It all depends...

I recently came across an article by someone who cautioned new to cruising folk that it costs a lot more than you'd think...

They made the case (using themselves as an example of just plain frugal and simple folk with simple tastes) who had planned to cruise on $35,000 a year but have discovered that in reality that their outgoing expenses are around double that (which is higher than the average household income in the US of A)...

I write this for a couple of reasons. One, being that a few regular letter writers to Boat Bits will send me copies of said article with a flourish and an "aha" to let me know yet again that frugal cruising is just not possible in today's world, and secondly to point out that you simply can't compare apples and oranges!

The couple in question (though frugal and simple folk) have great taste in boats and chose a new boat which more than likely set them back $500,000 or more and change before they added the needful stuff to sustain that frugal and simple lifestyle. Of course, being over fifty feet, haul-outs and marina visits become somewhat painful to the pocketbook as do the various systems that a boat like theirs seem to acquire, as well as the insurance etc.

The point is, I'm not knocking these people for their lifestyle decisions and boat choice (I think their choice of boat is one of the best boats in the world) but I do think it is important to look at just how much the choice of boat affects everything that falls in it's wake. When you come down to it, their advice is most likely dead on for people who buy half-million dollar boats but in terms of cruising costs have little or no relevance to someone who is sailing on a 35-foot sailboat built in the mid 70's... Sort of like comparing costs of upkeep on a 72 VW bug and a Rolls Royce.