What Don't You Like About Living On A Boat?

[Mike OReilly]

The thing I dislike the most is marinas. I hate sleeping at the dock (the boat feels funny), I hate dock noises and dock parties and dock expenditures. But mostly I just hate docking. OK, this last one is b/c I suck at docking -- but you get my drift.

I've not felt cramped in our 37-footer, even in our galley. I've only spent up to five months at a time on the boat, and there's only two of us, so perhaps this will change once we are truly full-time, but so far space is not an issue. And I kinda like getting weather-bound for days, as long as we're in a safe anchorage. The pounding of the rain puts me right to sleep.

[Julie Mor]

The longest I've lived on a boat is one month, not much but some of the posts here have jogged my memories.

Trying to sleep in a harbor when the other boat's halyards are clanking incessantly.

Having a deadline to make and turning on the motor to make it, directly into 3-4 foot seas, for 14 hours.

Being on board with a nervous, anxious passenger.

Hot, windless days.

Biting flies.

[HansSolo]

My wife and I have been living aboard now for around 4 years, and the one thing that we really hate is living aboard when the boats on the hard for repairs or whatever. Dealing with a 12' ladder and lack of refrigerator (keel cooled) gets old quick! Neighbors can also be a mixed bag. We have met a ton of great people living aboard that we might otherwise not have had the chance to get to know. On the same token we have also wound up living in close proximity to some real sketchy guys that were difficult to deal with…

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Julie Mor

The longest I've lived on a boat is one month, not much but some of the posts here have jogged my memories.

Trying to sleep in a harbor when the other boat's halyards are clanking incessantly.

Having a deadline to make and turning on the motor to make it, directly into 3-4 foot seas, for 14 hours.

Being on board with a nervous, anxious passenger.

Hot, windless days.

Biting flies.

Not to mention hot windless nights.

There is much that is uncomfortable about living on a boat. But then, sometimes at anchor around the bay, I see folks backed up on the bridges doing the daily commute to work, day after day and I realize that they think that is completely normal way to live. To me it looks like madness now. There is much in daily life that is less then perfect.

Sailing and living aboard is not all smooth seas and white sandy beaches. Yet, as with all things it offers up rewards that can not be seen, until you step upon that path and live it a while.

Myself, I've lived aboard for 10 years now. I can't say I've enjoyed every minute. But I've grown to far prefer it to a fixed abode.

[conachair]

Having an address to get eBay packages delivered to would be nice, but nothing begins to significantly detract from the advantages of living a more day to day existence, so much closer to nature, unplugged from the corporate buy more style of living, being a geographical wanderer...
But I don't like having a left handed boat, every hard to get nut and bolt is always only accessible using the left hand.....
Small price to pay

Edit. And it's quite sad sometimes saying goodbye to the wonderful people you meet along the way..

[boatman61]

Missing the dinghy...

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Julie Mor

Biting flies.

Yeah, I forgot about that...

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by HansSolo

My wife and I have been living aboard now for around 4 years, and the one thing that we really hate is living aboard when the boats on the hard for repairs or whatever. Dealing with a 12' ladder and lack of refrigerator (keel cooled) gets old quick! Neighbors can also be a mixed bag. We have met a ton of great people living aboard that we might otherwise not have had the chance to get to know. On the same token we have also wound up living in close proximity to some real sketchy guys that were difficult to deal with…

Yeah, I forgot about that...

Did it last winter in Urbanna VA while refitting. The yard's travelift did not have the ability to level side to side and so the boat ended up being slightly tilted on the stands. I woke up the first night in the middle of the night and my first thought was "Holy $%*# the boat is sinking!" lol. Scared the crap outta me for a second.

The lack of water is what got to me. Climbing up and down a 12' icy ladder in February in a barren yard was bad enough...doing it with a bucket of dishes got really old very fast.

That is the one thing I hated about living on a boat. I'll never do it again for any appreciable length of time. A week or even two weeks is fine. But I was up there for five months.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Trying to sleep with the wind blowing 40-50 knots with a wee bit of fetch. Look I'm flying.... weeeee.

Winter condensation/mold, is a truly lovely experience. Then there is the term "boat breath" for that "odor" that permeates some boats, including clothing and everything else. But after a while, you'll not notice it at all.

Agreed on those. Don't get great sleep when the boat is rockin' from the wind at anchor or in a marina.

Mildew...

but things about our dirt lifestyle we miss are... just being able to get food delivery whenever and just being able to pick up and go see a movie whenever. I also miss "quick trips" to the beer and grocery store.

On the other hand, this is part of the adventure we signed up for; sometimes though we just don't want adventure.

[JPA Cate]

This may sound weird, Julie, but I dislike the way a small project will take over the whole living area of the boat. Tools and supplies out of lockers and nowhere to sit. It just bugs me. There doesn't seem to be a way to have two separate projects going on at one time, either.

I did not like it the time we came back to find the boat bouncing on the sand when she dragged while we were shopping; nor the time the shower sump filled with inch and a half long black worms; nor the time we came back after a trip to the US to find liquefied remains of a weevil infestation in the pasta locker; and I don't much like being at anchor in extremely stormy weather: thunder, lightening, and over 50 knots.

These minor aggravations are well offset for me by the mobility, the self-selecting cruising community with values largely like that of a small town--we're reciprocally supportive, recognizing our vulnerability to the capriciousness of life and of nature, and finally, all the experiences we've had that we could not have had any other way.

Ann

[44'cruisingcat]

Being close to "civilisation". Having idiots anchor on top of us, or go screaming past in their huge powerboats.


We're passing through the Gold coast now, must be about the highest number of dingbats per square inch on Earth!

[kentobin]

My issues are primarily space related.

Both a strong point and an issue, not enough storage space. It makes you not collect stuff but sometimes you wish you had a book, a tool, a different pair of shoes, just something there is no extra space to store it in.

If you have boat projects down below the limited space can make it really hard trying to do the project and live on the boat.

Storage space in a boat is not set up for easy access. If you don't have an inventory list of where you put something you will pay dearly trying to find it again.

Last but not least water leaks. Some place some time there will be a water leak whether it is rain or saltwater. Maybe just a hatch is open at the wrong time. Make sure anything that water can damage has some type of additional water protection especially legal documents.

Into each life some rain must fall. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[sapient sue]

Having to repack lockers to put the newest provisions at the bottom and those to be used first on top. Shopping can be a chore but stowing it so it can be found easily requires lots of effort.

[Suijin]

I remembered another thing.

Drunk cruisers looking for their boat in an anchorage at 3am. You hear them motoring back and forth, back and forth, the sound of the engine getting louder and then fading away. It's a bit comical retelling it here, but when you're trying to sleep it's like Chinese water torture, waiting for that sound to start building again...

[bobnlesley]

Trying to sleep with the wind blowing 40-50 knots with a wee bit of fetch. Look I'm flying.... weeeee.


That's the one and tonight here - Garrison Bight Moorings in Key West - looks like being one of those sort!