Technomads Moving from Land to Water . . .

[technomadia]

Originally Posted by michaeldsusa

I wish you good luck.
Not to be rude but it sounds like you may well need it.
I speak from experience.
I know my lack of salt cost me a boat.
Fair winds following seas.

Lack of salt??

I'd love to learn from your hard-earned-wisdom, if you are willing to share more than "Not to be rude but it sounds like you may well need it".

No matter how well prepared we are, we all need luck from time to time.

- Chris

[Pblais]

Being off grid (using solar or wind) is important to us from the tech-coolness aspect, though supplanting power on occasion from a generator or via the alternator is fine. I just don't want to ever be dependent on needing to run a generator an hour or two a day - too much noise

There seems to me a bit of clear focus in this statement that may really be the whole issue. Being off the grid totally means not being plugged in. It is hideously expensive without lifestyle changes - deal with it. It is mostly about the money. The only possible reason to own solar panels is to address "too much noise". They are expensive and that one issue is why I have some but I can't be of the grid or close to it. It's the only reason to own them. The intensive amounts of enerygy require to actually make a boat is so off the scale that you'll never save enough in your lifetime to get back to zero assuming you started there in the first place. Bragging brights are worth less on the water.

There are a lot of ways to look at it. I knew an Architect that lived on his boat in downtown St Paul, MN on the Mississippi River. It basically was a barge with a quonset hut on top of it. The barge never moved in the 6 years I knew him. It was his office and his home and he liked it. The natural sunlight sucked. St Paul isn't warm in January, but is was a great evening view.

It is possible to focus on what it really is all about and cut to the chase scene. Research projects that venture into computing the perfect boat always end. You then get a boat based on your gut or you keep computing. It's easier to compute why you won't buy a boat. I've seen it here too many times. Skip the research and get to the gut. It really has nothing to do with which boat and almost all about you. Done right it is always only about you. Hanging around boats and buying a couple can set you up to find the one that really works for you. Being on boats is for the gut.

Best advice I can offer is the Rule of the Admiralty: "The admiral knows a crappy boat when she sees one." It requires an amazing lack of research.

If you can avoid buying the very first boat for a good long time you can save more money if you invest in sailing and just being on the water. It's more fun than computing boats and learning more is really more important. Boats are not floating condos unless you can afford a paid crew. You are searching for your "inner boat".

I've been a techno geek for 30 years and that stuff is about making money not making your life.

[Bergovoy]

i am sure there is no way to be off grid completely.. you will always depend on something, and or leave behind a foot print of some sort...

buying fuel for the generator, filters for the water, oil, batterys, toilet paper, tampons, medicine... btw: my controversial, OT, hi-jack of the day...

the co leader of PETA has diabetes and takes insulin to live... go figure...

anyways, i think the goal is to use the least and be as green as possible, and all that, and not to be a total montain man... with that said, I still think yo would be best served to get a smaller mono-hull, 30-35' ish, and cruise, live, weekend warrior from wherever you are at now, and get your sea legs, and then sell her after a year and then get your new house boat/marina queen....

[Noname1]

Lack of salt??

Experience.

The vibe I was getting suggested you had made up your mind and wanted validation. Lots of experience here and it is telling you to try before you buy but you seemed not to accept it.

I had limited funds so I bought a tired but otherwise great boat. A Pan Oceanic 46 Pilothouse cutter. The idea was I can afford only one boat so it better be the one I'm gonna be on a Long time. I agree you must buy a boat you love other wise she won't love you. The boat I bought kept me alive in spite of myself. That's the love part. She could have just as well shook me off into the deep.

This boat looks like it might do what you want. May not be too far from your RV.

1996 Fountaine Pajot Tobago 35 Catamaran sailboat for sale in Florida

[technomadia]

Originally Posted by Pblais

Being off the grid totally means not being plugged in. It is hideously expensive without lifestyle changes - deal with it.

Uhm - I've dealt with it. We live in a solar-powered travel trailer, and I am coming up on my fifth anniversary of being on the road. We often go months straight without plugging in anywhere, and we tend to set up the generator only once or twice a year - usually only when we need air conditioning, or we are providing power for others.

We know how to live off-grid. That isn't what I am here seeking advice on.

Originally Posted by Pblais

Research projects that venture into computing the perfect boat always end. You then get a boat based on your gut or you keep computing.

The final decision comes down to my gut, but I need to know where to start looking. Coming up with a short list of likely contenders seems like the best way to start. I was hoping to get some good advice here, but this forum has mostly focused on criticism and negativity. No wonder the Bumfuzzle's gave up on the community here.

Originally Posted by Pblais

I've been a techno geek for 30 years and that stuff is about making money not making your life.

I've chosen to mix work and life, and focus on enjoying both. I've never taken a job "just for the money". Why waste my time? Life is short.

- Chris

[technomadia]

Originally Posted by Bergovoy

with that said, I still think yo would be best served to get a smaller mono-hull, 30-35' ish, and cruise, live, weekend warrior from wherever you are at now, and get your sea legs, and then sell her after a year and then get your new house boat/marina queen....

To be clear - we have NO home base. No place to weekend warrior from. I've been living on the road full time for nearly five years now. I have no interest or intention of settling down in one place for a year to "get my sea legs"...

We are contemplating selling our RV and buying a boat. It will be our one-and-only full-time home from the day we move aboard it until the day we decide to disembark for a different kind of adventure.

That is why the top requirement is that we find something that works great as our home first-and-foremost. It will be home on day #1.

- Chris

[technomadia]

Originally Posted by michaeldsusa

This boat looks like it might do what you want. May not be too far from your RV.

1996 Fountaine Pajot Tobago 35 Catamaran sailboat for sale in Florida

Thanks Mike - this is the sort of advice that I am looking for. The Tobago looks like a great boat. Does it have a good reputation? What are the downsides of it? Alternatives we should consider?

A catamaran this size and vintage could be perfect for us.

- Chris

[Cotemar]

technomadia,

Glad you noticed post #2. An around we go again. Um
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post595900

[Noname1]

Don't know I'm so far a mono-huller. Just seems to fit your wish list. Let your search engine take you to the owner's group. Search here. Sailors are a very opinionated lot in case you hadn't noticed. LOL.

PS If you buy the boat take me for a day sail. I'm drowning on dry land to borrow the lyrics.

[technomadia]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Glad you noticed post #2. An around we go again. Um
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post595900

Of course I noticed it - and I went off and spent several hours researching the Tobago and added it to my list of boats I'd like to learn more about and hopefully see in person.

But "go look at this boat listing" isn't hugely useful advice - I would really love to hear someone chime in with reasons why they think the Tobago (or whatever other boat) might be a good fit for us, and offer up thoughts on the reasons that it might not.

It isn't hard to come up with a long list of Catamarans and/or Pilot House monohulls that are selling for less than $150k. Knowing what to look for in narrowing down that list is what is important. What brands to look for, which to avoid? What features to seek out? How to weigh the tradeoffs? Etc...

This is what I was hoping to get from this forum.

- Chris

[boatman61]

I think this is the boat for you.... its got an awesome aft master cabin... theres loadsa light in the saloon... the galleys a seperate area entirely... you should be able to get the price down to inside your budget..
Its beautiful... romantic... lotsa deck area...
And you could even hire 'Captain Ron' to get you started.....

And I'm not taking the Pi$$
Oh... I know nothing about Maxim Cats but this looks like it could go 'Off the Grid..'
http://www.bviyachtsales.com/core/li...=bviyachtsales&



BVI Yacht Sales Ltd.=

[Cotemar]

technomadia,

Post # 2 got the cold shoulder. Ok by me, but !!!!
post #52 got Thanks Mike - this is the sort of advice that I am looking for

This is the same boat in both posts.

Now I am as confused as everyone else here that has tried to help you.
There is a very cold feeling in this thread and everyone is trying to relay that to you and we are hearing and empty dial tone on the other end.

Cordially,
Mark

[Bergovoy]

the link in post two dont work no more???

and yea, I get that elephant in the room feeling, not sure why... but, I am guessing techno couple, (which really you all should get seperate user accounts, isnt there a rule for that?) but like i was saying I think technos and one or two of you got off to the wrong foot, kinda thing....

I also think techno has some ideas in mind are kinda trying to get support for thier idea, which they got, and are still trying to get a larger support goup, which they may or may not over time...but ultimately isnt necessary...

Im kinda at a loss for some of teh defensive response... I dont think they are helpful and are somewhat antagonistic by themselves... I would ask, PLEASE..... to take a step back, all parties... and just take things with a grain of salt... if your ideas arent accepted, fine, not need to jam them down thier throats., and if you dont like some of hte suggestions, say, thanks but no thanks.. and move on...

maybe revisit the question or focus the question to focus on a certain type of boat/ship, ??(*which is it btw?)

anyways, I think techno couple are good people and would love to hear more about and from them, and dont want any of the older / tenured on this forum crowd to 'want' to try to bully anyone in anyway, which i dont think happened, but kinda see it coming...


anyways... maybe it's best to just shut up, talking about me... and let things be, as everytime i get involved it backfires horribly for me...

[technomadia]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

technomadia,

Post # 2 got the cold shoulder. Ok by me, but !!!!
post #52 got Thanks Mike - this is the sort of advice that I am looking for

This is the same boat in both posts.

Now I am as confused as everyone else here that has tried to help you.
There is a very cold feeling in this thread and everyone is trying to relay that to you and we are hearing and empty dial tone on the other end.

Hi Mark -

My apologies, post #2 was a great lead, and it prompted to do some good research into the Tobago.

But before I could properly thank you, the thread got derailed into criticism that I have no business looking for a boat until I "sail first", and that when I do get a boat I have no business being concerned about how well suited it is to be our home office space.

The thread got thoroughly derailed with some very negative criticism. I've looked back on some of the Bumfuzzle threads (at the prompting of some here via PM) and saw a lot of the same negativity.

I'm not giving up on this community just yet, that is why I made a point of thanking Mike - trying to get this thread focused again on constructive leads and advice. You started off constructive, and I very much appreciate that.

In the RV universe, a bunch of us have come together building a community at NuRVers.com that is focused on younger full-time RV'ers, most of whom are not retired and who are still working and earning a living while on the road. I wonder if there is a need for a similarly focused online community in the cruising world. Does such a group exist?

Cheers,

- Chris

[technomadia]

[QUOTE=boatman61;602010]I think this is the boat for you.... its got an awesome aft master cabin... theres loadsa light in the saloon... the galleys a seperate area entirely... you should be able to get the price down to inside your budget..

Thank you - this is indeed a beautiful boat, and it might even be worth trying to go look at just to get a feel for the layout. (Oh wait, it is in FL and not the BVI's, so that might have to wait...)

From the pictures though, it does seem like most of the living space is "down" inside. I think for a space that will be our daily work area, we will want some sort of a view. This is why I am most intrigued by catamarans and pilothouse designs.

But, thanks!

- Chris