How Big ( or Small ) Was Your First Liveaboard Boat ?

[emmo]

36 Hartley Queenslander, had a 32 ft and a 38 ft that I thought would be the ":1" but now I am here, still sttling in but happy
cheers Emmo

[bouncingyellow]

Part-time liveaboard was a Cole 23ft trailer sailor to cut my teeth on, now on a Jarkan 10.5 centre cockpit, plenty of room, fast & bullet proof, puts a lot of expensive IKEA boats to shame at a third of the price, but I do admire the interior finishes of new production boats. My next boat may just be the same but with an upgraded interior ,cheers.

[LauderBoy]

Originally Posted by Ballenxj

Sounds like you did some research and did it right the first time.

Well, I've only been living aboard 2 years. As a first boat she's been great. She's small enough that she's really easy to single handle even when I was new. She's the first boat I've ever owned and I stepped aboard her solo after a couple days of training several months before buying her.

The 323 is really roomy for a 32ft boat. She's also a very simple boat so I didn't get overwhelmed by having to learn a lot of systems. She has nice water tankage(80 gallons) and the small holding tank was taken care of by moving to a composting head. Mine also happened to have a newer Yanmar in her.

If I had any complaints it's that I'd like a larger galley, I enjoy cooking. And the boat feels small for having company over or bringing guests along for cruises.

I'm really torn over if I'll upgrade to a larger boat or not. The Pearson is really easy to manage, cheap, is a great little pocket cruiser, and quite comfy for a single guy out cruising on his own. Part of me wants a larger boat for things I probably won't use much of: having people over, offshore cruising, more tech toys, etc. It's hard trying to figure out if having and paying/maintaining for 4-6 more feet of boat is going to offer me more enjoyment in life.

But either way starting out on a simple boat this size was absolutely the way to go for me. It doesn't overwhelm you, doesn't cost a lot and gives you time to adjust and learn what your own needs are going to be.

[Ballenxj]

Thanks for the input LauderBoy.
I'm thinking around 30' for me, although I'm looking at a good deal on a 34'.
Originally, I was looking at the range of 27' to 30'.
I know it's a wide range, as I've been told, but you have to start somewhere, then narrow it down. Still researching.
-Bruce

[JerseyMermaid]

Originally Posted by LauderBoy

Well, I've only been living aboard 2 years. As a first boat she's been great. She's small enough that she's really easy to single handle even when I was new. She's the first boat I've ever owned and I stepped aboard her solo after a couple days of training several months before buying her.

The 323 is really roomy for a 32ft boat. She's also a very simple boat so I didn't get overwhelmed by having to learn a lot of systems. She has nice water tankage(80 gallons) and the small holding tank was taken care of by moving to a composting head. Mine also happened to have a newer Yanmar in her.

If I had any complaints it's that I'd like a larger galley, I enjoy cooking. And the boat feels small for having company over or bringing guests along for cruises.

I'm really torn over if I'll upgrade to a larger boat or not. The Pearson is really easy to manage, cheap, is a great little pocket cruiser, and quite comfy for a single guy out cruising on his own. Part of me wants a larger boat for things I probably won't use much of: having people over, offshore cruising, more tech toys, etc. It's hard trying to figure out if having and paying/maintaining for 4-6 more feet of boat is going to offer me more enjoyment in life.

But either way starting out on a simple boat this size was absolutely the way to go for me. It doesn't overwhelm you, doesn't cost a lot and gives you time to adjust and learn what your own needs are going to be.

This is such valuable advice. I'm on the hunt for our very first sailboat to learn on so we can keep the stepping stones alive while working towards the big dream of a 41' liveaboard. We don't know how to sail yet, but I'm looking around at 22'-25' pocket cruisers that we can easily manage, maintain and learn together. I figured if we kept it simple, affordable and just big enough for my husband, myself and my two small kiddos, we'd maximize our time on the water, bank valuable skills and hours and still keep it financially doable/enjoyable.

Thank you for your post b/c you reaffirmed my thoughts!

[The Blue Heron]

40 foot. Still in the process of selling the house to live aboard but spending more and more time aboard. Roomy enough. Lots of Maintenance that was deferred so still not baselined on what will be normal upkeep. Like the sundeck and two heads. Galley is a good size. A grill is a MUST

[FSMike]

My first liveaboard was a 35' Piver trimaran. My main inspiration was the purchase price, $1,800. Sold her before I finished fixing her, but still had some fun sails.

[boating2go]

Our first was a 42 foot Jenneau which had 3 staterooms and 2 heads. A wonderful boat to liveaboard with plenty of room and storage.

[Hudson Force]

We bought our first live aboard in 1971,- a 30' sloop with headroom 5" short of my height. In '73 we bought a 33' Morgan OI, but by '85, with children 7 & 9 we needed more space. Since '85 we've been aboard our 41' Morgan and with our children now away, we have room for guests.

[Kevin84]

On my first liveaboard now. An Alberg 35. 34'9" LOA, 9'8" Beam. Just enough living space to be comfortable and small enough to be easily handled.

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

On my first liveaboard now. An Alberg 35. 34'9" LOA, 9'8" Beam. Just enough living space to be comfortable and small enough to be easily handled.

Sounds very nice. Are you single handing it?
-Bruce

[Kevin84]

No. I have a freind go out with me when I sail her. Mainly to hold the tiller while I work the sails. Once I get my autopilot set up I'll single hand her. Till then, I don't mind a little extra help.

[bobconnie]

My first one I bought when I got out of the service the first time in 1957, a 30 ft Folkboat, with a long shaft Sea Gull outboard,my brother and I sailed it to hawyee and back to Seattle! sold it there In 1960. 2 years later I bought a 48 ft Schooner bilt in 1896, sailed it just about everywhere ya can go in the Pacific! sold her when I went to Viet Nam in 1964. when I came home in 1969, I started looking at Colvins schooners for home bilding ! bilt one got married and started cruiseing !! been at it ever since!! our new one is 51 ft Ketch. there were others I sailed over theyears but thats the total of live aboards Ive had !!

[SkiprJohn]

My first truly liveaboard was a Mariner 35 woody ketch. Very comfortable for a single guy and would have been ok for a couple had it had a shower. I did some weekend living aboard prior to that on a Catalina 22 pop top but no cooking on that one. The Catalina 22 was just to sail and sleep overnight.
kind regards,

[sloopygirl]

Originally Posted by JerseyMermaid

We're looking into adopting the liveaboard lifestyle and cutting shore ties... Someone told me I should be looking in the 50' range and that just seems HUGE for two ppl to manage.

What should I be looking at to reasonably accomodate myself, my husband, a five year old and a 10 yr old (girl and boy, respectively)?

I first had a 35' Morgan, which was OK for 2 people, a bit small inside since it had a large cockpit and big lazarette. My next boat was a CT47, 47' monohull. Still just 2 people, until my partner decided he wanted to live on land. I ended up singlehanding it for 3 years, good crew was HARD to find. So, I would say that size range is not that HUGE, and it can be manageable with 2 people.