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For all long-term and long distance "cruising live a-boards" the cost of living a-board and cruising always comes down to
two basic factors. The type & size of their cruising vessel, and their individual philosophy and pocket book.
So, when you think about a budget for living a-board and cruising the Great Loop, you must factor in what it takes for you
to be comfortable and happy with your day to day life, the size of your pocketbook, and exactly how you want to spend it.
For some, $100,000 budget would not even buy them their "dream boat" to make the trip in. Yet for others, $100,000
would buy the boat, rig it, equip it, provision it, and they would still have enough money for cruise the Great Loop two or
three time over a two or three year period.
Indeed, if you choose the right boat, your comfort zone and your individual choices in lifestyle will be the majority of your
cruising cost. We spend much more money (for example) on food, beverage, eating out, entertainment, site-seeing,
souvenirs, and for Tourist type hats and T-shirts in areas we stop at, than we spend for fuel and other boat related
expenses.
Choose the wrong boat, and the reverse will be true for you. In many cases, Loopers end up with a vessel of financial
burden, rather than one of freedom. In all areas along the way, we have (more times than we can remember) come
across a "Looper's boat" that has been left, abandoned, and for sale. It usually takes little more than an introduction
when stopping for fuel, to discover a previous Looper ran out of money and left it there. It usually only takes a quick
glance across the Marina for us to identify the big gas guzzling machine - and think - No wonder.
So, it might be important now, for us to mention: You need to be sure of what your dream really is. Is it to own a "dream
boat" or is it to experience a "dream cruise"? Few can afford to complete this "dream cruise" in a "dream boat". Waiting
to be able to afford it is what prevents so many dreamers from ever being able to do it.
Our last completion of the Loop expenses were:
Distance cruised = 5,858 miles
Fuel = 2,980 gallons
Fuel cost = $8,910.00
Days actually cruising = 143
Marina Dock fees = $352.00
Erie Canal Season Pass = $50.00
*Total = $9,312.00 (for an average of about $26.00 a day).
*These expenses did not include such things as food, beverage, health, life, auto or boat insurance, cell phone, Internet
connection, or money spent (gifts and items purchased, etc.) considered totally unessential to the actual cost of the
maintaining the boat on for the duration of our voyage.
Food, beverage & clothing of course, are a necessity, living on land or living on-board. Eating out can often be limited. I
personally eat out a lot, especially for breakfast (it's cheap) and when cruising we like to stop at all the interesting water-
side hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Your budget for food however will probably remain the same if you are on land or water,
and again is based on your lifestyle. Our food budget actual decreases when we are cruising up the east coast and
again down the Inland rivers, because we love to fish and eat what I catch along the way.
Most all (all that I know of) live a-boards have cell phones and are able to use them on a daily basis. Most Marinas have
free WIFI.
Obviously, at $4.50 a gallon (or more) marine fuel for cruising can be a very big expense based on the size of your
vessel, number, size, and type of engines you vessel needs. I personally have a monthly fuel budget, so when the cost
per gallon of fuel is high, I simply cruise fewer hours per day or fewer days per week. I know one boater with a 44' twin
screw, who spent more in fuel cost alone to go around the Loop once, than my total cost of fuel, and living and cruising
was making the voyage twice over a two year period of time. (Again - it's all about personal lifestyle, comfort zone,
philosophy and pocket book.)
Of course, eating out and entertainment depends on your personal desires. When cruising the American Great Loop,
there are lots and lots of tempting places to visit from small towns to big cities; museums, historical sites, land marks,
and really great restaurants. The good news is that many of these appealing sites along the way are free. From the
Cherokee Museum on the upper Tennessee to the Florida Keys to Charleston, Annapolis, New York City, every town you
pass, every area you cruise - has interesting sites to see, and of course, opportunities to spend more money.
Now in case you have ever wondered, fact is, it cost more to cruise the Great Loop in a motorized vessel then it does to
cruise around the world in a sailboat. My son and I have done both. So, whatever your dream (and it may be to do both)
The truth is, that the inexpensive lifestyle of cruising and living a-board - may well be the best kept secret on the planet.
Where else can couples live such a safe, wonderful, relaxed, stress free life, while traveling extensively - on less than
$24,000 a year? (For some, it's much less!)
So, how can you beat the expense of $4.50 a gallon marine fuel?
For one thing, you should "rethink" your Great Loop cruising vessel. It may be time to chunk those plans for that big nice
twin engine cruiser or that fuel guzzling Trawler, and think of a nice sailboat.
No, you don’t need to know how to sail. That’s true, and while you may think it weird for someone to own a sailboat and
not know how to sail, it happens!
Several years ago, we came across two cruising couples at the end of the Erie Canal in Tonawanda, that were cruising
America’s Great Loop together in a 50’ sailboat. No, they were not “sailing” they were cruising. In fact, the sailboat had
no mast at all, only two “stubs” (where the masts had been) rising about 14’ above their waterline. In their case, they had
inherited an old 50’ ketch. No one knew how to sail, so they simply cut off the masts at a height that left them an
advantage point for their antennas, clearing distance for all the bridges, and they had affixed a fantastic canvas bimini
they provided shade over half their deck. Pushing this baby through the water was an inboard 40hp engine running at
near idle speed.
If you think of it in terms of speed and fuel economy, a Looper looses very little speed, and gains a great deal of fuel
economy. For one, there has never been a more efficient hull design than that of a sailboat. If you think about it, a
sailboat’s hull is designed so that light winds can push it through the water, it therefore takes very little in terms of horse
power to do the same.
Most 40’ and under sailboats have less than 30hp engines. These displacement hulls only require between 3 or 4 hp per
ton of displacement weight. Therefore a 20,000 pound vessel (10 tons) only requires a 25 to 35 hp engine. Any extra hp
is wasted and wasteful. Wasted, because once you have reached maximum hull speed in a displacement boat, and you
simply can’t go faster.
Now when you think about it, even though learning to sail is fun and easy, powering around the Great Loop in a sailboat
makes a lot of economic sense. Personally, I simply can’t afford to spend as much money on fuel to do the Loop, as I
spend on my boat. I also understand that this 6,000 mile voyage and at $6.00 a gallon or more for fuel, can range from
spending $48,000 (or more) for fuel, or spending $12,000 or even less. While it’s true we can’t take it with us when life is
over, I still want mine to last as long as I do.
Of course a small single engine comfortable boat will be the much more economical than a twin engine cruiser or a
heavy trawler. In addition, if you have the space for solar panels and batteries, a totally electric vessel is a very viable
alternative. For more information on this, you can visit:
http://www.solomontechnologies.com/m_recreational.htm
And finally, for your information, in case you are just starting to plan you voyage and haven't yet bought your boat. . . My
son I have embarked on a very frugal cruise around the Great Loop. This time, our entire goal is to determine just how
cheaply it can be done.
We purchased an old mono-hull sailboat with a 9.9hp 4 stroke outboard. We now have almost 2,000 miles behind us,
averaging a .4 gallon per hour fuel burn rate while motoring (and most of our trip has been motoring.
two basic factors. The type & size of their cruising vessel, and their individual philosophy and pocket book.
So, when you think about a budget for living a-board and cruising the Great Loop, you must factor in what it takes for you
to be comfortable and happy with your day to day life, the size of your pocketbook, and exactly how you want to spend it.
For some, $100,000 budget would not even buy them their "dream boat" to make the trip in. Yet for others, $100,000
would buy the boat, rig it, equip it, provision it, and they would still have enough money for cruise the Great Loop two or
three time over a two or three year period.
Indeed, if you choose the right boat, your comfort zone and your individual choices in lifestyle will be the majority of your
cruising cost. We spend much more money (for example) on food, beverage, eating out, entertainment, site-seeing,
souvenirs, and for Tourist type hats and T-shirts in areas we stop at, than we spend for fuel and other boat related
expenses.
Choose the wrong boat, and the reverse will be true for you. In many cases, Loopers end up with a vessel of financial
burden, rather than one of freedom. In all areas along the way, we have (more times than we can remember) come
across a "Looper's boat" that has been left, abandoned, and for sale. It usually takes little more than an introduction
when stopping for fuel, to discover a previous Looper ran out of money and left it there. It usually only takes a quick
glance across the Marina for us to identify the big gas guzzling machine - and think - No wonder.
So, it might be important now, for us to mention: You need to be sure of what your dream really is. Is it to own a "dream
boat" or is it to experience a "dream cruise"? Few can afford to complete this "dream cruise" in a "dream boat". Waiting
to be able to afford it is what prevents so many dreamers from ever being able to do it.
Our last completion of the Loop expenses were:
Distance cruised = 5,858 miles
Fuel = 2,980 gallons
Fuel cost = $8,910.00
Days actually cruising = 143
Marina Dock fees = $352.00
Erie Canal Season Pass = $50.00
*Total = $9,312.00 (for an average of about $26.00 a day).
*These expenses did not include such things as food, beverage, health, life, auto or boat insurance, cell phone, Internet
connection, or money spent (gifts and items purchased, etc.) considered totally unessential to the actual cost of the
maintaining the boat on for the duration of our voyage.
Food, beverage & clothing of course, are a necessity, living on land or living on-board. Eating out can often be limited. I
personally eat out a lot, especially for breakfast (it's cheap) and when cruising we like to stop at all the interesting water-
side hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Your budget for food however will probably remain the same if you are on land or water,
and again is based on your lifestyle. Our food budget actual decreases when we are cruising up the east coast and
again down the Inland rivers, because we love to fish and eat what I catch along the way.
Most all (all that I know of) live a-boards have cell phones and are able to use them on a daily basis. Most Marinas have
free WIFI.
Obviously, at $4.50 a gallon (or more) marine fuel for cruising can be a very big expense based on the size of your
vessel, number, size, and type of engines you vessel needs. I personally have a monthly fuel budget, so when the cost
per gallon of fuel is high, I simply cruise fewer hours per day or fewer days per week. I know one boater with a 44' twin
screw, who spent more in fuel cost alone to go around the Loop once, than my total cost of fuel, and living and cruising
was making the voyage twice over a two year period of time. (Again - it's all about personal lifestyle, comfort zone,
philosophy and pocket book.)
Of course, eating out and entertainment depends on your personal desires. When cruising the American Great Loop,
there are lots and lots of tempting places to visit from small towns to big cities; museums, historical sites, land marks,
and really great restaurants. The good news is that many of these appealing sites along the way are free. From the
Cherokee Museum on the upper Tennessee to the Florida Keys to Charleston, Annapolis, New York City, every town you
pass, every area you cruise - has interesting sites to see, and of course, opportunities to spend more money.
Now in case you have ever wondered, fact is, it cost more to cruise the Great Loop in a motorized vessel then it does to
cruise around the world in a sailboat. My son and I have done both. So, whatever your dream (and it may be to do both)
The truth is, that the inexpensive lifestyle of cruising and living a-board - may well be the best kept secret on the planet.
Where else can couples live such a safe, wonderful, relaxed, stress free life, while traveling extensively - on less than
$24,000 a year? (For some, it's much less!)
So, how can you beat the expense of $4.50 a gallon marine fuel?
For one thing, you should "rethink" your Great Loop cruising vessel. It may be time to chunk those plans for that big nice
twin engine cruiser or that fuel guzzling Trawler, and think of a nice sailboat.
No, you don’t need to know how to sail. That’s true, and while you may think it weird for someone to own a sailboat and
not know how to sail, it happens!
Several years ago, we came across two cruising couples at the end of the Erie Canal in Tonawanda, that were cruising
America’s Great Loop together in a 50’ sailboat. No, they were not “sailing” they were cruising. In fact, the sailboat had
no mast at all, only two “stubs” (where the masts had been) rising about 14’ above their waterline. In their case, they had
inherited an old 50’ ketch. No one knew how to sail, so they simply cut off the masts at a height that left them an
advantage point for their antennas, clearing distance for all the bridges, and they had affixed a fantastic canvas bimini
they provided shade over half their deck. Pushing this baby through the water was an inboard 40hp engine running at
near idle speed.
If you think of it in terms of speed and fuel economy, a Looper looses very little speed, and gains a great deal of fuel
economy. For one, there has never been a more efficient hull design than that of a sailboat. If you think about it, a
sailboat’s hull is designed so that light winds can push it through the water, it therefore takes very little in terms of horse
power to do the same.
Most 40’ and under sailboats have less than 30hp engines. These displacement hulls only require between 3 or 4 hp per
ton of displacement weight. Therefore a 20,000 pound vessel (10 tons) only requires a 25 to 35 hp engine. Any extra hp
is wasted and wasteful. Wasted, because once you have reached maximum hull speed in a displacement boat, and you
simply can’t go faster.
Now when you think about it, even though learning to sail is fun and easy, powering around the Great Loop in a sailboat
makes a lot of economic sense. Personally, I simply can’t afford to spend as much money on fuel to do the Loop, as I
spend on my boat. I also understand that this 6,000 mile voyage and at $6.00 a gallon or more for fuel, can range from
spending $48,000 (or more) for fuel, or spending $12,000 or even less. While it’s true we can’t take it with us when life is
over, I still want mine to last as long as I do.
Of course a small single engine comfortable boat will be the much more economical than a twin engine cruiser or a
heavy trawler. In addition, if you have the space for solar panels and batteries, a totally electric vessel is a very viable
alternative. For more information on this, you can visit:
http://www.solomontechnologies.com/m_recreational.htm
And finally, for your information, in case you are just starting to plan you voyage and haven't yet bought your boat. . . My
son I have embarked on a very frugal cruise around the Great Loop. This time, our entire goal is to determine just how
cheaply it can be done.
We purchased an old mono-hull sailboat with a 9.9hp 4 stroke outboard. We now have almost 2,000 miles behind us,
averaging a .4 gallon per hour fuel burn rate while motoring (and most of our trip has been motoring.
| What does it really cost to cruise America's Great Loop ? |
| Our most previous voyage around the Loop, covered 5,858 miles. We stayed over-night in 26 marinas (19 of those were free) and we bought a $50.00 ten day pass through the Erie Canal. Our total cost (boat related, Marina & fuel) was $9,312, and averaged $26.00 for each day spent cruising. That however, was before Marine fuel reached $3.00 a gallon. over $4.50 a gallon. The good news is, that before we began this voyage, we decided to re-think our cruising strategy - to see just how "cheap" we could cruise the Loop in it's entirety. As a result, we decided to make this voyage in a sailboat, knowing that if we motored the entire way, it would be (by far) the most fuel efficient, yet comfortable, vessel to make our journey in. So far, with almost 2,000 miles behind us, our fuel burn average is slightly less than 1/2 gallon fuel per hour, and we have averaged spending less than $14.00 a day for each of the days we spend actually cruising. |
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| Capt John's America's Great Loop |
