Help a Newbie That Never Has Been on a Sea Vessel

[speeder]

Hello!

I never been to a sea Marina or a dock or anything close. Also I never been on a sea vessel... The closest to that, was a transport motor boat that traveled in a channel (ie: its purpose was take people to a island, but it only traveled on the side of the island that faced a river, and thus was not actually sea, the water was calm and not really salty).



But for several reasons (among them, political), I am considering living a boat. My profession right now is of programmer, thus I can work anywhere that I have a computer, and also other possible things I can do, are possible to do on a boat I think (I love to research about history and geography... thus, I would not mind if needed to become for example a underwater archeologist of sorts... or a online teacher, or something).


Also, my current girlfriend is a experienced caribbean sailor (she lives in US, but sometimes she embark on some random boating expeditions, where she volunteers to a crew, and visit whatever caribbean and central america, or north of south america, countries that the boat lands).


So, I was thinking: Why not live in a boat? Maybe if a city support is needed, live for example in Singapore (inside the boat... just dock it there, do whatever things are necessary, and live in Singapore but in a boat).



But I do not know much where to start... except that I need a boat (doh), and learn how to handle a boat (doh2).



So, some questions that I have: Is living in a boat (and the boat itself) cheaper than a house for example in US or Sweden?

It gets too expensive to support around 4 people living in a boat? (me + girlfriend + passengers/crew/visitors/friends/guests/future children/my parents/...)

What sort of boat I actually need? (the best I came up so far, is a Yatch that is at least 12 meters long and have sails).

How hard is to land on random places? How countries check incoming boats, and how you pay for whatever fees they ask? (I am asking, because one of the reasons to live in a boat, is to flee my country, I am a sort of refugee that cannot get refugee status on UN because the country denies any trouble, even while having lots of trouble).

What sort of work is possible to do, to get some extra income? Lugging people around? Salvaging (my GF is also a geologist especialized in water, and experienced diver... And I am good at lots of other things but diving, I think if she teaches me we can do salvaging if we get the right equipment), research? Fishing (although I suck at that...) ?

It is possible to find good cheap boats, or to build good cheap boats? (I've heard that some guy lived 18 years in a ferro-cement boat he made himself, and he did not lived more because a hurricane wrecked the boat after he left it in Hawaii and went with airplane somewhere else visit someone).


There are some city in the world that is a city of sailors? (ie: a place where there are a strong sea culture, with cheap place to park boats and buy equipment, etc...)

Are pirates really dangerous to smaller boats? (in a Singapore forum someone told me that if you own a boat, you have to own too some "serious heat" and be "willing to use it" )

[Unicorn Dreams]

Welcome Aboard CF..

[speeder]

Yay thanks

[Mark1977]

Welcome to CF

[speeder]

Thanks again!

[Boracay]

So, some questions that I have: Is living in a boat (and the boat itself) cheaper than a house for example in US or Sweden?

No. A boat is usually considered to be a hole in the water into which you pour your money.

It gets too expensive to support around 4 people living in a boat? (me + girlfriend + passengers/crew/visitors/friends/guests/future children/my parents/...)

If you find yourself in this situation the expense could be the least of your worries. Anyway, most non cruisers are so scared of storms/sharks/pirates/drowning that they refuse to put foot on a boat.

What sort of boat I actually need? (the best I came up so far, is a Yacht that is at least 12 meters long and has sails).

Much of the advice on the Forum suggests starting with the smallest possible boat in good condition. Your initial thinking looks to be sound, however age, condition, type etc. are all important considerations.

How hard is to land on random places? How countries check incoming boats, and how you pay for whatever fees they ask? (I am asking, because one of the reasons to live in a boat, is to flee my country, I am a sort of refugee that cannot get refugee status on UN because the country denies any trouble, even while having lots of trouble).

Most, if not all, countries are wise to this one. Normal visa requirements usually apply. Different countries have different requirements regarding checking in. Being labeled a refugee while living on a yacht could be a nightmare.

What sort of work is possible to do, to get some extra income? Lugging people around? Salvaging (my GF is also a geologist specialized in water, and experienced diver... And I am good at lots of other things but diving, I think if she teaches me we can do salvaging if we get the right equipment), research? Fishing (although I suck at that...) ?

Sounds like your girlfriend would do well. You, on the other hand, may starve.

It is possible to find good cheap boats, or to build good cheap boats? (I've heard that some guy lived 18 years in a ferro-cement boat he made himself, and he did not lived more because a hurricane wrecked the boat after he left it in Hawaii and went with airplane somewhere else visit someone).

With boats good and cheap are usually mutually exclusive. Really depends what you mean by cheap.

There are some city in the world that is a city of sailors? (ie: a place where there are a strong sea culture, with cheap place to park boats and buy equipment, etc...)

I've heard rumors of such places too. However none of them, for some reason, have "refugees".

Are pirates really dangerous to smaller boats? (in a Singapore forum someone told me that if you own a boat, you have to own too some "serious heat" and be "willing to use it" )

Discussion of guns on boats is subject to restriction on this Forum. Try a search...

[forsailbyowner]

I see no one attempted to answer any of the questions, I bought a damaged 33 from an online auction for $6000. I spent another $7000 on repairs and outfitting and was off cruising. In the process I bought an industrial sewig machine and sewed all new canvas for the boat learning to sew in the process. This turned into my liveaboard business and have survived well on the money I earn while cruising. I rarely dock in marinas unless theyre cheap and theres a lot of work there.

[David M]

Speeder, you have numerous questions where the answer is "it depends". I think this is why you have not received many answers to what you might be perceiving as straight forward questions.

Overall I think you first have to start getting yourself familiar with boats before you purchase anything. You will also need to start exploring geographical areas before you decide to settle into anywhere. All of this involves time and testing the waters so to speak. People who are in a forum can easily find solutions to problems when they are listed out, but it is much more difficult to give advice on future ideas since there is this incredible number of variables, that only you can make a decision on what is best for you. I think if you came up specific detailed questions then you would receive specific detailed answers.

Thanks for your post and I wish you the best in your great adventure. Please write back if you have more questions and let us know how things are progressing for you.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by forsailbyowner

I see no one attempted to answer any of the questions, I bought a damaged 33 from an online auction for $6000. I spent another $7000 on repairs and outfitting and was off cruising. In the process I bought an industrial sewig machine and sewed all new canvas for the boat learning to sew in the process. This turned into my liveaboard business and have survived well on the money I earn while cruising. I rarely dock in marinas unless theyre cheap and theres a lot of work there.

If you rarely dock, where you stay? Floating around? Constantly travelling?








Explaining the refugee thing: Where I live, the violence levels are absurd, here the neighbor gossip is about who is the lastest person to get killed. Also some of cities have more absolute daily gunshot deaths than the whole Iraq, and in another city we had in last year, the navy borrow military equipment to cops fight against drug lords (and to the dismay of the population, all the equipment found "disappeared", including stuff that not even the army have, like US Army-exclusive weapons, prototype armour...)

Right now, I live in a fortified house, with strategically placed weapons (not firearms, those are not much legal here, although common in criminal hands) scatered around. And I work in a fortified city of sorts (and I am vulnerable when moving from my house to my work, obviously...).

Our country want a spot in the UN Security council, thus they are denying that there are a civil war going on in some cities (even if there are groups with more firepower than the army fighting each other for control of territory...), thus the only way to leave the country is applying for normal visas, something that is kinda hard to do right now, with most countries being averse to immigrants, specially from my country (they are known to be most of the time dishonest... even if it is some "minor" cheating, for example the ones that end working as motorcycle transport, tend to ignore traffic laws to get faster where they are supposed to go... good for employers, bad for everyone else...)










Explaining what I mean by cheap: I think 40 or 50k USD is fine, I think I can amass that in a reasonable amount of time without much effort.

[sww914]

The Latitude 38 had a great article this month about making money while cruising. They have a web edition called 'lectronic latitude if you're not anywhere that you can just go pick up a print copy. It will answer some of your questions.
As far as becoming an expatriat or renouncing your citizenship or something like that, don't even bother. Just go do what you want to go do and don't make a big stink about anything and the government will leave you alone if you leave them alone. Sounds like it's time to get the hell out anyway, just go.
You can anchor for free around most of the world.

[four winds]

I'm trying to guess what country you are from, but won't ask you to say where.

I wish you the best of luck in finding a better life experience.

Stay with your girlfriend and help her with her work and things will get better.

[speeder]

I thought people would guess what country that I am from...

Well, I am from there:

http://imagem.band.com.br/zoom/CNT_EXT_205706.jpg << downed police helicopter.

http://i1.r7.com/data/files/2C92/94A...que-ae-700.jpg << one of the mentioned borrowed Navy equipment patrolling a street

http://oglobo.globo.com/fotos/2007/0...r%C3%A3o_1.jpg << our cops (those are the ones that ended needing borrowed Navy equipment... the equipment on the photo was not sufficient)

http://img.motorpasion.com.br/2010/1...atingido-6.jpg << our cops after withstanding a ambush (although the vehicle didn't... it got hit by a RPG below the engine, and the radiator got destroyed, and the engine overheated and got destroyed too...)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WzBwbfBLJi...0/PF+-+001.jpg <<< a cop friend showed this to me: Here the cops are setting up a ambush to bank robbers


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WzBwbfBLJi...0/PF+-+007.jpg <<< here what was left of the place after the attempted robbery. There are several other pictures of this incident, but I cannot post them here, because it looks like a warzone, and if you never saw a real warzone (not a movie thing), I must say it is more ugly than the most ugly movies could ever make it look ugly. (my cop friend actually sent those pics over MSN in a .zip file, I opened the zip file in a folder with automatic preview active, and now I regret that...)


I think you people can guess now my country, specially because the place where that helicopter in the first photo got shot down, is where a Olympic Village will be built.

[pillum]

O pais do futuro... Such a shame, I hope it can be a marvelous city again. I lived in Rio from 2000 to 2003 and loved it there, first in Joatinga then in Sao Conrado. It was still pretty safe then, I'm so sorry it has deteriorated so badly that you want to leave so badly.

You are talking about taking a big step, and this forum is only one place to get info from. Take a few online courses to learn about sailing, and if you can afford it, take a sailing vacation (maybe on a flotilla) before jumping ship.

Best of luck with your quest.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by pillum

O pais do futuro... Such a shame, I hope it can be a marvelous city again. I lived in Rio from 2000 to 2003 and loved it there, first in Joatinga then in Sao Conrado. It was still pretty safe then, I'm so sorry it has deteriorated so badly that you want to leave so badly.

You are talking about taking a big step, and this forum is only one place to get info from. Take a few online courses to learn about sailing, and if you can afford it, take a sailing vacation (maybe on a flotilla) before jumping ship.

Best of luck with your quest.

Or you could just buy a ticket to Lisbon....