Something that pisses me off...

So there's this guy who wants to buy a (new to him) boat to sail off into the sunset. As it happens, he also has a YouTube channel that has quite a few followers and more often than not his videos are both entertaining, as well as educational. 

Just to be fair, I'll point out that his last boat rehab/refit was sometimes painful to watch due to his rather steep learning curve and boat building skills but in the end he got the boat launched and cruising in a reasonable amount of time and it floated right side up.

He's a guy who learns from his mistakes which is one of the most important boat building skills and surprisingly rare. Thus armed, I expect his new boat will come together successfully in a reasonable amount of time and within a sustainable budget.

Apparently, there are a lot of people who don't share my opinion that his current choice of project boat makes sense as his comments sections are rife with naysayers telling him that he can't, it will all end in tears, and if he takes on the project they'll go watch some other channel more attuned to their idea of how to choose a boat.

From my experience, naysayers have seldom, if ever, built or refit a boat. There basic mindset seems to be "If I can't do something, nobody can" so they spend their time telling people how to live their lives and take exception when you go your own way.

The sad part is that the naysayers (AKA assholes) exert a relentless pressure that can be a real obstacle to getting a project completed. Back when I was building the first Loose Moose, I was getting so much negative input about the rig that I lost confidence and found myself in a depressed death spiral that turned a two-day job into a month-long stasis where almost nothing got done.

The project in question is a Wharram cat, that for me at least, seemed like a pretty good boat to fix up. Sure it looked like a dog's breakfast that would require some money and a serious application of hard work but it looked doable. Just for the record, I've built a Wharram, know how they go together, and have finished quite a lot of boat projects, so I have some idea of what I'm talking about. If his project boat was up for sale here for twice as much as he paid, I'd have bought it in a second.

Wharram cats are designed to be both affordable and easy to build. While they may not be the flavor of the month, they are good boats. Why they seem to offend so many is a mystery to me but then you just can't fix stupid.

Anyway, check out the project because I expect it will be a fairly interesting, educational, and entertaining series. I know I'll be keeping an eye on it and rooting for a successful end because I just love to see naysayers pissed off.

All the wrong questions...

One of the things I've noticed with the advent of YouTube cruising video channels is that they seem to inspire all the wrong questions about getting a boat and sailing off into the sunset. Which is hardly surprising as most of the YouTube videos seem to fall into the cinema faux zone. Which is not to say there isn't some information to be gleaned from some but they are mostly covering a non-existent sanitized reality.

Now, books on the other hand...

Books can be just as bad or worse than a YouTube video but most of the books that have become staples are just about the best investment one can make if you need information you can count on. So here are some books that I have on the book shelf aboard "So It Goes".

•  World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell
•  World Cruising Handbook by Jimmy Cornell
• Tropical Cruising Handbook by Mark Smaalders and Kim des Rochers  
•  Self Sufficient Sailor by Lin and Larry Pardey
• Cost Conscious Cruiser by Lin and Larry Pardey
• The Voyager's Handbook by Beth Leonard
• Spurr's Boatbook Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat by Daniel Spurr
• Cruising as a Way of Life by Thomas Colvin
• Practical Yacht Joinery by Fred Bingham
• Blue Water Countdown by Geoff Pack
• The Sailors Sketchbook by Bruce Bingham
• Cruising World's Workbench by Bruce Bingham
• The Complete Riggers Apprentice by Brion Toss
• The Sailmakers Apprentice by Emiliano Marino
  
• Practical Junk Rig by Hasler & McLeod
• The Chinese Sailing Rig by Derek van Loan
• Seaworthiness by C.A. Marchaj
• The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding by Reuel Parker
• Buehlers Backyard Boatbuilding by George Buehler
• The Windvane Self-Steering Handbook by Bill Morris
• Self-Steering for Sailing Craft by John Letcher Jr 
• Voyaging on a Small Income by Annie Hill
• The Captain Nemo Cookbook Papers: Everyone's Guide To Zen & The Art of Boating in Hard Times by Hal Painter
  

I actually, as our waterline attests, have a lot more books of the boatbuilding/design/cruising ilk but the list are the ones I pick up on a regular basis for problem solving or inspiration and they've earned their place on my bookshelf.

Even more important is the fact that they have all saved me a lot of money over the years and even made me money from time to time which is why they're still on the boat and continue to be.

For starters, I'd make an effort to get a used copy of "Spurr's Boatbook" and Pardey's "Self Sufficient Sailor" as the books that will answer most all of the needful questions you might have. I'd then follow up with Annie Hill's great "Voyaging on a Small Income" as it's the most reality based book you'll be able to find. I'd also make a point of getting a copies of "The Riggers Apprentice", "Sailmakers Apprentice", and "Practical Yacht Joinery" as they cover just about anything you'll need to sort out during a refit or when you need to fix something.

I'd also recommend a copy of Hal Painter's "The Captain Nemo Cookbook Papers: Everyone's Guide to Zen & The Art of Boating in Hard Times" because life is just too short to take things too seriously.

As for the others on the list, they are all worth reading but more of a "get them when you need them" but still highly recommended.

I'm sure everyone else will recommend something from Nigel Calder who has written good books and I'm sure I have a copy of his "Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Handbook" somewhere on the boat or it may have been purloined by someone I loaned it to (and folks wonder why I no longer lend books or tools) but to tell the truth I've never actually found it all that helpful and I'd much rather have a copy of John Muir's "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" as a problem solving aid if I was having mechanical issues.

Lastly, another book some speak highly of is "Sensible Cruising- the Thoreau Approach" by Casey & Hackler which was sorta OK but not a book I'd recommend.

and don't forget the bolt cutters...

I find it kind of funny that people who I don't even know, write to the blog and are hesitant to state a budget when asking advice on various boats.

"Do you think a fixer upper Cascade 36 would be a good boat to get?"

I then ask what it costs, how much the boat is selling for, and what sort of budget they have to work with. In this case, I get a response that tells me the boat is selling for $5K and the engine does not work. As far as their budget is concerned, I get...

"Money's not an issue."

At this point I lose interest because money is always an issue and, if you're reading a blog dedicated to helping penurious folk go cruising, I expect you know very well that money is a rather important issue.

Refitting a classic plastic and cruising it is a deadly serious exercise in creative frugality. You really have to be honest with yourself (and me if you're asking for advice) about what sort of tools you have in your tool box. And yes, dear reader, money or lack thereof is most certainly an important tool in the grand scheme of things.

For instance, in the buying and selling of boats one does themselves a huge disservice if you feel you have to pretend you have more money than you do. Just think about that for a moment. Now, what sort of deal am I going to give you on a beat up CAL 34 if you spend half your time telling me how much money you're going to spend on it? A guy tells me he'll replace all the instruments and take it to the yard to get an Imron paint job done. This tells me two things: 1) the guy has a lot of money to spend or he's just dumb as a bag of hammers; or 2) the best of all worlds for a seller of boats, which is the potential buyer is both well heeled and stupid.

Face it, the last person you want to impress with your excellent stock portfolio or Rolex is the guy selling you a boat.

The same goes for cruising. Everyone cruising has a pain threshold where spending is concerned.

EVERYONE.

Working in the marine trades in the Caribbean, you quickly learn that a lot of folks with all the best stuff and the appearance of a comfortable monetary situation are much more likely to have their credit cards declined or do a runner before paying their bills.  Like I said, everyone tends to spend more than they can afford and that's something you really need to know.

Going out to dinner with a bunch of cruisers can burn up an entire months' volkscruiserish budget if you all wind up in some touristy eatery where the burgers are twenty bucks and a beer is going for $5 a bottle. Even worse is when the guy and his wife who had the lobster and the umbrella drinks decides that the group should just split the check instead of each paying their own part of it. Been there done that but could not afford the t-shirt after subsidizing some lobster and Mai Tais.

Which is all a long winded way of pointing out that the most important thing is knowing what you can and can't afford and having the fortitude to tell folks that this is what you can afford when needful.

As it happens, I saw something the other day on Werner Hertzog who has been a great influence on me in a surprising number of ways. His 24 bits of advice really resonates where the whole VolksCruiser thing is concerned.

Especially the bit about bolt cutters.

income streams and chicken shit in the cockpit...

I just saw that there was a boat currently selling eggs in St Thomas and thought it was kind of cool if only as a source of non refrigerated eggs. Combine that with the high cost of eggs from the local super market and it starts making real sense. Though, to be honest, I'm not sure having a half dozen or so chickens is doable on a 34-foot boat. 

Just another income stream to add to the list of possibilities.

One of the big issues with VolksCruising budgets is that the expenses of cruising are a lot like a death from a thousand cuts. A dollar here, twenty there, and and some pocket change adds up to a real budget killer by the end of the month.

Most of us think in terms of a single income source and too often that source is whatever you have in the bank. For most of us,that amounts to a rather too-finite number and it's amazing how quickly all those little expenses nibble away at it. We're all pretty good at budgeting the big numbers but in my experience it's the incidentals  that give me those WTF moments at the end of the month.

So yeah, selling eggs, busking, refrigeration work, rigging, or selling sailboat fishing kits all make sense as small income low profile side hustles. Which together might just be enough to keep you cruising.

I'm pretty sure I'll get someone writing me to mansplain that everybody knows sailboats and cruising is an expensive endeavor that small side hustles can't fund the operating costs of a a proper cruiser and its crew so if you don't have deep enough pockets you should just stay home. Sure, I'll grant that it's good advice for cruising and sailboats in the consumerist modus operandi but it's a tried and true method where VolksCruisers are concerned.

and in the "hardly surprising" department...

I'll be honest and admit that I really hate being surprised, especially where boats are concerned. Maybe it's that I grew up on horror films where surprises were always sort of horrific. On the other hand, it just might be most of my surprises have been of the negative sort so color me somewhat gun shy where surprises are concerned.

The funny thing is that, reading other boat folks blogs and suchlike i see that they also talk about surprises on boats and it's never ever a happy occurrence. More often than not it's a problem and unbidden problems are going to be expensive.

It's just the nature of boats and cruising.

For instance if I sail off to some place new and don't check about the rules, costs, and politics of visiting there I'll find that there is going to be a surprise of some sort just waiting to happen. Or, if I jump into a project without some due diligence beforehand there will be some consternation in the mix to bite me on the ass.

Lucky for us we have the internet which makes it pretty easy to do some homework to find out what to expect whether you're cruising or taking on a boat build or refit.

Nothing keeps surprises at bay as well as a bit of homework and due diligence.

Need to know what food costs in St Thomas, Hawaii, or Guam?  Go to Costuless online and see what your grocery bill should cost. Pretty much anywhere you go in the world will have chain stores with online shopping so you can get an idea of what you'd have to pay for groceries. More importantly, it gives you a base line so that you'll know when some stores are on the high side.

Same goes for projects. I always check to make sure that what I'll need is actually available to finish a project as having a half completed project can ruin your day/week/month/year. Nearly as important is knowing what things you need for the project should cost. I've noticed that a lot of boat blogs and YouTube channels tend to share affiliate links for gear and materials that are on the high end of what they should cost so before you start buying epoxy and suchlike from Amazon it might be a good idea to do some cost comparisons before you buy stuff.

Seriously when that $300 dinghy project winds up taking two years and costing you $1200 you really can't blame it on a surprise.  The same goes when arriving on some island with wall to wall Megayachts expecting to find stateside bargains as high prices tend to go with the neighborhood.   

Sadly, these days, common sense is often in short supply but it's a learnable tool that will go a long way to extend your budget as well as improving your quality of life.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

more on the budget front...

So, what’s your bottom line? A long, long time ago I think it was Lin Pardey who coined the $500-a-month-budget as a passing reference of the “Some people do it for as little as…" example.    Back in the late 60’s, $500 was a doable, if tight, budget for cruising but today, according to a handy inflation calculator, to have the purchasing power of $500 in 1969 dollars would be equivalent to $4,055 today.    

I’ll let that sink in for a moment…

I’m pretty sure if you’re reading VolksCruiser that it’s safe to assume that a $4,055 monthly budget is not what you signed up for. Which gives me a chance to show you one of my favorite movie clips.

Now, while I can think of any number of marinas I’d love to take a shotgun or M79 to, I’’ll admit that while it might be cathartic, it's a bit more anti-social and somewhat problematic to the cruising lifestyle. Hell, with my luck, I’d wind up with a roommate who’s a MAGA droid named Bubba.
 

What’s a poor boy or girl going to do?

Lucky for us there are any number of ways to get by with less money if you’re so inclined to cruise outside the consumerist bubble. For instance, simply quit getting stuff you don’t really need and and get off the recreational shopping bandwagon. Sure it requires a bit of mindset adjustment and the learning curve is a bit steep but it’s nothing you can’t do if you want to get going to some nice anchorage.

Speaking of anchorages have you heard the news about Bonaire?

Bonaire’s a great place. It has some of the best diving in the world, the powers that be are Eco-conscious and doing their bit to keep it nice, and it is a kiss off the beaten track so it’s more Caribbean like than you can find in the Caribbean proper. So, what’s not to like?

Since the locals care about their waters, it’s a moorings-only situation and as most all of Bonaire is a park you have to pay to be there. This year moorings have shot up in price to $35 a day (it used to be $10) and the park fee is $40 per person (good for a year). Which in real terms means if I want to stay there for ten days it’s going to cost a minimum of $430 for the two of us. Which is not bad when you consider it but it starts adding up really quickly and it’s not a place you’re going to hang out longer than needful. That said, it’s still a lot cheaper than staying in a marina anywhere that has a developed yachting scene which is frelling anywhere in the Caribbean these days.

So here’s the good news/bad news if you want to cruise on a budget these days. The good news being that it’s doable and the bad news is that, for the most part, you’ll want to minimize all the normal milk run destinations.

Lucky for us is that it’s a big frelling world and there are still a lot of great places to cruise where folks on boats are not looked at as floating ATMs.  You might want to add “Hors Piste” to your manta jar.

More needful stuff for getting control of your cruising budget on Friday…

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

the best of times, the worst of times...

So it's 2023 and a new year. For some of us, it comes with some musing over the state of things.

As far as sailing and cruising goes, my musings seemed to be along the lines of that Dickens quote and I spent a couple of hours thinking about the good/bad reality after the ball dropped at midnight.

On the positive side...

• The cost of a good condition, under 36-foot, blue water capable boats have come down and are now very affordable.
• The cost of needful gear has become more affordable.
• Systems that were once considered too complicated or unaffordable for many are now within most cruiser's means.
• Needful information is readily available and no one has to reinvent the wheel. That said, finding good information should include a buyer beware warning.
  
• The current state of computer-based communication systems means you can almost always be connected to the world.

On the negative side...

• One of the main reasons boat prices have fallen is that we have a "Too many boats and not enough places to put them" situation so moorage and marinas have become unaffordable. A related issue is that this is causing a lot of anti-cruiser attitude on municipal and state levels.
  
• While needful gear may be cheaper, the marine industry exerts incredible pressure to get the newest, most expensive thing/flavor of the month.
• Sadly, the "You get what you pay for" mindset is counter productive to affordable cruising and really does not make any sense but considered gospel by far too many.
  
• YouTube influencers, while helpful from time to time, are mostly pimping on one level or another. Any information from most of these sources should be considered suspect and taken with a grain of salt.
• The current state of computer-based communication systems means you can almost always be connected to the world.

Actually, those lists could be a lot longer but I suspect you get the general drift. So, how do we deal with the best/worst conundrum?

For starters, VolksCruising only works if you're actually cruising. Your mantra should be "Keep on Trucking" as any nomadic society knows that being welcomed always comes with a time stamp and it's best to leave Dodge before the welcome expires. Which is a roundabout way of saying if you're going to cruise you best be on your way.

Since there are so many inexpensive sailboats in good shape, the desire to buy a fixer-upper should be suppressed. Why spend a year or three fixing a boat when you can just buy one and get gone? Sure, I know you want to tweak the boat to your needs but a major refit is seldom a good financial investment and, if you think it's required, you should be looking for another boat.

Same goes for the need some have of wanting to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. For a special few it might work but in 99% of the cases I've seen, you just wind up with a very, very expensive sow's ear.

As far as stuff goes for cruising, less is more as the old adage says. I could go into deep detail but do I really have to? 

Overall the best/worst scenario comes out as pretty positive for someone wanting to cruise on a VolksCruiserish budget. Of course, you'll need to do some critical thinking, jump through a bunch of hoops, and make some of those negatives work for you rather than against but the overall math says it's going to be a good year to get going.

Here's hoping we all have a happy new year.

How many guitars can you fit on a 27-foot sailboat...

 Sadly, it's a simple answer...

Not enough.

Which, for me at least, is the big downside of every 27-foot boat you're likely to come across in that they just don't have a lot of space or weight carrying ability.

Which is not to say you can't live and cruise on a 27-foot sailboat but with a finite space you'll have to make some serious life changes to make it work.

Now while I use guitars as an example, the needful stuff is more about things like water, provisions, and the various tools one needs to live your life in a way that does not equate with a prison sentence.

Where most people get it wrong with small boats is assuming they can just keep adding stuff with no regard to the fact that boats have a waterline for a very good reason. Adding a couple of inches to the waterline every couple of years is just stupid as well as being plain bad seamanship.

If your boat is designed to draw five feet then that's what it should draw. 

When I think about it, you could really do a lot worse in choosing that as a mantra.

Anyway, living and cruising on a small boat successfully requires one to adapt to living within the constraints of your chosen vessel and embracing its finite nature. Which, considering we live in a hardcore consumerist society, is never going to be an easy task. Since the answer to all problems is to "buy more stuff" you're not likely to get much help in the "How do I do what's needed using less" zone.

That being the case, you'll have to get creative and realize that most of the time you'll be swimming upstream without a whole lot of atta-boys from fellow cruisers. Which I'll add is actually a bonus as it gets rid of the whole "Keeping up with the Jones's" element in the equation and makes a lot of decisions easier.

Next up is we'll take a look on how to sort out that finite space in a way that makes some sense...

a typical 27-foot boat...

The thing to keep in mind when thinking about boats in this particular size niche is that, for the most part, they all fulfill the same needs. Which is hardly surprising when confronted with a 27ish by 9ish foot envelope.

Take the Catalina 27 for instance. It pretty much sets the norm for what you can do with a boat this small and it does it pretty well. More importantly for us it was a very popular design and they built lots of them which means that today (fifty years on) there are lots of Catalina 27s for sale.

Lots of boats for sale in a given market brings the price of a boat down and makes it that much more affordable. Which, I'll think you agree is no bad thing.

Of course, the problem with a 27ish foot boat revolves mostly about the fact that it is a 27ish foot boat. While Frank Butler shoehorned  an amazing amount of livability into such a small boat it is still a finite amount of space and most everyone is going to have to make concessions to the fact and adjust their live to that fact.

I often hear the advice that going up a foot or two will make for a better, more comfortable, and easier  to live in situation.

The Catalina 28, the  boat that replaced the Catalina 27, is a good example of how a slightly bigger newer design can improve things. I'll go on record and say that I'd much rather have a Catalina 28 than a Catalina 27.

That said, there's a catch.

The Catalina 28 is a lot bigger than the lowly 27. The Catalina 27 has a length 26.83 feet with a beam of 8.83 feet and a displacement of 6,850 pounds.The Catalina 28, on the other hand is 28.5 feet with a beam of 10.17 feet and a displacement of 8300 pounds.

That 1450 pounds of added displacement is a huge difference. As I've mentioned often that the real size of a boat is more about displacement than length. Well except when boats of a certain length becomes a design niche.

While the Catalina 28 is a good choice for a VolksCruier it is also going to be a lot more expensive then the Catalina 27 as only 620 of the C28s were built compared to the 6662 of the C27 it's safe to say that the cost of a C27 is going to be cheaper.

The whole idea of this 27-foot boat series is more about how to make a boat better within a certain size envelope than to suggest that a 27-foot boat is the best boat to go voyaging with. I chose this particular size niche simply because it is the most bang for the buck due to the greater number of boats for sale within it and the simple fact that most everyone wants something bigger. Which makes it your best bet for getting a good boat cheap.

More on the subject soon come.

Yeah, 27-feet...

Apparently, some folks don't agree that a bog standard 27-foot production boat can be a capable cruising conveyance.

I get the fact that a boat in this size range is not everyone's cup of tea but they are capable and well within most peoples means. Sure a 44-foot Swan might be better but it also costs $90K or so more than that CAL 27.

In my defense I'll also add that I never said cruising in a CAL 27, Catalina 27, or a Cape Dory 27 would be a cakewalk. A small boat comes with some issues that you'll have to adapt to as well as a certain amount of roll with the flow Zen moves to make it all work.

Still, it's been done by many and just knowing it's possible means that you're not setting out on some impossible task and that's a goodly thing.

So, the next dozen or so posts are going to be about making a 27-footer into a sailboat able to cross oceans in a modicum of comfort, safety, and style.

No consumerist BS, no rocket science, and nary a boat buck in sight.

Of course, if you find the idea of creative frugality doing things, a bit old-school, and swimming against the current trend of out-of-control consumerism a bit off-putting you might want to go elsewhere more within your comfort zone. I highly recommend the Sail Life channel as it's both entertaining and an excellent way to pass the time.

We'll get into the first installment come Thursday...

on the subject of downsizing...

I just read a post that really stopped me in my tracks where the whole subject of downsizing is concerned.

Around boats the term downsizing gets a lot of use. Especially when the discussion turns to cruising boats and sailing off into the sunset. The problem I have with downsizing is that it means different things to different people.

For me, the idea of downsizing is about simplifying and getting rid on needless clutter in one’s life. For some, it is simply an opportunity or excuse to buy a lot of stuff to fill their new smaller space.

The question is, is it really downsizing if you’re spending a significant amount of time making lists of things to buy or spend money on? At what point is downsizing just an excuse to feed your consumerist habit?

So many people buy boats and then gut them of perfectly adequate systems. Systems they’ll replace with something new that does the same thing.

I get the fact that we all want to make a new place our own. While buying a new sink, chart plotter, or new stove seems like it’s needful if you’re replacing stuff that works it’s a step backward. Or to put it another way, it’s just an expensive way of pissing on the boundaries of your new boat.

Maybe a small framed print on a bulkhead instead?

How low can you go?

Sure, I know that there's a helluva lot of peer pressure to adhere to consumerist dogma but, just for a moment think about what you can afford rather than what you think others will opine on what you need to spend to be accepted.

I see a lot of folks selling the idea that "price is no object" but buying boats that are a fraction of the cost and pretending they're following the party line.

Know something?

They get away with it because most everyone is doing the same thing and no one's going to bust them because most everyone is part of the con.

The sordid truth is that most boat folk, by their very nature, have their asses firmly planted in the cheap seats. The problem only arises when they're not honest about it.

Worse is when they use the cost of stuff as a means of letting you know how much every-damn-fucking-thing-on-their-boat cost in a misguided ruse to impress you. As someone who has sold a lot of marine gear to these wankers I'll let you know that, more often than not, they lie about what they paid for those winches or top-of-the-line electronics.

Maybe it's just me but there's something pretty off when it reaches that point.

Know what impresses me? When someone comes up with a way of doing things that involves common sense and thought to make the whole sailing off into the sunset more comfortable, affordable and sustainable. On the other hand some guy bragging that he spent lots of money to impress me or as a put down just hits the pity note.

The other day when I mentioned that I was building yet another Tortoise someone pointed out that He'd spent $12K on his dinghy but if I can only afford a two sheet dinghy maybe I shouldn't bother until I could afford something better.

Yeah, it sorta/kinda pissed me off. Still, the Tortoise makes more sense for me than a 12-foot RIB with a 25HP outboard and it would be real dumb in a world where gas costs $5.50 to have such a beast.

Over on Boat Bits today I mentioned a Newport 28MK2 that's selling for $2.5K and appears to be in pretty good shape. Researching the design a bit more the Newport appears to be one of those designs that seems to have a pretty good price and is firmly in the "good bang for the buck" price niche. Plus it would make a very good cruising boat. What's not to like?

The important thing to keep in mind is that hardly anyone cares what sort of boat you cruise in. No one who isn't an asshole is going to ask you what it costs and, as long as the boat is shipshape, you'll still be invited to potlucks and suchlike (if that's your thing).

So, how low can you go?

something to think about...

I just got the new Cruising Compass and they had a link to this BFB...

Now, I've long been a fan of boats from Jeanneau for ages and I'm sure most everyone in the yachting media will be all over this design but I have a short question...

Is this the right boat design for 2022?

In a world of finite resources shouldn't we be focused on a more earth friendly and sustainable design model?

Granted a lot of good work went into the design of this rich man's toy but how much of that good design can be adapted to more sustainable and affordable models?

Now, in my less than humble opinion, is the fact that boats like this distract from any real development and distort the market to the point that all of a sudden, everyone feels like this sort of sailboat is what one needs to go cruising with.

Another downside of BFBs is that the cruising areas tend to adapt their services and facilities to boats like this making it that much more difficult and expensive for cruisers of modest means to fit in. Sint Maarten used to be the best place in the Caribbean to get work done but these days no one wants to work on smaller boats because the bigger the boat the more profit involved. Worse is that a lot of marinas and shore side facilities create barriers designed to favor their preferred client in such stupid ways as not allowing human powered dinghies in their dinghy docks.

Which is just the sort of attrition that makes people give up cruising or sail off to places that have not caught up to the new norm or reality that is currently passes for cruising.

Anyway, it's an interesting boat and one can learn quite a bit in studying it.

More soonish on a semi-related subject...

a half hour well spent...

We need more films like this one.

adaptive response...

The biggest obstacle for someone intending to sail away and live on a sustainable boat is not about money, hurricanes, pirates, or restrictive legalities it's group think. Or, to put it another way, following the herd.

Now, herd mentality exists in all pursuits and walks of life and it's just part of the matrix we find ourselves in. As it happens, escaping the herd used to be the primary reason most people became cruisers. Read just about any cruising book from the sixties or seventies and it quickly become apparent that cruising was not a group sort of endeavor.

Of course, times change. We find ourselves in a world where there are enough people cruising that folks on boats are now an assemblage of various herds and something of a bastion of group think. Depending on which group you subscribe to, there are implied guidelines of how one cruises, what sort of boat is acceptable, and most importantly, what is unacceptable. Gone are the days when people sailed away to escape the herd but now go to sea to join the herd.

Obviously, folks of a VolksCruiserish bent don't quite fit in to the various popular herds and mindsets.Which, considering the alternative is actually non-problematic if not advantageous for those who don't quite fit into whatever herd/group think on offer.

Setting out on your own without the herds safety net forces us to adapt and adaptation is a good thing. My biggest issue with group think situations is that they often result in stasis when the group does not come to a clear consensus on what to do.

You know, like when there's a hurricane comings and everyone's talking about what to do and no one is doing what they need to do. Sadly, a situation I see with every storm that comes through.

Meanwhile, some folks not wired to the hive mind are already in the mangroves putting out anchors and preparing or sailing their boats somewhere the hurricane won't be.

Not being part of the herd allows you to make decisions and adapt to a given situation in a timely manner which is often the difference between surviving and not surviving.

I see some big changes coming soon and, I suspect, most cruising herds will have big problems adapting in spite of the fact that we all know they're coming. Charles Darwin made a good point when he said...

"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change"

I couldn't say it better myself...

Everything you need to know about VolksCruising and cruising culture.

A VolkCruising advantage or something like it...

I'll admit that not following the crowd is not always easy. Being a bit different is going to be something of a chore when you're confronted with group think individuals who find your non-conformity a threat.

On the other hand, in my opinion at least, the freedom that not conforming to the status quo gives you a great edge, in my opinion at least, that more than makes up for it.

The easiest way to eliminate most of the hassle factor of not doing the same old same thing as everybody else is to adopt as much of a stealth profile as possible or, at least, don't rub their noses in it. Just do your thing. The good news is that most boats (as well as the folks on them) pretty much just look like boats and folks.

Having a boat that is too different tends to bring out the "You're not like us" reaction to a problematic degree. When we were sailing Loose Moose and Loose Moose 2 in Europe we found that having a different boat was a two edged sword in that it tended cause outrage in some but also introduced us to a lot of folks who were very interested in design, open to new ideas, as well being a bit nicer.

Still, our lives would have been quite a bit easier if we'd had a pointy bow...

Stuff you need to know...

Lectronic Latitude has a better than most article on the Anchor-out situation in Sausalito which is well worth reading.

The fact is that the spinoff from situations like this have a nasty habit of affecting all of us on boats in surprising ways so best to keep abreast of what's going on.

A cruising boat worth thinking about...

 

There's a Beneteau 235 for sale here that caught my attention and got me thinking about what a great little cruising boat it would make.

Now as far as French production boats go, I've never been a huge fan of the Beneteau boats preferring the Jeanneau designs back in the pre-conglomerate days. I expect that's mainly because of the designs of Philippe Harlé like the Sangria, Fantasia, and Tonic.

As far as the Beneteau 235 is concerned it fills the same design niche as the Tonic.

Now, I don't know about you, but the idea of a Tonic or a Bendy 235 as a cruising boat makes a whole lot of sense and inspires dreams of unfettered freedom.

Sure, they're small but small equals a low price, minimal cruising expenses, and small problems. 

That said a small boat is not for everyone.

Back when I was considering buying a Tonic for serious cruising my life was pared down to just the essentials and that's a given where cruising in a small boat is concerned.

These days, where anything smaller than a forty-foot boat is considered small, what is considered essential is a very different thing and people do love having a lot of stuff.

For me. the real beauty of a small design like the 235 is that there is simply no room for anything that is surplus to requirements. The idea of not having to contend with dragging stuff you don't need or use actually qualifies as something akin to a luxury.

Which is not to say it would be an easy transition for most. I'm in the middle of a never-ending struggle  to cull all the various stuff that seems to accumulate and just takes up room but never gets used. So I'm well aware how difficult it can be.

The attraction of a little boat like the 235 or Tonic, for me at least, has everything to do with jettisoning all the stuff I don't need and getting back to a simpler and more focused life. Which, when you think about t is why most of us decided to sail away in the first place.

I often do a mental exercise where I work out how I'd cruise a given boat where I use an Atlantic circle as an example. While doing an Atlantic circle on a 235 is not on everyone's with list it would be an excellent way to sort out just what you'd actually need after you've done your Wordle for the day.

Now, If only I can bring myself to throw away that bent stanchion I can't find a use for...

Problem solving...

So, here’s the ongoing question most of us are trying to deal with: what is the most needed attribute for successful, low-budget cruising or building/refitting a boat?

Is it your sailing ability?

The ability to make a perfect dovetail?

Having the right gear?

Enough money?

Maybe the correct answer is none of the above, and the simple answer is the ability to solve problems. Take building or refitting a boat as an example. Every boat building or refit project I’ve undertaken has been a collection of problems that need to be solved.

It’s all about problem solving. Some are simple, others are difficult, and then there’s the odd dilemma which is right up there with solving the world peace equation while juggling chainsaws.

The same goes for cruising on a budget. It’s not just a money thing, as money is just a math issue. It’s more of “How do we cruise in a way where money is less of an issue?” kind of thing. Thrown together with the “Quality of Life” issue, suddenly we’re looking at how to achieve world peace and someone just threw a brace of chainsaws for you to catch.

So, here’s where you get to put on your thinking cap and work through a couple of problems…

Problem # 1

You notice a 1972 CAL 29 listed for $1500 that does not have a working engine, needs to have the under-mast I-beam replaced, as well as the corresponding bulkhead. The boat otherwise is clean and everything works. The sails are in good shape, but the rigging is as old as the boat.

There is another CAL 29 selling for $10K with a working Atomic Four engine that appears to be in good shape, albeit with no information on the rig or I-Beam. At the moment, you have $5K in cash for a boat. What are you going to do?

Obviously, this scenario is really a cascading collection of various issues. You need to work through the problems before you get to the “should I buy or not” problem. Let’s see how you get there.

Problem #2

You want to sail to Europe as part of a two-year Atlantic circle in your CAL 29 but folks you’ve heard from say Europe and the Med are too expensive to cruise on a $1000 a month budget, the Schengen treaty won’t let you, and that you’d be better off in the Bahamas or Caribbean instead. Is the two-year Atlantic circle doable or not?

Again, here’s another plethora of potential issues that you have to research.

The good news it that all you need is available online and really shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.

Leave your answers in the comments, but remember the moderated comments take a while before your answers show up.

Here’s a quick hint. Don’t bother with forums as that way lies madness.