Living on legal Mooring while holding a job?

[UNCIVILIZED]

One other (wise as it turns out) thing that I did when on the mooring, was to pick up a 2nd hard dink. A cheapie, sure. As in $50 if that. And she needed some TLC. New oak gunwale strips, rubrails, hull stiffeners & seats. But for another $50 on top of what it cost to buy her, I had a fully functional 10' Boston Whaler. And ugly one at that, which helps make'em less likely to wander off with "new owners".

But the key thing was that it gave me a way to get back & forth should my other dink be down for maintenance, “grow legs”, etc. Ditto if any of my neighbors needed my spare for similar reasons. Which, when literally everything that goes onto or off of the boat is ferried by dinghy, always having one in service is crucial.

Get some good oars. Drill holes in the blades large enough for a cable to pass through. Permanently affix your oarlocks to the oars. And of course add a security cable & lock to everything. And you should be good. Well, other than having a couple of ready bags full of dink necessities; anchor & rode, lights, life jackets, etc. Plus a couple of dry bags/portage packs & the like.


As to your question of when. There's no time like the present. And where. Well, there's not much cruising on the W. Coast, but for the SF Delta, & the PNW. Plus you don't much venture out into the ocean except for SoCal in winter, out West. The storms are just too deadly. But: unless you're in the PNW in winter in a bad year, you don't get storms anything like what Florida & el Caribe routinely sees. Though if you've a Plan A, Plan B, & Plan C for handling named storms/'canes down south, then why not. Assuming you can handle the heat.

[sailorchic34]

LOL As Mark Twain said, the coldest winter he ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco. You may find San Francisco a rather cool place to work in summer. The winds and marine layer tend to make the central bay a chilly summer experience.

Plus look, no moorings anywhere other then angle island park, in the central bay. Oh there's Richardson Bay, but that is a dangerous place in rainy season (Nov to April, Raining today) and a wet windy dinghy ride during summer.

The best weather is in September / October. Now southern California has NICE weather year round and possible on a mooring in San Diego as Zee has done. That nice weather stops somewhere north of point conception.

With that said, I do engineering work right from the boat in the California Delta from anchor in summer. I move about every 3-7 days depending on location and hit a marina every two-three weeks for provisions, laundry and a LONG shower. Commuting from the delta to SF is possible via BART in Pittsburg (that would be brutal), but there is no long term anchoring in one spot and no moorings of any kind. Finding a live aboard marina would be hard too due to wait lists.

[Larry Florida]

Given California's financial uncertainty, high taxes and cost of living would rule out California. Probably can get on the dole in CA easier than Florida though.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Larry Florida

Given California's financial uncertainty, high taxes and cost of living would rule out California. Probably can get on the dole in CA easier than Florida though.

For the lower income boater, taxes are not really an issue. I've not paid California tax (other then property tax) in 6 years. But if you have $20K-$40K or higher lifestyle, California will want their cut.

Mind you food prices and gas,diesel are high, but careful shopping can negate some of that. Really the daily marina slip fee is some of the lowest in the country, well compared to the east coast.

While cost of living ashore is stinking HIGH, living on a modest boat is fairly doable, if one is resourceful. Helps to be a touch crazy.

[Larry Florida]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

While cost of living ashore is stinking HIGH, living on a modest boat is fairly doable, if one is resourceful. Helps to be a touch crazy.

Interesting.

Still don't trust them tax and spenders. CA has been in a steady decline past 30 years.

[Dockhead]

I've done it.

I had to rent a dingy slip in a marina, in order to have shore access and a place to park (in case I was renting a car).

I have showers, hot water, generator, washing machine, and central heat on board, so I didn't need to go to shore for these things.

I liked it a little at first, because it was lovely being out in the water on a mooring rather than in a boat parking lot.

However, you can go stir crazy cooped up on a boat unable to step off it, and not even sailing anywhere. Smaller the boat, the more stir crazy.

And it's really a hassle to have to get into the dinghy to do any little off-boat thing.

Business dress and dinghies don't mix well, especially not in bad weather.

If you are in an area with discharge rules, you've got to figure out how to pump out your tank.

In any case, you have to get water. I made it a firm rule to throw off the lines and go sailing every single weekend, summer or winter, rain or shine, when I was doing this, so that solved any problem of getting water, but if you don't plan to sail much, this can be yet another PITA.


A major reason why I gave up the mooring and moved into a marina for the winter was I just didn't like doing this, even not on a permanent basis (I do have land homes, just in different countries). To make it worse, it really wasn't saving me any money compared to winter rates in the marina, especially if you consider wear and tear on the generator and Eberspacher.

YMMV.

If you are talking about the Bay Area, then this may make sense despite all the drawbacks, due to the unavailability of reasonable land housing or live-aboard marina slips. That will not make it more fun, however.

[seaman-lew]

we have here and there are lots of marinas for 10$ a foot
but a mooring would have a dock and showers

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

[COLOR="black"]One other (wise as it turns out) thing that I did when on the mooring, was to pick up a 2nd hard dink. A cheapie, sure. As in $50 if that. And she needed some TLC. New oak gunwale strips, rubrails, hull stiffeners & seats. But for another $50 on top of what it cost to buy her, I had a fully functional 10' Boston Whaler. And ugly one at that, which helps make'em less likely to wander off with "new owners".

But the key thing was that it gave me a way to get back & forth should my other dink be down for maintenance, “grow legs”, etc. Ditto if any of my neighbors needed my spare for similar reasons. Which, when literally everything that goes onto or off of the boat is ferried by dinghy, always having one in service is crucial.. . .

Really good advice, and I did this also when I was living on a mooring.

Ugly hard dinghy rows better and you don't care about the fouling, and don't worry about theft.

The real dinghy you can keep out of the water and away from fouling, and avoid the wear and tear.

I wore out my previous RIB using it as a harbor tender -- big mistake.

[Coconut711]

Seaman-lew where are you for 10 dollars a foot? Thanks Mike

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Coconut711

Hi, Is anyone out here living aboard on a legal mooring near a marina and holding a job for income? I would probably do a transit in the marina once a week to do laundry, hot shower, and ..... Is it unrealistic to take this lifestyle? I have a small budget in the kitty of 400 a month, and would like to add maybe another 800 or so for a fairly comfortable living while mooring. I will be on a 28 foot vessel and it is set up for this arrangement.... small portable generator, battery bank, heat.... Planing to purchase in late May and move aboard. I lived aboard a 27' Nor'Sea for three years, but in a Marina. Any ideas or sharing of experience would be greatly appreciated. Mike

Where and what type of employment?

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

However, you can go stir crazy cooped up on a boat unable to step off it, and not even sailing anywhere. Smaller the boat, the more stir crazy.


A major reason why I gave up the mooring and moved into a marina for the winter was I just didn't like doing this, even not on a permanent basis (I do have land homes, just in different countries). To make it worse, it really wasn't saving me any money compared to winter rates in the marina, especially if you consider wear and tear on the generator and Eberspacher.

^^^ This. From personal experience winter in northern California is Not enjoyable at anchor. The cost of heating the boat via propane or diesel and gas for generator every day as week long storms roll in back to back to back, would be pricey. Plus being cooped up aboard with all the hatches closed in a 30 knot wind is somewhat less then pleasant. Even sleeping can be a challenge.

I too take a slip in winter (rainy season in northern ca.) Anchored out in winter is a special kind of hell.

[buzzstar]

Too little information for much good advice. I do not know Jacksonville except superficially. I do think Tessellate may be a bit off on the cost of living analysis, keeping in mind that SF rent is sky high. Food, if store bought is not terrible, although eating out can be. Inexpensive public transportation is excellent. I doubt that living on the hook (or a mooring) is even possible anywhere a dink could take you to the city, and as someone else mentioned there would be periods when it could not be safely done no matter what. I have no reasonable idea of the rate for living in a marina or the availability. To some extent you budget suggests you are not in a high end job market. Try researching your concerns using on line resources and the specifics that we are not privy to. Good luck to you.

[mbath56]

Hey! I'm your twin..... a little older but in a similar position. Been pretty much living aboard for the last year on a mooring. The biggest issues are listed above but the one that is the hardest is getting in and out via the dingy, parking if you have a car, and water on and waste out during prolonged storms. An understanding girlfriend with a warm shower can also be a nice plus. Also an Unlimited phone data plan for on line access.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by mbath56

Hey! I'm your twin..... a little older but in a similar position. Been pretty much living aboard for the last year on a mooring. The biggest issues are listed above but the one that is the hardest is getting in and out via the dingy, parking if you have a car, and water on and waste out during prolonged storms. An understanding girlfriend with a warm shower can also be a nice plus. Also an Unlimited phone data plan for on line access.

Actual research shows you may be living with that girlfriend in Jackson Hole, WY, USA. So it is a bit different

[Dave22q]

Your cost of living in SF would probably double the costs in Florida assuming you find a decent anchorage. St Pete would most likely be your best bet for some job prospects and reasonable living arrangements. Unlike the other 2 you probably would not need your heater for more than a few weeks a year. I have not been in SF for years but suspect-live-a-board setups are expensive and commutation difficult. However, public transportation may be doable in SF, not very likely in Fl where you probably need a car/motorcycle.