Cost of Owning a Sailboat

Nazaré boat yard. Get the wallet ready.

It's been said many times that owning a sailboat is like standing in a cold shower, fully clothed, tearing up $100 bills.

That's not entirely true. If your sailboat is under 25 feet, it could be $10 bills...if it's over 60 feet, get a thick wad of $500 bills. Euros in my case.

So, let's look at the cost of owning a naked 39-foot sailboat kept by a sailor on a tight budget - me, a working stiff.

From the time I sailed my Corbin 39 from Port Dover, Canada, to Portugal, I've kept a detailed record of all my boat upkeep expenses. Since 2002, I've cruised down to the Algarve for about 1 month per year. This makes my situation fairly representative of a lot of sailboat owners.

In the last 11 years years, on average I've spent 5,082 euros per year.

Here's a chart for 2006, which exceeds the average yearly cost because it includes haul-out expenses (I normally paint the bottom every other year and do all the work myself).

2006

Date	item	Quantity	Cost in Euros
Jan.	VHF radio Navman 7100 5-1-V-29-0960		241
Jan.	Liferaft (10 persons for coastal cruising)		400
Jan.	First-aid kit, knife and fuse holders		24
Jan.	Marina	Jan, Feb. Mar.	390
Jan.	Lifering and reflective tape		47
Jan.	Naval club membership fee		24
Feb.	Batteries (6 AA)		7
Feb.	Paint for letters		4
Feb.	60 meters of 6 mm line		44
Feb.	Metal/fiberglass restoration fluid		13
Feb.	Metal/fiberglass polish fluid		12
Feb.	2 blocks, 8mm		9
Feb.	Shaft anode		6
Feb.	Hanging anode 1.5 kg (for use at marina)		40
Apr.	Chain 3 m x € 7.61		23
Apr.	Mask		15
Apr.	Misc.		11
Apr.	Marina	April & May	300
Apr.	3 cans 2.5 l micron extra antifouling paint		384
Apr.	Haul-out boat jacks €150 + zinc €19 + power wash €66		235
Apr.	30 mm Zinc at Nazaré – expensive		20
Apr.	Pliers for impeller spring		7
Apr	Zinc 32 mm		6
Apr.	Small blocks and material for lazy jacks		73
Apr.	Bow fender		28
Apr.	Mapsend BlueNav XL Chart		263
Apr.	Diesel (247 liters)		269
Apr.	Zinc for rudder support		9
May	Cooler (12 V DC with lighter plug)		50
May	Nazaré yard Travel lift € 65 x 2 + VAT Electricity € 4 + VAT Yard space rental €3.45 x 24 days		263
May	Nazaré marina – before and after haul-out 2 days (actually 3 days – one free day)		29
June	Marina	June & July	476
June	Insurance (currently paying €585)		936
June	Flag, small shackle		18
June	Fire extinguishers renewal		15
July	Grease spray		6
July	3M stainless steel polisher		20
July	2 fenders, outboard repair, 6 mm line		86
Aug.	Fender step	+-	75
Sept	Fabric and 2 curtain rods		45
Sept.	Marina	Aug/Sept/Oct	529
Oct.	VHF radio inspection		104
Oct.	8 liters of 15W40 oil		36
Oct.	Boat registration costs - from Canadian to Portuguese flag (paid a hell of a lot more for import VAT in the Azores which I included in the purchase cost).		188
Nov.	6 zincs / 2 oil filters / 1 fuel filter / Thermostat & gasket / fuel overflow hose / Oberdorf pump gasket $128 US + $101 US for shipping (ouch!)		184
Nov.	Customs tax for above order (ouch! ouch!)		91
Dec.	Marina	Nov. and Dec	240
		TOTAL	€6,295
	Marina Peniche		1,935
	Haul-out and bottom paint		1,027

           

The list below includes most Big Ticket items bought since I arrived in Portugal in 2002:

Item	Cost in Euros
4 skipper licenses. These are mandatory - according to how far from port you sail -  when you are a resident operating a Portuguese-registered boat. I had to register Jakatar because it came from outside the EU. Stupid choice. Basic Skipper + Local Skipper + Coastal Skipper + Ocean Skipper All courses were taken separately in different years	2,500
Used Yamaha dinghy and 2 hp engine	750
Raymarine ST100 autopilot to be used with the windvane	396
Arco 43 2-speed winch, on Ebay	229
Lavac toilet and pump (nothing beats it)	350
Magellan FX color chart plotter, on  Ebay	541
Flares	219
Navman 7100 VHF radio (needed to comply with new regulations)	241
10-person liferaft for coastal cruising, a big inflatable lifesaver	400
Mapsend BlueNav XL Chart, Portugal, Azores, Canaries, Spain until Gibraltar	263
Mast paint	272
Crane to step and unstep the mast	200
Circulation stamp – now I pay only €80, the rule changed from boat size to engine size (didn't pay anything when sailing under the Canadian flag for almost 4 years, until I was told I’d be shot on the spot if I didn't change over to the Portuguese flag. I kept arguing that I had paid the Import VAT, to no avail).	240
Carpenters – new staysail boom, window frames, etc.	400
Raymarine hydraulic autopilot, including installation	1,732
180 A (?) battery	116
Icom M-33 handheld VHF radio	185
Spinnaker snuffer	258
Stainless deck diesel fill, stainless through-hull	227
2 Vetus mushroom vents	129
VHF course and license renewal (another mandatory burden)	155
Alado roller furler A-4	1,398
Halyard, 10 mm for furler, 2 blocks, fairlead	160
Interior hatch frames and labor for installing komacel ceiling lining	170
Genoa – Pires de Lima 48 m2	2,303
Top climber, to climb the mast + plus miscellaneous stuff	368
ZF 12M transmission, on Ebay and installed it myself	900
913 Rutland wind generator repair,  power socket, AC switchboard and battery   charger	410
Rocna 25 anchor	609
Honwave T 20 SE dinghy	698
Bic Bilbao kayak, used	280

And 

Just for fun, here's the cost of building a mooring - a mooring fit for a ship. Extreme overkill!!!
3 1-ton blocks linked together in a triangle. Forgot to take pictures.
I did all the work. The yard was kind enough to place the blocks in the water with a crane. I hoisted them off the bottom with a chain hoist and slowly motored out to the mooring field.
I was moored for one year, the seagulls bombarded my deck, I got tired of not being able to translate on the boat, for a lack of electricity, so I sold the mooring for €1,000 euros.
In the end, I didn't save much money but - believe it or not - it was a fun experience.
And the mooring fee was €260 the first year and €300 the second year. I was on the mooring for 1 year, but the payment is made per calendar year.

Mooring 2009/2010

Nov.	400 kg 22mm chain + 1 m 30mm chain, swivel and shackle from Batista Scrap yard in Alhos Vedros		276
Nov.	Trailer hitch for the dinghy trailer		200
Dec.	180 kg of 50mm chain		150
Dec.	Trailer lights plug		32
Dec.	Rebar, wire, bricks		26
Dec.	Rebar + plastic sheet		10
Dec.	Concrete - ready mix truck		100
Dec.	Mooring molds x 3		150
March	8 m of 16 mm chain (49 kg)		115
March	2 Styrofoam mooring balls 50x50x50		40
March	3 liters of polyester resin €55 + 1.5m2 mat fibre to coat the Styrofoam mooring balls		70
March	Brushes and rolls		6
March	1 l polyester resin + .75 m mat		26
March	Titan paint for mooring balls		13
March	Epoxy glue		8
March	Paint rolls for mooring balls		6
May	Toniauto trailer to transport my dinghy from home to the port		350
March	Shackles (balance of trade with Ryker on chain block, chain more or less equals out to these amounts) Ryker also built a mooring but with only 1 1-tone block. We worked on the project together. Good thing, because the guy is very smart.		155
	TOTAL		1,733

Storm Stephanie

The weather has gone mad around here! It's getting so bad they're even naming storms now.

We've had 3 storms in about 3 weeks. As I type at this moment, it's blowing like the devil and raining like hell. And to add injury to misery, my Rutland 913 wind generator spun itself into a seizure. The bearing, which I replaced last year, is now toast.

One good day in this whole mess allowed me to add extra dock lines and a new red fender.

I went to the marina on Saturday to prepare for the storm Stephanie - which promised to hammer us with 55-knot winds and 10-meter waves. Part of the marina is already mangled and distorted; the other part is rattling like a bad case of osteoporosis. Who said owning a boat is all fun and play? I'm beginning to think that it's a masochist's hobby.

As I was putting the final touches to snugging up the lines and adding some new ones, Luis motored by in his sailboat exiting the marina.

"Where you going?"

"To the transient dock," he shouted back.

So I ran over to the transient pontoon to help him dock on the side away from the breakwater.

"I'm not risking it this time," he said. "Why don't you move yours over?"

I didn't because I was already tied down solid. Besides my boat is at the end farthest from the breakwater.

Later, I was watching the 8 pm news at home in which some navy weather expert was interviewed saying that Storm Stephanie would cause waves up to 10 meters but, he pointed out, extra precaution should be taken because the extremely strong winds and unstable sea conditions could create isolated waves up to 17 meters high. Those were his words, "17 meters" ON SUNDAY NIGHT!!!! I think I stopped breathing.

The next morning, Sunday, it was still dark when I arrived at the marina to move the boat over to the guest pontoon. I waited until daylight, fiddled around and then the wind suddenly kicked in. Instead of letting the lines loose and getting the hell out of there, I sat around hoping it was just a gust that would die down. Instead, the wind slowly picked up until there was no choice but to sit tight.

Funny thing, out on the water I'm a mad salt dog, but I dread maneuvering in a marina in windy conditions. Got no problem dropping or picking up anchor in a middle of a blow. Maybe that's the real reason I like anchoring so much...so much for my minimalist boating ideals.

Anyway, on Sunday night gusts reached 130 km per hour, but the waves wimped out and barely exceeded 7 meters. Now I can start breathing again.

Untie the Lines - How to Become Famous

Blogging and Youtubing have become the showroom for a new wave of adventurers, minimalists, spiritualists, contrarians, freedom seekers, back to nature revivalists and a whole lot more. I think it's great. Blogging is the future, not Facebook or Twitter.

I've just discovered a young German woman who has embarked on a sort of "Youtube reality show" aboard an old steel sailboat.

It's definitively a mesmerizing adventure. And although she knows practically nothing about sailing, she does, however, know how to shoot film, is attractive and sure knows how to talk. Did I say "talk"? I meant to say "seduce".

And what could be more seductive than a young charismatic woman abandoning a normal life in Germany to sail an old steel boat with practically no previous sailing experience. The beauty of it, is that the audience will be kept at the edge of their seats waiting for this totally unpredictable adventure to unfold.

This is the type of voyage that will get old salts stuck at the marina foaming at the mouth, either with lust, envy, rage or criticism. That's the problem with Internet: no matter what you're doing, there's always some adventurous soul doing it better than you. Damn it!

Adventure on Small Sailboats

Our marina ferry has been upgraded to an improvised trimaran.

Despite the horrible weather lately, the Swedish sailboat in the photograph below arrived in Peniche some time during the week. I'd say it's barely 20 feet long. 

Later, while adjusting the fenders on Jakatar, I saw the young long-haired, bearded skipper standing in the cockpit. He was talking to the young French skipper who owns the smallish boat with the red stripe on the other side of the pontoon. Curiously, the smallish French boat now looks luxuriously large compared with the tiny Swedish one.

Funny thing is that I envy the skipper of this magnificent little yacht. Why? Because he's living it on a shoestring budget, because he took the saying "go small, go now" to heart. Think about it. When you were young (or if you are still young - as opposed to being merely youthful) would you rather backpack around Europe or stay at 5-star hotels?

After reading a discussion about a brand new 42-foot abandoned catamaran due to a rudder failure 300 miles from land, I can't help thinking that you could probably steer this baby with a frying pan lashed to a boat hook.

You could scrape the bottom in four dives, wash the deck with one bucket of water, hoist sails without winches and, best of all, have bloggers write about you. Nothing but advantages all the way to the tropics. 

Back to reality, either I'm imagining things or the pontoon leading to Jakatar is looking worse.

Working, Sailing and Lies

“Life is more or less a lie, but then again, that's exactly the way we want it to be.” -  Bob Dylan

On the other hand, life is so complex there's no sense talking about it much, except when you feel like getting drunk. You can talk and dream all you want; one day you take a wrong turn and end up an overworked hack translator with a sailboat constantly begging for TLC and a bunch of nonsensities clinging to your coat.

OK, now that I got that off my chest let me tell you about what's going on around here. 

The marina is temporarily an island, so the club rigged up this charming self-service miniature ferry.

Pull on the line on the left and way you go. No rush-hour crowds on this public transport system.

Anyway, I'm working like you wouldn't believe. And you probably don't believe it because if it were true, you say to yourself, I wouldn't be visiting the marina or even writing this blog for that matter. 

And you'd be right, except that I stopped watching TV (well, almost), stopped reading books and looking in the mirror. I don't smoke (smoking is a time thief), I hardly ever go shopping, I don't commute to work, I Facebook about twice a year, I Twittered 3 or 4 times, and that's plenty enough (still don't know what all the fuss is about and don't care), I mow the lawn only when the grass looks like my hair and I cut my hair when it looks like the grass. Instead of going to the gym, I have my own sweat-producing gig in the attic. Sometimes I go for long walks but walk really fast, and I shave only every other day. However, I do shower every morning, except when I'm living on the boat.

Storm Damage

The storm knocked on the door and broke it down.

In my last post I showed an amazing video of a marina being destroyed by a storm. Never imagined the same thing would happen yesterday evening here in Peniche. Hard to believe, but 14-meter waves were recorded by wave buoys.

It didn't look good when I arrived early this morning. Waves were still coming over the breakwater, just babies compared to the monsters that came crashing right into the marina yesterday. Six boats sank, others were damaged, but Jakatar is fine. I couldn't get a dinghy ride out so I went back home to work on a translation.

I came back in the afternoon and got a ride to a marina that is now an island. There's no water, no electricity, no access, probably no funds for repairs - might as well be docked on a desert island. Doesn't look good.

I have to walk this now to reach Jakatar...What am I thinking, from now on I'll have to take a dinghy ride and tie up to Jakatar. I could kick myself repeatedly in the butt for having sold my bullet-proof mooring.

The power of water.

1 minute after I took this shot, the boat splashed back into the water and the crane was left holding a couple square feet of fiberglass and two cleats.

I'm OK, Jakatar is OK, what are you gonna do when you're a boat slave?

Storms and Marinas

I woke up in the dark to the sound of howling wind and rain pummeling the shutters, just like Windguru had forecast, plus 8.5 m waves.

Ana is visiting her family up north, so I got up right away, had breakfast, fed the cat and drove up to Peniche. I wasn't seriously worried about Jakatar; it's not as though I was expecting the hellish scene that took place in Machico, Madeira Island, a few weeks ago.

Imagine showing up at the marina and finding this. A good time to own a steel boat, I suppose.

When I arrived, the wind was already subsiding and only some waves were timidly leaping over the breakwater. There was nothing to worry about, for now.

I ran the engine engaged in reverse for 10 minutes, dried the bilges, sprayed the hydraulic fittings, the engine and the stern post with WD40 and checked the dock lines. After that I checked on the other sailboats and headed back home to WORK. Needless to say, I haven't done a stitch of work yet as I write this. 

These guys are drying their feathers on a rainy day.

This French boat has a nifty rum keg used as a propane tank compartment.

The next morning I saw some photographs of what happened in late afternoon when the tide rose over 3 m.

Jakatar is docked to the left of the screen.

Looks like a simulated waterfall