Possible to Liveaboard 20' Boat?

[imagine2frolic]

I have seen a family of 4 living on a 20ftr. The male was pretty normal size, the wife a small Filipina, and the children both under 5, but walking........i2f

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by lorenzo b

go punch out a cop and spend some time in a jail cell, see if you like the spartan life.

A jail cell is arguably much more comfortable and well-appointed than a 20 footer ever could hope to be.

(At least in an American prison).

You could do it, but I bet the romance would wear off in a week and you'd get sick of it really quickly.

[ColdNorth]

Just said this elsewhere, but met an older (small ) fellow last year living on a Cal 20, not much bigger, if at all.

Anything is possible - give it a try; what's the worst thing that can happen?

[SouthernComfort]

There is a book called "Sailing Small- inspiration and instruction for the pocket cruiser" you can find at Borders that will describe what you are wanting to do. It has recommended boats and accounts and journeys from people that do it and still do it. It is very informative.

Here is the link to the publishers website with a nice overview:

Sailing Small

Goodluck

[slomotion]

I don't know anything about the capabilities of the boat you have in mind or whether it is suitable for your intended cruising grounds. But Flickas are only 20 feet. Yet they are respected bluewater boats and have been cruised all over the world. So yes, some people can live on a boat that size. I'm not one of them.

[redcobra]

In the past month or so I have seen the following questions in this forum:
Possible to live aboard a 30 ft. boat?
Possible to live aboard a 25 ft. boat?
Possible to live aboard a 24 ft. boat?
Possible to live aboard a 20 ft. boat?
Next must be:
Possible to live aboard a 15 ft. boat?

It all depends what you mean by "live." As someone earlier said,"some live in refrigerator boxes."

[stonedpirate]

Good point.

Yes, i guess for me "living aboard" doesnt mean sitting on my boat 24/7. Like i said, its a bed, a kitchen and transport. Other time will be spent on land walking about and living a touristy kind of existence. Even if i had a 40 footer, i would still live the same way but obviously i could spend longer between ports travelling on the boat.

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by Squeaks

I once met a "retired" (older) fellow who lived & sailed his 20-ft English twin-keeler. His cabin was stuffed with stuff and he slept in the cockpit, at sea in a wetsuit!!! So anything is possible, it's a matter of your cost for freedom (but standing headroom makes a world of differance :-)
I lived aboard & cruised (w/my wife) my 23-ft Westerly for almost 15-years, but she has 5ft10in headrom!

Squeaks:

Put all your boats togather an you'll have a 75 footer..

[Chattcatdaddy]

Stonedpirate

Try this website if you are more inclined to a smaller boat. Geared toward boats under 30ft.

www.sailfar.net

[Squeaks]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Squeaks:

Put all your boats togather an you'll have a 75 footer..

Stillraining: You don't know how close you came to the full story as I once owned a 7ft Jester, 8ft El Torro, 9ft Minto, Columbia 22, 23ft Westerly and my Golden Gate 30 (is there a place for me in Guinnes Book or just too many Guinness
But they did add up to be longer, by a foot, than my marinas largest motor yacht! I've since had a "fleet sale" and am down to two keel boats and two dinghys (eventually a pair in Mexico and a pair in Puget Sound).

Also - "A jail cell is arguably much more comfortable and well-appointed than a 20 footer ever could hope to be".
Didn't they say of the old square riggers that they were "like being in jail, with the chance of getting drowned"!

[Stillraining]

Guilty as charged, as well my friend..cant sell any of the darn things in this economy either..

[highseas]

Google "Sven Yrvind"

[highseas]

I once met two french canadians who went from Vancouver to Mazatlan in a 17 foot canoe.

[Damien McLeod]

Originally Posted by stonedpirate

Hello,

I would like to live an alternative lifestyle that may seem harsh to most that are used to the modern life and would like some opinions from liveaboarders.

The plan is to lead a minimilist lifestyle aboard a 20' sailboat. The boat will be used for sleeping on, catching fish, cooking and getting from A to B. The rest of the time will be spent exploring coastal towns and cities as i travel up and down the coast of western australia. I dont want to use gps, fish findrs, radar, onboard showers or any other creature comforts usually associated with liveaboard boats. Very oldschool way of life.

I plan to live like this from spring to autumn then store the boat at my yacht club in winter while i work and save during the rains for the next 9 months of fishing miimilism.

The boat i am looking at is here: Galleries

Are these just too small to live like this?

On the plus side, they are cheap and easy to sail.

On the dowside, they have an extremely low freeboard and might not handle rough conditions too well.

I want to live off the hook and am unsure about how these would go at anchoring along the coast over night in a large swell.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I lived on a 15' centerboard boat at Dinner Key, Miami for a couple of years in my midtwenties. I'm 68 now and thinking of moving onto my Potter 19 down in the Florida Keys soon. It can be done and doing it can be loved and be fun, but it was hard when I was young and I imagine it will be a lot tougher now that I am old. Good luck to you and good living.

Damien McLeod

[gjordan]

Pirate,!!!! think a little bit bigger and you might make your life easier. With this economy you might look at boats in the 25 to 30 foot range. there are boats being given away, that would make life easier than a 20 footer. 3 or days of heavy rains can make you insane in a 20 foot coffin, but might be tolerable in a somewhat larger boat. Just a thought. ____Grant.