liveaboard boating?

Ken Ibold

Ken Ibold

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 21, 2005
Messages
5,889
Location
Jacksonville, Florida
Display Name
Display name:
Ken Ibold
Anyone ever lived aboard a boat, say 40 footer? What were some of the practical realities? I had a 40 footer I used as a vacation place, but I'm wondering about the longer term. Call it retirement planning.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Anyone ever lived aboard a boat, say 40 footer? What were some of the practical realities? I had a 40 footer I used as a vacation place, but I'm wondering about the longer term. Call it retirement planning.
Click to expand...

Rule #1: Necessity in a small place is being well-acquainted.

:o)
 
When one wines and dines at DiMillo's Floating Restaurant(highly-endorsed), when walking onto the ship y'all shall look outside to the fairly long line of 40' and larger vessels, many of which are live-aboards(and year-round). At this time of year(Portland, Maine) the old phrase, "Snug as a bug in a rug" comes to mind.

http://www.dimillos.com/marina/index.html

HR
 
My credentials: My parents retired onto a boat as their only home, living afloat for five years. They followed the sun, going as far north as Maine in the summer and as far south as Port Isabel/Padre Island in the winter. They did this after a lifetime of weekend and vacation boating around New England so they were accustomed to being on the water. The boat grew over the years from runabouts in the early years to, finally, a 41 foot Gulfstar Trawler. In fact, my nickname “Skip” is short for Skipper – when I was two to three years old I wanted to steer, kicked up sufficient fuss so that my Dad had to unfasten the steering gear from the outboard motor. He steered it with the tiller handle on the motor; I satisfied myself with cranking the wheel this way and that but it wasn’t hooked to anything. At least that is the story they tell me….

The first point is that you need the right boat. Is this a boat or a home? I.e., do you expect to move the vessel frequently to go places, see other things, or is it largely going to be moored somewhere and function as a house with a soggy back yard. The first requires a boat shaped hull with reliable propulsion. Diesel for economy. If it is to be a stationary (mostly) home, it could be a barge which will have a lot more interior room, and a smallish outboard motor. Of course there are intermediate hull shapes such as typically found on houseboats.

The second point is that your wife must be fully – and I mean fully – on board with the plan (pun somewhat intended). Think about the hassles of no longer having a washer/dryer in your home. Think about not having a dishwasher in your kitchen.

Think about HVAC systems. On the typical 40 footer the systems are not really up to the kind of use they would get in a live-aboard Florida summer, nor a Maine winter, so they can be high maintenance. Do you keep your car in a garage? Forget that. I am sure you can think of a number of other small logistical hassles of living on a boat.

Think about maintenance. This is typically more important if you are going to be a cruiser rather than a dock sitter, as a dock sitter can develop a cadre of reliable mechanics nearby. I have no idea how handy you are. My Father was very good with a wrench, and did all but the large maintenance projects himself. As they traveled up and down the waterway, they developed a small flotilla of friends that nicknamed my Father “Captain Goodwrench” as he was frequently seen in the bilges of other boats helping out with a problem. His ability to do that facilitated his friends’ lifestyles as they would have been stranded without his help. He also was the fleet navigator, as mostly the others put their jackstaff in the middle of Dad’s boat’s stern and that was that. Kind of like following the magenta line these days.

Think about storage issues. Think about a living environment where your neighbors are living 10 feet away. Noise, even normal noise, can be a problem if it occurs at an unexpected time – boats have little sound insulation. Think about trudging down the dock with six bags of groceries in the pouring rain.

Each and every one of these problems is solvable but at some level it is a workaround designed to minimize the annoyance factor… thus my statement that your wife (and you) must be fully on board with the idea. My parents thoroughly enjoyed their lifestyle aboard, but it is not for everyone.

-Skip(per!)
 
Last edited:
Friends in St. Pete did this for years. They'd up sticks once in a while and head to the Keys or where ever their little hearts desired. Eventually they got sick of it and moved back into a real house - kept the boat, but wanted a house.

I don't think I could live in a space so small though. Even though it's 40 feet long, you're still talking under 1000 SF right? Yipes.

It would be fun for a summer maybe.

PS. Perhaps consider having a land house (smaller if necessary?) to keep most of your crap, er, stuff, and just live on the boat when it is fun/convenient.
 
Last edited:
I haven't however I've met several RV fulltimers that have. They say it's just like fulltiming in a motorhome. The big difference being that one floats and one rolls and the environment differences due to the natural habitat of the vehicle.

Specific vehicle differences aside:
* You must be very well matched with your sidekick and get along really well in close quarters constantly. BOTH people involved must be committed to the lifestyle or there will be big unfixable problems really quick. (Doing it because ___ wants to doesn't cut it at all)
* Right now you may not realize it but you do not own your belongings. Your belongings own you. Toss'em, sell'em, give'em away, burn them in a bonfire, just get rid of them. There's no room for clutter. Everything falls into two categories: want and need. If you buy something, something else has to go. Decluttering and not being a consumer is most people's biggest problem. Once the stuff is gone, you'll undestand what I mean by it owning you.
* You have to be happy with yourself. You can't depend on things or people to make you happy. The source is internal, not external.
* You live outside in the real world even when indoors.
* There's always ntertaining stuff like dumping tanks and repairs/maintenance to do anywhere at any time. You'd best know or learn how to do them yourself. You can't always rely on calling for help and if you do, it'll become a very spendy hassle really quick.
* You have to watch your consumables and cut down on unnecessary waste until it becomes habit. Lights even for a few seconds = reduced battery time. Water=supply availability and time between dumps. Fuel = range and/or power.
* Travel and adventure is just a matter of strolling off at half a moments notice.
* You'll meet some of the best people in the world.
* It's a lot of fun. It's also a lot of work.

It's definitely a different culture from living in rabbit hutches, um, houses. You'll start seeing everything from a different point of view. If you think airplanes are addicting, if you get addicted to the lifestyle of being on the road or on the water, there's no going back without some very serious withdrawal symptoms.

<--- 2+ years RV fulltimer in a 27ft motorhome
 
Ken Ibold said:
Anyone ever lived aboard a boat, say 40 footer? What were some of the practical realities? I had a 40 footer I used as a vacation place, but I'm wondering about the longer term. Call it retirement planning.
Click to expand...

Barb and I did for 2 years, there are a few things that got old really quick, daily suck outs, no privacy for Dad. (2 girls aboard) after a while you get cabin fever not having any place to work, or a place to store a weeks food, so you go to the store every couple days. a very small kitchen, limited space for guests.
 
I didn't do it, but lived through the process with a pilot friend that did. They "sold out and sailed" a 42' Hunter Passage from Houston through the islands, the canal and ended up in Australia. It had all the goodies, center cockpit, easy single-hander. They stayed out for 5 years, then came home.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Try before you buy. The liveaboard simulator:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.boats.cruising/msg/416a241ff92dc572?&q=liveaboard+simulator
Click to expand...

Love it! I used to dream of wandering the world in my classic wood ketch I bought for 8k and rebuilt myself. Then I got a career I wanted to keep and discovered bareboat charter.

My 36 footer has all the toys: hot pressure water, freshwater electric toilet, reverse cycle air conditioning, gas stove, cd/dvd/satellite and LCD tv. It makes a great vacation condo.

Live on it??? Nah. The "simulator" posted earlier is painfully close to the actual experience. Much more accurate than our current "global warming" models.

Travel to foreign lands? If its farther than the Keys I'll fly and charter a 55 footer when I get there. There is a reason the wealthy ship their vessels across the Atlantic as cargo on a specially designed ship. Its cheaper in the long run.

Then, as someone pointed out, there is the boat vs home conundrum. A good home makes a poor sailor and vice versa. So, if you like sailing (which I do) you'll need another boat for that (granted you can purchase sailing dinghys).

Do I love boating? Oh yeah! Waaay too much to make one my permanent home.

But, for many it is worth the hassle. I suggest at least a three month test before selling of the home base. No cheating! (Not even visits for doing laundry.)
 
woodstock said:
PS. Perhaps consider having a land house (smaller if necessary?) to keep most of your crap, er, stuff, and just live on the boat when it is fun/convenient.
Click to expand...
We have a 2 br condo with a dock south of Sarasota, Fla. We're thinking about using that as a base camp but really living on the boat most of the time. Of course, this would be after the kids go to college in 7 years, but with the boat market in the toilet we're thinking it might be a good time to pick up the boat now. We used to have a Cruisers aft cabin that all five of us plus the dog would live on for a week at a time, so I know SOMETHING of what I might be getting myself into ...
 

Attachments

  • Exterior.jpg
    Exterior.jpg
    103.1 KB · Views: 29
Ken Ibold said:
We have a 2 br condo with a dock south of Sarasota, Fla. We're thinking about using that as a base camp but really living on the boat most of the time. Of course, this would be after the kids go to college in 7 years, but with the boat market in the toilet we're thinking it might be a good time to pick up the boat now. We used to have a Cruisers aft cabin that all five of us plus the dog would live on for a week at a time, so I know SOMETHING of what I might be getting myself into ...
Click to expand...

That's how I'd do it. A base camp and the boat for the rest of it.
 
My aunt and uncle used to, but eventually discovered that they could get a condo with dock space for the boat for less than they were paying to live at the marina, So that's what they did.
 
If you are sick or injured plan on moving back out for a significant amount of time. What consequences might result?

Good friends of ours have parents who live aboard a 40-something foot sailing vessel in Southeast Alaska. Twice in three years health issues forced them off their boat for a significant period. Where did they go? You guessed it, they moved in with their daughter and her fiance in the tiniest little house you could imagine.

Of course you have the condo...
 
My get away. Haven't lived aboard full time, but do spend lots of time on it. It's a Bayliner 4550 45 ft Pilothouse. These make ideal live aboards.

westernspray.jpg
 
Ken, Catherine is going to kill me if you show her this. But she is NOT the sort of person you want to share 600 sf with questionable climate control...
 
I lived aboard a 60s-vintage 40-foot Owens for the better part of a year... the owner had lived aboard and traveled a lot in it with her little dog for 15 years(!!), and when she moved off it, she rented it out to me as if an apartment.
Initially, there was hope that I'd be able to take it out sometimes, but her plan to get one of the prop shafts fixed fell through, so it was moored the whole time.
But I loved it!! Cold as hell that winter (and very, very damp!!), but I did OK at night with many layers and a kerosene safety heater, and on sunny winter days the galley was like a greenhouse.

I had shore power, telephone (I had an extension on the bridge so I could answer "Bridge!" if it rang while I was up there), only two other live-aboards in the marina... it was peaceful, and it was a great place to throw a (not-so-peaceful) party. Great view of NYC from there, too(marina was near Liberty State Park). The marina was off a canal off the harbor, so no wakes, swells, or wind-driven waves ever... she would just head back and forth a little in the wind sometimes; kinda nice, actually.

And "Aphrodite", as she was named, was a babe magnet, even tied to the pier. Fun. ;)

Only PITA, really, was getting water into the tank in the winter when the marina shut off the water taps on the docks and I had to haul the hose over to the laundry room. That sucked. There was no storage tank for "brown water" t empty, though, thank goodness (yeah, I know it's illegal most places, but I think the marina ecosystem absorbed the poo of only three live-aboards pretty well).

Good point in this thread about simplifying your life: I had the boat pretty well fluffed (even a fish tank!), but I had to get rid of a lot of stuff to move in there, and had to keep everything in its place or I'd be up to my eyeballs in my own possessions in no time. But it was easy work to tidy up, I loved the ergonomics (perfect space for one bachelor), all that nice wood around me, storage everywhere, and that little galley kitchen was my favorite kitchen ever- really enjoyed cooking in there.

I suppose if you live aboard a boat that travels, things could get a little hectic, not to mention expensive. But as a living space, a boat can be a very cool sort of cottage.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of Aphrodite...
Who would like me to dig out the pictures? :D
 
Last edited:
Ken Ibold said:
We have a 2 br condo with a dock south of Sarasota, Fla. We're thinking about using that as a base camp but really living on the boat most of the time. Of course, this would be after the kids go to college in 7 years, but with the boat market in the toilet we're thinking it might be a good time to pick up the boat now. We used to have a Cruisers aft cabin that all five of us plus the dog would live on for a week at a time, so I know SOMETHING of what I might be getting myself into ...
Click to expand...

We were looking seriously at buying a 1/2 share of such a beast in 2002, with our CPA and his wife, came *this* close to doing it then decided, "what's the point of having a big, honkin' cabin boat on an inland lake?" (Was going to be on Lake Texoma).

My boat money buys avgas, now.

Maybe someday I'll have the money for such... but I doubt it. My "other boat money" buys a log cabin in the Hill Country.

And avgas. And airplane repairs. And tuition.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Anyone ever lived aboard a boat, say 40 footer? What were some of the practical realities? I had a 40 footer I used as a vacation place, but I'm wondering about the longer term. Call it retirement planning.
Click to expand...

Just got back in town, 40' boats come in a variety of types and shapes which vary the volume greatly. Most any 40'er will make an adequate live aboard for a single person and smallish but doable for a couple who doesn't mind smallish (if a East Village one bedroom is enough for you, it'll be ok), though a 50'er is much better. I lived on a Catalina 27 for 4 years, and that is minimal for me. Shoot me a PM with a bit more on your thoughts, requirements and desires and I'll try to advise you a bit better.

For an idea of the space you are getting in any particular boat for living in, look at the Net Tonnage (not Gross Tonnage or Displacement tonnage, Net tonnage, it's listed on the document) and figure that every Net Ton is 100 cubic feet of space.
 
Last edited:
NC19143 said:
Barb and I are looking for some thing like this to do Southeast this summer

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=110332115683

we won't try to live aboard, for longer than the trip
Click to expand...

Could be a nice boat, make sure you get a survey from someone who really knows old wood boats though, that provenance at that price spells "Booby Trap" to me.... One thing to watch for since she was built in 1941 and I don't see "Bronze Fastened" in the brag list, and that is she may be fastened with galvanized screws which are going to be a nightmare of rust bleeding through paint an the entire hull (you can roll it with Ospho before you wash it to get rid of the stains though), and since the white oak listed is most likely the frames, you also have to make sure it wasn't refastened with Stainless Steel screws, since SS into Oak with the addition of salt water= dissolved SS screws. There's more tricks and traps with vintage boats than there is with vintage airplanes, and many of them have the same fatal and/or expensive results.
 
Used to sail up & down LI sound and BI sound for a month at a time on a 23' (later 30').

Aside from all the good advice given, remember you will have a "house" with special maintainance needs. If it moves under its own power the propulsion system needs periodic maintainance (sails need periodic care of the standing and running rigging as well as the cloth). The bottom needs periodic care as well. This is in addition to the normal home care.

If you anchor it, your commute got a bit more difficult too.

There are also the barge communities (San Francisco and Seattle have floating communities)- needs there are somewhat different.
 
My Girlfriend (now wife) and I lived aboard our 46' sailboat in St. Pete FL for four years.

We loved it and would probably still be living there if we did not start having children.

A couple of pointers:

Be sure there is a stall shower
Be sure the AC unit also provides heat
Look carefully at the quality of the fridge and stove
Consider getting a top notch mattress


We had fun and saved a bunch of money,

my two cents

Mike
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top