What is Living Aboard Full Time Like?

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

..................... don't worry about crossing oceans yet. Learn from others, either by crewing or taking classes. Get a boat. Move aboard. Take short sails, then longer ones. Your perspective changes and you get a more realistic attitude. The difference between a dream and a plan. ...............
Google "Rules Of The Road" and download a copy. This is something that needs to be memorized in its entirety. Serious. Seriously serious. And learn about all the stuff that you need on your boat to comply with the law and basic safety. Registration, fire extinguishers, propane and gasoline safety, (safest to simply have neither one) electrical, navigation lights, waste disposal, fire extinguishers, (there... said it twice. That means have twice as many as required.) keeping everything up to date, all that stuff. Google is your friend. A class is an even better friend.

I really like all the great advice from Growley Monster. These are my favorite parts!

[boatman61]

Its great if you can live by the KISS principle...
Forget stuff like generators, A/C and all the fancy schmancy crap old folk think is important.. get a couple of decent solar panels and a small invertor.. that plus your engine will give you all the power you should need.. unless you cannot live without a 32" flat screen and all the other electrical crap at home..
My laptop is my TV/CP/Video Player/Games Console and comms unit... I love Skype..
As to size of boat.. that's down to the size of your ego and sense of personal confidence.. personally I've happily lived aboard boats from 23ft to 37ft (a bit to large for my liking) quite comfortably.. and crossed oceans in them.. but then my needs are simple.. 2 burners and a grill, a small spill over ice box and that's it for the food side.. being English I'm not averse to cooling beer in a net bag over the side.. as opposed to taking up space in the cool box.. near freezing beer messes my throat up to much..
Its a great life if you don't drag the commercial crap along with you.. monies better spent on the important stuff that keeps you going like maintenance to hull, rig and sails..
Save the expensive $hit for when your old n booga'd.. but right now your young and sharp and the worlds your oyster..

[oldragbaggers]

Growly Monster nailed it pretty much on all points.

[JPA Cate]

Growly Monster might be interested to know we have friends who circumnavigated in a Cal 2-27. The only electronics they had was a depth sounder. They had beefed it up somewhat, as well. Theirs was a 6 yr. circumnavigation, iirc. So, of course it can be done. Just requires "due diligence". That will include getting the parents alongside.

Just sayin'.

[oldragbaggers]

Circumnavigations have also been done on Pearson Triton 27's and they can be had for a fair price. We had one in our yard that was "given to us." We had hoped to fix it up but we were never able to get a title for it. After 5 years of trying to register it we gave up and decided it had to be disposed of. We ruined I don't know how many saw blades trying to dismantle it. OMG, it was built like a tank (1961 model I think). We eventually had to have it done professionally.

[boatman61]

These have a pretty good name as well...

The Tartan 27 is a great sailing boat (ask anyone who has sailed one). This one has a full batten main, five head sails (including a drifter and a storm jib) and a spinnaker. It has been repowered with a 2000 series Volvo diesel. I have moved up to a larger boat and need to sell Buckeye. Sail it home for $2950.

Bloom_J_C@hotmail.com

[forsailbyowner]

Ive lived aboard for 10 yrs now, half with my wife till she passed away and half solo. Mine has been mostly coastal cruising around the carribean and east coast. Theres so much to see and so many places to go.

Read up on the maintenance posts here, theyre invaluable. You will need to know every system of your boat inside and out. Marine mechanics and marine work in general is very expensive and will drain you dry in a hurry if you depend on someone else to do the work for you. ive heard cruising described as working on your boat in exotic locations.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by boatman61

These have a pretty good name as well...

The Tartan 27 is a great sailing boat (ask anyone who has sailed one). This one has a full batten main, five head sails (including a drifter and a storm jib) and a spinnaker. It has been repowered with a 2000 series Volvo diesel. I have moved up to a larger boat and need to sell Buckeye. Sail it home for $2950.

Bloom_J_C@hotmail.com

Nice! There's a great first boat for someone especially at that price.

[CJMac02]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Its great if you can live by the KISS principle...
Forget stuff like generators, A/C and all the fancy schmancy crap old folk think is important.. get a couple of decent solar panels and a small invertor.. that plus your engine will give you all the power you should need.. unless you cannot live without a 32" flat screen and all the other electrical crap at home..
My laptop is my TV/CP/Video Player/Games Console and comms unit... I love Skype..
As to size of boat.. that's down to the size of your ego and sense of personal confidence.. personally I've happily lived aboard boats from 23ft to 37ft (a bit to large for my liking) quite comfortably.. and crossed oceans in them.. but then my needs are simple.. 2 burners and a grill, a small spill over ice box and that's it for the food side.. being English I'm not averse to cooling beer in a net bag over the side.. as opposed to taking up space in the cool box.. near freezing beer messes my throat up to much..
Its a great life if you don't drag the commercial crap along with you.. monies better spent on the important stuff that keeps you going like maintenance to hull, rig and sails..
Save the expensive $hit for when your old n booga'd.. but right now your young and sharp and the worlds your oyster..

I will say that given the funds, the first thing I would want it solar power. It's much cleaner and more efficient than alternative energy. With that said, I would still want to have a generator for backup purposes.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Growly Monster might be interested to know we have friends who circumnavigated in a Cal 2-27. The only electronics they had was a depth sounder. They had beefed it up somewhat, as well. Theirs was a 6 yr. circumnavigation, iirc. So, of course it can be done. Just requires "due diligence". That will include getting the parents alongside.

Just sayin'.

Sweeeeet! Hats off to your friends for a respectable achievement. Me, I would want a bigger boat but that's me.

[CJMac02]

Originally Posted by boatman61

These have a pretty good name as well...

The Tartan 27 is a great sailing boat (ask anyone who has sailed one). This one has a full batten main, five head sails (including a drifter and a storm jib) and a spinnaker. It has been repowered with a 2000 series Volvo diesel. I have moved up to a larger boat and need to sell Buckeye. Sail it home for $2950.

Bloom_J_C@hotmail.com

She's stunning! I remember a family friend we met while living in New Orleans who owned one almost exactly like this! I think she was docked on a canal when Katrina sunk her. Still, it's a beautiful kind of vessel.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by CJMac02

Hi all! I'm CJ! I'm currently 16 and a sophomore in high school! I love traveling and I love being on boats. I've done cruises, excursions on small sailboats and we own a pontoon boat that I've operated at our lake house in Eufala, Alabama. I've been keen on life on boats for a while now and I have a few questions that hopefully someone will answer!

What is life like on a sailboat? I wouldn't have a problem with things like food and water and I am a self-described minimalist meaning I don't develop a deep hold on items which would be prohibitive to life aboard so I'm prepared for that aspect, but what are the other aspects like?

In general, how much does a sailboat cost? I'm thinking anywhere from $5k to $30k for a standard boat.

Can you make long journeys? My favorite thing in the world is travel and I especially love Europe. I've always flown there though but I've seen European ports in pictures and most seem lovely! Is it feasible to do a trans-Atlantic or even island hopping trip to Europe?

How could one prepare for life on a sailboat or even a small yacht? I'm projecting that I could potentially move onto a boat within four years. I know it's not something I would probably be able to do directly out of high school so 20 seems like a good base age.

Is operating a basic boat difficult? Would I need a partner to assist me?

Thank you for all of you answers! I hope I filed this post into the correct category as I am new to this! Hope everyone has a good day!

Sailing lessons. Will also enable you to network with other like minded, perhaps get invited to join some occasionally and perhaps make contacts that will tip you off to a good deal one day.

[Amapola]

There are different types of living aboard. Some stay connected to the dock and rarely leave. We live aboard ~ 6 months a year and spend the time cruising. We prefer anchoring out and rarely stay at a dock.