Is liveaboard lifestyle a dying lifestyle

[sdj]

I don't think newcomers have the balls to do it. I think they look at all the boat stuff to do and their brain goes bang. They're happy to be on some boat with someone else and do all the social media, but when the chips are down, they're a non player.

[carlwk3c]

Originally Posted by Chotu

This is a great sub topic.

Can anyone come up with a boat that doesn't need marinas?

I'm sure stumped.

We haven’t been in a slip in 2 years. Why does a boat “need” a marina???
We anchor, only taking a mooring ball rarely when we want to go somewhere where it’s required (a marine reserve, for example, where use of a mooring is mandated to preserve the bottom, or the rare anchorage where it’s extremely deep right up to shore.and a properly maintained mooring is the safest option )
I don’t understand the “requirement” for marinas.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by carlwk3c

We haven’t been in a slip in 2 years. Why does a boat “need” a marina???
We anchor, only taking a mooring ball rarely when we want to go somewhere where it’s required (a marine reserve, for example, where use of a mooring is mandated to preserve the bottom, or the rare anchorage where it’s extremely deep right up to shore.and a properly maintained mooring is the safest option )
I don’t understand the “requirement” for marinas.

Two words: Bottom Paint

And there are about a million other things wearing out on your boat you need to replace. All on borrowed time.

[drewm3i]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

98f is only 36c
Warm but far from stiflingly hot.
But, we have lots of shade, overhangs and ventilation, a boat built for the tropics.

I take it you've never felt florida (swamp) heat. 98f+70% humidity is normal. If that's not hot, nothing is.

[Caravela1986]

WE did not use marinas in Caribbean for 14 yeas except when hauling out at end of season in May/June. We had the boat hauled out for hurricane season when we got on a plane to fly home to NJ until returning in Oct/Nov. We anchored out every night Dec to May/june on several different islands in the Caribbean. Our diesel engine ran an hour a day to charge batteries but most important to drive the engine driven refrigeration compressor. We have a 2000 watt inverter /charger plus six (6) type 31 GEL batteries for lots of things plus the separate 110 volt 60 hertz refrigeration compressor. Yes, we have two separate refrigeration compressors. We all have a wind generator to also attempt to charge batteries. We have more than enough electric power to be self sustaining with no need to be in a marina. Unlike Florida and most of the East Coast of US, we have no anchorage problem in most, but not all of the Caribbean to stay on anchor weeks at a time. We had no water maker and had to return to a fueling station or marina to take on potable water evert 3 weeks or so. We use our dinghy to transit for food supplies. Once in a while we had to jerry jug potable water from shore to our boat by dinghy.............but this was rare. Sometimes, barge was available to deliver potable water to us at anchorage...............such a place was Bequia in St Vincent & the Grenadines.
We usually paid 10 - 15 cents per gallon for potable water. 5 or 6 gallon jugs of potable water could be purchased at several grocery stores on the Hondurus Bay Islands and San Blas Islands in Panama. Eastern Caribbean Islands on both Windward and Leeward Islands frequently had good potable water at re-fueling docks for diesel/gasoline. Just pick a day, not Saturday when re-fueling docks were very busy with charter boats.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Two words: Bottom Paint



And there are about a million other things wearing out on your boat you need to replace. All on borrowed time.

For that you'd use a boatyard, no?

And liveaboard cruisers generally do most of their repairs, which do not require hauling out, as they go along, while continuing to live and cruise.

[Caravela1986]

We did not have air conditioning nor did we feel it was necessary at anchor. Sea water temp was 78 - 80 degrees F. Air temperature was rarely 5 degrees F hotter. Eastern breezes dominate 10 - 25 knots. Sometimes NE or SE but always E. W winds were very, very rare but when they occur....................Bonaire was very, very difficult. Other places W winds were tolerable. I'm talking Nov to May. For those less fortunate who had to stay in summer months, hotter temperatures prevailed.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by drewm3i

I take it you've never felt florida (swamp) heat. 98f+70% humidity is normal. If that's not hot, nothing is.

Same temps and humidity that we get in Queensland waters in summer.
Try South East Asia, warmer and more humid again.

[Dan Mosby]

The "liveaboard lifestyle" isn't dying, FREEDOM in the west is dying.

Soon enough you won't be able to take to sea without a license and a fully manned and qualified crew.....for your "safety", of course.

Orwell was right.

[drewm3i]

Originally Posted by Dan Mosby

The "liveaboard lifestyle" isn't dying, FREEDOM in the west is dying.

Soon enough you won't be able to take to sea without a license and a fully manned and qualified crew.....for your "safety", of course.

Orwell was right.

+1,

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by john61ct

For that you'd use a boatyard, no?

And liveaboard cruisers generally do most of their repairs, which do not require hauling out, as they go along, while continuing to live and cruise.

I've been a traveling liveaboard (cruiser?) for decades. That's why I'm familiar with the fact that you need marinas/boatyards to get projects done on the boat.

Show me a marina in CT that doesn't haul boats. Lol. You're just splitting hairs. Bottom line is we all have serious maintenance we need to do and it's done during an annual or every 2 year haul out. No exceptions unless you are a boat bum destroying your boat. Trust me. I've tried for decades to exist without touching a marina. Can't be done.

And x2 on freedom in the Western world vanishing.

[Simi 60]

^^^^^^^I can show you plenty of boatyards that have no marina attached.
They are places to pull boats out, not park on a berth.

Into our 4th year now without using a marina berth and I am sure there are plenty out there that can better that.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

^^^^^^^I can show you plenty of boatyards that have no marina attached.
They are places to pull boats out, not park on a berth.

Into our 4th year now without using a marina berth and I am sure there are plenty out there that can better that.

That's not what I said. You have it all backwards.

I said (to John from CT) to show me a marina that doesn't haul boats.

They are the same thing in the area he's from and everywhere around the East coast USA.

Take a look. Nearly every single marina in CT has a travelift and service area:

https://marinas.com/browse/marina/US/CT/

Who cares if you used a berth/dock or not? I'm at anchor right now too. But I still have to haul out to do my bottom paint this fall.

You still paid to haul out your vessel so you're not self sufficient. You rely on the services of marinas/boatyards.

When you dry your boat out at low tide to careen it and do your bottom paint and zincs in the mud, then talk to me about being self sufficient. I've done that. It's WAY better to just pay the marina for a haul out even if you make minimum wage.

No boats are self sufficient because they require maintenance we can't do ourselves. Ie: the haul out

[john61ct]

My point was we don't require marinas to do that.

You expressed incredulity, stating that of course all cruising boats need to use marinas.

Were you really only thinking about haulouts when you expressed that?

If so then I (and I think many others) missed that implication.

[Franziska]

Not sure if this is a Euro vs. US thing, but I never felt a fridge or freezer to be essential. Neither an Air Con.

We have a fridge but do only use it occasionally.

Actually when living full-time on the boat while cruising in 2016 the fridge was only some additional locker space for food storage and was off.
Did not feel a real need for it. Plenty of canned or otherwise preserved food around. As well as fresh veggies and fruit.
On an ocean crossing a freezer is nice though I guess.

Originally Posted by merrydolphin

Any boat that was designed to cruise. Many modern boat today do not have enough tankage and storage. These are basic to avoiding marinas. My Cal 2-46 has 270 gal diesel, 220 gal water and tons ( literally) on storage, including an efficient and big enough marine fridge/freezer. The other part of the equation is a good quality planing dingy (I prefer ribs). This allows you to anchor out in remote and or better protected areas and dingy in to civilization and supplies. The rest is just proper equipment: solar, wind gen, watermaker (if in drier area). With these amenities and a boat purpose built for cruising you should rarely need a marina. We usually only take marinas (other than a quick stop for fuel or an emergency) about once a year. ( and not every year).
When you see a boat who’s decks are loaded with jerry jugs of water, and diesel, you know that they are not designed for serious cruising. Take an Island Packet 38, a boat marketed as a serious cruiser. 56 gal of diesel (are they serious?). Compare to, say a Caliber 40 LRC. (Both boats about the same displacement) 240 gals diesel. They are serious. You can make water (and catch it). You can’t make diesel. A good spare parts and hardware/tools are also essential. We sometimes stay a year or more with nearly NO civilization ( as we know it). Again any proper cruiser properly equipped can do it.