Nature was our playground. We found adventure by living cheap. Compared to the alternative, which was living ashore and giving our Christmas bonus to the car repair guy, sitting on a deserted beach in the South Pacific seemed much, much more desirable. We do not own a dollar's worth of insurance - be it health, life or boat. We do not own a house or property.
Driver is our only material asset.
She cost us 60 grand to buy and fit-out and we have as much fun as people with boats worth ten times that much. There are as many ways to cruise as there are ways to live ashore. It all depends on your priorities. A rule of thumb is all we can offer. Assuming the boat is paid for and all the gear is new when you leave the dock, the first two years out cruising should be practically trouble free.