesapeake in the spring and fall (Oriental maybe) and the NE in the summer- LI Sound, Maine or the Hudson River. You will spend significant time moving from place to place so I am not sure that works with your job.

3. Some combination of 1 and 2.

#1 is the most expensive but the easiest. #3 the least even considering fuel.

Communications will be an issue with 2 and 3. Cell service gets better and better and unless the job is lots of graphics that will keep you connected in most places. #1 is hit and miss. The wifi in lots of marinas isn't any better than a cell connection.

You didn't ask and it is all boat specific how much first year deferred maintenance as well as year to year maintenance will cost. For a N46 I would figure $10,000 the first year- electronics upgrades, engine deferred maintenance, etc. On going maintenance could be about half of that. You don't want to skimp on on going maintenance as well as periodic upgrades on a N46. They are worth it.

David
DavidM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 02:05 PM   #10
Member
 
City: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 5
DavidM,

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding some of my concerns, and partially why I am in the 'research' phase.

I've been struggling to find some real-world numbers for ongoing maintenance and other costs. Lots of threads here have an "it depends" answer, which I completely understand (but have a hard time putting in a spreadsheet), or say 10% over time but hear there are sometimes exceptions to that rule (such as with lower price point boats).

My hope is over time people sharing a similar lifestyle on a similar size boat could help me at least ballpark it, and maybe see how technology may be catching up for the remote office. Between Elons "starlink" and the advances in 4g and 5g it definitely seems like barriers are being lowered, but are not down entirely.

If you don't mind my asking, could you elaborate on the 5k/yr number, does this assume I do work myself and covers everything (haul out and bottom paint, varnishing, servicing of systems, oil, filters, etc) or is it limited to just certain systems, the rest being 'as-needed' based on use?

-The 6k Guy
The6kGuy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 02:56 PM   #11
Valued Technical Contributor
 
DavidM's Avatar
 
City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,786
The6Kguy:

My $5,000 per year number was a swag but based on experience of full time cruising. I am assuming you will pay about $300+K for your N46 or similar boat. That is a lot and Nordhavns are generally maintained better than most but the N46 is an older boat and that means systems that deteriorate over time and must be replaced or upgraded.

So initially you could spend a lot more than the $10,000 I indicated. The electronics suite may be old and lack current charting and features. Chart plotter, radar, and autopilot will run at least $10K for parts only. And yes I am mostly basing my numbers on a DIYer. Replacing and upgrading systems is much easier than installing a system from scratch.

Once the initial systems have been upgraded to your tastes, then you have the routine fixes- the potable water pump breaks, the genset craps out, the A/C needs repair or replacement, etc. So come to think of it, $5K is low, probably $10K per year.

When I cruised full time on a $150K boat that was as old as the N46 and I spent about $5K annually once I got past the initial hit. But that was a simpler boat. You could spend $5K just servicing the Naid stabilizers on the boat referenced below.

A word about the N46. Great boat but you don't need any of its capabilities to do what you plan. A Mainship 40 at nearly half the price would do just as good and be ten years newer.

OTOH the $300K N46 in Miami looks like a deal for coastal cruising. I wouldn't want that flybridge to cross oceans with, but going N and S on the ICW it would be great. Not excited about the stabilizers for ICW travel. May be useful if you go outside.

David
DavidM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 03:04 PM   #12
Enigma
 
RT Firefly's Avatar
 
City: Slicker?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,566
Greetings,
Mr. T6. Welcome aboard. Are you planning on world cruising? IF not, why a vessel like a N-46? While some actually DO use such vessel for it's intended purposes (crossing vast expanses of ocean), realistically, do you really think you will be doing so?
As mentioned, could be BIG $$ just preparing a N-46 for a crossing depending on it's prior maintenance.
Perhaps a less "capable" vessel whereby you can boat AND keep your dirt residence. If you don't have (own) a dirt residence, a lesser $$ vessel will still give you experience AND allow you to pad the nest egg in anticipation of purchasing an ocean crosser.
__________________
RTF
RT Firefly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2020, 09:24 PM   #13
Member
 
City: North Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 5
Dave,

Thanks for those details, definitely helps a lot.

Firefly,

I do plan on world cruising. I've had the opportunity to go overseas for work a number of times, fell in love with the cultures and living like a local, but never really could get the full experience given it was always work related and personal time was limited what ever could be tacked onto the end or on weekends. Couple this with the fact I am relatively young, in good health, not married and no kids, (so nobody else to convince other than the dog) It would be an easy enough decision for me to make with few strings to hold me back. The way I see it, my goal is to visit countries, so I need the right tool to do it, that's where the boat comes in.

Call me stubborn, but the mechanics/design of the Nords seem to fit the bill for me. Thats why I wanted to reach out, see what resources were available and what its going to cost me. If I can set a goal post for whats needed, then I know I can make it happen.

-6k Guy
The6kGuy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2020, 11:58 AM   #14
Guru
 
BandB's Avatar
 
City: Fort Lauderdale. Florida, USA
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by The6kGuy View Post
Dave,

Thanks for those details, definitely helps a lot.

Firefly,

I do plan on world cruising. I've had the opportunity to go overseas for work a number of times, fell in love with the cultures and living like a local, but never really could get the full experience given it was always work related and personal time was limited what ever could be tacked onto the end or on weekends. Couple this with the fact I am relatively young, in good health, not married and no kids, (so nobody else to convince other than the dog) It would be an easy enough decision for me to make with few strings to hold me back. The way I see it, my goal is to visit countries, so I need the right tool to do it, that's where the boat comes in.

Call me stubborn, but the mechanics/design of the Nords seem to fit the bill for me. Thats why I wanted to reach out, see what resources were available and what its going to cost me. If I can set a goal post for whats needed, then I know I can make it happen.

-6k Guy
Then I'd try to get a bigger Nordhavn. There's a huge difference between what perhaps a 62 can handle versus a 46. The majority of Nordhavn World Cruisers do so in something larger than the 46. Not saying it can't be done in it, just look around and see and talk to more Nordhavn owners.
BandB is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:55 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012