Cost of Cruising Cats

 

How much to keep the Captain on board in the style to which he aspires?

Lin Pardey says in Cost Conscious Cruiser that ‘a couple setting out should project a yearly cruising budget of about 1/3 of one person’s income’. Can I therefore estimate the Captain’s sea-based costs to be 1/3 of what he costs on land?

I’m thinking ‘no’. 

But his land costs are not that bad. He is a young and healthy cat.

Looking at the owner comments over at Sailnet and Cruisers Forum, best wisdom mentions the following cost categories: food, water, kitty litter and tray, vet fees, safety equipment*, and customs/import permit/vaccination fees for country entry requirements. 

Rough Back of the Envelope Calculation 

Food 
I don’t foresee a happy future if I were to cut back on Captain Cat’s food supply. Ditto the water and kitty litter. (You got that right, mate.)

But there should be many opportunities to fish in the great watery supermarkets of the sea when living aboard. That should provide some savings. (Ahhh, I can taste the mahi mahi now… makes my tail curl just thinking of it. And if you stay in my good books, I may even share).

Safety

Cat safety equipment items* are a one-off investment and not too pricey. 

• harness $7 (petco.com), £7 (petplanet.co.uk)
• hanging 5-step rope ladder $35 (West Marine), £20 (Force 4)
• boat hook $20 (West Marine), £21 (Force 4)
• scoop net $20 (doheny.com), £9 (fishing4fun.co.uk) + handle
• pet first aid kit 
• netting along life lines  
• snap-on net cover for the companionway

Fun and Grooming

• toys
• catnip
• carpet shampoo
• nail clippers

Vet and Entry fees

Costs here of course depend entirely on the country/ies visited and how many visited. From the info at noonsite.com on importing pets into countries, it looks like the required rabies shots, other vaccines, import checks and permits will eventually add up…

Conclusion

The one-off cat safety equipment amounts are pretty nominal – and most of the equipment is needed for humans too. Any gains on food savings, however, will probably be way offset by customs/cat import/vaccination entry fees.

Overall, I predict a slight increase for the on-the-water cat budget. But probably worth it. (Probably?? You bet yer deck boots it’s gonna be worth it!)

Are there any other significant costs of keeping a feline safe and happy on board? (Yeah. You forgot the cost of my water toys: sea kayak, fishing tackle, pool noodles…) 

   

Guest post by

–The Can Opener

(supervised by Captain Cat)

* The forums mention that cats do not take well to lifejackets. Something about their balance being thrown off when their shoulders are covered and they get unsteady/woozy. We’ll give the jackets a shot anyway, just to be sure. (Oh no we won’t.) 

Foul Weather Gear – So How Much Does Safety Cost?

 
 
 
 
 

Part 2 (of 2) of Foul Weather Gear     


So how much does it cost?

I’m assuming that the deepest markets have the most competitive prices and start from there. So, this short survey samples prices on both sides of the pond, the UK and the US.

Since I’m suiting and booting the Can Opener up with ocean-going assumptions, this is where I’m looking the hardest. But I’ll take a fly by the whole spectrum for good form.

The prices quoted below are for the lowest price I could find at the brand site or at the website of major chandleries. Of course prices change all the time and brilliant seasonal sales timing and scouring of outlet malls can totally change the price value landscape here.

Since sales tax varies by state, sales taxes/VAT not included.

This is just a baseline price trawl for rough budget estimating purposes.

Here we go…

Some Ballpark Price Checks in the USA

Ocean Sailing

Helly Hansen (at redskyatnight.com and shop.hellyhansen.com/US)

• Ocean Racing Jacket $700 (£443)
• Ocean Racing Bib Pants $400 (£253)
• Skagen Offshore Jacket $280 (£177), 20% Off, (Regularly: $350.00)
• Offshore Bib Pants $200 (£127), 20% Off, (Regularly: $250.00)

Musto (at pineapplesails.com)

• HPX GORE-TEX® Ocean Jacket $899 (£569)
• HPX GORE-TEX Trousers $599 (£379)
• MPX GORE-TEX Offshore Jacket $599 (£379)
• MPX GORE-TEX Trousers $399 (£253)

Henry Lloyd (at redskyatnight.com and brand site)

• Ocean Explorer Suit $598 (£378)
• Ocean Explorer Hi-Fit Trouser $475 (£301)
• Shockwave Offshore Jacket $425 (£269)
• Shockwave Hi Fit Trousers $395 (£250)

Gill (at brand site)

• Ocean Racer Jacket $649 (£411)
• Ocean Racer Trouser $449 (£284)
• OS1 Jacket $489 (£310)
• OS1 Trouser $359 (£227)

Slam (at brand site)

• Ocean Waves Foul Weather Jacket $399 (£253) (Regularly: $599.95)
• Ocean Waves SB Trouser $350 (£222) (Regularly: $499.00)
• Force 3 Foul Weather Jacket $280 (£177)
• SLAM Force 3 Long Johns (Trouser) $240 (£152)

Commercial Fisher Gear

Grundens (at go2marine)

• Petrus HD 44 Hooded Jacket, Neoprene Cuff $96.29 (£61)
• Petrus 82 Hooded Jacket $77.04 (£49)
• Clipper 116 Bib Pants, Rain Gear, Waterproof Trousers $70.00 (£44)

Guy Cotton (at tackledirect)

• X-Trapper Jacket $124.99 (£79)
• X-Trapper Bib Trousers $145.99 (£92)
• CBD Bib Trouser With Fly $115.99 (£73)

North 66 (at brand site)

In the US, they seem to focus on skiing and climbing clothes. Do they carry sea-going wear in the US? Their brand site does not include it.

Some Ballpark Price Checks in the UK

Ocean Sailing

Helly Hansen (at sailingclothingstore.co.uk)

• Ocean Racing Jacket £400 ($631)
• Ocean Racing Bib Trouser £280 ($442)
• Skagen Offshore Jacket £240 ($379) 20% Off, (Regularly: £300.00)
• Offshore Bib Trouser £160 ($253)  20% Off, (Regularly: £200.00)

Musto (at sailingclothingstore.co.uk)

• HPX GORE-TEX® Ocean Jacket £449.96 ($709)
• HPX GORE-TEX Trousers £324.96 ($513)
• MPX GORE-TEX Offshore Jacket £316.62 ($500)
• MPX GORE-TEX Trousers £166.63 ($263)

Henry Lloyd (at sailingclothingstore.co.uk)

• Ocean Explorer Suit £483.25 ($763)
• Ocean Explorer Hi-Fit Trouser £324.96 ($513)
• Shockwave Offshore Jacket £224.96 ($355)
• Shockwave Hi Fit Trousers £195.79 ($309)

Gill (at brand site)

• Ocean Racer Jacket £354.96 ($560)
• Ocean Racer Trouser £245.79 ($388)
• OS1 Jacket £283.29 ($447)
• OS1 Trouser £199.96 ($316)

Slam (at brand site)

They have a UK website, but seem to be still recruiting shops to carry their stock. Something to watch for the future.

Commercial Fisher Gear

Grundens

I had a hard time finding a distributor in the UK for this while looking online. Scanning some commercial fishermen’s forums online, it seems I am not alone on this.

Guy Cotton (at Advanced Netting UK):

• X Trapper Jacket £54.16 ($86)
• X-Trapper Bib & Brace Trousers £57.86 ($91)
• Heavy Duty Bib & Brace Trousers £55.31 ($87)

North 66 (at brand site)

• Baldur Dual Coloured Seaman’s Jacket 115 € (£100 / $1))
• Baldur Dual Coloured Bib and Brace 115 € (£100 / $159)
• Odin Seaman’s Jacket with hood 68 € (£59 / $94)
• Odin Seaman’s Bib and Brace Narrow legs 62 € (£54 / $86)

Observed

• Ocean gear in this sample is priced at 125% ~ 200+% higher than the offshore gear on both sides of the pond.
• Commercial fisher foul weather gear is a fraction of the cost of ‘sailing’ gear as expected.

UK/USA price comparison

• UK gear is cheaper almost every time in this sample. I guess this makes sense – Musto, Henry Lloyd and Gil are UK companies (Helly Hansen is from Norway), so US stores would bear the costs of export taxes, shipping etc.
• There weren’t too many sales in the online stores, so any advantage in buying in the UK could potentially be wiped out by a really good sale or visit to a US outlet mall – if you can find them/get there.
• There are sales in the UK too and of course, there’s always Bicester Village.

Doesn’t the US have good sailing gear companies too?

• Yes. But Gul focuses on the dinghy racing market.
• Harken is almost exclusively a hardware manufacturer.
• Slam is worth taking a look at. Their ocean gear is about 40% less than Gill and 55% less than Musto. Does this represent good value or lighter weight/cheaper gear construction? Haven’t seen their products in person, but I’m gonna make a point of seeking them out soon.

Where did you buy your foulies? Would you buy them there again? Any recommendations for good price/value brands?

   

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)


Safety Gear

Next: Life Jackets – Safety Gear Upgrades

Previously: Foul Weather Gear is Safety Gear

Foul Weather Gear is Safety Gear

 
 
 

Part 1 (of 2) of Foul Weather Gear


Some things you just can’t cut corners on. Safety gear is one of them. You can never be too prepared. So time to upgrade my First Mate’s safety equipment…

Foul weather gear is safety gear

I want the Can Opener to have the best foul weather gear to protect him – gear that will keep him warm, dry, moving freely and highly visible.

Staying warm and dry in driving rain/storm/gale conditions means he can continue to act and make decisions in peak form – which is the form I need him to have when the going gets tough. Actually, top form is how I like to keep him all the time. (If you want to keep me so warm and dry, mon Capitaine, how come I’m the one who has to run out in the rain to bring in your cape and sceptre that you forgot out on the marina lawn?)

Colour for safety

And in the unlikely (we fervently hope) event that the Can Opener is ‘crew overboard’ one day, I want him as warm, mobile, and as visible as possible. I want to give potential rescuers the best chance to find him ASAP, and who can argue with that? Here’s a highly motivating look at survival rates in various temperatures of water. Time is of the essence.

So what’s a good colour?

Obviously not-so-great choices would be white (blends in with wave whitecaps) and black, green, blue (too dark against the waves).

I have read that yellow might be a shark attractor. If there is the remotest chance of this being true, we are staying faaaaaar away from yellow. Nothing against sharks of course. I’m sure they’re very nice, er, individuals. Just don’t want to test the theory.

Which leaves us with red and orange as the only remaining easy-to-spot colours.

Red for the jacket (with loads of reflective tape) for visibility. Navy/black for the pants (hides dirt).

How much does it cost?

Good offshore foul weather gear does not come cheap, it can cost a bike.

Best to figure out realistically what your usage needs are – what kind of sailing will you be doing? Offshore? Costal cruising? Daysailing?

If you’re looking at daysailing only, then good news (pocket-wise) – you might decide you can get away with a lighter option. Check out places where commercial fishermen shop, like Bass Pro in the US or Advanced Netting in the UK to avoid the yachtie ‘premium’. Grundens, for example, seems to be a kind of PVC covered cotton foul weather gear that gets good reviews in the US. In the UK, consider Guy Cotton or North 66.

If you’re aiming for coastal cruising or ocean coastal, best to prepare with foul weather safety gear for the worst possible conditions you might meet – and that means ocean gear. Cuz you never know, the ocean might come to you when you least expect it.

Since the Can Opener and I’ll be doing ocean crossings, we’re gonna stick with the tried and true ocean gear. Which means checking out the usual suspects, brands like Musto, Henry Lloyd, Helly Hansen, West Marine and Gill.

Price Shopping

I’ll be price shopping on both sides of the pond – and will work out how to actually pick up the stuff later. (How did anyone survive before the internet?? Or before good friends flew back and forth regularly with extra packing space in their bags?)

Next post on foul weather gear: price comparisons – by purpose and by region.

What kind of foulies do you have? How are they holding up? Would you buy them again?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Next: Foul Weather Gear – So How Much Does Safety Cost?