Is Part Time Cruising Possible?

[Nialltom]

Hi all,

Been reading this forum for a while and soaking up all the knowledge I can.

I am in the planning/research stage of eventually purchasing a boat for cruising the ICW, Bahamas, maybe farther into the Carib, and if all goes well and we eventually have more time to dedicate, maybe even the Great Loop. And if all goes really well, perhaps beyond.

For the first several years of owning though, we (family of 4 with 2 kids) will be on board and cruising for just 1-2 months at a time. We live in the Midwest so will need to fly to where we have the boat stored. Will probably have something in the 60’ range. Really like the Fleming 58, but am also looking at Nordhavn, Selena, and a few others.

Cruising for 1-2 months at a time, maybe twice a year, and storing the boat out of state when we are at home and not able to use her. I am wondering if this is realistic to do. I know boats like to get used. Is it reasonable to expect to be able to regularly store the boat for several months at a time without damage, or systems going bad from lack of use?

Have you or others you know of done this type of ‘part-time cruising’ successfully? If so, what would I need to know going into it, and what steps or methods have others employed to make this work? Or is it a pipe dream?

 

[High Wire]

Welcome aboard!
Yes is is possible to be a part time cruiser. Many on this forum are, like me.

Bottom line is it just takes money or do it yourself. In the size range you are looking at you will want a capable full service yard. Doing the work yourself will eat up most of your cruising time. It takes me about 2 weeks in and out working by myself for a 36 ft trawler. Money for storage, wet or dry. Money to haul and perform bottom work like paint and zincs. Money to commission and store each season. Money to compound and wax, etc.

And one of the biggest frustrations is trusting the yard to do what you want, when you want it, at a fair price when you are not around to inspect their work.
There are plenty of horror stories of yards not performing as expected.

 

[rslifkin]

It's definitely possible. However, I'd say that part time is easier if you leave near a decent boating area, where you can travel for a month or 2 on the boat, then come home and just use the boat on weekends until the next trip. Storing it away from home in between trips is definitely possible, but as High Wire pointed out, there's a bit more work, preparation and expense involved.

 

[twistedtree]

We cruise as you describe, or at least close to it. We generally spend ~5-6 months of the year on the boat, but it blocks of 1-2 months. The rest of the time the boat and we are in different locations.

 

[Bill V]

For a family of 4 a boat in the 60' range that is used twice a year for 1-2 months at a time will be expensive.The investment of the boat, storage costs when not used whether it be at a marina or on the hard and costs to maintain it will be better spent chartering a boat for whatever time you want to vacation for. It will permit you to see more areas and help determine what kind of boat you actually like. Chartering also permits you to spend more time actually cruising rather then traveling the distances to get to your chosen cruising "grounds". You mention "cruising the ICW, Bahamas, maybe farther into the Carib", but you missed some of the worlds premier cruising in the PNW. I've spent 16 years cruising the PNW and have touched on only at best 15% of the areas. Nothing hurts a boat more then inactivity and lack of use.

 

[gt7834a]

I agree. If you’re using it that little I would definitely recommend chartering. You can do it in 2 to 4 week increments fairly easily and that way you can pick wherever you want to be. If you want to do the Bahamas go to Bahamas, if you want to do elsewhere in the Caribbean the Pacific Northwest, etc charter there. It will be a fraction of what you would spend keeping a boat that size for a year.

You don’t mention how much experience you have, but that’s another nice thing about chartering. You can build up your resume before trying to get insurance, etc. It also allows you to figure out what you want in a boat.

 

[PM]

Sorry to say but you plan has some flaws you need to explore. A 60 foot boat has many "systems" which need to be activated and deactivated when the boat goes into storage or comes out of it. This can be expensive and time consuming. Commissioning a boat with food and beverages is also a pretty elaborate process. Then at the end of the cruise, what do you do with the canned goods, spices,staples, etc?

You will be spending close to three weeks of your two month cruise with travel, shopping, set up, cleaning, untarping , charging batteries, etc and the reverse at the end of your cruise.

I "Googled" Plainfield, there are a lot of them. Where do you live? A much better plan would be to find a location closer to you so you could enjoy your boat more often, like weekends, three day getaways, etc.

pete

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

I think that is how most Cruisers do it.. Very viable

 

[BandB]

Many very viable ways to do this. I'm going to assume December and January and June and July as cruising months. Then add in 4 weekends a year. Something like mid March, late April, Mid September and late October. Just flying in and back out. In on Friday night, back out Monday night.

Method 1-Charter, don't own. Allows each of two month cruises to start somewhere different. Might at least be a viable way to start.

Method 2-Cruise and operate with no full time crew. Station the boat in one area and use a yacht management company there. Boat will be ready to go when you are. If boat was in South Florida, this would allow you to cover on your two month cruises, the Bahamas, all of FL including the Gulf Coast, up to the Chesapeake. If you wanted to cruise in New England, you could use the yacht management company and it's captain to relocated the boat back from there.

Method 3-Same at #2 but no permanent location. Only key would be getting it back to warm climate for cold weather. Still might require delivery captain for those times. Keep boat while not using at places where yacht management and oversight is available. For instance, South Florida, Newport, Chesapeake. Now you could store boat for winter in cold climate, just not my choice.

Method 4-Hire one crew member full time. They would attend to maintenance wherever the boat was plus to relocation of boat when needed. They would be given time off throughout the year.

It's all workable, but you'll just have to figure out what fits your desired lifestyle and your finances. One note I'd make is that if you intend when cruising to cover large areas, then need at least semi-planing to gain the speed. For instance, the Fleming could fit but not the Nordhavn.

You come up with your own plan. I'd encourage some chartering first to get more insight into your desires.

A lot of possibilities. For instance from South Florida you could cruise north for three weeks, spend three weeks in New England, then return south in three. Or have boat moved to New England, cruise there a month, then cruise the coast back to FL for a month. Similar to the Caribbean. About the same distance. Or just cruise the Bahamas one time, to the Chesapeake the next, to the Gulf Coast the next.

You could spend the summer cruise time on the Chesapeake but then use a weekend to cruise to NC and another to cruise to FL. Or you could have someone else relocate it to NC and then you cruise from NC to SC.

Just figure out what is right for you. A million variation.

 

[cardude01]

Wife and I have been doing that for the past 5 years, and I would not really recommend it. We live in Texas and our boat is currently in Florida. Kids in college in Texas and extended family here so can’t really move yet. We started off with the boat in Texas, but the cruising where we live is pretty limited IMO (or I just got bored), so we moved the boat to Florida for a change of pace. We started out using the boat about once a month or so, and we’ve been able to take a couple of fun Bahamas trips, but our usage has dwindled over the years. This last year’s usage was especially bad due to covid for us (for various reasons), and the boat sat unused for 10 months. We did use the boat recently and it was pretty depressing and time consuming getting it back in order inside (lots of mildew) and mechanically. We were kind of worn out by the time we set off for our shorted two day cruise due to weather, and when we got back and cleaned on the boat for another day I questioned how much fun I actually had.

We have a small, relatively cheap boat, but still all the expenses and thought required to keep her in decent condition while away are beginning to take a toll on my brain, and regret for not using it enough is starting to weigh on me. I can’t imagine trying to do the long distance boat thing with an expensive boat like you are thinking about, but I guess it’s all relative to how much money you have, how excited you are, etc.

I told my wife recently maybe we should just sell the boat and go on to something else, but she’s not quite ready to do that. I’m not sure I am either.

These are just my thoughts and experiences, and your mileage will vary obviously.

 

[psneeld]

Pretty much true in life....the more difficult something is, the quicker it falls out of favor.

Charter for now or make dang sure the time, money and mostly energy is available for the plan.

Its easy to say all good....but I have seen boaters come and go from newbies to old salts for a long time....it takes a LOT of effort to cruise even when you live aboard.

Doing it while distant from the boat...will be challenging to say the least.

 

[Hippocampus]

We handled it as follows. Eastern Caribbean in the winter and Rhode Island as a home base in the summer.
This allowed long breaks from the boat during the summer (and late spring/early fall) so we could do family stuff and air and land travel. Also never needed to store in the hurricane zone so significant insurance savings.
Wife said I’d follow you anywhere and do anything but I always must have a dirt dwelling to come home to. Of course that’s what we did so also left the boat and came home for a long break for Xmas. She was right as it also meant someplace to live for Covid and now that we briefly have thrown up the anchor as we’re between boats.
Having the boat an hour commute from the land house is key when you’re not living on it 24/7. When north both are stocked and ready to go.
You’re in a different position. My opinion is you either need very deep pockets to allow hiring a good boat management program. ( we have done that on occasion and it bleeds you quickly) charter the boat in your absence (very hard on your darling unless fully hired captain and crew) or charter yourself. In short you need to fish or cut bait.

 

[BandB]

I would add after reading Hippocampus and psneeld, that doing it part time remotely is not at all conducive to DIY. You must pay for maintenance to have enjoyment from such a schedule or you just become people who maintain a boat rather than enjoy cruising it.

 

[psneeld]

Actually Pete Meisinger said it pretty well....

But as anything....people can be paid to make your arrival (soup to nuts) no more complicated than turning the key(s)and leaving.


That takes money like it's available to burn.


Chartering is really the cheap way of doing it.

 

[BandB]

Actually Pete Meisinger said it pretty well....

But as anything....people can be paid to make your arrival (soup to nuts) no more complicated than turning the key(s)and leaving.

However, there are a lot of people who do it that way. A very sizable percentage of boats in South Florida are that way with a lot of people using yacht management companies.

 

[psneeld]

Your right if you are discussing a crowd where some of the people are thinking of million dollar boats to buy to use just a bit of the year.

 

[BandB]

Your right if you are discussing a crowd where some of the people are thinking of million dollar boats to buy to use just a bit of the year.

Not only million dollar boats. Every type boat. However, note the OP did mention a Fleming 58 so definitely in the price range you mention.

This forum has a lot of members who are retired. That means time to be DIY'ers. However, many boaters are still working and some have very limited time. The OP has kids and obligations and limited time for boating. When your time for boating is limited, you just have to have others do some, if not all, of the work.

Most boaters start as weekend boaters and they're very dependent on yards.

Then they may become occasional vacationers with more time but still too limited to depend on DIY.

Then finally they may retire and have a choice.

There are two elements that play into the equation and the choices. One is money and one is time.

 

[Hippocampus]

“ There are two elements that play into the equation and the choices. One is money and one is time” (B&B)

Much truth to this statement. As they say “time is money “. This works in both directions.

Only thing I’d add is for many there’s satisfaction gained from learning a new skill allowing you to do a job well done. Have seen mega yacht owners with skinned knuckles and sore backs from boat yoga as happy as a clam. Being a credit card captain you lose that pleasure and intimate relationship with your boat. Even if you have the wherewithal to just write a check having that prior experience is a great help in seeing that things are done correctly and Bristol fashion.

 

[BandB]

Only thing I’d add is for many there’s satisfaction gained from learning a new skill allowing you to do a job well done. Have seen mega yacht owners with skinned knuckles and sore backs from boat yoga as happy as a clam. Being a credit card captain you lose that pleasure and intimate relationship with your boat. Even if you have the wherewithal to just write a check having that prior experience is a great help in seeing that things are done correctly and Bristol fashion.

Well, I've never tried to have an intimate relationship with any inanimate object including my boat. I also have great experience in managing and getting things done properly and don't appreciate terms like "credit card captain." In fact, I'm quite proud of my captain's license as is my wife of hers. We simply choose to do other things rather than boat maintenance. I manage manufacturing of apparel but don't sew.

Our boats are for recreation. I can work all I want and be very productive, but when I choose to take leisure time I don't choose to do boat maintenance. If that's something you enjoy then I applaud you doing it, but time is limited in quantity and that's now how I choose to use mine.

I don't criticize you for your choice in how to do things so don't broadly label and criticize those who choose to do things differently than you.

 

[Comodave]

If you can afford a Fleming 58 then you can afford to have a yard take care of the boat. I say try it and see if you like it. Nothing wrong with the plan as long as you have the finances to see it through. If after a few years you don’t like it then sell the boat. But give it a couple of years to find out if you really like it or not. 2020 was an anomaly, don’t count it as an example. Good luck and if you do buy one, we will need photos.

 

[Nialltom]

I really appreciate the diversity of opinions and experiences on this!

It seems like a big part of this question is financial. Can I swallow the cost of having a reputable yard handle the prep work and shut down work of bringing the boat out of, and putting back into storage. This will not be cheap, understood. But I will need to contact a few reputable yards along the East coast to determine exactly what these costs could be.

Once I have that info, I will need to add up those costs, and the storage costs, as well as all the other ownership costs, and compare those to what it would cost to charter, which a good portion of you think is a viable alternative given my plans.

My experience chartering has only been with sailboats, of which there are plenty to choose from, especially in the Caribbean. When I tried looking for power boats in the size range I am interested in, and in the areas I’m interested in cruising, I did not come up with many options when I previously checked. Another consideration for me here is that a charter boat will not have the creature comforts of “my” boat, and will most likely not even be in the same class of boat. So while it may give me an idea of whether I want to make the leap to purchase a boat of my own (if I am able to even find one that will give me a similar experience), the experience of actually living on a charter boat vs your own boat seems as though it could be quite different, and maybe give a false impression of what living on your own boat could be like. Although, the trade off is you drop it back off and walk away from it without any more bills to pay on it. And as GT mentioned, it opens up different areas to cruise in without needing to travel to those areas.

Back to the cost comparison - chartering a 50-60ft boat for 3-4 months a year is not going to be cheap either! Once I’ve got a better handle on the yacht mgmt fees of prepping and storing an owned boat, etc., and comparing that to charter costs, I’ll need to see if those differences are big enough to drive the decision. I know 10% of the boats value is a number that gets thrown around a lot as the cost of ownership. Does that become more like 15% if adding in full yacht management fees?

I appreciate the input above, CarDude, as it sounds somewhat similar to ours with traveling out of state to use the boat (we are in Illinois).

I know it will be more headaches with owning vs chartering, I’m just trying to mitigate those, as I know the upside of having your own boat that you become familiar with and love, can be a great experience. However, I’ve also done enough to know that paying someone else to do something sounds good if you can fund it, but it can often just mean a different set of headaches now (managing their work, making sure they do it right, etc). And I also know the value of being able to do the work yourself if needed. So I would plan on learning how to do all that could be needed with maintenance or if things go wrong, for 80% of the issues that most commonly crop up, for the sake of being able to keep going while out there.

But, as BandB mentioned, I’m not interested in sewing the clothes I wear, but I would want to know how to stitch up a tear, in the event that happens. I would be getting into this to go out and cruise, not spend the limited time I have getting ready to cruise. And although I realize mechanical know-how and maintenance is part of the deal, I’m trying to make it less a part than others who have more time. One day, I really hope to have more of that time, that’s just not right now. So again, getting a better grip on what it could cost me to give me more of that time is going to be a big factor, as the funds are certainly not unlimited.

So, onto researching charter boats and their costs. Any good leads out there?

 

[rslifkin]

Our boats are for recreation. I can work all I want and be very productive, but when I choose to take leisure time I don't choose to do boat maintenance. If that's something you enjoy then I applaud you doing it, but time is limited in quantity and that's now how I choose to use mine.

That's a good way to think of it. That's also why I happily spend more hours than most around here working on the boat in the freezing cold over the winter, as it means less boat work during the months where we can use it.



In my case, I DIY almost everything for a couple of reasons: paying for everything isn't in the budget, so at this point, the more I DIY, the more money I have left for upgrades and/or using the boat more. And I also hate other people working on my stuff (especially unsupervised), so I generally prefer doing mechanical stuff, etc. myself (plus, then it's done on my schedule). But for stuff like polishing and waxing, when the money is in the budget and I find a good person to do it, I'll happily take those chores off my plate.


And on the schedule thing, the last time I tried to solve a problem by paying someone, all of the answers I got back were "we'll have time to look at it in 2 - 3 weeks" which wasn't going to work with a broken transmission in the middle of a trip. So I ended up having a friend drive out to where we were, we pulled the trans apart, found the issue, overnighted a part and put it back together. Problem happened on a Sunday, we were ready to go again by mid day Wednesday. Even after paying the friend the most he was willing to accept (after some convincing), it still cost me a fraction of what a pro fix would have, plus the job got done much faster.

 

[psneeld]

Its not just the yard and boat work...of course they can manage other specialties too.

But as pointed out how much time and how much energy do you want to spend cleaning, stocking, and preping for cruising the vessel? Or pay for them?

As previously pointed out it could be pretty extensive depending on the type of cruising, and if done by others, the inventory and storage plan will help a lot if cruising on a 60 footer ( also cost).

 

[Hippocampus]

BanB my bad and my apologies.

Whatever floats your boat is good with me. One of the pleasures I’ve enjoyed is the strength of the cruising community. You’re at a get together -drinks in the cockpit and saloon, get together for dominos or music jam, group dinner or charity event. Chat turns to whatever boat troubles people are having. Soon you’re offering or accepting help to walk through a particular problem or the strong back to do it. You work together to solve it and made a new friend. We’ve developed a excellent circle of cruising friends that way. Many are friends well beyond anything to do with boating. Same occurs on the daily “treasures of the bilge” section of all the morning VHF cruiser nets, owners groups and cruising rallies.

Yes, a different relationship with your boat. The cold mechanical or electrical problem becomes a time of learning and social interaction. 99% of your time full time cruising is with your bride or significant other. Would hate to miss that socialization with a good group of people in the main. That learning is almost always helpful. Especially when you contract that work out in unfamiliar places where you have little or no idea who’s good and who isn’t.

BTW we’re headed to Florida. On the way stopping off to visit friends in Annapolis ( one set were passage crew, the other cruising friends met when I helped them with a repair). Then off the North Carolina to see other cruising friends ( initial meet was sharing a rental car and searching for parts in St. Lucia). Then several sets of friends while heading south through Florida but closest friends are a retired navy couple who then served as captain and cook on mega yachts >100’. He taught me how to Med moor in a strong cross wind. He also taught me innumerable single handing skills while bopping around BVI while my wife was home working and I had already retired. All these relationships developed initially from either getting or giving boat work help.

 

[Bill V]

Here are two very good outfits in Bellingham, WA to charter with, and my opinion is based on previous experience with them.

https://sanjuansailing.com/charters.html

CHARTERS | NW Explorations

Anacortes, WA

https://www.burgessyachts.com/en/charter-a-yacht?

https://anacortesyachtcharters.com/

 

[BandB]

BanB my bad and my apologies.

Whatever floats your boat is good with me. One of the pleasures I’ve enjoyed is the strength of the cruising community. You’re at a get together -drinks in the cockpit and saloon, get together for dominos or music jam, group dinner or charity event. Chat turns to whatever boat troubles people are having. Soon you’re offering or accepting help to walk through a particular problem or the strong back to do it. You work together to solve it and made a new friend. We’ve developed a excellent circle of cruising friends that way. Many are friends well beyond anything to do with boating. Same occurs on the daily “treasures of the bilge” section of all the morning VHF cruiser nets, owners groups and cruising rallies.

Yes, a different relationship with your boat. The cold mechanical or electrical problem becomes a time of learning and social interaction. 99% of your time full time cruising is with your bride or significant other. Would hate to miss that socialization with a good group of people in the main. That learning is almost always helpful. Especially when you contract that work out in unfamiliar places where you have little or no idea who’s good and who isn’t.

BTW we’re headed to Florida. On the way stopping off to visit friends in Annapolis ( one set were passage crew, the other cruising friends met when I helped them with a repair). Then off the North Carolina to see other cruising friends ( initial meet was sharing a rental car and searching for parts in St. Lucia). Then several sets of friends while heading south through Florida but closest friends are a retired navy couple who then served as captain and cook on mega yachts >100’. He taught me how to Med moor in a strong cross wind. He also taught me innumerable single handing skills while bopping around BVI while my wife was home working and I had already retired. All these relationships developed initially from either getting or giving boat work help.

You point out so well different aspects of boating you find pleasurable. We all do things differently and it's important for the OP to realize that. I know most are like you and enjoy the community of other boaters. We generally have others with us and socialize with them instead of those on other boats, but also we spend a lot of time exploring the towns and ports and the ones we meet that we enjoy most are locals from artists to craftsmen to store owners to gallery or museum employees to waiters and waitresses and restauranteurs. We do enjoy the local festivals and events as well and learning what makes that area unique.

There have been a few other boaters we established long term relationships with, especially those who have needed assistance and we've gotten to know that way. However, when we do return to our boats at night we have others with us with whom we largely socialize.

The things you mention do sound interesting and, for the record, I hate med mooring but it's an essential skill for the Caribbean as well as Europe so have worked at it. The one thing that does limit us from much of what you describe though is so much of the socialization centers around drinking and alcohol. Not our choice. We're not teetotalers but when cruising we very seldom drink and see so many others do so to what we consider excess that we don't choose to socialize with them. Growing up in families destroyed by alcoholism plays a role in our approach. We may drink chosen wines with a very nice multi-course meal when not cruising the following day or occasionally celebrate a big day with champagne, but we don't consume alcohol very often when cruising. Not saying this to criticize any others, just to explain our preferences. Still we've met some incredible people in various areas we've cruised and very much enjoyed meeting them. We share very little about ourselves and ask them to share very little but mainly enjoy what's in the moment. The exception is artists where we do try to know their stories and maintain long term business relationships forged by our initial personal meetings.

I'd say to everyone to just be yourselves and do what you wish. Just because we love museums and art galleries or historical sites, doesn't mean you should ever feel pressured to go to them. Similarly if you don't like pot luck, don't be intimidated to participate. Plenty of different ways to enjoy cruising and your recreational time.

So many different ways. Anchoring vs Marinas. Moving most days vs sitting for long periods. Dock socialization vs community socialization. Relaxing and resting vs. sight seeing. Fast vs. slow. Warm vs. cool. Large boat vs. small. Couple vs. Family vs Family and friends. Restaurants vs cooking on board. Laundromats vs. onboard laundry. DIY vs Pay. There is no right or wrong as we are all very different people.

To those just jumping in, you'll have to find your way and what works best for you. Listen to all others but don't feel compelled to copy any of us.

 

[Hippocampus]

So true. BTW we perhaps have one single malt and a small bottle of Prosecco per week. Our visitors usually stay with us for a week or two and are rarely boaters. Like you like to live in a new area for awhile not just visit. Avoid tourist areas like the plague. Slips are for storage or boat projects that can’t be handled at anchor. Much prefer anchoring for many reasons. Don’t like most other peoples music and don’t want to hear other peoples conversations or spats. We’re history and ethnology buffs. Mom was a professional artist, teacher and art historian writing books used as references on those subjects. Was dragged around so many museums as a kid I’ve only in the last several decades gotten past my aversion to them. Want to talk about differences in modeling, light or perspective in Goya, dutch masters, Hudson River or Titian can still hold up on my side of the conversation but don’t seek those conversations out. Different folks different strokes. All good.

 

[Shrew]

We're on the boat from May until October. From October to May the boat is hauled and sits in the yard on blocks.

 

[FlyWright]

I really appreciate the diversity of opinions and experiences on this!

It seems like a big part of this question is financial. Can I swallow the cost of having a reputable yard handle the prep work and shut down work of bringing the boat out of, and putting back into storage. This will not be cheap, understood. But I will need to contact a few reputable yards along the East coast to determine exactly what these costs could be.

Once I have that info, I will need to add up those costs, and the storage costs, as well as all the other ownership costs, and compare those to what it would cost to charter, which a good portion of you think is a viable alternative given my plans.

My experience chartering has only been with sailboats, of which there are plenty to choose from, especially in the Caribbean. When I tried looking for power boats in the size range I am interested in, and in the areas I’m interested in cruising, I did not come up with many options when I previously checked. Another consideration for me here is that a charter boat will not have the creature comforts of “my” boat, and will most likely not even be in the same class of boat. So while it may give me an idea of whether I want to make the leap to purchase a boat of my own (if I am able to even find one that will give me a similar experience), the experience of actually living on a charter boat vs your own boat seems as though it could be quite different, and maybe give a false impression of what living on your own boat could be like. Although, the trade off is you drop it back off and walk away from it without any more bills to pay on it. And as GT mentioned, it opens up different areas to cruise in without needing to travel to those areas.

Back to the cost comparison - chartering a 50-60ft boat for 3-4 months a year is not going to be cheap either! Once I’ve got a better handle on the yacht mgmt fees of prepping and storing an owned boat, etc., and comparing that to charter costs, I’ll need to see if those differences are big enough to drive the decision. I know 10% of the boats value is a number that gets thrown around a lot as the cost of ownership. Does that become more like 15% if adding in full yacht management fees?

I appreciate the input above, CarDude, as it sounds somewhat similar to ours with traveling out of state to use the boat (we are in Illinois).

I know it will be more headaches with owning vs chartering, I’m just trying to mitigate those, as I know the upside of having your own boat that you become familiar with and love, can be a great experience. However, I’ve also done enough to know that paying someone else to do something sounds good if you can fund it, but it can often just mean a different set of headaches now (managing their work, making sure they do it right, etc). And I also know the value of being able to do the work yourself if needed. So I would plan on learning how to do all that could be needed with maintenance or if things go wrong, for 80% of the issues that most commonly crop up, for the sake of being able to keep going while out there.

But, as BandB mentioned, I’m not interested in sewing the clothes I wear, but I would want to know how to stitch up a tear, in the event that happens. I would be getting into this to go out and cruise, not spend the limited time I have getting ready to cruise. And although I realize mechanical know-how and maintenance is part of the deal, I’m trying to make it less a part than others who have more time. One day, I really hope to have more of that time, that’s just not right now. So again, getting a better grip on what it could cost me to give me more of that time is going to be a big factor, as the funds are certainly not unlimited.

So, onto researching charter boats and their costs. Any good leads out there?

I'm kinda curious...what's your purchase and annual operating budget?

 

[AlanT]

Yes you can do it. BandB outlines a few different methods in his first post. All I would add to the conversation is my own experience, when I had my own boat in St Lucia, BVI, then FL for two and a half years, while I was living in WA. The boat was for sale so it was not the same as your planned experience but do not underestimate the angst that you might feel, having a significant maintenance-hungry asset a long way away from you in the hands of others.


So it is worth considering whether you are likely to suffer from 'separation anxiety'.

Lastly, if you decide to do the commissioning/decommissioning yourself as you arrive and depart the boat, do not underestimate (a) the amount of work involved, (b) the amount of gear failure that will require troubleshooting and repair before you take off. The only way I know to avoid this is to essentially have a port captain that looks after the boat, runs systems, takes it out occasionally and runs the engines up etc. and fixes the issues as they arise.

I don't know how practical it is to 'store' a boat of the size you are considering. This would be a topic worthy of more input. Most boats this size are kept in the water which allows systems to be operated by a caretaker while the boat is not being used; Main Engines, Generators, Stabilizers, Air conditioners, Various pumps, head seals. None of which can be run with the boat stored on the hard. Things dry out on a boat on the hard, especially in hot climates. Seals degrade, lose their seal, problems arise. Nothing overwhelming but potentially time consuming to resolve on splashing.
~A