living aboard in St Maarten

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Ya mon

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Messages
25
Location
USA
I'm moving to St Maarten for good and will live aboard. I am retiring late Nov 2015 and don't plan to work for a living ever again.I am looking at a 48' Tollycraft. My cruising will mostly be in the Caribbean. Any and all ideas and or experiences cruising this area would be helpful. Good and bad. Facts and opinions appreciated.
Thanks in advance for the responses!
 
Nice! Sounds like you don't need any advice from us!

If you haven't purchased yet, I would spend some time in the engine room of a 48' Tolly. I have a friend with one, beautiful boat, pair of 671s in there. I find the space terrible for a retiree with bad knees (me) and my one attempt at helping him out ended badly. Tie a rope around your ankle when you go in there so someone can haul you out if you get stuck.
 
Xsbank said:
Nice! Sounds like you don't need any advice from us!

If you haven't purchased yet, I would spend some time in the engine room of a 48' Tolly. I have a friend with one, beautiful boat, pair of 671s in there. I find the space terrible for a retiree with bad knees (me) and my one attempt at helping him out ended badly. Tie a rope around your ankle when you go in there so someone can haul you out if you get stuck.
Click to expand...

671s he dont have to go in their much.and you can buy parts in any corner drug store as the saying goes, aii over the world
 
Ok, I challenge anyone over 65 to crawl to the outside of a 671 on a Tolly 48 in the morning, stay there for 10 minutes and then come out again and be productive for the rest of the day! Great engines, noisy as hell, inaccessible. Cat V8s would be much worse.
 
Xsbank said:
Ok, I challenge anyone over 65 to crawl to the outside of a 671 on a Tolly 48 in the morning, stay there for 10 minutes and then come out again and be productive for the rest of the day! Great engines, noisy as hell, inaccessible. Cat V8s would be much worse.
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I have a 48 tolly and it has Cummins 6BTA engines. This is the best you will get for space in the engine room. My knees are bad and I put carpet in the engine room and that reduced the pain to tolerable. Replace the Sherwood raw water pumps with SeaMax pumps and you should be good to go.
 
You didn't mention whether you are going to be anchored in the lagoon or docked in one of the marinas. Also whether you intend to cruise extensively or just stay put.

The most frequently seen 48 ft trawler in the Eastern Caribbean is a Krogen 48. Single engine. Fuel prices are much higher here than in the United States.

Good luck enjoy retirement.
 
Hi Ya Mon,

I'd be interested to know why you choose St Maarten, I've always fancied the Carib but never managed to visit.

Is that the island that's split into two different parts?
 
I plan to be docked at IGY Simpson Bay Marina on the lagoon. My cruising will be just the Caribbean, primarily withinin 200 miles of St. Maarten. However, I do plan to cruise south during Sept-Nov to head down to the Grenadines and Trinidad. During my cruising I plan to live on the hook..
 
If you want to live in the Eastern Caribbean you can get a fine engine room with unlimited headroom. It is called a sailboat.
 
Ya mon said:
I plan to be docked at IGY Simpson Bay Marina on the lagoon. My cruising will be just the Caribbean, primarily withinin 200 miles of St. Maarten. However, I do plan to cruise south during Sept-Nov to head down to the Grenadines and Trinidad. During my cruising I plan to live on the hook..
Click to expand...

I've heard that marinas are expensive, so anchoring sounds like a cheap solution. The potential areas to explore are limitless!

Are there any residency requirements, how many days can you stay before
you have to pay tax or need a visa?

Is it true that's always a big beam sea between the Islands, as this might influence your choice of trawlers (stabilisers)
 
For my size boat it will cost approx $975/mo for the marina. I want a home port in SXM and I don't want to dinghy all the time , also I am single and will be alone. As am American citizen I can stay as long as I want w/o a visa, but I cant work legitimately on the island unless I had a visa. But I dont plan to work, but if I do, it will be under the table stuff to keep me busy. No taxes. The boat I'm looking at can handle beam seas, and if the seas are rough, I don't go! I plan to get flopper stoppers for at anchor roll. But there isnt much roll in the lagoon or most of the bays and cays. After all, I will be retired, so time is on my side. Thanks for your reply!
 
Sounds like a great plan, having nothing of value to add other then I wish you all the best in your retirement!
 
For knees, get knee pads, good ones. I've worn pads on the boat and at work for 30 yrs. Were it not for those pads I would have had to give up.

They may not fix all ills as i know many people have worse problems than I, but they sure do help.
One of the first things i do on the boat is strap them on or sure as heck I'll kneel and yelp.
 
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On my old boat I kept an old foam pool float in the engine room to crawl /lay on as I worked in the engine room (aluminum boat thin sharp ribs).
 
Pgitug said:
The world we live in is changing. Tropical paradise can no longer be a blanket term. There are specific hot beds of lawlessness that every cruiser should be aware of and find their own way of protecting themselves and their floating assets.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Cruise Destinations in the World : Cruise Law News
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It's changed very little. All of those places have had tourist crime for decades or more. As have most any city in the US with large amounts of tourism. :D

If you're a drunken cruise ship passenger in town for a few hours you're an easy target.
 
Hi Mon
As always there a 2 sides to every place. I have spent 6 months a year for the last 3 months in Sint Maarten. I chose it for ease of access airlines etc, cost, parts availability etc. I have been carrying out a refit on my trawler. Not sure if you've spent lots of time there. However if you want to send a PM and want to chat on the phone, i'm available. There are all sorts of discounts available if you know your way round. Example car rental $5oo a month all in wife included as extra driver etc.
Chandelery discounts and tax free status for the boat parts etc.
 
Must be island time...
 
OOps !!should read 6 months a year for the last 3 years!!!!!
 
Ya mon said:
For my size boat it will cost approx $975/mo for the marina. I want a home port in SXM and I don't want to dinghy all the time , also I am single and will be alone. As am American citizen I can stay as long as I want w/o a visa, but I cant work legitimately on the island unless I had a visa. But I dont plan to work, but if I do, it will be under the table stuff to keep me busy. No taxes. The boat I'm looking at can handle beam seas, and if the seas are rough, I don't go! I plan to get flopper stoppers for at anchor roll. But there isnt much roll in the lagoon or most of the bays and cays. After all, I will be retired, so time is on my side. Thanks for your reply!
Click to expand...

I doubt if this is thrue. St. Maarten is part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands and the Dutch Visa rules for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of The Netherlands apply.

See dutch government link;

(in English) http://www.government.nl/issues/vis...bbean-parts-of-the-kingdom-of-the-netherlands

Visum voor Caribische Koninkrijksdelen | Visa | Rijksoverheid.nl

Toelatingsbesluit

CeesH
 
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Ya mon said:
For my size boat it will cost approx $975/mo for the marina. I want a home port in SXM and I don't want to dinghy all the time , also I am single and will be alone. As am American citizen I can stay as long as I want w/o a visa, but I cant work legitimately on the island unless I had a visa. But I dont plan to work, but if I do, it will be under the table stuff to keep me busy. No taxes. The boat I'm looking at can handle beam seas, and if the seas are rough, I don't go! I plan to get flopper stoppers for at anchor roll. But there isnt much roll in the lagoon or most of the bays and cays. After all, I will be retired, so time is on my side. Thanks for your reply!
Click to expand...

Welcome.

It's clear you have thought of this plan for a while and I think coming up with the plan is the hardest part.:thumb:
 
Capt.Bill11 said:
It's changed very little. All of those places have had tourist crime for decades or more. As have most any city in the US with large amounts of tourism. :D

If you're a drunken cruise ship passenger in town for a few hours you're an easy target.
Click to expand...

Right on. What's changed is that with the internet, you hear about what's happening in places you never would have heard about before. If anything, the Carib, for instance, as well as the USA, is much safer than ever.
 
Be careful of the french side in the lagoon, it runs shallow over there. I ran aground three times while waiting for the bridge to open. I was in a sailboat that drew 5 feet though :)
 
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