The simple answer is: as much work as you want it to be.
When we started planning our cruising life, we wanted to enjoy the destinations as much as possible. This meant that when we got somewhere we would leave the boat and explore the land. To do this simple activity means that you can’t be fixing your boat when you get somewhere. We all have a finite amount of time and how we spend it is up to us. We can either be enjoying our time or repairing things with our time.
How do you fix less things? Have less things to fix!
We planned for simplicity. The less we have, the less we have to fix. The list of gadgets on a typical cruising boat is long, but the common items we hear other cruisers talk about fixing are:
Diesel motor
Generator
Water maker
Computer and on-board internet access
Bow thruster
Furlers
Chart plotter and instruments
Electronic autopilot
Dinghy outboard
Inflatable dinghy (usually peaking air somewhere)
Propane stove
To keep our cruising life simple, we simply did without.
Electric motor instead of a diesel, no generator, no water maker, no computer, no bow thruster, no furlers, no chart plotter or instruments, no electronic autopilot, a hard dinghy with oars instead of an outboard, and no propane stove (we did alcohol instead because it can burn a wider variety of fuels, meaning we can get fuels anywhere we go).
This meant that when we got somewhere, we were there and nothing complicated or time consuming could be broken that would distract from where we had just arrived. Well, life without is rather difficult and we kept it up for about a year, then we have in to the life of convenience.
The items we have added from the list are very limited, but we did give in.
First, we added a generator because sometimes the sun is hidden away for a long time and the batteries just need charging, especially when you have an electric motor.
The next thing we added was an outboard motor because rowing over a mile with currents and winds gets old really fast! Next, we switched from a hard dinghy to an inflatable because they are so much lighter and we can pick them up by hand to put them on the deck instead of a complicated lifting contraption. Lastly, we got chart plotters (Navionics on our phone).
All of our additions have one thing in common, they are disposable.
A built in chart plotter is expensive and goes obsolete in a few years. A plotter on your phone gets updated every time you get a new phone. This means that you have no installation and you get modern software with a simple app update.
We bought a small (cheap) inflatable and outboard that we can simply replace when they start giving us problems instead of constantly fighting a losing battle of time. The generator is also a small (inexpensive) portable unit that we can simply replace when it starts to give problems.
By keeping everything simple, we can enjoy where we go instead of slaving over the boat. As you plan to go cruising, be sure to keep in mind the reason you are going cruising. The less you have, the less work you will have and the less expense you will have!
