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RichandLori wrote: Day 1:
13.7 Gals of Gas at Marina (yikes) $38.09

Get one of these:


Yanmar Outboard

Power it with:
biodiesel

RichandLori

Interesting

Yanmar Diesel Outboard


????????????? Yanmar D Series Marine Diesel Engine(27 - 36hp) (# Restricted markets apply for this product due to emission compliance) "For sale only in Australia and the South Pacific"

Why do I have a feeling that if I averaged out the cost of one of those Diesel Outboards over the next 10 years, I will still be in the hole over my current gas version by...oh...lets say $87 per time of use!

But I do LOVE the concept of a diesel outboard! Especially when I one day upgrade to a larger boat...say a 36ft Pearson. Then I can go 100% diesel and not still need gas for my dingy!

Rich,

I must agree with the others... you couldn't spend less for a 4-day trip with the family unless you stayed at home. If you want to save money on restaurant meals, a boat BBQ is a great investment. Just mounts to the stern rail and hangs overboard. Screw on a can of propane, fire it up and you're ready to grill in 5 minutes. Great fun cooking on it too and beats Taco Bell. Of course, if you add the cost of a few bottles of good wine, your costs will escalate quickly. In my case, it far exceeds the cost of fuel and the rest of the provisions. But what's a sail without good drink? I'm sure when you add kids into the mix, everything changes.

Happy 4-day vacationing!

Moe wrote:I hope you didn't use $10 worth of chemical.

I was forced into buying a 8oz bottle of chemical at a WestMarine in the Harbor....man did I over pay! That's like $1.25/oz....but when you are out...you are out...if you know what I mean.

I also agree with your other points. I was just trying to see if others know some tricks to keep costs down, as I was a bit surprised over "high" cost of the "low" cost vacation.

It would need to be a sailing trip . . . period IMHO
You added a lot to the trip . . not bad it just cost you more. .Its the add on's that will get you every time. Then add into the mix the Vacation Dollar which is BTW always smaller than a At Home Dollar. . You'll pay a lot more for things on Vacation than you would ever think about paying At Home . . Case in Point 2 scoops Basken Robbins Ice Cream on Cozumel $5.00

Your exactly right about the "home vs vacation" dollar! There is a mental difference that ends up costing you $.

One of the reasons that the cost of this 4 day trip hit the map with me and more importantly the admiral are our future plans. We are 19 months away from taking a 1-2 year boat trip down the Ca coast 9if current plans hold up ), through the panama canal, through the Carib and finally up the east coast. The admiral looked at the cost of a 4 day trip and screamed....."there is no way we can afford a 1-2 yr boat trip spending like this 4 day trip". Of course she is right....because the $ would run out pretty quickly spending like that.

The whole Boren crew is in the mental adjustment process of serously downscaling our lifestyle and spending habits to get ready for our trip.

We now ask ourselves a simple question when we make a purchase which goes someting like this: Ok.....will that fit on a 36ft boat and will we want it along to take up valuable storage space? If not, then what will we do with it? Do we like it enough to PAY to store it for 1-2yrs or will we give it away or garage sale it when we rent our the house and go cruising?

The answers to these simple questions is life changing in itself! It makes a lot of stuff look like needless junk and it definitely makes going to the shopping mall a huge waste time! Even if we were not ever planning on making an extended boat trip, this approach to buying things is a real eye opener and helping cut out the CRAP that we all think we need...myself included!

I do agree that I could have saved considerable money if I would have simply done two things: 1) sail more than high speed motor and 2) spend more time on the boat and less on land, which could have even included anchoring out.

I could have kept the kids probabally just as happy with a "free" fishing pole instead of the Zoo and Aquarium.

Honestly....I was taking the easy way out in keeping them entertained, but that "easy way" came at a price. I never really looked at it this way before but I could have kept them from getting "boat bored" by simply doing more things with them that are "free" than looking for the "costly" approach and calling it educational to help justify the coat......interesting.....I'm seeing things a bit different.....Hmmmmm.

I'll have to change a few things on our next trip......

You will always pay for fast and or easy/ Convenience. That's just life and if it. . . . makes anything easier or faster less offensive its going to cost you $$$ Fast Food Burger and Fries for the family cost you more than a Nice steak dinner at home. Car wash same thing oil change same -o same-o we pay big time for convenience/easy fast in the USA. But hey you could sell yourself on this view point as well. . . Once we head out on our journey / adventure. . . there will be few to any excursions like that one so enjoy them while you can . . . ?

Moe wrote:In some places, there are inexpensive things to do and places to go safely, and in others, the higher-priced tourist attractions may be the safest places not to go beyond.

Make a wrong turn down the wrong street and it's all over!!

Moe wrote:This does point out something with regard to your dream of long term cruising. .

Exactly! It sounds so easy....unplug for a few years...sail around...you sell the idea to the Admiral and them BOOM reality sets in! Once you start reading though the pile of guides, hrs on the net, making budgets, ect, it isn;t as easy to pull off as you think. It actually takes lots of planning and preparation to pull it off! Our cast off date is probabally on the agressive side and might be pushed back due to the realities of life, and I'm not the type to panic if it gets pushed back. I have found already that the actual journey is key here.....the way it makes you think about things...the world in general...the things you realize that are important is key.

It will be interesting if I can just get to the day where the lines are cast off! I give me 7 in 10 odds maybe 8 in 10.

Hmmmm ...
all of which STILL makes ME wonder if a summer-long cruise on the 26X wouldn't be a valuable exercise in the realities of living aboard .... budgets, activities, cooking, cleaning, relaxing, achieving occasional separation and solitude ... ???





Desolation Sound or San Juans sounds about perfect, from here, but ...
sometimes I guess dipping the toe might just keep you dry!
(Bad or good? ... it's in the eye of the beholder!)

Rich - You might want to do some reasearch on the Panama Canal.
Several years ago while walking the docks at Mazatlan, or Puero Vallarta, I was repeatedly propositioned (maybe that's not the right word), by skippers that were going to go thru the canal.
My recollection was that you had to have 4 adults to handle lines while going thru. If you didn't have 4 adults you had to hire Panamanians to help, who would proceed to steal you blind, in addition to being paid, quartered, and fed during transit.
They preferred, apparently, to have me steal them blind, while being paid, quartered, and fed, rather than a Panamanian, for some reason.

You are exactly right Frank and we are planning on doing just that this summer and as much as we can. It will tell us a lot about the dynamics of boat life. With a world class Cruising area right on my doorstep, I would be a fool not to take advantage of it. A few weeks out on anchor at Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa will be very revealing!

Another consideration is that you would have had many of those expenses no matter where you went, or even if you stayed home. - Food, entertainment, fuel, etc. Also, you could reduce some expenses related to upkeep of your residence, by using less electricity, heating-AC, etc. Or, if you were going on another form of vacation, you might have paid XXX dollars for hotels, car expenses, airfaire, admissions to various attractions, etc.

Sounds good anyway!

Jim