Soon to be living aboard - need advice

[vook]

I plan to start living aboard a 30 foot sailboat in the coming weeks for the first time. I seek guidance. Is there anything that you all wish you had known prior to living aboard ? Do any of the clubs that rent slips have showers ? I'm on the San Diego Bay, is the water fairly active ? Does the boat tend to move around a lot on slips ? And what of heat ? Do most 30 foot boats (like Beneteau's) have heaters - hot water heaters ?

thanks !

vook

[boatman61]

Beneteaus do indeed have W heaters if its an inboard engine... just have to run the engine awhile to heat it...

[savoir]

You shouldn't need a cabin heater in San Diego. Not too many boats down there would have them anyway.

[Hudson Force]

Three strand nylon lines absorb much shock,- don't use dacron for dock lines. Most all marinas that I've stayed at have bath houses,- showers. I'm not sure of places that are describes as "clubs". We spend our winters in latitudes like San Diego or south and require little heat, but if it's needed at the dock, then a little $20 electric heater will suffice. If we're off the dock, we wear a jacket or put an extra blanket on the berth. Take care and joy, Aythay crew

[AnchorageGuy]

vook, If you are in San Diego and plan to stay there, before you embark on this adventure, it might be a good idea for you to check and see if it will even be possible for you to find a slip that you can live aboard. In San Diego, you might be surprised. Chuck

[Bash]

In San Diego, you might find that a trawler lamp (using pure paraffin) is all you need to keep the boat warm on a chilly night. Maybe that and a comfy sweater.

Bigger problem is warming it up on a chilly morning. Best way to do this on a boat without a furnace is to whip up a coffee cake the night before, stick it in the oven uncooked, and then start the oven half an hour before you plan to get up. By the time you're out of bed, you've got a warm cabin and a warm breakfast.

[ChristiGrab]

A few years ago, when slips were hard to come by in San Diego Bay, it was virtually impossible to get a liveaboard slip. Now many of the marinas are half empty and they are more welcoming to liveaboards. The trick is to not call on the phone. Walk in and and meet the dock master and ask about availability. They just want to make sure you are not an unsavory character before inviting you to live in their marina.

Kona Kai marina is liveaboard friendly in general and has plenty of space, so you should have no problem getting a slip there. As an FYI, it is illegal to liveaboard in Mission Bay, but we are told the marinas turn a blind eye if you do.

As for heat, I get cold easily. I run a space heater every night and on cooler days. The space heater works great.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by ChristiGrab

............. The trick is to not call on the phone. Walk in and and meet the dock master and ask about availability. They just want to make sure you are not an unsavory character before inviting you to live in their marina.......................

Good advice here from ChristiGrab! Most of the marinas that we have lived aboard over the last four decades have a posted policy that states they do not allow liveaboards and yet, we and others were living aboard. We were not living aboard without the consent of the marina owners and managers, but simply "approved" by presenting ourselves as responsible owners of a sound vessel. Take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Bash]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Good advice here from ChristiGrab! Most of the marinas that we have lived aboard over the last four decades have a posted policy that states they do not allow liveaboards and yet, we and others were living aboard. We were not living aboard without the consent of the marina owners and managers, but simply "approved" by presenting ourselves as responsible owners of a sound vessel. Take care and joy, Aythya crew

I've lived aboard legally in two marinas with no-liveaboards policies. When one is gainfully employed, owns a nice boat, and is involved in the local community, the rules suddenly change.