I AM Going to Live Aboard . . .

[Bergovoy]

BUT, I dont know where, or how?

I am moving from Southern California within the next month... This is not a 'dream', or wishful thinking, or a 'plan' (without basis).. it is fact...

I have been deciding between living in the woods, or on a farm or just REMOTE... I have lived in So. Cal, for more then 20 years after moving from Hawaii...

(yes, So. Cal was a mistake).. I am a country boy.. always have been and always will be...

My problem, (well one of them), is that i need warm weather... I dont do well in snow..I dont mind rain, and weather.. I just cant do constant cold weather.. I can visit.. i can go skiing, I can habng out in the mountains, but need to know i can go home and thaw out...

Anyways.. my problems have been logistics... how do i find a boat? the websites i have seen are kinda confusing.. some I cant sort by date the ad was placed. so most of the ads i respond to are from years ago... and the boats are sold... some websites arent sorted by geography.. so most of the boats are everywhere else, i.e. Pacific NW, NE usa, even other countries...

The big problem is buying a boat and not being there yet... I cant buy something i havent seen.. I dont want to do a complete survey on boats until i buy them... I just want someone to kick the tires look at them and tell me what is right or wrong and or that it is a good deal or NOT a good deal...

Some of the replies i get are that i need to contact them after i get there... I am not sure i want to or am able to drive somewhere only to not find something...

I am kinda at a loss.. i really dont know what to do or how to do it???

I have the freedom and flexibility that most people dont have but yet i feel kinda 'trapped' in a catch 22...

I would appreciate any tips or ideas or suggestion...

I would also appreciate any leads for any boats or marinas...

Thanks

[boatman61]

Bergavoy.... Welcome to CF..??... Hey Welcome....
As to the rest... well me ole mate.. you'll just have to do what a lot of us here had to do... pick up your balls and go for it... this aint no Nanny thing... if you cant sort out your own ****... don't take up sailing coz your the only one out there... aint no phones or road signs boy... just open water sometimes 50ft high.
Maybe you should stay a 'Country Boy'.... you came in negative enough to qualify

[atoll]

if you can survive the first year,this is whats called the learning curve,you will regret all those years wasted onland surrounded by m....rons.....
welcome to the real world.

[PamlicoTraveler]

Berg,

any idea of your budget? Most boats sold are listed on yachtworld - www.yachtworld.com. You can sort any way you want!

Good luck... And welcome.

[zeehag]

i know of a nice farm in iowa, but it isnt warm there.... is country in iowa, tho..

...welcome to cf.

[boatman61]

Berg...
I nearly apologised then... I would not be doing you a favour if I did... sorry m8

[simonmd]

There is no easy "here are all the boats listed in xxxx area" shortcut really, most sites will just list by country and in the case of the US, as you don't need me to tell you, it's huge! My best advise with this regard is to decide what area you want to goto, then get on the 'net and search for boat brokers in that area. Then, you can be reasonably confident that they are all in the right place.

As for price/type of boat, etc. it's up to you to keep going through the various sites and compare them, after a while, you'll get a good 'feel' for the market. If you find a boat you like but are unsure of the price, search for the same/similar boat in other areas and see if the other prices tally up. If you find one a lot cheaper elswhere, you can use this info to negotiate with the broker.

Don't worry too much about when an ad' was placed, it's not unusual for some boats to be on the market for quite some time, years even. It's not like buying a car, boats can be very emotional things and some sellers havent sold because they don't like the buyer!

Good luck with your search, if you need info on a particular type of boat then this site is a good place to ask.

[atoll]

cash is king,a lot of people are sitting on yachts they cant afford paying marina/mooring fees they cant afford at a rate of 2000-10000 dollars a year and just want to be shot of the liability at any cost.....,worth travelling for a good buy,find an experinced, yachty to survey the vessel,will normally give better advice than most surveyers at a minimal cost

[boatman61]

Skip Yachtworld... try
www.sailboatlistings.com more owner ads there

[MichaelC]

Don't be in a hurry. That's what cars and jets are for. Boats are S L O W. Finding the right one is even slower. You should probably spend a few months reading. Use the library. Use the Internet. You have to figure out what you want. Are you intending to sail across oceans? Or just live in a marina or on the hook in protected harbors? If the latter, any huge ungainly thing with big windows is okay. Are you impatient to get from here to there? Maybe a power vessel. There are some lovely ones out there. Once you figure out what you want, then you will be able to ask the right questions. BTW welcome to the site.

[Khagan1227]

I've tried sailboatlistings.com, but it has too many boats that have been sold LONG ago.

I bought my current boat on craigslist, I know some who bought theirs on ebay, I am going to look at several in Panama City...Florida over Christmas, but those are through a broker, but at least I can see prices in a lot of different places for similar boats.

Buying THE boat will take some time, but then, I won't repeat the process again for a long time, if ever, so I want to do it right.

I DO have a house in Florida for sale, in the country, if the cruising thing doesn't work out for you.

Any who... welcome to CF!

[Bergovoy]

boatman... i dont need or want an apology.. i call it like i see it too. most of the time, at least when i think i can get away with it.. hehehe

I am going go find my balls... it's just that theybeen tucked away for so long it may take a little while... but, I guarantee that when i do, and when i take the plunge, no pun intended, I will regret waiting as long as i did.

I really am looking at souther florida, as i think i will get more better weather there then anywhere else... And again, i need warm weather most of the time... (not a function of balls really, just high on the priority list)

I can live in Iowa, I still love country... if it is like 'smallville'.... that has always been my idea of 'country'...

but again, I am focusing on the end game.. which is in the water I mean ON the water...


I have cash.. not a lot, but enough for the 30ft sailboats that i have seen around on Craigslist and ebay, and some of the other sites...

What does a 'broker' offer? they seem to be kinda like a middle man.. are they going to offer me something that i cant get on myu own???

How much do they charge? who pays them???

I have been reading and reading and reading.. and i kinda think too much info is confusing me more...

If i could see and touch a specific boat, I would have a better chance of remembering it...

But, I am not sure any amount of reading will tel me if one boat is better then another, or one is 'easier' then another, ...

I also just saw a metal hull boat for sale and have the same issues.. is metal hull better, worse? is it worth more money, or less? is it harder to take care of or easier???

I guess most of my questions are kinda arbitratry or personal choice... and again, I was kinda hoping someone or some group could tell me what is better FOR ME...


I am planning on leaving California around mid January(ish), and taking my time driving across the country.. And maybe make it to Florida by the middle of February, or a bit later...

and like i said, I have some money, but dont want to waste it 'unproductively'..

basically that is what i am asking for... I hate wasting money, and time...I would also feel bad driving by something and missing it, just becuase i didnt ask, or know...


anyways, thanks for the info.

[hummingway]

Southern Florida? Warm water? You haven't lived until you've swum in the frigid waters of the north! No, wait a minute ... that's how you die isn't it? Hmmm ....

Anyway, one suggestion; when you get to Florida starting checking brokerages and websites, and go see lots and lots of sailboats. Climb all over them, poke into the corners, lift the hatches and consider what it will be like to live on them. When you start to get an idea of the type of boat you'd like search the web and ask on the online forums for impressionns people have.

When you're getting close to deciding get them to take you out for a spin. Make any offer contingent on a mechanical survey and a marine survey.

A broker might be a good idea to help through some of this.

[markpierce]

Some people give the appearance of helplessness. Sorry, no help for the helpless.

[Bergovoy]

thanks mark..

I usually dont give the appearance of helplessness. just the opposite.. i am usually self assured and all that.. not to the point of arrogant, but just really independant..

But, rather then look the fool and or try to talk about stuff i have no business, i figured I would just throw it all out there..

sorry if it offends you or some of you... but, I will put that into the you please some of the people some of the time category...

And yea, it probably is best to move there and start looking rather then trying to find something before or concurrent to my move...I was just trying to be 'efficient', and or not waste money on 'rent' that i could apply to the boat...

Maybe i can find someone who is selling and is moored at a liveaboard slip, and i can pay them rent while i look and they try to sell, kinda of a win win???

Not sure if that is done or is feasible or I am just talking the fool??? hehehe

I guess I should try to figure out the geography of Florida, and figure out where south florida is compared to Gulf side... I have been to Tampa Bay/Clearwater/ST. Pete but am not sure where that is compared to the Keys...

I kinda want to be near the Keys, not sure why, other then I think there are more boats there and maybe more marinas and more places to moor off shore...

I will stay anywhere i need to while I learn how to saill and of course as i get more experienced and more bold I will be out and gone more and more...

Thanks for those that are patient..