Impossible for Military?

[zeehag]

there are special marinas for military---i dont know where they are in fla-- there is one in sd, fiddlers cove. there should be one somewhere near where you are being stationed and active duty is first call for slips. gooodluck. have fun --military can do anything--even easier than normal folks ..LOL\
welcome to cf..

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by Cheechako

..... There is so much real estate up for sale down there they are giving it away.... no one really knows if it's going to go down more or not.... but with the demise of the space shuttle maybe it will in the Merritt island area/space coast. .......

The Space Coast is about 400 miles away from Eglin AFB (in the Panhandle, different time zone...).

Florida is a big state.

[free rain]

living aboard and military missions.

Find out what the real deal with with the live aboard rules. One guy that lived next to me was a Nuke on a sub. WHEN he was in port he pulled his watches at night so he would come home and sleep on his boat during the day. When they tried to get him for living on his boat the base police told the marina to stick it because he was only using his boat during the DAY.
several other pilots and divers did something similar. they kept a low profile, made sure the "doc divas" (who were the ones that told on sneak aboards) saw them leave at the end of the day. Then they came back around 10. plus when you are gone for weeks at at a time its hard for them to say you are actually living on the boat. One guy rented a bedroom and used that to show he didn't live on board.
in Pearl we were only allowed to live on board for up to 90 days at time unless you were one of the 10% allowed live aboards. SO, guys used there deployments and TDY to kinda "reset" their 90 days!

[Prerequisite]

I'm a CG pilot in Florida who deploys and I've been living aboard for the past year. It's doable, but unless you find the perfect boat and marina, it's not going to save you much money (though I'd rather live aboard and lose money than live on land and save it). There are lots of considerations to make- not the least of which is Air Conditioning. I didn't have it last summer and it was miserable. FL obviously gets hot and humid. Without A/C, your bulkheads will be sweating in the mornings and it will be so hot at night you won't want to turn on lights. Don't bother looking at boats without A/C for living aboard in FL. I finally bought a reverse cycle unit and installed it which taught me a major lesson- living aboard a boat and doing major work is not the same as living in a house and doing major work. Boats are small things... having a portion of it torn apart and another covered in tools makes your living space miniscule. You have to REALLY love a boat to come home after work and literally have no place to sit and still think living aboard is fun. That means find a boat that's already set up how you need it (if you plan to buy it and move aboard instantly).

Air Conditioning also brings me to my next point. Lots of us in FL leave shore power connected all the time. It's not a big deal when you are around, but it's hard to deny that shore power connections are the cause of a lot of marina fires around the world. When I deploy, I just can't justify leaving my shore power connected risking everyone else's boat for the sake of dehumidifying mine. This means your boat might or might not be a little gross when you return. I've had good luck so far, but it's worth having someone come and air it out every now and then. Also, because your boat might have no source of battery charging and you can't check on it at all during your deployment, you need to make sure it is an absolutely dry boat. I've spent a lot of time doing this and my bilge will be bone dry after a several month deployment. If it weren't, I'd be a lot less comfortable leaving it. I did install a solar panel to keep the batteries fully charged, but it's by no means enough of a charging system to keep the boat afloat in an emergency. I have a friend who lives aboard a power boat that has a hidden leak. He's been able to isolate the general area but can't actually get to it without doing major surgery to the boat. There's no way I'd leave that boat for months at a time.

I considered dry storage while I deploy but the truth is in FL it's not cheaper. I grew up in New England and storing a boat on the hard was a reasonable cost but in FL it's just not that way. Maybe it will be in Destin (there are some military storage areas out there) but you'll need to look into that. Most military marinas I've been to don't have hoists, though you could pay a hydraulic trailer to come out and move you into the storage lot.

I won't critique the boat you are looking at. I can assure you it's bigger and more comfortable than the 33' sailboat I live aboard. Sea Rays aren't typically liveaboards but I know some people who live quite happily on theirs.

My biggest recommendation is to find a boat you are willing to keep for a long time. If you buy the boat only to sell it again quickly, you'd do better getting an apartment with a water view.

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by SeaAir

Hey folks,

I fly for the USAF and I'm going to be stationed in Destin, FL for at least three years. I'm stoked and can't wait! It's just a few months away now.

I have to (HAVE TO) dock it around Destin, Niceville, or in the near area as I have to drive to Eglin AFB everyday.


-Cheers

There is a marina on Eglin AFB for the military, I'd check into it if I were you, find out if they allow liveaboards. I am sure that any worries you have about boat theft while you are in training would evaporate if you were docked there. If they don't allow liveaboards think about moving your boat there while you are away, if you are away for a while each time, it might be worth it to save slip money, too.

[roverhi]

I lived aboard both in Hawaii and Norfolk while flying for the Navy. Was single and blowing all my money on wine, women and Waikiki when I got to Hawaii. Decided to buy a boat as a money saving proposition. Managed to pay off the 26' sailboat in my 2 years at Barber's Point. Moored the boat at LaMarianna Marina in Keehi Lagoon. Not the best place as it was the height of the Viet Nam war and they were Transpacing Jets to the far east every day. The problem wasn't the fighter's but the Tankers. The KC 135's were then powered by J-57 water injected turbo jets and were ungodly loud. They'd stop conversation when they started their take off roll nearly 3 miles away and the end of the runway was only about a 1/2 mile away so they went screaming overhead at about 50'. They took off almost every morning at around 0700 to refuel the incoming jets so sleeping in wasn't a problem. Anyhow, the sailboat took care of my problems with female companionship. Met my wife through the boat.

When I got to Norfolk, took delivery of my next sailboat at the Morgan Factory and sailed it up to the Chesapeake on a two week leave. Lived aboard at a private Marina the first winter and then got a slip at the old rescue boat marina on the base, just a hop skip and a jump from the BOQ and my squadron's hanger. It was a shore based 'Sea Duty' billet and we were deployed about 2/3rds of the year on short Dets. Didn't have any problems with storms when I wasn't there but did get to sit through the tail end of two hurricanes when I just happened to be back. Managed to pay off that boat as well as buy a triplex just off the base that paid me a profit as I kept it rented out to sailors. Got out of the Navy at the end of that tour and had enough equity in the boat and triplex to buy another boat on the West Coast and go sailing to SoPac for two years. It worked out very nicely.

Check to see if the Navy and/or the AirForce has marina facilities at Eglin and/or Pensacola. Pensacola would be a long commute but doable especially if you are seldom there. When I was in, the boating facilities at the bases were just cast off WWII era AVR boat facilities. Very limited but the price was right, basically free. Now, the Navy has some really nice facilities at Pearl Harbor and other bases. The Air Force has a good mooring field at Hickam and would possibly have something around Destin. The Air Force has to have a fairly large small boat fleet to handle all the weapons training out in the Gulf. Living aboard might not be a problem if you are gone a lot. By the time they figure out you are on the boat, you'll probably off somewhere if the Det's are short term.

Go for it though I can't think of anything more boring than a power boat.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by SeaAir

Hey folks,

I fly for the USAF and I'm going to be stationed in Destin, FL for at least three years. I'm stoked and can't wait! It's just a few months away now.

-Cheers

You poor, poor man. The things we ask our fighting personnel to put up with to defend our once-great country. We give them an airplane to fly without gas bills and ship them off to some god-forsaken spot which in this case is one of the nicest, most scenic places on the planet. Furriners may want to Google Destin, to get a stronger sense of the pain and suffering this young man is about to endure. Can you say "lotsa hot babes in cool bikinis?" I can.

One word of advice: condoms.

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by tgzzzz

You poor, poor man. The things we ask our fighting personnel to put up with to defend our once-great country. We give them an airplane to fly without gas bills and ship them off to some god-forsaken spot which in this case is one of the nicest, most scenic places on the planet. Furriners may want to Google Destin, to get a stronger sense of the pain and suffering this young man is about to endure. Can you say "lotsa hot babes in cool bikinis?" I can.

One word of advice: condoms.

Just remember there are other places he could have gone, Minot AFB, ND (Where my daughter is) or Maelstrom AFB, Montana (where my niece is.) hot babes in mukluks.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and thanks for your service!

It is doable as others have said. I've lived at Rainbow Bay Pearl aboard a 35 footer too and it was certainly nice. Sailed out of Fiddler's Cove too as well as Norfolk and in the PI.

My exprience was not saving money. By doing but it was a great experience and adventure. If you want to save money stay at the bachelor's quarters on base and buy a large trailerable. They have some good dry storage facilities at all Air Force bases. When you are gone, your boat and tow vehicle can stay in a safe storage facility. When you are there you can launch and stay at a nice marina or in the BOQ.

For Tgzzzz: In the military you are 24/7 even in the nice places and more often than not, in my case, at sea aboard Navy ships or in country Vietnam.

This man deserves a bit of nicety and respect.

kind regards,

[RV Daring Game]

Originally Posted by tgzzzz

You poor, poor man. The things we ask our fighting personnel to put up with to defend our once-great country. We give them an airplane to fly without gas bills and ship them off to some god-forsaken spot which in this case is one of the nicest, most scenic places on the planet. Furriners may want to Google Destin, to get a stronger sense of the pain and suffering this young man is about to endure. Can you say "lotsa hot babes in cool bikinis?" I can.

One word of advice: condoms.

I guess you missed the part about SeaAir deploying 200 plus days a year?? I personally didn't see any hot babes in cool bikinis in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Africa, but I'm sure they were there under the burqas.

Go for it SeaAir! I lived aboard in various places for over 8 years before I retired, and finding someone to keep an eye on my boat while deployed up to 14 months at a time was never a problem. I found that my boat was the best place to decompress after deployments as it afforded me much more privacy that any home or apartment. And that is priceless.

Good luck brother.

[free rain]

After a 15month deployment my wife asked me what I wanted to do that first day home. I had no desire to head back to her house. ALL I wanted was to go sit in the cockpit and watch the sunset with a rum and coke!!! She had it all setup with ice, coke, rum, and some finger foods!! My buddy and I set in the cockpit and enjoyed that first rum and coke...My wife ducked down bellow as soon as it started to rain...however we enjoyed having rain with no dirt in it so we just sat out and enjoyed the shower...(15 months in the sand brings a totally new perspective)
I totally agree there is no place like a boat to decompress after a stressful deployment

[Boracay]

As a real estate addict I couldn't resist having a browse through real estate in Destin. I did not look at the other attractions, honest...

The were lots of fully detached houses for under $250k, but I could see how these might not suit.

What I did see were quite a few beachfront condos under $200k. Thinking back to my younger days one of these would have been paradise to me.

So, my biased recommendations : Buy a nice trailer sailer that you can keep on base. Something with a couple of bunks, stove and porta potty. Buy one of those beach front condos (do check what the body corporate fees are) that can be rented short term to vacationers and furnish it.

Find a real estate rental manager that you can trust (they do exist) rent out your furnished condo short term (not more than a few weeks). A good manager will tell you how to do this - better find them first.

Now, live on the base. If you get transferred for 6 months (and I'm sure it will happen) the boat and the condo should be just fine. What you'll save on the boat and the lower rent and other costs will pay for the condo.

When you want maximum separation the boat can be in the water within hours. If you want to entertain away from prying eyes the condo will be yours with just a phone call and a few weeks notice...

Do girls like beach front condos?

[zeehag]

there is a perfectly good military marina nearby and those give priority to on duty active duty service folks. is a good thought fo rye--and thre are leads to boats for sale there-- many of the service men and ladies do sell boats and the marina will help them. look into it. they also do allow living on board --usually....at least they do in fiddlers cove, sd...and is hierarchically oriented with active duty first, then retirees and reserves.... goood luck and have fun!

[SeaAir]

Thanks everyone! This is very helpful information.

Does anybody know a link or phone number so I can get quotes on storing it if I leave for 4 - 6 months? Or maybe if you have some rough ideas on what I can expect to have it towed out and stored?

And just so everyone knows my head is in the right place (for the most part), I do understand that a boat is not going to be an investment. However, if I'm going to lose money on a house (most likely), definitely lose money on an apartment, and lose money on a boat, I'll take the boat! I just want to be as smart about it as possible. After all, I'm going to have to explain to my dad why I bought a boat and I better have some REALLY good reasons! Haha.

As far as a PCS to Minot...thank God that's not in my future . However, my three bases for my airframe are in Florida, Japan, or England. My goal is to switch to another Special Ops airframe that is stationed right next door at Hurlbert Field. My experience is that this is pretty feasible. But...it's the military so you never really know. Ultimately I guess I'd sell it or give it to my parents in Cali for a while.

Thanks again everyone.

[SaltyMonkey]

I think you should switch to the Navy and Patuxen air station. Then you can sail on the bay all you want.