How Did You Start as a Liveaboard?

[Lagoon4us]

Hate press gangers!!!!!

[wanderer1]

Got divorced for the 2nd time,had to give another house away,moved into a $900 a month apartment that i saw about 3 months a year,worked on ships all over the world in the oil industry,came home 1 time and realized I was waisting about $11,000 a year on rent and had a sailboat that was paid for and moved on it.That was 16 years and 2 boats ago.Retired from the oil industry and went with the Canadian Coast Guard,28 days on and 28 days off,lots of time for Cruising,3 weeks at a time.Now fully retired.Spent 7 months in the Bahamas and Cuba last year,came home to bury my Father and next year leaving for a long time.

[Celestialsailor]

For me...I saw the divorce coming and was refitting a boat that I had. So I was able to plan an exit strategy. I could not afford to rent even a room with the bills that were coming my way, so I was a sneek-a-board for 2 years. I had a child and that was very painful. I made friends on the docks and slowly life became better. I remember after slip rent, child support, and gas to commute, I was eating mostly kraft dinners and top ramon for quite some time.
I have recently moved aboard my latest boat and it takes a while to get all the systems dialed in so it's more like living than camping. There are no dock mates where I'm at. So I have to go outside the harbor to socialize. To me that is the key to successfully living aboard is a social life while doing it.

[motion30]

Started with weekends on the bay , then 4 trips down the ICW and winters in south florida and summers up north in a condo. Realized I enjoyed florida and living on the boat much more then on dirt

[motion30]

As a single guy there are some problems.....some woman think living on a boat is same a being homeless, I try to explain it actually cost more then renting a condo.......

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by motion30

As a single guy there are some problems.....some woman think living on a boat is same a being homeless, I try to explain it actually cost more then renting a condo.......

ya...it doesn't matter to them. I had comments such as..."Oh...this is just like a camper".

[motion30]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

ya...it doesn't matter to them. I had comments such as..."Oh...this is just like a camper".

Hell, I live aboard a powerboat with a washer and dryer and dishwasher and sleep in a queen size bed that I own outrite ... does not seem to make any difference. O well I still love this life

[Hudson Force]

I can't come to understand all all the life changing epiphanies that come with most of these accounts of moving aboard a boat. I left home for college with two suitcases filled with my belongings. After graduating and newly married all we owned would fit in our Karmann Ghia. When we bought our liveaboard sloop in 1971 our only downsizing was to trade the hard luggage for duffels. Now, more than forty years later, the only reason we can't fit our belongings in a car is because we don't own one! No drama, no life-changing events, no divorce, no houses, no down-sizing,.... just living aboard and cruising.

[Celestialsailor]

Wow!!!...I really admire you sticking to it...

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by motion30

As a single guy there are some problems.....some woman think living on a boat is same a being homeless, I try to explain it actually cost more then renting a condo.......

If you are the Boston canoe guy, the reasons for their dismay are clear. If you live on a yacht, it should be obvious you are living the good life. If everything on the boat has a logical place and purpose, stowed away neatly, able to sail away by simply casting off, who would not like a remote candlelit dinner for two on the water?

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I can't come to understand all all the life changing epiphanies that come with most of these accounts of moving aboard a boat. I left home for college with two suitcases filled with my belongings. After graduating and newly married all we owned would fit in our Karmann Ghia. When we bought our liveaboard sloop in 1971 our only downsizing was to trade the hard luggage for duffels. Now, more than forty years later, the only reason we can't fit our belongings in car is because we don't own one! No drama, no life-changing events, no divorce, no houses,K Ghia no down-sizing,.... just living aboard and cruising.

Sounds like a perfect life, down to the K Ghia memories. Wonderful Automobiles.

[Wavewacker]

Wow, what a thread! I'm not really qualified to post here, I'm aboard my 76' Rancher anchored terra firmly among the trees about a hundred feet from the main channel which is paved. Next May 1st a sign will be posted to sell!

The only regret at this time is that I won't have anything like the great stories told here from decades past. I'm headed your way!

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by wanderer1

Got divorced for the 2nd time,had to give another house away,moved into a $900 a month apartment that i saw about 3 months a year,worked on ships all over the world in the oil industry,came home 1 time and realized I was waisting about $11,000 a year on rent and had a sailboat that was paid for and moved on it.That was 16 years and 2 boats ago.Retired from the oil industry and went with the Canadian Coast Guard,28 days on and 28 days off,lots of time for Cruising,3 weeks at a time.Now fully retired.Spent 7 months in the Bahamas and Cuba last year,came home to bury my Father and next year leaving for a long time.

I worked for Noble Drilling, wonder if our paths crossed.


As to this topic,
Sailed as a kid on small sailboats the family owned. In between jobs took my motorhome and dune buggy to Baja and on the way back from Cabo stayed at Santispac and met a bunch of cruisers. Amazing how easy it is to meet cruisers when you have a VHF and fun ground transportation. Left motorhome and dune buggy with new cruiser friends and hopped the Green Turtle bus back for the States. Bought a 20 year old Cal 40 for $16K and matched that price on refit for cruising and returned to Santispac. After Mexico sold the Cal and took motorhome to Alaska and lived in Valdez for a bit over a year. Met a lot of Deck Officers and Radio Officers (they were still required back then) on the tankers up there. Decided that was a good way to earn a living so went back to school at California Maritime Academy.

My last "ship". 32,000 tons, (6) 5,000 hp electric thrusters.


Yours truly

[mbianka]

Deckofficer:

Sounds like a nice career trajectory. Wish I could have made a living on the water in my younger days but, I started sailing a little later (20's) and was already heavily involved in a full time tech career that would have been hard to walk away from. I ultimately did walk away from full time work at 45 though. So it was not too long of a wait.

As for living aboard I was working in New York with an hour and a half commute each way. It was by train so I was able to at least read, sleep etc... After I bought my first boat (a 24 foot Bristol) I took it into the city and stayed at the 23rd Street Marina on the East River for a week. I enjoyed getting to work in minutes as opposed to hours. Though taking cockpit showers with all those apartments above me was a little awkward. When I bought my 30 foot boat I lived aboard at the now defunct Port Imperial Marina in Weehawken New Jersey from April until they closed the marina down for the winter in December. Took the ferry across the Hudson to Manhattan for work. When the Chelsea Piers opened up in 1997 I moved the boat there and did the same sans the ferry rides. Now I no longer work full time or in New York but, spend every minute I can on board. My longtime partner "likes" being on a boat but, does not "love" being on a boat as much as I do so I do have a complicated life at times but, it is a life I rather enjoy too.

[deckofficer]

I didn't go to CMA till my mid 40's Mike.