I'm Back!

Hello everyone!

Sorry for having been rather sporadic in my posting schedule, or rather completely failing to post to the blog entirely during the month of August.

I’ve had some time to grieve over Sammy and I am now able to get back to doing what I enjoy and find joy in doing what I love.

The blog posts will once again resume their usual daily posting.

To be completely upfront with the technicalities of the blog. When I move between countries and time zones, I am not entirely certain that my blogs come out at the right time. I aim for having them publish at 9am EST, but that might be off by an hour or a few because I may not have the proper time entered into the scheduling program.

See, it was easy to maintain this schedule when I lived in the same state and time zone as the blog. I would write on my computer and schedule it to publish at 9am. Done! Now, we are back and forth between Maryland and Portugal and the time difference is about 5 hours. Throw in Daylight Savings Time and I am totally confused…

So, if the post shows up early or late, just know that I am intending for it to publish at 9am EST.

When Will It End?

To start off, yes, our sailing trip will come to an end in the future.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

When I only lived aboard and dreamed of a cruising life, I was always perplexed by “retired cruisers”. I couldn’t fathom why someone would “Stop Sailing” and move onto land somewhere. I was baffled by this thought and knew that I would never leave this boat.

That was 7 years ago and my thoughts have changed. When we were just starting our cruising life (after living in a marina for 5 years and cruising for only 6 months), the thought just struck me. We were offshore beyond the sight of land, several miles (but looking back, still pretty close to the coast) off the coast of Virginia when I decided that upon our return to the United States, we would buy a house and live on land.

I wasn’t thinking about where I wanted to live or what I wanted to do in the future; it just came to me out of the blue out in the deep blue. I thought this was madness and dwelled on this thought for several days before even mentioning a word of it to my wife, Maddie. She always wanted to live on land and if I mentioned it, there would be no turning back. The fear of leaving the boat made me remain quiet about this thought for several weeks after I first came to this realization.

Then one day, I told Maddie. At first, she thought I was injured or ill; then she thought I was joking! I had to reassure her that this was not a “spur of the moment” thought and that I have actually contemplated this for a long time now. Needless to say, she was very happy!

We didn’t turn around early to get a house, instead we carried on down the East Coast of the United States, down to the Bahamas, back up to Bermuda, across to the Azores, and now onto Portugal. We still have to sail to Greece, then back to the Caribbean, and then back up to Maryland. Needless to say, when we get back, we will have sailed further than most “wishful” cruisers dream about!

So, in short, when we get back, we plan to save up and buy a house. We will not sell Wisdom, and we will not give up on sailing. Sailing is such a huge part of our lives and when we get back, Wisdom will be the longest place I have ever lived! She is so much more than just a boat, she is our home and we can’t just forget about her!

Sailing will become something that we do less often, as we will be working during the week and sailing on the weekends; but it will still be a major part of our lives and not something forgotten as we begin our next adventure: RV road trip through the National Parks in the United States.

It seems that most cruisers we meet are retired. After a lifetime of working and saving up to cruise in retirement, this is their last hoo-rah! We are very young, and if we spent a lifetime cruising, we would run out of waves to sail over! We started cruising when I was 31 and Maddie was 26. Now we are 33 and 28, and when we get back, I will be around my late 30s and Maddie in her early 30s. At that point, we will still have many years left for future adventures!

The journey is still continuing strong, and when this voyage reaches its end the adventure still will have not!

BOAT LOANS AND FINANCING OPTIONS

Buying a boat is a dream for many water-lovers, whether for sport or pleasure. However, a boat can be a significant purchase that is not easily covered with cash on hand. The purchase price range of a new motor boat is between $20,000 and several hundred thousand dollars, while a pontoon boat averages around $35,000. 

For most boat enthusiasts, this is not something they can pay for out of pocket. That’s where boat financing and boat loans come in to lend a helping hand.

Types of Boat Loans

Boat loans are specifically designed to cover the cost of a new or used boat for a qualified borrower. Some lenders offer loans for boats, with special terms and rates, while others do not offer this type of financing, even if the borrower is qualified. 

Like other types of financing, boat loans may be available with a wide range of interest rates, repayment terms, down payment requirements, and other up-front or built-in costs. It is necessary to understand your options before purchasing a boat.

Types of boat loans may include the following:

• Fixed interest rate boat loans with a set interest rate and repayment amount over the life of the loan

• Variable interest rate boat loans with a fluctuating interest rate and fluctuating payment over the life of the loan

• Balloon payment boat loans with a smaller monthly payment due for the majority of the loan term and then a large, lump sum payment at the end

• Personal loans for boat purchases that do not require the boat to be used as collateral to back the loan

• Home equity that uses a borrower’s personal residence as collateral instead of the boat itself, with either variable or fixed interest rates

In addition to these traditional options for financing a new or used boat purchase, there may be specialized boat loans that combine one or more of the features listed above for qualified borrowers.

Any type of boat may be financed, so long as the prospective boat owner qualifies for the new loan. Lenders may have specific requirements for minimum and maximum loan amounts for boat purchases, as well as specific terms for how long repayment can extend. However, just about any boat purchase, including speedboats, yachts, pontoon boats, and water sport vehicles, can be financed. 

Borrowers should note that boat loan lenders may differentiate between used boats and new boats, similar to how auto loans are priced. Because used boats represent more of a risk, loan terms may include a higher interest rate, a shorter repayment term, or a combination of the two. Typically, new boat purchases have the best available loan terms.

See the full article here: Boat Loans and Financing Options

BOAT LOAN CALCULATOR: ESTIMATE YOUR PAYMENTS

Financing a boat is a big decision. If you’ve used the boat payment calculator and have some more questions, here are a few things worth considering.

What Factors Affect My Rate?

Our boat payment calculator takes into account the interest rate, loan amount, and loan term you provide to calculate your estimated monthly cost. However, the rate and term you are offered will ultimately be determined based on your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and other financial factors. You should obtain a quote from several boat loan lenders to get an idea of the loan rates you’re eligible for.

What Credit Score Do I Need to Get a Boat Loan?

Boat loans may be available to borrowers with credit scores as low as 500 to 550 but you will pay a higher interest rate. Boat loans with the most affordable terms usually go to borrowers with applicants who have good to excellent credit—generally, scores of around 690 or higher.

How Long Will My Repayment Term Be?

Boat loan terms vary by lender and are determined by the amount you borrow, your desired monthly payment, and your creditworthiness. It is possible to finance costly boats with loans that are repaid over terms as long as 20 years. However, with interest rates being equal, the longer your loan term, the more interest you’ll pay and the higher your total costs will be.

Is a Boat Loan Similar to a Mortgage?

If you are financing a very large boat that could double as a residence, such as a yacht, local laws may mandate your boat is registered with the Coast Guard or with other federal marine authorities. In these cases, a formal boat mortgage may be required.

However, most people using our boat loan calculator won’t need this type of loan. Instead, most borrowers will take out an installment loan. While mortgages are also a type of installment loan, boat loans require much less paperwork and are treated more like a standard personal loan or auto loan.

Does Your Boat Loan Calculator Pre-Approve Me for a Loan?

Our boat financing calculator is for informational purposes only, so entering your desired loan information won’t pre-approve you for a loan. However, you can either get pre-approved or submit a full application to the lenders shown above after entering a few additional pieces of info.

How Long Will It Take to Get My Loan?

The length of time it takes to get approved for a boat loan will vary by lender. Some lenders provide decisions within minutes and funding within a few business days. But it is common to wait for two to four days for a decision, and it can take an additional week or longer to get your funds after approval, depending on the lender.

Calculate your boat loan payments here: Boat Loan Calculator

Copper Sink on a Boat

When you think of a boats head, the sink probably doesn’t stand out as a key accent piece. That’s because they are usually made out of some cheap plastic or something that is hidden out of the way where it won’t be noticed. Popular materials for boat sinks are plastic or stainless steel; not because these are exceptionally stunning materials, but simply because they last a long time in the harsh marine environment.

When we refit our head, we decided to take our sink in a different direction:

Copper sink! Pretty!! But will it last? Copper is rarely used on a boat in favor of bronze because copper will corrode away in no time flat! Copper, when exposed to the marine environment will turn into green dust and blow away with the wind. Putting it in a marine head where it is constantly exposed to shower water, waves that come through the hatch, and the dampness of a shower in high latitudes sounds like a death sentence.

We chose to rise to this challenge and see if it could be done! Why? Because copper sinks are pretty! I know that is a dumb reason to try something out, but being a vessel sink, we could always remove it if it died on us and replace it with anything else! This meant that if the test was a failure, we would simply have to buy a new sink; but if the test was a success, we would have a beautiful accent piece in our head!

Challenge accepted! We purchased this sink on Amazon and it arrived ridiculously quickly. We the got it installed in the new head and everything was ready to roll. Let the test begin; slowly.

The sink has now lived in the boat for 5 months and is still looking fine. We have yet to develop any signs of corrosion in the form of green powder, even though we have taken many a wave over the deck with the hatch in the head open. Salt water has been pouring over the copper sink and it has managed not to tarnish!

How? Well, to call this a copper sink would be the same as calling a house “wooden”. The sink is made of copper, but the outer surface is not copper. The outer surface is covered with coatings that isolate the copper from the world around it. This means that if moist air were to rest on the outside of the sink, nothing would happen.

Naturally, over time, these coatings will wear down and the sink will start to pour out green dust of decay, but that is only if we do absolutely nothing to the sink! Metal polish with protective waxes in them will help keep the copper bright while also protecting it from the harsh marine environment.

Our sink has been in use for a while so far and is working very nicely, regret is the last feeling in my heart when I give someone a tour of the boat and show them the head!