Suggestions On Getting Into A live Aboard

[swabbmob]

Freebyrdjason,
Don't worry about whether this boat is still available when you are ready. There are hundreds of very nice boats out there when you are ready. The important thing for you right now is that your wife is on board. So plan and read and learn as much as you can until you can get on the water. Your idea of what boat you need may change quite a bit between now and the day you are ready to act.

It is a cool lifestyle for sure.

[Freebyrdjason]

Hello all. Well a little update about everything.... I am under 30 days of coming home to the states. I see the liveaboard is still available, I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing or bad, hmmm. Anyhoo, I talked to the broker about it on the phone and I asked him the reason for the sale, he told me a doctor owns it, he bought a newer vessel and this one needs to go! He told me that it just needed regular maintenance, and that it's really nice blah blah blah... The missus and I talked it over and mulled everything over about living aboard and all and we thought it best to regroup and wait til I get back to look at all of our options....

One idea I came up with, would be get it and use it as a "summer home" what do you all think about that? Anyhoo, there's lots of options here.

I know and understand there are variables to this question, but I'm asking for a good educated guess here. If I were to "cruise" this liveaboard from St Petersburg, Fl to Morehead City, NC a friend of mine predicts less than two fuel tanks full to get her home. I said closer to four.

Here's the numbers... 41' v hull, twin 7.4 Litres, Gas engines, pushing roughly 14,000 lbs., fuel capacity is 400 gallons, cruising at around 17 or less knots. St Petersburg is on the West Coast of Florida, around 270 miles by car to Miami.

So, any guesses? I'm just curious.... Thanks in advance everyone...

[Ex-Calif]

Hi Freebyrd! Congratulations on being a short timer!

You wanted opinions so here is mine. I don't know anything about you or your financial position but I am guessing you and your missus are young, possibly no kids.

Getting a 41 foot (gas thirsty) powerboat is not something I would do right now. But if I had the financial means I would seriously consider a liveaboard catamaran if I was in your situation.

As for a house and a boat "summer home"? By all means if you have the means get both! (Wow! Iraq must pay better than I thought)

But if you do the liveaboard and wait on a house apartment or whatever you could try it out on the boat for a while and if it doesn't work out sell out and go back to land.

In that regard I think the powerboat is a tougher resale - the one you are looking at has been on the market over a year. Catmarans are the latest rage now and I think you could move it pretty quick if you change your plans.

If you don't liveaboard now, you are at risk of getting a mortgage, a piece of grass to cut, collecting a lot of BS you don't really need and then a couple of kids come along and then you are 55 with a mortgage trying to figure out what happened.

I say go now while you have a little pile saved up.