Has Anyone Ever had 2 Boats as Liveaboards???

[rebel heart]

Regarding school districts:

On the one hand I don't care much, but on the other hand I do the research in advance to see what the residency requirements are so that I can get ahead of the situation (or just know that something won't work out for me so I don't expect it to). Often you can just have a driver's license and a utility bill as proof which is easy enough if you started doing that a few months in advance.

It's a google search and some quick reading to figure out what the school will require and it's just paper-pushers who are going to review your stuff; doesn't take a genius to navigate that system.

[Azul]

I would think that it would be natural if your children are living with you on a sailboat to home school them. Two or three hours a day instead of eight, no transportation/address issue and complete freedom to travel or be out in the boat together. Otherwise the whole day will be spent with school and the dreaded "soccer mom" chauffeuring for after school activities.

[Therapy]

LOL.

No experience right?

Are you all ready to lose 75% of your possessions, clothing, shoes, make-up, books, albums, bathrooms, showers and living space? It will feel like 90% but will only be 75% or so.

[westwinds]

You have a nice house so it seems to me a trawler would not be about a place to live so much as a way of travel. In that case you need diesel with displacement hull for economy and do your plans around fuel consumption and range. You would still have much of the maintenance problems you would have with a sailboat and the need to develop the skills to be successful.
You seem to have an idea that a boat of one kind or another would result in a life style that would be a valuable learning experience for you all and that could well be true. Do some reading like The Voyager’s Handbook, The Essential Guide to Bluewater Cruising by Beth A. Leonard. Also books by Lin and Larry Pardey such as The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew or Cost Conscious Cruiser. The Pardey’s books are much more than the titles would suggest for these books are about living the life. Leonard’s handbook is on 8 ½ by 11 paper and 574 pages of rather small print with pictures tables and drawings that describe what it is really like to plan and execute voyaging the world. Find out what you are getting into.

[TFTI]

If you would like a handsome 43 year old father of three with 20 years experience to join you we will bring our own boat. My kids are 12, 9 and 8 and I would have them attend Gulliver Prep in Coral Gables

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Azul

I would think that it would be natural if your children are living with you on a sailboat to home school them. Two or three hours a day instead of eight, no transportation/address issue and complete freedom to travel or be out in the boat together. Otherwise the whole day will be spent with school and the dreaded "soccer mom" chauffeuring for after school activities.

Actually most parents of home schoolers do more "soccer mom-ing" than others, because it takes some work to keep your kids networked with other children. Home schoolers often network their efforts as well. One parent may be equipped to teach art while another can teach chemistry and physics. Often music education is handled by the child joining some musical group, and PE covered by organized sports.

It's also more work to get your kids together socially with other parents.

But I really think this mother will have enough learning curves on her hands without home schooling. Done well, it's also a lot of work.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

When we split our aft cabin port & starboard for our two children we placed two computer hutches back to back supporting a light weight plywood "wall" between then that did not connect to the transom aft or to the cabin sole (ceiling). This gap allowed for ventilation as the main cabin hatch was to starboard and the air conditioning vents to port. A curtain on a rod formed the forward divider extending between the aft cabin head and the companiionway steps. Private space can be accomplished with light weight materials that are secure, but not a structural modification. After our children left home we restored the aft area to the original large cabin with only sixteen screw holes in the plywood under the matress where angle braces had held the computer hutches. Even foam boards like the light weight pink or blue 8'x4'x1" can be cut, formed and painted to make dividing walls that will not compromise the integrity of the boat.

hmmm...that sounds interesting. It makes sense. Temporary division.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

BTW, the next Trawlerfest (that I'm aware of) is in Baltimore, approx 9/25 I think. You might find it worthwhile touring boats and listening to folks (casual conversation, seminars, etc.) with an eye toward cabin layouts and such. In the grand scheme of things boat, trawlers usually offer the most space for the lowest operating costs -- all other things (length, for example) being sorta equal.

It might be especially useful to just determine the smallest Nordhaven that suits your cabin requirements, then shop around that range for actual brand/model candidates

-Chris

Why Nordhaven?

[GalaxyGirl]

I appreciate all of your feedback and insightful thought through responses.

In regard to homeschooling. For my preteens I wouldn't even consider it. There are 4 of them and they love school. I figure we'll live at a marina and let them get through high school. I can take weekend and vacation trips. This will give me time to learn how to operate the boat/s. By the time my older kids finish HS my youngest boy will be in 4th grade or so. I will have to homeschool him only at that point because the others will hopefully be off to college and there is no way that I will wait another 8 years to get him through. It should't be too difficult with him since he will be the only one and he is quite bright. I am actually schooling him at home now some and he's 3.

I have certainly heard that boats are VERY high maintenance, but I guess I figured that with 2 of them everything would get used half as much which would even out the maintenance on both, except of course for hull painting and those things that would have to get done to a boat that lives in water regardless of use.
I work for myself so my time is my own. I figured that some things I could do myself, like basic cleaning, and some no-brainer maintenance things. I could certainly even do some more complicated maintenance things once shown how once. I also figured my teens could help with wash down. For the things that I'm not interested or can't do, I was figuring 2 grand per month budgeted to pay folks to get it done. Is that unrealistic???

As far as teens on boats, we figured that I would be one boat at night and my mom the other. I was planning to slip one and anchor the other very close by.

While I do like the idea of having lots of space and the option of sail or motor that 2 boats would give us. I certainly to do not want to become a slave to maintenance. Don't mind doing some, but I don't want my entire day consumed with fixing and cleaning stuff. I guess that's the tricky part

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl

I appreciate all of your feedback and insightful thought through responses.

In regard to homeschooling. For my preteens I wouldn't even consider it. There are 4 of them and they love school. I figure we'll live at a marina and let them get through high school. I can take weekend and vacation trips. This will give me time to learn how to operate the boat/s. By the time my older kids finish HS my youngest boy will be in 4th grade or so. I will have to homeschool him only at that point because the others will hopefully be off to college and there is no way that I will wait another 8 years to get him through. It should't be too difficult with him since he will be the only one and he is quite bright. I am actually schooling him at home now some and he's 3.

I have certainly heard that boats are VERY high maintenance, but I guess I figured that with 2 of them everything would get used half as much which would even out the maintenance on both, except of course for hull painting and those things that would have to get done to a boat that lives in water regardless of use.
I work for myself so my time is my own. I figured that some things I could do myself, like basic cleaning, and some no-brainer maintenance things. I could certainly even do some more complicated maintenance things once shown how once. I also figured my teens could help with wash down. For the things that I'm not interested or can't do, I was figuring 2 grand per month budgeted to pay folks to get it done. Is that unrealistic???

As far as teens on boats, we figured that I would be one boat at night and my mom the other. I was planning to slip one and anchor the other very close by.

While I do like the idea of having lots of space and the option of sail or motor that 2 boats would give us. I certainly to do not want to become a slave to maintenance. Don't mind doing some, but I don't want my entire day consumed with fixing and cleaning stuff. I guess that's the tricky part

The cleaning isn't hard and you can hire that out just as you can in a home.

it's the maintenance. It's very expensive to have someone else do it all, and you have to know enough about the various operating systems to spot when trouble is coming along.

For instance, do you know how to check chainplates for impending problems? Do you know how to clean out a marine air conditioner? Do you know how to maintain a bank of batteries?

[Rocketman]

Schooling is a very big concern. I would think that no matter where you live, you would want your children to be properly educated. If you want to truely experience the crusing life style, to me, that does not mean being parked in a marina 9 months or more a year. To me crusing means moving, at least from time to time. If you have 4 kids to educate then home schooling may be your best option. Also, if you do move to a boat, that would more then likely mean that you will be pulling your kids out of there current school situation and relocating them to differnt schools at least yearly and maybe more often. I would not think that this would be the best situation for most kids.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Therapy

LOL.

No experience right?

Are you all ready to lose 75% of your possessions, clothing, shoes, make-up, books, albums, bathrooms, showers and living space? It will feel like 90% but will only be 75% or so.

I honestly am not worried about that part-possessions. In fact, I could walk away from everything (except my photo albums) tonight and think nothing of it. I am quite minimalist on land. I am a real estate junkie, so we move quite often. Whenever we move, we generally toss or give away most of our stuff anyhow. My kids know I love tossing stuff, hate clutter. I don't wear makeup, and only have a couple pairs of funeral/wedding shoes. They get dusted off when needed. My kids have lived in several homes and I have probably lived in about 25 homes in my lifetime and I am in my 30's...LOL. A rolling stone gathers no dust.

My kids and I have lived in an rv for a few months while I was renovating one of our homes and we have lived in a studio apartment for almost a year during a renovation. It was tight, but we got through it. A lot easier to clean than what we are in now, that's for sure. Everything to them is an adventure. With the exception of my oldest son, the others keep asking why we can't do it right now.

I could be fine with giving up sq footage, but I don't think that with 5 kids/teens I can compromise on cabins and baths. We don't need large cabins, but everyone needs a door.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

The cleaning isn't hard and you can hire that out just as you can in a home.

it's the maintenance. It's very expensive to have someone else do it all, and you have to know enough about the various operating systems to spot when trouble is coming along.

For instance, do you know how to check chainplates for impending problems? Do you know how to clean out a marine air conditioner? Do you know how to maintain a bank of batteries?

No I don't know any of those things, but when I bought my first house 15 years ago I didn't know how to check the water level on my boilers or change locks or repair a busted water feeder on a fridge or repair a broken stove, how to repair a leaking shower valve or stop a toilette from running. I knew NOTHING about gutting a property, reframing it, insulation, firestop or any of those things. I didn't know a water line from a gas line from a pvc plumbing drain. There are still plenty of things I don't know, but many that I do NOW. There is a learning curve to anything worthwhile in life. I pay close attention to how things get done and I research what I don't know. I realize that houses and boats are not the same, but I also feel that if I can learn a house I should be able to learn a boat.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl

I honestly am not worried about that part-possessions. In fact, I could walk away from everything (except my photo albums) tonight and think nothing of it. I am quite minimalist on land. I am a real estate junkie, so we move quite often. Whenever we move, we generally toss or give away most of our stuff anyhow. My kids know I love tossing stuff, hate clutter. I don't wear makeup, and only have a couple pairs of funeral/wedding shoes. They get dusted off when needed. My kids have lived in several homes and I have probably lived in about 25 homes in my lifetime and I am in my 30's...LOL. A rolling stone gathers no dust.

My kids and I have lived in an rv for a few months while I was renovating one of our homes and we have lived in a studio apartment for almost a year during a renovation. It was tight, but we got through it. A lot easier to clean than what we are in now, that's for sure. Everything to them is an adventure. With the exception of my oldest son, the others keep asking why we can't do it right now.

I could be fine with giving up sq footage, but I don't think that with 5 kids/teens I can compromise on cabins and baths. We don't need large cabins, but everyone needs a door.

Well then, maybe you can "get through" living on a boat but I wonder what the appeal is of living on a boat in a marina.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

Schooling is a very big concern. I would think that no matter where you live, you would want your children to be properly educated. If you want to truely experience the crusing life style, to me, that does not mean being parked in a marina 9 months or more a year. To me crusing means moving, at least from time to time. If you have 4 kids to educate then home schooling may be your best option. Also, if you do move to a boat, that would more then likely mean that you will be pulling your kids out of there current school situation and relocating them to differnt schools at least yearly and maybe more often. I would not think that this would be the best situation for most kids.

I couldn't agree more. We will move on weekends and vacations. I think a marina is a great place to start. A nice compromise, my kids get to stay in school, which they love and I get to live on the water, plus it's a great opportunity for me to learn, so when they go off I can take off...