Expenses

Cruising Expenses

Many people anticipating their own cruise wonder about how much it will cost them to do it. We don't know that but we know what we spend so we put it here for your information. We don't stay in marinas much and we don't eat out a lot but some cruisers will spend even less on dockage and restaurants than we do. Those with newer boats may spend less on maintenance than we do.

In cruising expenses we plan to track the cost of cruising or living expenses since we began our cruising in mid-March. We are on a limited budget, so this will help us to monitor our expenditures and limit those areas that are possible.

Any expenses we have paid to cover multiple months (e.g. boat insurance costs, medical costs, and some communication expenses) have been pro-rated on a monthly basis.

2010
Category	June	May	April	March	February	January
Boat Insurance	$ 285	$ 285	$ 285	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304
Boat Maintenance	995	284	16	14	1,985	24
Charts	37	409	-	-	-	-
Communications	69	102	86	72	65	100
Customs	-	234	59	16	-	7
Dockage	395	322	76	134	452	42
Entertainment	-	98	-	81	50	91
Fishing Supplies	-	-	33	23	-	16
Fuel	-	1,158	41	222	9	435
Groceries	155	353	333	545	583	539
Laundry	6	6	6	2	28	-
Medical	339	351	372	339	416	339
Other/Lodging	-	-	-	-	48	-
Restaurants	-	236	67	37	155	56
Transportation	-	16	7	22	199	5
Water	-	-	-	-	-	-
Grand Total	$ 2,281	$ 3,854	$ 1,381	$ 1,811	$ 4,294	$ 1,958

2009
Category	December	November	October	September	August	July	June	May	April	March	February	January
Boat Insurance	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304
Boat Maintenance	91	765	195	581	239	133	583	1,499	-	65	-	1,260
Charts	-	45	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Communications	75	107	95	106	115	122	133	130	259	145	156	120
Customs	93	124	2	-	-	-	131	-	41	60	151	-
Dockage	117	104	432	515	-	425	490	302	-	2	5	28
Entertainment	50	8	23	-	-	84	25	49	3	231	2	103
Fishing Supplies	31	-	-	32	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Fuel	337	193	17	-	-	-	215	304	30	443	36	154
Groceries	534	206	786	181	-	69	420	705	67	1,173	196	143
Laundry	19	24	-	-	-	-	-	16	-	8	-	-
Medical	339	339	339	339	317	215	215	226	215	215	215	215
Other/Lodging	-	-	183	-	-	144	-	-	-	-	-	-
Restaurants	71	56	292	-	-	168	266	178	38	71	-	4
Transportation	49	15	141	-	-	120	16	165	-	283
Water											10	10
Grand Total	$ 2,110	$ 2,290	$ 2,809	$ 2,058	$ 975	$ 1,784	$ 2,798	$ 3,879	$ 957	$ 3,000	$ 1,075	$ 2,341

2008
Category	December	November	October	July	June	May	April	March	February	January
Boat Insurance	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 304	$ 285	$ 285
Boat Maintenance	73	1006	1218	160	1142	2622	1090	799	934	490
Charts	2	0	0	0	28	0	42	-	-	-
Communications	173	143	118	136	135	157	143	121	163	148
Customs	68	0	33	141	54	32	25	50	36	71
Dockage	60	168	1126	117	15	30	50	132	47	15
Entertainment	100	203	697	8	86	340	42	154	171	419
Fishing Supplies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	-
Fuel	18	497	5	41	41	39	437	342	22	340
Groceries	949	1213	897	161	516	484	1,236	381	417	964
Laundry	41	0	12	18	0	0	0	25	15	10
Medical	215	215	215	237	214	215	216	215	200	200
Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	-
Restaurants	146	22	102	67	90	283	59	291	193	271
Transportation	808	0	215	2262	44	4	66	122	-	102
Water	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	9	21
Grand Total	$ 2,957	$ 3,771	$ 4,942	$ 3,652	$ 2,670	$ 4,510	$ 3,709	$ 2,936	$ 2,492	$ 3,336

Grocery expenses vary from month to month since many provisions are purchased to cover multiple months.

Several expenses for August and September 2008 were paid in October 2008.

2007
Category	December	November	October	September	August	July	June	May	April	March	February	January
Boat Insurance	$285	$285	$735	$285	$285	$285	$285	$285	$285	$161	$161	$161
Boat Maintenance	491	680	2445	192	39	497	56	560	466	266	508	133
Charts	0	0	12	124	189	5	0	0	0	52	35	0
Communications	138	92	118	133	158	149	246	121	187	168	91	166
Customs	33	37	17	0	50	8	102	38	98	131	0	209
Dockage	319	0	854	823	488	632	57	112	461	154	335	56
Entertainment	12	89	316	0	0	171	206	48	23	70	159	97
Fishing Supplies	0	0	0	0	0	15	9	0	0	0	0	0
Fuel	0	8	86	0	0	21	206	504	246	250	181	658
Groceries	475	304	1520	129	0	57	305	398	757	629	680	463
Laundry	21	14	13	0	0	15	0	0	25	21	19	24
Medical	200	200	319	200	200	198	198	198	198	224	224	224
Other	35	62	0	0	0	0	0	0	69	0	0	0
Restaurants	197	231	495	0	0	222	242	192	183	232	258	224
Transportation	75	21	123	0	0	11	61	111	197	134	310	57
Water	0	0	0	0	0	10	0	44	43	22	0	26
Grand Total	$2,280	$2,023	$7,053	$1,886	$1,409	$2,295	$1,973	$2,611	$3,219	$2,514	$2,961	$2,498

2006
Category	Dec	Nov	Oct	July	June	May	April	March
Boat Insurance	$161	$161	$161	$161	$161	$161	$161	$161
Boat Maintenance	884	906	306	819	1659	330	26
Charts	14	194	72		163			154
Communications	79	79	79	79	84	156	120	80
Customs	300						300
Dockage	167	149	260	524	634	60	119	73
Entertainment	10	32			10	54	10
Fishing Supplies					16		82
Fuel	608				422	72	233	249
Groceries	318	1807			276	524	321	956
Laundry	35				22	40	21	16
Medical	224		2029	224	224	261	224	224
Other			18	149	90	7
Restaurants	177				205	344	214
Transportation	9				36			46
Water	30				0	12	44
Grand Total	$3,016	$3,328	$2,925	$1,956	$4,001	$2,020	$1,874	$1,958

We spent several months on land during the Fall of 2006, so we did not include expenses for those months.

Refit Expenses

In cruising literature, we have read in several different places that when you buy a cruising boat, you can expect to spend another 50% of the price on refit expenses. Because of this, we set aside funds for the refit.

In this list there are many items that could be classified as spares or normal maintenance expenses. It is somewhat arbitrary where things are classified.

Fortunately, we shopped for boats in the price range that would still allow funds for these items. We have lots of tools and spares on board although we can’t carry replacements for everything. If we hadn’t saved out the cash for these items, our spare lockers would be filled with 38 rolls of duct tape. Since we have replaced many items and have a good inventory of spare parts, we carry only 4 rolls of duct tape onboard.

Those experienced in boat projects will note the numerous trips to the marine stores in a single day and repeated trips for the same items on subsequent days. Is this common for you also?

Most of the refit expenses were incurred when we purchased the boat in late 2005 and in the summer of 2006 once we returned from the Bahamas.

Refit Expenses
Date	Description	Vendor	Cost
11/19/05	Dockage & electricity Nov 05	Melbourne Harbor Marina	$217
11/19/05	Hand bearing compass, bilge pump	West Marine	437
11/19/05	Flares, bell, fuel filters, spare water jug	West Marine	180
11/19/05	Engine cooling hose	West Marine	8
11/22/05	Spare impellers and filters	Marine Pro- Cocoa Beach	159
11/22/05	Mechanical Consultation	T. H. Marine	75
11/28/05	fuel filters, fuses, tide tables	West Marine	33
11/28/05	Diesel & gasoline fuel	Melbourne Harbor Marina	77
11/30/05	Overnight dockage	Palm Cove Marina- Jacksonville	66
12/03/05	December dockage	Isle of Hope Marina	635
12/06/05	Topclimber	Defender	322
12/07/05	Lifesling & hose connectors	Boat US	105
12/08/05	Fortress FX 55, shower sumps, chafe guards	Defender	717
12/08/05	Plumbing connectors, fuel filters	Boat US	127
12/11/05	Holding Tank plumbing	West Marine	253
12/13/05	Oil & filters	Autozone	31
12/13/05	Oil & filters	Napa	34
12/12/05	Holding tank pump, electric & plumbing	West Marine	187
12/14/05	Bruce anchor	Northstar Marine	230
12/27/05	Labelmaker tape & power supply	Office Max	39
12/28/05	Refrigerator, Reeds Almanac	West Marine	1,039
12/29/05	Holding tank guage	West Marine	102
12/30/05	PB Blaster for rudder packing gland	Advance Auto Parts	4
12/30/05	Sanitation hose	West Marine	28
12/30/05	Hand drill pump	West Marine	29
12/31/05	Clamps and elbow for holding tank	West Marine	15
12/31/05	PB Blaster for rudder packing gland	Pep Boys	15
01/02/06	Dish drainer, storage bins	Target	13
01/03/06	Electric and plumbing for holding tank	West Marine	7
01/05/06	Repack rudder stuffing box	Sail Harbor	299
01/06/06	Heater	Walmart	21
01/06/06	Hose barb and clamps for galley faucet	River Supply	8
01/06/06	January dockage	Isle of Hope Marina	635
01/08/06	Y-valve	West Marine	60
01/08/06	Sanitation hose and clamps	West Marine	29
01/09/06	Smoke alarm, CO alarm	Walmart	18
01/09/06	Sanitation hose, connectors & Y-valve	Boat US	97
01/09/06	PVC connector	Home Depot	3
01/09/06	Hose connector	West Marine	1
01/09/06	Hose & barb for holding tank vent	River Supply	4
01/10/06	Coupling for AC cooling line and clamps	Bill Moore supply	11
01/10/06	Plumbing labor	Dave Lane	350
01/09/06	Fenders	Defender	167
01/12/06	Freezer thermometer	Target	17
01/12/06	HP computer & printer	HP	1,752
01/17/06	Storage bins	Target	45
01/17/06	Plastic for hatch slides	TAP Plastics	102
02/02/06	EPIRB	EPIRB store	569
02/06/06	February dockage	Isle of Hope Marina	521
02/22/06	Stern light	West Marine	66
02/22/06	Zinc, spare diesel jug, fuel filters	West Marine	90
02/23/06	Graphic for boat name	Boat US	143
02/23/06	Name removal supplies	Home Depot	19
02/23/06	Stern light lens	Boat US	7
02/28/06	10 fuel filters, fasteners for lazarette	West Marine	164
02/28/06	Masthead light	Sailor's Solution	228
03/01/06	Saw blades	Home Depot	19
03/01/06	Drill bits	Lowe's	13
03/01/06	Anchor shackles, rigging tape	West Marine	13
03/03/05	Reading lights	Defender	53
03/03/06	saloon lights, jack lines	West Marine	240
03/04/06	Carpet & adhesive	Home Depot	72
03/03/06	Binoculars, cockpit shower parts	Boat US	312
03/05/06	Clock, batteries	Walmart	12
03/05/06	Spare hose	West Marine	12
03/05/06	Connectors	Boat US	5
03/06/06	Varnish & dinghy cleaner	River Supply	26
03/06/06	Wire inverter	Willy's Engineering	172
03/06/06	Life raft certification	River Services	843
03/07/06	Ham radio and tuner	Ham Radio Outlet	1,220
03/07/06	Ham frequency modification	Clairmont Skyland Radio	50
03/07/06	Printer cartridges	Staples	73
03/07/06	Doormat, storage bin, bottle	Target	12
03/09/06	Rigging tape, hacksaw blades, PVC for standoffs	Home Depot	39
03/09/06	Install tri-color light	Willy's Engineering	225
03/10/06	Light bulbs	Defender	6
03/10/06	Rigging tape, velcro, brass wool	Maycrest Hardware	13
03/10/06	Carpet binding	Custom Rug & Binding	180
03/15/06	Diesel & pumpout	Isle of Hope Marina	310
03/15/06	March dockage	Isle of Hope Marina	320
03/14/06	Radio installation supplies	Dockside Radio	108
03/21/06	Propane tank, lifeline, gas tank fuel line	West Marine	304
03/24/06	Windlass motor rebuild	Ace Auto Electric	102
03/25/06	Racor guage	TH Marine Services	115
03/22/06	Plastic computer case	Walmart	5
03/22/06	Fuel filters, dinghy tank connector	West Marine	47
03/22/06	Dehumidifier packets for computer case	West Marine	9
03/22/06	Watch	Walmart	56
03/24/06	Coax Connector	West Marine	8
03/25/06	Sheet Stopper	West Marine	117
03/28/06	Pactor III modem and cables for radio email	Dockside Radio	1,313
03/30/06	Wire and connectors for radio	West Marine	35
04/07/06	Screws and marine adhesive to replace hatch slides	New Plymouth Hdwre	25
03/28/06	FCC License - 1 time fee	FCC	210
07/11/06	Freezer Pump Strainer Bracket	West Marine	27
07/28/06	Air Conditioner Filter	West Marine	19
06/29/06	Air Conditioner Pump	123 Ponds	102
07/16/06	Dockage for Generator Replacement	FMB	14
07/01/06	Plumbing Supplies	Home Depot	11
07/01/06	Plumbing Supplies	Home Depot	8
07/02/06	Plumbing Supplies	West Marine	2
06/28/06	Plumbing Supplies, Swim Ladder, Fan	West Marine	496
07/04/06	Plumbing Supplies	West Marine	19
07/07/06	Plumbing Supplies	West Marine	14
06/30/06	Plumbing Supplies	Home Depot	36
07/04/06	Plumbing Supplies, Folding Seats	West Marine	328
07/05/06	Plumbing Supplies	Hamilton Marine	48
07/18/06	Generator Replacement	Gulf Coast Marine Electric	11,084
12/16/06	Cord for cockpit VHF	West Marine	123
07/24/07	Settee Rebuild	Fortress Woodworking	289
08/16/07	Bottom Paint Scrap	Peake's Yacht Services	600
10/03/07	Upholstery Fabric	Radica Trading	235
10/04/07	Settee Rebuild	Fortress Woodworking	310
10/05/07	Bottom Paint Scrap	Peake's Yacht Services	600
10/09/07	Rigging Replacement	Trinidad Rigging	3,261
12/17/07	Cushion Replacement	The Upholstery Shop	1,771
Total			$36,700

Cruising Expenses

Refit Expenses

Last updated: May 04, 2010.