A25 as a liveaboard?

[Sunsetrider]

Sounds unlikely, I know. Just a thought - I am looking to retire in the next year or 2 but aside from a bit of capital - probably less than $50K or thereabouts depending on the housing market - I will need to rely on an income of about $1600 CDN monthly (pre tax). I have been looking into such places as Panama highlands but it just struck me - browsing the liveaboard threads on various boating forums - that one of my few assets is an Albin 25 in good shape with the MD17C that just keeps on ticking.

Since it seems I will have to strike out on my own as a single I am ruminating about how far south I could ultimately get in this little boat. I would love to tie up on the coast of central America and eke out my final years with minimal overhead and what would then become a decent income level.

Is this thought just completely insane?

[DesertAlbin736]

I suppose it could be done. Especially if you can do it "on the hook" as opposed to living full time docked in a marina. The only catch with marinas is that a)many restrict liveaboards to minimum boat length of 30 or 35 feet, b)impose liveaboard surcharges of $250, $350 or more per month, which in many cases raises raises your dockage up to $600+ per month. Also full timers in the US can get assessed property taxes on their boat at the state level. And then there's the currency exchange rate, with $CN has taken a real beating vs $US lately. That's the case in U.S. West coast ports like San Diego but going done to Central America might be different.

As far as voyaging all the way down the coast in a 25 footer, that's a horse of a different color, and may border on insanity, as there are long lonely stretches of rocky shores along the Oregon and California coasts.

[Sunsetrider]

I am on the east coast so my route as far as Florida would be Hudson River to ICW. I think I might be safe enough to that point. I have no wish to hunker down stateside though. Maybe Key West - Cuba - over to Yucatan then crawl down the coast to Belize. Settle there for a while before thinking about going further south? After all, this boat is supposed to be a coastal cruiser and they ply their way up and down the Baltic coast with wild abandon.

[tego]

Sunset, There're lots of places to drop the hook going down the East coast of the US. You can do it easily with many refueling points and you're protected well all the way down. A 25 would be a great way to do it inexpensively. There're lots of expats (Canadian and US) living in Central America. I was in Costa Rica a few years ago, and $1100 a month would give you a house (Tico style) with a cook/housekeeper. Wherever you go, stay away from the " Gringo gated communities " and tourist areas. Life was much more enjoyable in the local communities. Ben

[Sunsetrider]

Thanks Ben - Central America holds great appeal for the reasons you mention. My quandary: Can I get this boat across to Cent Amer? Or do I leave it in Ontario, rent a small place in Panama and come back to live aboard here in the summer? I will keep asking the question until I get the answer I want to hear!

[Jay Knoll]

All most anything is possible, and the most significant variable is YOU. The boat is what it is,(or will be once you're finished equipping it to meet your needs) -- solar panels/refrigeration/etc.

Aside from the financial considerations (don't forget that medical expenses are potentially large the older one becomes) the real question is can you adapt to a small space? Will it provide the platform to give you an interesting life?

Have you tried living on your boat for an extended period in Canada? Can you do a "test run" of how your life would be (other than the weather) in your anticipated cruising mode? If you're planning on living on the hook have you done it? Have you figured out how you'll get water/dispose of waste/get food/ etc? How are your mechanical skills, can you maintain the boat yourself? What is the boat's present mechanical condition -- you'll want to do as much preventative maintenance as possible before you leave.

Just a few thoughts, best of luck in planning the next adventure!

Jay

[Mark Deeser]

Sunsetrider, sounds like a true adventure. Think it through, research, make a plan. As new information comes in revise. A major trip is a number of small steps taken one after the next. When problems come up deal with them one at a time. My wife an I lived in an over the road truck for 15 years, your space will be 3 times what we had. We hope this Spring to be able to move on our Albin 27 FC for the purpose of travel and general fun. I believe it to be true that you will at the end of your days regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did. Never let anyone talk your out of your dreams, use good information they can provide and move ahead. Would love to meet you down South and we can discuss the trip. Thanks, Mark.

[DesertAlbin736]

Sunsetrider writes: I am on the east coast so my route as far as Florida would be Hudson River to ICW. I think I might be safe enough to that point. I have no wish to hunker down stateside though. Maybe Key West - Cuba - over to Yucatan then crawl down the coast to Belize. Settle there for a while before thinking about going further south? After all, this boat is supposed to be a coastal cruiser and they ply their way up and down the Baltic coast with wild abandon.

On our East Coast adventure this summer (in which we trailered La Dolce Vita a grand total of 5,730 road miles from Phoenix, Arizona to the Finger Lakes & Erie Canal in NY, then on to Rhode Island & Chesapeake Bay and back), we encountered this Albin 25 named "Flika" at Mid Lakes marina off the Erie Canal in Macedon NY. We also stopped by Sound Marine Diesel in Plainville, CT and saw two A25's up on the hard. Those are the only Albin 25s we spotted while back East.

[doughat]

I would say it's definitely a viable option to bring your boat down to Central America, at least as far as Guatemala and Honduras. Going further south along the Honduras/Nicaragua coast toward Panama would be more difficult and dangerous. I came down to this area 10 years ago on my sailboat, which I recently sold, and currently live aboard my Albin 28TE. I usually spend part of the year (hurricane season) in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala area, and cruise much of the year in Belize and the bay islands of Honduras. My Albin was brought down by the previous owner by the route you suggested. For an idea of some prices: Currently marinas are charging ~US$6/ft, although some have a minimum of $200/month. Haulouts (there are 3 yards here in the Rio) are $9/ft. Labor is cheaper than North America, expecially for cleaning/polishing. There are quite a few qualified diesel mechanics, and fiberglass workers are abundant. Prices for materials are usually more expensive, due to shipping and import duties. Food, especially fresh produce year round, is much cheaper, although restaurant prices in tourist areas are comparable to NA. But, you can find local diners that serve a $2 lunch special. There are lots of expats who have settled here in the Rio Dulce, some living on their boats, and some having moved ashore.

Belize is quite a bit more expensive, but is still a great place to hang out on the hook for a few months. Each country has different policies on cruising fees and length of stay, so you learn to plan your movement between countries accordingly. Check out the online forums for more info (www.riodulcechisme.com for here in Guatemala), also facebook pages (Rio Dulce Net, e.g.) and also lots of info on the cruising forums online. There's also a good cruising guide for Belize, Mexico (Yucatan), and Guatemala by Freya Rauscher.

[JT48348]

I will play devils advocate. I think you're asking two questions, not one. Can you live aboard an Albin 25? and should you take a Albin 25 to Central/South America to live aboard?

I lived aboard a 30ft sailboat for almost a year (105 sqr feet), and a 45ft house boat (220 sqr ft) for four and half years ending in 2013. I learned that living in that small of space, season after season, requires some amenities, planning, a definite lifestyle change, and a support system provided by a good marina. Your amenity requirements will be your own preferences and only you can decide whats important based on your experience. You will have a very good idea whats important inside of 30days, in each season, that applies to where you will live aboard. You can easily test this out in advance and know what to expect or what you need. The notion that you can live on the hook without a marina for an extended time in a stock Albin 25 is not realistic IMO.

Now you could live aboard a Albin 25 for and extended time, but why would you want to? Its not designed for that at all. Without significant modification, you don't have the tankage or the electrical to support it.

If you want to live as an expat in Central South America, why take the boat 5,000-10,000 miles?

You need two boats. One to get you there and one to live on when you're there. Or a plane ticket and a pocket full of money. Albin 25s are 30-40 years old, and regardless of whether the engine runs like a top, the boat is still old. Lots of things to go wrong through consistent daily use. You dont take a 30-40 year old motorcycle and ride around the world. You could, but why? Too many things to go wrong, too much work. Its romantic and adventurous, and way cool, but impractical and foolish. Dont waste your time or money.

You would be better off selling the Albin27, pocketing the money, and then traveling south where you would buy a boat to live on already on location. There, you dont need a boat capable of going thousands of miles. You need a boat thats cheap and has the amenities you need on location.

Talk to some people who have actually done any part of the scheme you are thinking about. Truly get into the weeds on the details, and you will see that it is an exciting prospect--but utterly foolish.

[Sunsetrider]

Doughat - lots of good leads and basic info, thanks a lot.

JT - a lot of what you say makes sense, especially the long-term liveaboard stuff. The journey south itself is a big-time adventure for one who has never done such a voyage. And that trip will help to answer a lot of the questions you raise. Ultimately moving onshore to the right location is also an appealing in its own right. I have read quite a few tales here and elsewhere of travel up and down the eastern seaboard featuring the Albin 25.

[NickScheuer]

Seeing as how the Albin-25 has at least as much interior capacity as a 28ft cruising sailboat, which is enough for a lot of people to 'livaboard", and you have that great Aft Cabin for a "closet", I'd say go for it. I certainly may at some point, at least for awhile, like long enough to do the Great Circle, or spend a season in Nova Scotia.

[NickScheuer]

Heck, I might even spend TWO seasons in Nova Scotia and PEI, and find a place out there to leave the DuNORD on her trailer for the intervening Winter. I winter in N Illinois would be enough for me to forget "how cramped the boat was last summer", eh?

[JT48348]

Seeing as how the Albin-25 has at least as much interior capacity as a 28ft cruising sailboat, which is enough for a lot of people to 'livaboard"

A lot of people?

Simple test. Go to your local, biggest and bestest marina, or even the local dumpy marina. Ask around for the folks living on a 28ft boat. Or even 30ft or less. There's not a lot of people doing this. It's not easy, and often not pleasant. There might be a lot of live aboards but they ain't on 28-30ft boats. And there's a reason for that.

[NickScheuer]

I was thinking of the Pardys in their moderate-size gaff-cutter, the TALESIN. When I say "a lot" I'm talking about cruisers in general, World-wide, not "a lot" in any particular marina. The marinas near me on Lk Michigan are mostly full of boats that never go anywhere, even on weekends.