Life Aboard a (Very) Small Sailboat in Scandinavia

[KillerBoo]

I´ll continue this tomorrow (or tonight if I´m up to it)
Also, since english isn´t my main language it´s quite an effort to translate so please, let me know if you want me to continue...
Cheers and have a nice friday evening

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by Jetexas

A year aboard a 26' boat -- I could never do it, but I'd be interested to hear about it.

It would be even more interesting if there's an added twist ... like you also have 9 cats. lol

Haha, sorry.. no twist

[Ti' Punch]

I love it, please keep up the posts. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[zeehag]

helpful hint f or cleaning pots and pans--tie a string/line to the handle and then pitch overboard-- is easily retrieved!!! less pricey for replacement, unless ye wanted to replace all anyway!!!
i lived on a 26 ft islander for 2-3 yrs-- was a gas--i am no in a 41 ft formosa--loving it!! congratulations on your lifestyle-- sounds like you are enjoying it a lot!!

ps--beautiful pictures!!!

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Keep it up. I'm sure a Newbie like myself could learn from someone else's experience.

Looks good!

[SabreKai]

Your adventure reminds me of my first liveaboard. Also a 26 foot boat, single skin glass with no insulation. I burned out 7 baseboard heaters (electric furnace) between November 1 and May 1. But it was an absolute blast, and I'd give my right arm to be able to do it again. Soon I hope. Welcome to the forum.

Sabre

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

I´ll continue this tomorrow (or tonight if I´m up to it)
Also, since english isn´t my main language it´s quite an effort to translate so please, let me know if you want me to continue...
Cheers and have a nice friday evening

Well of course you have my complete attention! Welcome to CF fellow Maxi owner. Although some people will think we have 77 foot boats and I just let them think that way - Ha, ha.

Here in Singapore we have about 9 Maxi77s and a Maxi 100. Most have had the diesel engine removed and have a little outboard on the transom. Ours is pretty much original.

There were only a few actually imported and most of them here were made in Singapore.

Translating the posts seems like hard work but so far they are very interesting.

It is interesting how our perspective changes over the years. In Sweden the maxi was considered a family cruising yacht!

Here are some brochure clips. I have a couple of more I have never scanned in including some newspaper articles.

Also I think it is "Maxi-Sordona" or something like that that still has a few items in their catalog. I would love to get a bowsprit and swim platform.

[marc2012]

Welcome and also live on boat.Enjoying posts.marc

[4900bruce]

thank you for sharing your adventure with us . I admire your positive attatude

[NotQuiteLost]

These are great posts. Pace yourself on the translations, since I'd (selfishly) hate to be deprived of the entirety of their content! Your translations skills are superb, by the way. No criticisms here.

[psteele235]

I agree with everything everyone else has said - well done! Now, where do you plan to cruise to now you have got the hang of things? When I was a kid we sailed from England to Kiel then through the canal to Copenhagen and back - magic!

[Sjadows]

Awesome!

All I need to say

[KillerBoo]

Thanks for your positive response everyone. I´ll keep posting then

[KillerBoo]

So far, so good. No regrets whatsoever. Sure, there´s been some issues but to every problem there´s at least 2 solutions. I mentioned in an earlier post that my main concern would be to fit the winter fishing gear in the boat, when that time comes.. well, at least I managed to fit the sumer gear: 3 rod bags, 20+ rods, 2 rod pods, bite alarms tent etc etc for now, and the winter gear is stored with my sister in her house so when the time comes, I´ll just swap oen season for another Also, I´m looking for a "cock pit tent" (Unknown word for me, but I hope you know what I mean by that. I found one, and picture will come later on) The starboard side roof now has the 6 most used rods hanging in place. Fitted them with velcro so they stay in place but simple to detach. Next thing to get will be a genoa furler. Will save a lot of place if I don´t have to keep a lot of "sheets" on board. I´ll settle for a big furling genoa, and store the other sails at my sisters house.

For every day that passes, I get more and more convinced this is the life for me. Since I got the boat I´ve slept one night in a bed ashore. Surprisng how fast you adapt: I couldnt sleep at all, just laid there waiting for a wave to give me a gentle swing. Missed the characteristic sound of water against the hull, sea gulls doing their thing etc. Felt a bit like I imagine a junkie will feel when out of shots.. restless and irritable.

There aren´t many "must do´s" these days. Some looking after the boat oc, and still a lot of stuff to be done before the fall comes but those are not so much a must do as it is a want to do. In comparison to living in the house.... I never liked the taking care of things with a house.. nowadays I can just say:
Yesterday I mowed the lawn.... NOT
Yesterday I brushed the garage floor... NAAAAH
Tomorrow I have to start repainting the house... OOOOH NOPE

Rather: I think I´ll go out on my "veranda" and have a beer while I try to catch some perch for lunch, or.. I think I´ll step outside for a bath.

To put it short: Can life get better? The kids love the idea and the only "problem" is that so far I have barely had a weekend for myself. They come and go as they please and all I do is get back to the marina every friday efternoon and there´s at least one of them wating eagerly. Prior to the descision this was one of my biggest fears.. that they´d prefer to stay at home. Oh well, winter is yet to come and I hope they wont think it´s too complicated when the snow and ice is here.

Most complicated so far is doing the dishes. I like to cook. With cooking comes pots and pans. If I make a 3 course meal the galley (the whole inside of the boat really) looks like one huge dishing machine.. I like to cook, but I HATE to do the dishes.. but since I haven´t come around to do a service lift to put in a thru hull connector for fresh water from the lake, it´s more the rinsing that´s a problem. One sink, but no running water (except drinking water, but I don´t want to use that). Another point to add to the list of to-do´s before it gets too cold to rinse the dishes by leaning overboard.

[KillerBoo]

Insulation is completed. The whole inside of the hull is covered with dual layers of foam. Also all berths got their share of it, under the matresses. Inside the stowage spaces and the floor is also complete. Remains just one layer of foam on the starboard side astern plus the wall carpet on the same place
So far there´s been no condensation anywhere. This is however something I "worry" about. If it gets cold enough there will probably be some areas that gathers condensation. I will just have to wait and see. The 2 wardrobes is most likely to collect moisture, since they are packed and with no ventilation. One idea is to install a couple of computer fans for air sirculation in these compartments. I have done what I can to isolate the boat, now it´s just a waiting game until the winter arrives and then take it from there.
It´s been freezing cold outside the last few nights but inside, even with the heater barely on a minimum, the temperature has been a nice 17-18 C. During the days its been really hot though, but the inside of the boat then has stayed nice and relatively cool.

The electrical wiring is also completed. On a boat this old it feels good to know what every cable is for and where it leads.