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From: Mike D (no email)
Date: Fri Oct 05 2007 - 19:10:16 EDT
Lets be clear
I have no intention or desire to have a full blown floating machine shop but I would like a small welder, gen set, and compressor aboard along with the thousand pounds or so of hand and power tools that I own,
I have been working 60 to 70 hours a week for years and have no intention to have such a work load once we take off but if someone has a no start they cant figure out, a dead fridge, need a valve job or so on I would love to make a buck or bottle of booze from the deal, My career is behind me and I intend to keep it that way.
If we get to broke and feel the need for a full time job we will just hightail it back to the States and get to work for a while.
By the way, I would love to have a steel boat and have looked at many and they all have two things in common, Either built like crap or out of our price range. I've yet to find one that strikes a balance between the two.
The problem as I see it is finding a boat with storage for large items amid-ships where the weight needs to be. Large lazerettes and chain lockers are everywhere but the bulge and under settee type storage in always full or tankage as it should be in most cases. The closest we have found are the walkover center cockpit types that have a full beam engine room like the Gulfstar Sailmaster but the rest of the layout is not to the wife's liking............therefore we shop on and hope for a sale of the old boat.
Mike D. S/V Halcyon
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff
To:
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 6:02 AM
Subject: [world-cruising] Re: New "world Cruiser" and some questions
Mike,
You're thinking right. Get a bigger boat to fit the tools, if
necessary. A floating engine shop is the way to go. I like the
idea of a steel boat with an aft cabin....lots more boat for a lot
less $$ invested. Some more maintenance, yes, but you can make it
happen, it sounds like.
I would say that a 36 foot boat with some capacity to make an
engine room/workshop would be perfect for you.
I lack mechanical skills, and we will suffer dollar losses
because of it. However, wife and I do have an ace up the sleeve: We
are both nurse practitioners. Our plan is intermittent work back in
the USA. We can start and stop high paying jobs anytime we
want "back home", but our services are worth MUCH MUCH less other
places in the world. If we can get to any US port city (Boston to
Baltimore, Washington to Miami, Seattle to San Diego, Hawaii) we can
get a transient slip in a marina and have a job, over the phone,
before breakfast. The job may be a hospital RN job, which we HATE,
and not an NP job using our education. The job may not be in our
specialty (occupational health for me, dermatology for wife), but it
will let us work for 3 to 6 months and quickly fill up the cruising
kitty again, keep health insurance, and contribute to 401K each
year.
If a couple has a 4 year horizon, forget Spanish lessons as a
priority. Become a diesel mechanic, refrigeration technician, or a
registered nurse.
Jeff, NP, Tampa
Elise, NP, Tampa
=============================================================
Greetings
The more I read this thread the more encouraged I
become about our own plan as we too intend to try to work
a bit as we go.
I feel good about this because I happen to be the
diesel mechanic, machinist,welder,fabricator of which you
all speak, AND I happen to have a mobile A/C and
refrigeration certification as well, with heat exchanger
repair experience on top of that.
Sounds like the biggest problem I have now is finding
the right boat to haul all my tools.. We now have a 30
foot cutter that looks much like a West Sail but are
shopping for a larger boat.
We are so determined to go in 08 that we have decided
to just go with the 30 ft boat if we have to, if it
doesn't sell, but I don't know what to do with my
stuff. I cant imagine parting with so much as one wrench as
this seems to be the ticket to success.
Mike D. S/V Halcyon
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