The Cost Conscious Cruiser [Hardcover]

Lin Pardey (Author), Larry Pardey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 1998

The pleasures and adventures of cruising under sail are amazingly affordable, say Lin and Larry Pardey. But to keep your dream on budget, financially, emotionally, and timewise, you have to decide - are you a cruiser or a consumer? In this book, a logical successor to their Self Sufficient Sailor and Capable Cruiser, they discuss topics ranging from making your getaway plans to finding a truly affordable boat, keeping your outfitting costs and maintenance time in control, then learning to feel confident as you cruise farther ahead. Their chart of the gear considered necessary by many shoreside experts, compared to that carried by several cost-conscious cruisers, will give you a convenient checklist to gauge whether you are buying true necessities or overloading your budget and boat with high-tech items that can break down and steal your sense of confidence offshore. Chapters on getting the most from your cruising funds, the attributes of successful long-term voyag! ers, how to upgrade your boat using your own hands, plus answers to the ten questions most frequently asked by potential cruisers - all will help you prepare to explore under sail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A seductive invitation to the cruising life-style, in the main because these veteran voyagers have a unique way of reducing the issues and making the break seem almost easy. The Cost Conscious Cruiser is a powerful argument for simplicity and common sense. In 30 years of cruising, their precept really hasn't changed from the first - Go simple, go small, go now. It's appealing because it makes the wild things possible. -- --Dan Spurr, Editor, Practical Sailor



Cruisers who are handy, and willing to take off without frills should read this book. The Pardeys are almost zealous in their convictions and question the necessity of much of what cruisers today call 'standard gear.' Herein they share hundreds of their secrets. This book takes an offbeat look at how to strip down your thinking as well as your boat. --Denny Desoutter, founding editor, Practical Boat Owner

Lin and Larry have been containing cruising costs for the last 40 years. They question the necessity of much of what cruisers today call 'standard equipment'. Herein they share hundreds of their secrets. --Patience Wales, editor emeritus, Sail Magazine

From the Author

The decisions you make now will determine if you come back from your cruise feeling more personally empowered or more enslaved by today's consumer society.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Paradise Cay Publications; 3rd Printing edition (December 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964603659
• ISBN-13: 978-0964603653
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These people have done their homework, September 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cost Conscious Cruiser (Hardcover)

I don't have a small boat, in fact mine is 38 feet long. But I definitely agree with the majority of what I read in this book. Not only that, I enjoyed reading stuff like the pros and cons of tiller vs wheel even though I would never give up my wheel (first because it came with the boat, second because I don't like using tillers.) The Pardey's have hooked me and I plan to read more of their books. In fact I gave my sailing partner their Care and Feeding of the offshore Sailor book and she complained because I kept reading it. Good solid advise with a good bit of humor. Their ultra simple life style appeals to me, but I don't plan to duplicate it. On the other hand, they don't seem to expect people to - but they do remind potential voyagers that taking care of a cruising boat/home is not easy when you get away from stateside facilities. Good read, good info and logical presentation.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get out there..., June 20, 2000

By 

Ryan McNabb (Ooltewah, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cost Conscious Cruiser (Hardcover)

This and all the other Pardey books are the core curriculum for the particular cult of sailors that believe that the most important thing in sailing is to be small and self sufficient. After all, the whole point of sailing is to use the inexhaustible wind to drive you along. So why clutter up your already cramped boat with gadgets that (1) you don't need in the first place and (2) you can't repair when they let you down? Their advice that, if you can't fix it then it probably shouldn't be on the boat, is some of the sagest crusing wisdom around. And the fact that they have covered the globe in safety and comfort without an auxiliary engine is inspirational. For those who poo poo this, listen to the Pardey's spin you some tales of some of the hundreds of heartbroken sailors they have seen, up to their elbows in a diesel engine, missing out on paradise because of engine failure. Too often these unfortunates can't sail their boat well enough to do without the engine (in other words they can't get it out of the marina) and therefore are stuck in a hell of their own making. And it isn't just engines: it's radios, electronic systems, electric anchor windlasses, roller furling, refrigerators, all the doodads we are told we can't sail without. Nonsense. The Pardey's will innoculate you against such tragedy.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once you read this you will question every add you read, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cost Conscious Cruiser (Hardcover)

I guess you could call these folks the only consumer advocates in todays sailing world. But this book is not just about saving cash. I like the way Lin and Larry weave seamanship into every aspect of getting ready for a cruise. Good stuff on finding the window so you can get out and try your wings. I've done a bit of offshore cruising and can say they know their stuff, and remind people that it is all based on logic. No yuppie sailing here, no he-man stuff either. Highly recommended before you read books by people who went out for a three year one around the world, then proport to be experts. The Pardeys credentials shine.