Albin 25 as a liveaboard?

Sounds unlikely, I know. Just a thought - I am looking to retire in the next year or 2 but aside from a bit of capital - probably less than $50K or thereabouts depending on the housing market - I will need to rely on an income of about $1600 CDN monthly (pre tax). I have been looking into such places as Panama highlands but it just struck me - browsing the liveaboard threads on various boating forums - that one of my few assets is an Albin 25 in good shape with the MD17C that just keeps on ticking.

Since it seems I will have to strike out on my own as a single I am ruminating about how far south I could ultimately get in this little boat. I would love to tie up on the coast of central America and eke out my final years with minimal overhead and what would then become a decent income level.

Is this thought just completely insane?

Sunset said:

...Is this thought just completely insane?

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Probably....but WTH!
I see no reason you couldn't do it?
Go for it!

Good enuff fer me!:lol:

The wife and I discussed the possibility of living aboard a sub 30' boat, our Owens would be tight. Janice lives on her 23' Seaweed and enjoys it. Plenty of singles cruising small sailboats too so why not?

It helps that the wife and I are avowed minimalists. Diesel powered Albin 25 with aft cabin seems a brilliant choice IMO.

Thanks for the encouragement Craig. But what do you think about the crossing?

Sunset said:

Thanks for the encouragement Craig. But what do you think about the crossing?

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http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2043607.Paddle_to_the_Amazon

Greetings,
Mr. S. "But what do you think about the crossing?" What crossing? If Central America is your destination, you could easily stay within 5 miles of land or closer no matter where you started in North America. Albin 25. Single occupant. Some $$. What's not to like?

Of course you could do it. Any boat is capable of going anywhere within the shorter of

A. Its fuel enfurance
B. The 72 hour accurate forecast window.

All you'll need is patience. You will find yourself in port on days when others with larger, more capable boats are able to venture forth, but you could easily make it down the coast.

How far, I do not know, but for sure since you are on the east voast you could make it all around the great loop. 20 something thousand miles to explore there.

I've always thought that for a single guy a boat about that size would be really nice to do the great loop in.

Exactly RT! My point with the book link was to point out that far smaller craft have achieved far greater distance with twice as many folks aboard. I've shared these photos before as representative of what the wife and I are considering for a custom build.




The size of the boat has nothing to do with the size of the adventure.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. S. "But what do you think about the crossing?" What crossing? If Central America is your destination, you could easily stay within 5 miles of land or closer no matter where you started in North America. Albin 25. Single occupant. Some $$. What's not to like?

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Agreed!
That's exactly what I was thinking. Actually looked at a few maps before I made my WTH remark

Just follow the coastline....

living on just about any cabin boat is better than homeless...which a lot of people manage.


if you can afford to pay the overhead which many say can be around $500-$1000 a month if careful...enjoy the life!

I think you should try it for a while. You already have it, know its condition and you can always bail out if it doesn't work out. The Albin 25 is a better live aboard than many 35' boats. I owned one with the intention of relaxed cruising but soon realized I was too large for it! 6'4, 280lbs doesn't do well on the Albin for extended periods. I still think it is one hell of a boat! Bought and paid for in your situation is great. I bet you'll have money left over at the end of the month. Keep us posted on this adventure. Janice on Seaweed is doing the same type of adventure VERY successfully! She would probably be open to suggestions and a moral support. Good luck!

In 03 Chris and I went to Alaska and back on our Albin 25. 68 days aboard. The Albin is very good in the rough weather w the exception of a nasty snap roll. I don't do it in my Willard but I bumped my head and other body parts quite often in the Albin.
The boat's design is very very well thought out. A good mod for a liveaboard would be to build a wheelhouse over the center cockpit. I've seen it done on a number of A25s in the PNW.

Good to hear an encouraging word! I am comfortable with the prospect of living aboard the A25 for an extended period. I would probably add a third battery and a fridge and some solar panels, stay with 12V. But looking at the map, jumping from Key West over to Yucatan seems vastly more appealing than the great circle around the Gulf of Mexico. One reason being the lower cost of living once out of the US. But perhaps that direct route is too chancy for a coastal cruiser. I need to hear from those who have made that crossing to learn the difference between adventure and dumb.

335 nautical miles means at least three days in open water. Add autohelm and coffee to the budget!

Auto pilot is not optional as a single hander. Get it early, set it up right and you will have the cheapest "crew" imaginable. No whining, no quitting, just steer me straight.

Isn't the Albin 8'6" beam? You could always put it on a trailer and drag it through Mexico. Then sell the boat and trailer and cruise from the Yucatan south.

If the OP looks anything like his avatar, the proposed venture will be a piece of cake.

Steve

Sunset said:

Good to hear an encouraging word! I am comfortable with the prospect of living aboard the A25 for an extended period. I would probably add a third battery and a fridge and some solar panels, stay with 12V. But looking at the map, jumping from Key West over to Yucatan seems vastly more appealing than the great circle around the Gulf of Mexico. One reason being the lower cost of living once out of the US. But perhaps that direct route is too chancy for a coastal cruiser. I need to hear from those who have made that crossing to learn the difference between adventure and dumb.

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There is no reason to take your boat from Key West to Mexico. That is in my opinion farther than you need to or should venture offshore.

Why not enjoy the ICW along the way. You would be missing the entire Gulf Coast and all it has to offer. Cajun food for one!

Leave the USA at BrownsVille, TX. No open water. ICW cruising at its best.

How much fuel do you carry?

Sailor of Fortune said:

Auto pilot is not optional as a single hander. Get it early, set it up right and you will have the cheapest "crew" imaginable. No whining, no quitting, just steer me straight.

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I am going to investigate that right away. I would like to have that for local boating in any case. Now I have a reason to consider the expense!

ksanders said:

There is no reason to take your boat from Key West to Mexico. That is in my opinion farther than you need to or should venture offshore.

Why not enjoy the ICW along the way. You would be missing the entire Gulf Coast and all it has to offer. Cajun food for one!

Leave the USA at BrownsVille, TX. No open water. ICW cruising at its best.

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I do not know anything about the cruising conditions along the Gulf Coast, but actually if they are good, there is no reason to avoid that lengthy route. After all, I would not be in a hurry to get anywhere in particular. And the thought of losing power out of sight of landfall in a small boat is daunting to say the least. I will look into that.

Panope said:

If the OP looks anything like his avatar, the proposed venture will be a piece of cake.

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Actually that's my photo.

Maybe with the new relations with Cuba the jump will not be as drastic.


Many have done the Cuba route...just not many Americans lately.

ksanders said:

There is no reason to take your boat from Key West to Mexico. That is in my opinion farther than you need to or should venture offshore.

Why not enjoy the ICW along the way. You would be missing the entire Gulf Coast and all it has to offer. Cajun food for one!

Leave the USA at BrownsVille, TX. No open water. ICW cruising at its best.

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Absolutely, 100% agree with this.
Why not enjoy the sights, food and the people you meet along the way.
If you were in a hurry, I'd say gear up and make the run across.

If you have the time and funds to take it easy (that's what we're supposed to be doing isn't it?), then do the coastal/ICW routes and enjoy the adventure.

OD

The smaller the boat, the bigger the adventure.

psneeld said:

Maybe with the new relations with Cuba the jump will not be as drastic.


Many have done the Cuba route...just not many Americans lately.

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Was thinking the same...but the OP is from Canada eh? Should not be a problem. Ninety miles from Key West to Cuba and about 120 mi. from the western tip of Cuba to Isla Mujeres. When I was young, dumb and full of...uh..piss and vinegar..yeah, that's it..We would not hesitate to take a 26 foot open CC Pacemaker with twin gas IB volvo's and a deck fuel of fuel bladders out to 100 miles bluewater fishing for 3 days. We knew the boat/engines well and had all the usual spares and experience changing them in suboptimal conditions. With careful weather planning the boat can do it.

Actually the OP seems to be fixated on Panama as a retirement destination.

Panama might be a living standard booster, but I won't delve into that during this thread...

What is important is that he has a modest retirement income and a boat that is capable of living on.

From his posts I see no financial reason to even leave North America in that boat unless he has some other reason for doing so.

In my opinion he could easily cruise his albin around the inland and coastal waterways of the US and Canada on the budget he has indicated. To some that does not sound like allot of fun... To me it sounds like a dream come true.

ksanders said:

To some that does not sound like allot of fun... To me it sounds like a dream come true.

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100% true

ksanders said:

Actually the OP seems to be fixated on Panama as a retirement destination.

Panama might be a living standard booster, but I won't delve into that during this thread...

What is important is that he has a modest retirement income and a boat that is capable of living on.

From his posts I see no financial reason to even leave North America in that boat unless he has some other reason for doing so.

In my opinion he could easily cruise his albin around the inland and coastal waterways of the US and Canada on the budget he has indicated. To some that does not sound like allot of fun... To me it sounds like a dream come true.

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I agree from a lot of perspectives.
At least here, I know what kind of crooks we have in office and the level of political corruption we have to deal with. When it comes to looking for another country to call home long term, once past the COL, I'm always more concerned with crime and political upheavals. At least in the U.S., I can deal with the crime issues myself. But it's still expensive here.

I can understand why he might want to expat.
This is from 2013 on the COL in Panama v. the U.S.:

http://vivatropical.com/panama/cost-of-living-in-panama/

Depending on how much that may have changed since then, I'd say it makes good sense to get the most for his $$$$. Besides, there's no snow, no cold weather, warm beaches, and if I understood him correctly, he's going "solo."
If that's the case, all I can say is