We’re now in the sixth season with our starter cruiser Maverick V, which is (so far) keeping within its budget.
And we now know that it is indeed possible for a family of four to own and operate a seaworthy coastal cruiser for:
- Under $15,000 USD to buy the boat.
- Under $15,000 USD to refit, deliver, and fix up the boat.
- Under $6,000 USD a year to insure, dock, haul, fuel, and maintain the boat.
I think—and both the insurer & surveyor agree—that, on this budget, we’ve ended up with a boat that is capable of real coastal passages to real adventure destinations. It’s of a design that is fundamentally ocean capable, but, with its current equipment and rigging, it should not go more than a hundred miles offshore.
So now the question is: What would it take to get a boat like this ready to cross an ocean safely?
Let’s take a look:
Excellent article, you’ve pointed the finger on the refit’s reality: in most cases the market would not recognize any of the work you’ve done on your boat and you’ll score a real loss once you sell it. Maybe the only choice is to find a boat where someone has made the same error and has theown a lot of money in a boat and needs to sell it.