A bit of a conundrum, some seriously scary shit, and a test that stands up to scrutiny...
A reader to this blog recently sent me a link to someone's posted budget to prove to me that it really costs at least $2500+ a month to cruise or live on a boat. I won't bore you with the details of the budget because it is really something of an apples/oranges kind of thing. Well, unless you absolutely need a fifty-foot boat, have to spend most of your time in marinas, are unable to do your own work, and can't live without spending over $800 a month eating out, I doubt if it applies to anyone reading BoatBits.
That said, in 2017 things are really too expensive and the portents are that things are going to get a whole lot more costly in the near future. Which pretty much means that folks of a frugal nature are going to have to be just that more creative to make the whole boatbuilding/boat repair/cruising on a budget thang actually work.
Not only do we need to get creative and inventive to do stuff affordably but we need to network or share to make it happen.
Which brings me back to the reader who sent me that link...
Over the years, BoatBits has received a plethora of emails of the negative "It Can't Be Done" variety and almost none of the "It Can Be Done and This Is How I DID IT" or "Here's a link to guy with a great way to save money on boat stuff" ilk. Maybe it's the creative folk doing stuff on a budget are just too busy saving money and living well in the process that they just don't have time to write. On the other hand, it's just possible that the negative naysayers are so busy not boatbuilding/repairing boats/cruising that they get to spend all their time finding reasons they can't build or repair boats and cruise.
Seriously, I'm about up to here with negativity these days.
So...
If you have a great link to someone who is doing something positive drop me a line...
Know of a good way to save money on a boat project I want to hear about it...
If you're cruising on a budget please share your tips and tricks that work or cunning plans that didn't...
I'm pretty sure you get the idea.
On my part, I'll be doing more detailed "How to" projects rather than my just pointing to ideas and letting folks add their own creativity to the mix. This goes for VolksCruiser as well so if you're not a regular reader to the cheapseats you might want to look in from time to time.
Listening to Mr Zevon
So it goes...
Bruce+
2 days ago
