Help! Can I give up my stuff to liveaboard?

[JulieMac]

Tell me how you did it. My partner has a lifelong desire to sell the house, put our essential "stuff" into storage and live on a 40' something sailboat.

Don't get me wrong. I love sailing. I love traveling, and could do so while the money lasted.

It's the whole minimal "stuff" and living conditions idea. A few items of clothing, and your provisions-that's it.

Reminds me of the classic George Carlin video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Can our sailing dreams come true?

[Amapola]

We're part-time cruisers because I wasn't willing to give up my land home and stuff. We cruise 4-6 months then come back to the land home for a while to replenish and re-provision.

[Hudson Force]

I might be the wrong one to give advice because I've never had a land home or "stuff" that amounted to more than I could put in my van, but didn't you have a time in your life, probably when you were 19 or 20, when you didn't have a burden of "stuff"? Think back,.... Were you carefree? .... Were you mobile? ..... Were you in despair because of your lack of "stuff"?

There's a great freedom in non-ownership. My parents did well with their stuff, but I moved out at 17 in 1964 and I've never had much "stuff". For the last 13 years I have not even had a car to put "stuff" in,- just a boat and a couple of bicycles.

What is this "stuff"? Is it "stuff" that you only see when you move to a new place to put your "stuff"?

[JPA Cate]

Well, there have been a couple of CF threads about this issue recently, and it seems to me it depends on the nature of your attachment to certain possessions: Pets can be a major issue, emotional attachment to what are part of your personal history, the wedding dress saved for a granddaughter sort of item; art of any kind that has meaning for you, collectors items of many natures.

All you have to do is decide to do it, and follow through, then you'll see that it's better to find a new home for the things that pull your heart strings; then at least someone else can enjoy them. If you have the patience for it, much can be sold on e-bay or craigslist, or at a garage sale. So not only do the items go to good homes, but you make a bit of a profit.

You're making yourself a-new. It can be an adventure.

Ann

[dennisjay]

>Can I give up my stuff to liveaboard?
Obviously you’re the only one who can really answer that.


In the last two weeks, we’ve rented our house, sold two cars, put our suff in storage and climbed aboard to head south.


Everybody’s different, but from observations over the years, I’d say the number one issue is the relationship with your sailing partner.


It’s not that cruising folks don’t love their “stuff,” but it tends to become secondary if you have a successful cruising lifestyle.


Becoming free of materials possessions, enjoying nature and meeting other cruisers is fulfilling for many.


Try it. You might like it.

[JK n Smitty]

We went from a house with all the typical stuff, a boat and 3 cars down to our boat and one car. In ten months the car and our corporate jobs will be gone too and with it all of our business clothes save an outfit a piece.

Two years ago it seemed like an impossible task. We used eBay, craigslsit and yard sales to sell our stuff. It was work. We also donated a ton of stuff that didn't sell. But in the end it felt so liberating to get rid of all that stuff. All that stuff was an anchor holding us in the typical life. We now Liveaboard full time and can't wait to get our kitty built up a little more and leave the shore life completely.

It seems tough but I think it is well worth it in the end

Good luck and fair winds,

Jesse


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[skipmac]

I have gone from stuff to no stuff and back to stuff.

When I was younger did not own a house but had furniture, stereo and such. Went cruising for a few years and slowly got rid of all the stuff except the clothes and few things I had on the boat. Then new wife, daughter arrives and after a couple more years of cruising we sold the boat moved back to land and bought a house. 30 years later we have all the usual stuff but now have another boat as well.

Getting ready to go cruising again but the house is paid for, the taxes aren't much so plan to keep the house as a home base to come back to periodically. Also it really gives the wife warm and fuzzies to know the house is there for any kind of what ifs or just in cases.

At some point I will probably get to old and feeble to live on a boat and will have to go back to some kind of land based existence so may as well have a house for it.

[ScottMeilicke]

One of the things we have now that didn't really exist 15-20 years ago is buying and selling on the Internet. It's a giant garage sale every day! Sell your stuff. You can buy it again if you need it.


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[Irish rambler]

Have courage.
Firstly go through everything that you don't need and get rid of it. Now find some cheap dry secure storage for the bits you want to keep.
Rent out your house, sell off any cars on credit and clear the credit.
If you have no transport buy and old cheap van.
Now you can cruising for a sabbatical and if that's what you love then go for it and enjoy every moment.

[sailorchic34]

I took the slow path. Got ride of a bunch of stuff. But put things I thought I needed in a storage unit for a year. After a year, I realized that I had spent over $700 to store what was mostly just memento's. So got rid of almost everything then, and have been happily living aboard ever since.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I took the slow path. Got ride of a bunch of stuff. But put things I thought I needed in a storage unit for a year. After a year, I realized that I had spent over $700 to store what was mostly just memento's. So got rid of almost everything then, and have been happily living aboard ever since.

Bingo...
We moved out house with all the stuff into a 53ft cargo container because...heck we had to keep all that great stuff. 4 yes later we come back and loom in the storage unit with much different eyes and think....what is all this **** and why did we save it!

There is a funny Country some with a line "I've never seen a herst with a trailer hitch. You can't bring it with you!"

[JulieMac]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Bingo...
We moved out house with all the stuff into a 53ft cargo container because...heck we had to keep all that great stuff. 4 yes later we come back and loom in the storage unit with much different eyes and think....what is all this **** and why did we save it!

There is a funny Country some with a line "I've never seen a herst with a trailer hitch. You can't bring it with you!"

Ha, you're probably spot on, as is the country song.

For me, I've never spent more than an afternoon sailing here and there. My retired SO has sailed 10,000 miles over the years and has now been without a boat for a long time. I'm still dabbling with work, and a bit younger.

When I've sailed, it's been very pleasurable. However, it's the all or nothing leap that's hardest. The kids are all grown, and the house is too big. So we're downsizing. If we buy another home or condo, the boat might not be financially feasible.

So here I am, sitting on our pile of stuff, pondering our course. Unfortunately, I can't find this spot on the paper charts....

[ravinracin]

I can't relate to all of this stuff stuff. I have a mate who is really a stuff person. She really likes her stuff, keeps buying stuff and keeps stuffing our house with more stuff. My house, my shed, my attic, my garage. Lots of stuff. I was in the Navy for 11 years. I know how to not have stuff and know how to load up in short notice and ship out. I am having a really hard time trying to convince my mate to not have so much stuff, but I feel it is a hopeless task. The only way I can go cruising is to leave her here with her stuff and go. My problem is another kind. It is call child obligations stuff. I thought that after raising 5 children to adulthood, my child obligations would be over. Well now the grandkids keep popping up and me being the likely choice, I get guardianship. I love it, but the restrictions on where you can go and for how long sure cuts down on any long distance cruising. I am working on changing this to a more compatible relationship with cruising and within any luck, in 6-8 months, I just may have my chance. Just working around a different kind of stuff I guess. Good look with your stuff, Take a look at it, open drawers and look into closets that you haven't been to in a while. I do and ask myself, where did that come from and what do I have it for? Most of it I haven't touched since moving in 3 years ago. That will be easy to get rid of. Then I think you get into getting rid of stuff and you are almost there. Go for it!

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I took the slow path. Got ride of a bunch of stuff. But put things I thought I needed in a storage unit for a year. After a year, I realized that I had spent over $700 to store what was mostly just memento's. So got rid of almost everything then, and have been happily living aboard ever since.

Bingo No 2. We got rid of a lot and put other stuff in storage 3.5 years ago, now its 3.5 years older and most not worth what we've paid in storage fees.

Get tough!

[capngeo]

I moved aboard in '97; had bunches of stuff. I was embroiled in a bitter divorce, and the boat was the only place I had to go. The ex was systematically giving or throwing all my "stuff" away with some great haste. I saved some stuff, tools mostly (although lost some real treasures in that category). Because of the lawyers, I was poor, couldn't afford a storage locker, had "stuff" squirreled away with friends.

Gradually during the next 7 years, I aquired enough stuff that the water line needed repainting twice! By then I had re-aquired some wealth, and bought some rental property (mostly because of the huge barn on the property).....the non boat essential stuff was moved to the barn, and I got still more stuff.

Today, the barn is full, as is a warehouse I bought... The boat???? Might need to paint the waterline again.

Oh, hello, my name is George, and I am a pack-rat