A lot of this is ‘it depends’.
One thing I would definitely suggest is that they lease a charter and find out what 3 weeks feels like. I’d do this in the winter, off-season, where you can really experience what the worst of it would feel like.
I’m about to do the same thing, but I’m comfortable on boats and no what its about.
Having NEVER done it, if they are handy people, they’ll be fine if they can deal with the close quarters.
Whatever the original purchase price of the vessel is, take 10% and that is what you spend each year just on mechanical upkeep. That is on top of the cost/time of maintaining the boat. That 10% is for the replacement of everything you can think of, from sails to lifelines.
Does not include the cost of cruising.
Upside is your ‘cost of living’ comes down quite a lot - utilities, etc.
For me, I’m looking for a vessel that is ‘totally off-grid’ capable. It needs to make 1.25 times high-use electricity load and have a watermaker. I’m looking to use a Rainman, which is portable and very effective. Rather not have an RO watermaker installed because they break down a ton. A portable is great, the new ones run on electrical power, and make you bulleproof at sea no matter what port.
Being off-grid capable means only having to moor to stock provisions and do customs then moving off to anchor, where the costs are zero/day to something very low.
If you are canny about spare parts for critical systems, and have backups for other elements, you can do very well.
My dream boat is a sail catamaran, between 37 to 46 feet.
Thanks, passing on your advice/suggestions, and best of luck in doing the same. Please link us to your blog, if you decide to have one once things get underway.