In the PNW (where I am, and can judge costs), with a newer boat that you paid cash for and the ability to do most of your own maintenance, you might be able to get by with $80K a year if you were really careful and only took winter moorage (stayed out on the hook from May to October--most marinas open their transient slips to winter liveaboards for modest rates). The problem is the 50 to 60 foot range, which pushes fuel cost, maintenance and especially slip fees a lot higher, and makes it much harder to find a slip. And even with my estimate above, I'm assuming you would base the boat out of one of the more remote harbors in the winter (lower cost) and not down near Seattle. On the east coast and Caribbean where you expressed an interest, I'm guessing you'd need closer to $120K to truly use the boat properly. Everything is more expensive, with slip fees about 3x that of the PNW. If you really need to stay down in the $40K range, you need to consider a much smaller boat. One of the biggest problems that kills the dream is not being realistic about the costs, and/or buying more boat than you can afford to operate. Even worse if you have to pay someone to maintain it. That said, there are very resourceful (and resilient) sailboaters in the 30-35 foot range who do it on $30K, but they don't have much room, no A/C, etc. etc. That's a bit too rustic for most of us. John Marshall > > Message: 8 > Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:33:49 -0400 > From: Anne Borna <ab32@optonline.net> > To: trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com > Subject: T&T: live aboard costs? > Message-ID: <E23A2ACDC7ED44EF914CD81EB32DDF40@comproom> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Not a new member but have never posted before. I am getting close to > retiring, and would like to purchase a trawler in the 50-60 foot > range. > Trying to get a handle on the costs in order to create a budget and > make > sure I can do this. Would like to cruise the east coast, Bahamas and > possibly a Caribbean run or two. I already have contacted an > insurance agent > so I know the costs. There would be a separate budget for > maintenance and > repairs, as with fuel. We would like to be on the hook about 75 > percent of > the time, and monthly dockage the rest of the time. Could someone > please > give me a rough idea about the costs yearly? Is 30-40 k a realistic > number > or am I too low? Are there any moorages available on the east coast > for that > size boat or am I limited to transient dockage only? Thanks for > your help > ahead of time! Gerald Borna

"John Marshall" wrote: > On the east coast and Caribbean .... > Everything is more expensive, with slip fees about 3x that of the PNW. To tie up to a dock, East Coast sticker shock starts in Jersey as you head north...but south of there is not too bad. I can usually get something in the $1,000 per month range for my 58 footer, including the Bahamas where the JibRoom in Abaco is $0.55 per day per foot for 3 months plus. Of course, electric (and water in the Bahamas) is extra, but usually metered for long-term deals. If you intend to cruise and are into numbers crunching, figure the payback on a big-ass SuperMax and windlass, dual inverter/chargers (for fast recharging) and 1,000+ Ahr bank of AGMs (12v). Assume you hit a reasonably priced dock once a week for water or whatever. I got to think it will one of your better investments. Bob ________________ Robert Calhoun Smith Jr in DC M/V MARY KATHRYN Hatteras 58 LRC Lying South River Annapolis, MD