life...and cruising...need not be complicated

[lance on cloud nine]

LOL! when I pull in to a marina in my trouble free 30 year old O'Day 23, and see so many people with expensive hired hands working on big complex boats - it is me that starts to have an aura of superiority! And I must work hard to hide and contain it!

[Kettlewell]

Another huge factor in what you read is the magazines all depend on advertising for their revenue and so you read endless articles about expensive equipment. The other day I pitched an article idea to a magazine and they rejected it because my article was pitching a simple, inexpensive, and yet better way to do something. They don't want articles like that anymore--won't sell advertising.

[Tallswede]

Sorry if bumping this thread up is a no no but I loved reading this one. I'm planning on doing The Great Loop when I retire in the next year or two. My wife would like something a bit more comfy than the Hunter 23.5 we have right now. A good friend of mine's father has a 36' trawler he is trying to sell. It needs some work but he would be willing to sell to me for a very good price. I went and looked it over and it would be a VERY comfy boat to do the loop in but, the size and complication of the whole boat just threw me off. I mean, 2 engines, generator, all electric galley complete with ice maker, 2 A/C systems and on and on. All housed in a big heavy hull that would pretty much require a good working windlass just to raise anchor.  Now this boat is 1979 model and had lots of deferred maintenance and would be lots to keep up. So after much meditation on what I really wanted to do with my retirement, I sat down with the wife and she agreed with me that we don't need such a big complex boat. After all, if something happens to me she would have to be able to handle the boat. We also don't want to be spending all our money on upkeep and fuel for a monster boat. So we'll soon begin looking for something just a bit bigger than our current boat with a real galley and enough room in the v-berth for both of us, but not too big and complex. Probably something older in the 27'-36' range. I will look for a well cared for boat but don't need a lot of fancy systems because we will want to be moving rather than worrying about a broken gadget. Sure we realize there will be things that break but simpler makes maintenance take up less time leaving more time for the good stuff. Until we decide to buy, I will try to do some minor upgrades on the Hunter like more comfy v-berth cushions etc. to make her more comfy on our short cruises. Hey, be happy with whatcha got until you can do better I always say.

Kevin

[CharlieJ]

Nothing at all wrong with bumping up a thread. One reason they are still there  ;)

Sounds to me that ya'll are making a wise decision.

By the way- the all electric galley would be an instant turn off for me on ANY boat- hate the things even in houses

[Grime]

Kevin,
My I suggest you joining AGLCA. Its not free but full on information on the loop. For example a member put this on the forum today.

Fuel Costs Total $ Gallons NM/Gal SM/Gal
Average cost / gal $10,582 purchased
4.11 $/Gal Total Cost / Liter 2607.35 1.59 1.83
160 3.79 606.40 Utches
146 4.47 652.62 New Baltimore, NY
240 5.05 1212.00 Rochester, NY
132 5.41 714.12 1.43 Orellia, ON
100 5.64 564.00 1.49 Parry Sound, ON
58 5.41 313.78 1.43 Britt, ON
160 4.10 656.00 Sault Ste Marie, MI
105 4.18 438.90 Manistque, MI
125 3.64 455.00 Egg Harbor,WI
170 4.24 720.63 Wilmington,IL
192 3.81 731.33 Grafton, IL
190 3.78 718.20 Pebbble Isle, TN
107 3.64 389.48 Grand Harbor, TN
147 3.49 513.03 Demopolis, AL
150 3.64 545.85 Fairhope,AL
120 3.27 392.40 Panama City, FL
50 3.15 157.50 Apalachicola, FL
220 3.64 800.80 Sanibel Island

3502 NM and for you dirt people 4025 SM traveled. Average cost of $4.11 is well below my budget of $6 per gallon.

This doesn't include marina fees.


Trawlers are really nice if you can afford one.  I'll stick with my sailboat. 

[Tallswede]

Yeah, the boat would be a marina hopper or we would have to run the generator just to cook and run the 'fridge. Who wants that when you're anchored out trying to have a quiet evening.

Kevin

[Tallswede]

Grime I have seen their site and intend to join as I get closer to time to depart. There are other sites that give lots of good info on the trip too. I did the math also taking into account the average fuel burn of the trawler and came up with about $15000 just for fuel to do the loop. This was not my main reason to not go with a trawler though. It had more to do with being more attuned to nature on a sailboat. Also a bit of self sufficiency. Even though the boat I was looking at had twin engines giving a redundancy factor, I still feel sail with auxiliary power is a better and for sure a more efficient way. Then there is the size factor. A 36' sail boat is for me, more manageable than a 36 foot trawler in most conditions. Sailboats ride better in rough conditions too. Lastly, there is just the romance of it all. When you can turn off the engine and move under sail alone is magical to me and I'm a gearhead car, motorcycle, any kinda boat luvin' fool. LOL. So it all came down to what kind of boat I want for long term ownership and travel on.

[Grime]

A friend just posted on their blog their first year expensive on their 45' center cockpit Morgan. I was shocked and still can't get my head around their figures.  $50,000+ a couple hundred. With that kind of spending I would have thought they were on a trawler.

We have a 27' Watkins with a small budget to cruise full time. CJ did it and I fell we can to. We are thinking about the great loop.

[CharlieJ]

Yeah Grime- I read that myself and was totally blown away. When I cruised the very first time, on my trimaran, three of us did almost two years on 7 grand, total.. Of course the entire last year the boat never laid to a dock. Realizing that was 1982-84, but still

I feel  I could go pretty close to 10 years on that money.

[Jim_ME]

My wife would like something a bit more comfy than the Hunter 23.5 we have right now. A good friend of mine's father has a 36' trawler he is trying to sell. It needs some work but he would be willing to sell to me for a very good price. I went and looked it over and it would be a VERY comfy boat to do the loop in but, the size and complication of the whole boat just threw me off.

So the Hunter 23.5 is about 2500 pounds and the 36 foot trawler is maybe 20,000 pounds? Yup, would suggest checking out a size or two in between. :)

Was just reading about a trawler that size with a 350 gallon fuel tank that burns over 3 gallons per hour [with a single motor]. I think that I would have nightmares about pulling up to the fuel dock, saying "fill her up" and watching the total gallons climb up into the hundreds of gallons. With twin motors, maybe burning, what? 4 or 5 or more gallons per hour?  ???

Awhile back I bought a classic sailboat from a guy with a motor yacht and he said that he just wanted to get some gas money. For what the boat sold for he could fill up his tanks twice, and burn it up in two weekends.

So the value of this timeless sailboat literally went up in smoke that quickly. I had heard that there were people who did this routinely, but this was the first time that I had met someone that actually did. It was definitely outside of my realm of experience, outside of my concept of what a boat was.

[Oh, and... Welcome, Kevin.]

[DavidCrosby]

My wife would like something a bit more comfy than the Hunter 23.5 we have right now. A good friend of mine's father has a 36' trawler he is trying to sell. It needs some work but he would be willing to sell to me for a very good price. I went and looked it over and it would be a VERY comfy boat to do the loop in but, the size and complication of the whole boat just threw me off.

I was just reading a blog the other day about a couple that is currently doing the Great Loop.  They own a 47 foot motor yacht, but decided it would be way too expensive to do the loop in, so they bought an older Hunter 27 and left the mast behind and are currently motoring that around the loop.

Here is the link to their blog - https://davidbarger.wordpress.com

[Tallswede]

Grime, my wife and I have chartered a Watkins 27 several times and really like that boat. I'm sure it would make an excellent Great Loop boat. David, thanks for the link to the Barger's blog. I'm looking forward to following their progress.

Kevin

[CapnK]

Standard reply for the people who express an opinion about 20-30'ish boats being too small for safety reasons, when compared to their 40-50'ishers:

Tell them to read Adlard Coles "Heavy Weather Sailing". After his (exhaustive) study of the topic, he states that _any boat that is under 60'_ can get rolled, and only in boats over 60' do those chances *begin to diminish*.

So if they are going to claim "larger is better" for safety reasons, then they'd best be prepared to get REALLY large. :)

[Sunset]

Love this thread, I have nothing to add its mostly been said. :)

[lance on cloud nine]

Tallswede - I would take the Hunter! or something similar. So many little nooks along a river! Sometimes you can tie between two tree branches. Not to mention creek inlets! When you can be so close to the bank, and easy to jump off and walk around, life might seem larger than on a trawler! I would want a long, strong, light, plank with some sort of bullet proof padding under the boat end - that would protect the deck, no matter which way I angled the plank. OR start planning early and build a long very narrow john boat, that would serve as pull behind dinghy and/or a get to shore plank.

it sure would be good to know that a complete engine/trans/prop failure could be handled in minutes, with nothing more than a taxi cab and credit card.

[Tallswede]

We just might take the Hunter if I can make my bride comfy enough on it. We will do some coastal overnighters and gunkholing here in Texas this year and decide if we still want a larger boat. If it was just me, I would leave on the Hunter this April and at least make it to Florida possibly trailering back home for the summer hurricane season. Lots of options with a trailer sailer.

Kevin

[CharlieJ]

I have tentative plans to leave here sometime March, April and sail eastward. Make a gathering in Pensacola in June, then just kick around til I feel like coming back.

I have no idea how far the end will see me ;D