Living on anchor in the US

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

My Marina logs pump out quantity, it's a guess as to how much, pump outs are free, but either Federal or State or both funded, and I believe the funding agency wants to see the pump out is being used is all. They may for all I know base funding amounts on amount of use.

Topic is ICW, and I keep seeing sailing being brought up, most of my limited experience of the ICW is motoring, you may shake out the Genoa if winds are favorable, but mostly it's motoring, I'd advise on being sure you get a boat with a good, reliable Diesel as you will be using it a lot.
You may think SC and NC as your living areas, but I bet that will change pretty quick unless a job or something keeps you there, it's brutally cold on the water in NC in the middle of winter, I predict you'll follow the ducks South.

Couple of very good points. If you just plan on living aboard & traveling the ICW then a trawler makes a lot more sense.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

My affluent tank has no gauge so I count flushes. I believe that it is 42 a gallon tank. When I first got the boat I asked every pump out how much they actually removed and five years later still no one has been able to tell me.

I installed a gauge on mine but it reads through the tank wall and only works if the tank wall is clean. The one on the potable water tank works fine, the one on the holding tank only works if I manually clean the inside wall of the tank so effectively, it doesn't work. Even if it did, it's not calibrated in gallons.

I have a manual flush head so it doesn't use a set quantity of water per flush. Also, I think logging the number of flushes is a bit too much to ask.

[darylat8750]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

You have an affluent tank? I wish I did. Actually, I wish I had an affluent wife. That would be even better!

(Sorry, but some typos are just too funny to ignore.)

Dyslexia strikes again. 5 out of 3 people are dyslexic you know.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by jwcolby54

You may be right but I have kids I need to stay close to.

After re-reading your original post...."What I really need to know is can one really live "on anchor" in the intercoastal waterway. I live in NC now, and I have family in the NC Piedmont so I would like to live on a small boat off the NC (or SC) coast, on an anchor, not paying slip fees etc. I want to replace my apartment with my boat. Any tips and tricks for living on anchor in the US. ".....this has nothing to do with cruising.

I'm with a64pilot. Winter is going to be very uncomfortable. None of my business really, but what do you find appealing about being a liveaboard anchored out 24/7 365/yr? Honestly, a marina makes much more sense, but again, just my 2 cents.

Ralph

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by Azul

Practical NC advice:

-it is a really healthy lifestyle with a small environmental footprint. Especially if you get a composting head which I would highly recommend. Holding tanks and dumping sewage are gross.

Yep, a composting head is in my future.

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by bpcaptain

In NC a good place to start (my opinion) is in Washington NC. Mccotters Marina always has a boat at a good deal that needs sweat equity. It is on Broad Creek of the Pamlico River. Blounts Bay is a great place to learn your boat. With easy access to the Pamlico Sound and ICW . You will find ample help and supplies to start your journey there. Best of Luck on your Journey it is all possible. McCotters Marina (Washington, NC) (just a plug for good people and places i have no affiliation with them other than personal experiences..()

LOL, I am looking at a boat at McCotters. And yea, Washington is a probable "home port" for my little lady, when I get her. I need to stay somewhat close to my kids for awhile.

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by RTB

After re-reading your original post...."What I really need to know is can one really live "on anchor" in the intercoastal waterway. I live in NC now, and I have family in the NC Piedmont so I would like to live on a small boat off the NC (or SC) coast, on an anchor, not paying slip fees etc. I want to replace my apartment with my boat. Any tips and tricks for living on anchor in the US. ".....this has nothing to do with cruising.

I'm with a64pilot. Winter is going to be very uncomfortable. None of my business really, but what do you find appealing about being a liveaboard anchored out 24/7 365/yr? Honestly, a marina makes much more sense, but again, just my 2 cents.

Ralph

It takes all kinds of course. We have folks who buy a boat and a house, tie up the boat to their own dock and sit there dreaming of sailing. We have folks that buy a boat, move onto the boat, get a slip, and sit there dreaming of sailing. We have folks who buy a boat, sit on hook, pull in a few times a month and sail between. We have folks who buy a boat and head off to the great unknown never to be seen again.

So I intend to buy a boat, cash. Sit on a hook when I am in port. Sail 4 days a week, drop the hook wherever I am that evening. Pull into "home port" and drop anchor.

Commute to see my kids for the weekend, or alternate weekends, get the kids and sail back out again. So I don't see that I need to rent a slip to not be in it for weeks at a time. If I need a slip I can pull in and rent one for the day or two or three.

Strictly for me, I see no point in living in a boat at a marina 24/7/300. The adventure (for me) is not the night life in town, but rather the peace and quiet anchored out. Or sailing during the day and anchoring out at night.

At some point I intend to head out. Hit the top end of the Bahama islands, and just slowly wend my way south.

So it seems to me this has everything to do with cruising. I will be 'living on anchor' 95% of the time when I am 'in port', and sailing when I am not on anchor, with a heavy emphasis on sailing. Or gunk-holing.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by jwcolby54

It takes all kinds of course. We have folks who buy a boat and a house, tie up the boat to their own dock and sit there dreaming of sailing. We have folks that buy a boat, move onto the boat, get a slip, and sit there dreaming of sailing. We have folks who buy a boat, sit on hook, pull in a few times a month and sail between. We have folks who buy a boat and head off to the great unknown never to be seen again.

So I intend to buy a boat, cash. Sit on a hook when I am in port. Sail 4 days a week, drop the hook wherever I am that evening. Pull into "home port" and drop anchor.

Commute to see my kids for the weekend, or alternate weekends, get the kids and sail back out again. So I don't see that I need to rent a slip to not be in it for weeks at a time. If I need a slip I can pull in and rent one for the day or two or three.

Strictly for me, I see no point in living in a boat at a marina 24/7/300. The adventure (for me) is not the night life in town, but rather the peace and quiet anchored out. Or sailing during the day and anchoring out at night.

At some point I intend to head out. Hit the top end of the Bahama islands, and just slowly wend my way south.

So it seems to me this has everything to do with cruising. I will be 'living on anchor' 95% of the time when I am 'in port', and sailing when I am not on anchor, with a heavy emphasis on sailing. Or gunk-holing.

You asked if you could live on anchor in the US. You got your answer, right? Yes you can, but until you actually do it, you're just imagining what that will be like. Check back after you've done it for a year or two and let us know how much you like it.

Our first two years were mostly anchoring out, but we were moving almost every day. 6 months of that was in the Bahamas, the rest traveling from Texas to Georgia. The thing is, the driving force is weather. Head south for winter, and north for hurricane season. We spent about 3 months at Brunswick Landing Marina in Georgia for hurricane season, to do boat work, and quite frankly....because we were exhausted after 1 1/2 years of moving. It's also a fairly good "hurricane hole".

Now, we're back in Texas. Last winter living on the boat at a marina was miserable. Had we been anchored out the whole winter, it would have been almost unbearable. No way to run a heater on the boat unless I run the generator. No way to get water or provision without a wet dinghy ride to shore. No hot water for showers, in my case. No way to keep the batteries charged up on cloudy days, unless I run the generator (again). 10 gallon holding tank. No free wifi for the internet (where I get weather). No place to park my car (if I had one). Not to mention the unpleasantness of being anchored out with gale force winds every 3-5 days as cold fronts pass through. But hey, maybe these are things you look forward to? You'll learn for yourself in time. I'm not a lover of being tied to a dock, but sometimes it just makes more sense. And...you don't have to stay there all the time. You can go on your 2-3-4 day sailing/anchoring adventures. Also, you will find reasonable monthly rates at marinas. It will take few nights tied up to a dock at transient fee rates, to more than surpass those cheaper monthly rates. Just something to think on.

I hope you don't see this as a negative post aimed at you. I applaud you for giving it a try (if you actually do). I'm just offering some real life "realities" to consider, from someone that has been living aboard and cruising full time for 3 years.

Ralph

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by RTB

I hope you don't see this as a negative post aimed at you. I applaud you for giving it a try (if you actually do). I'm just offering some real life "realities" to consider, from someone that has been living aboard and cruising full time for 3 years.

Ralph

Thanks Ralph. Real life experience is good!

It feels to me that summers up north and winters down south is the way to go. I came from the southwest where I watched the 'snow birds' as we called them do exactly that, only in RVs. Now I will be doing something similar. Summers are hurricane season, and darned hot down south. A good time to be sitting in the Chesapeake bay or sailing up and down the northern coast. Winters are not, and a good time to visit the Keys and Bahamas, and even further south.

I am fine with weather driving my location. If it's cold I need to be further south and VV.

[RTB]

Heat isn't a big deal for us. Cold is.

Anyway, despite having a slip paid for here where we are, We're heading out to live on the hook for a few days. The weather seems to be settling down after many days of thunderstorms, winds, and flooding (for those on land). We're still new to this area of Texas on our boat. Might as well do some exploring while we're here.

Ralph