LiveAboards, Electricity, and GPS Systems - Do I REALLY need them?

[F15EWSO]

How do you power your laptop and PC needs? Do you internet cafe?

[Morganministry]

If the boat is just going to stay tied to the dock, I would skip the engine also. Unless you like tinkering with stuff. Even unused engines need attention or they cease to function.

I like the idea of zero power. We live in an area where the power goes out frequently. So each house that I have lived in uses as little power as possible. Basically Lights, fridge, TV. and computer . Every thing else runs off of wood or propane. That way when the power is out, it is a minor annoyance.

Scott

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by daddle

Electricity will be the least of your problems. Rotten wood will be your problem....

winner winner

You're going to spend 1000 hours working on wood at 20 installing electronics. And those wood working hours are going to be *hard*.

[downunder]

Would be useful having electricity for your wood working tool to rebuild the boat.

Drills, planners, sander, routers, bandsaw etc. otherwise you are stuck with all hand tools.

[SunDevil]

It sounds like you might want to look at houseboats.

If you don't need an engine and don't need to travel anywhere that is.

Houseboat for $3,000 (no engines) - YouTube

You could build this one easily and actually live on the water in no time.
All sizes | 157_5712 container boat | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I would guess that it could be done with two or three pontoon boat bottoms , a shipping container, cut out the windows, add some water tanks, frame up some interior stuff, and then work on the outside. You could even attach an outboard to it.

I would use a small solar panel to run a few LED lights though.

As for GPS, it is nice, but you can get paper charts and a compass.

The Amish might be willing to help you build a wooden boat with no electronics, but you won't find many on the Internet.

[PEACETIME]

If you are tired of a hurricane running off with your house, which is grounded to a slab or foundation, what makes you think the boat will be any better ? Hurricane force winds, rocky shorelines, and boats are not easy situations to deal with. Just an thought, maybe start building a totally new boat using the old boat for a guide since you have a liking for that style. It is all a can of worms kind of thing - where do you start or stop on the old wooden boat that has sat for 20 years? Good luck

[Silverado6x6]

Good luck with your project and I mean it.

I think you should get a deep cycle 12 volt system started. If you have some access to shore power then you have power for lights and for tools.
But having 12 volt power with the right kind of battery you can then add an inverter so then you can power smaller 129 volt devices like an electric shaver, charging a laptop or having something like a Kindle.
As for charging the batteries without shorepower you have choices of solar, wind, small gas generator or a bicycle powered alternator.
For lights LED is the way to go, if you know basic electronics you can buy them in bulk off Ebay and make your own interior lights.

But honestly, I have cats, at times I have had nearly a dozen, and having an open flame on a wood boat and cats is really asking for it, be smart.

I wish to do the same as you have done but where I live its rather difficult and cost prohibitive to liveaboard year round. My goal is to travel to Australia and start looking for a steel hull project.

[Wavewacker]

Just a thought, go to "Mico Cruising in the Bahams" it's a site about micros that have no gen sets, use batteries and cruise on a budget. At 40' you don't have a micro, but the strategies used might be helpful.

Micro cruising is where I strated and my needs grew and so did that ultimate boat. I'm hoping to get away and stay away as long as I can. I'm leary of having to rely on a gen set to keep my food from spoiling. So, a smaller backup is my solution even on a bigger boat. Batteries, solar/wind. Using the micro techniques most of the time means that the gen set is off and saving $$ on fuel as well as just the consumption function.

[Ex-Calif]

From your posts the boat is a labor of love and an object you've been after for a long time. You live what is arguably a spartan lifestyle and your main intent is to "save" this boat and create a place to live.

Today, you don't know what you don't know. I cannot reconcile a large wooden boat restoration with a spartan lifestyle. As pointed out to you ,you are going to need lots of power tools unless of course you are Amish and are going to use traditional boat building methods. You say you will live in a tent which is fine. My brother has sort of lived off the grid for 20 years with minimal conveniences so I am not judging in any way.

However, where will you store all the things needed for a boat restoration? Even non powered drills, planers, clamps, tools, paint, thinners etc. gotta be stored somewhere.

In regards to electricity, don't get hung up on a gps. If you have an engine you are pretty much gonna have a 12 volt battery, an alternator and a starter. Yes you can "insist" on sourcing a hand pulled diesel but odds are you won't, if and when you get to that stage.

You are obviously "connected" to the net. You have a computer of some kind. At some point you can add nav charts and a gps puck to your computer. The issue is, after this 5 year rebuild do you plan to unplug from the net? If not you will want to charge or power your pc. Once again you will have some sort of power on the boat.

The truth is, minimalist 12vdc power on a boat is dirt cheap and a no brainer. DC power gets expensive and complicated when you add fridge, watermaker and aircon. Lights, pc power and nav instrument power is a pretty low load. It is also a decision you can make in about 2 years. Today's questions would seem to be around the physical process of rebuiilding the hull but they are not.

I don't want to be a negative Nellie but I suspect you have a romance going with this boat that is going to end in tears. I know this is what you want to do but you are underestimating what is involved and based on what you have said I don't think you have the resources to do it.

Others have suggested and I agree that you should find something that while in crap condition cosmetically, at least floats and you can live on. A rolling rrefit is a better idea than a ground up restoration for you in my sincere and humble opinion.

Good luck however and I hope it works out.

[44'cruisingcat]

If you don't have electricity, it will be difficult to read all the good advice given here...