Joining the family soon!

[steverleonardjr]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Ah...you are taking the safe route...wait till you have some money.

If everyone waited till they had enough money to say, have kids, the human race would be extinct!

Life is short. You don't need a fancy boat, there are lots of excellent older, inexpensive boats out there. There's nothing wrong with a bit of poverty...its good for the soul, and taxes.

What I'm saying is, go sooner. Live a bit closer to the edge. Life on the hook is all about food, fuel, and entertainment. At $3700/month you must be living like kings right now!

HAHA, I agree. we have some school loans to pay off and 3 more years till our youngest graduates and no more child support. The only person stopping me at that point from going would be me!

[steverleonardjr]

Thank you for the warm welcome and advise. I did not expect some much response so soon.

[steverleonardjr]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

Steve, welcome to the community!



It's not the only option, but I think Jacksonville and the St. Johns River would be the best option.

I think that a good area to look at as well. I did not think about the Hurricane season and being full time live aboard, you don't get the luxury to relocate for the season. It would offer a bit more protection. I will add that to our list of research and visit in September.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by steverleonardjr

I think that a good area to look at as well. I did not think about the Hurricane season and being full time live aboard, you don't get the luxury to relocate for the season. It would offer a bit more protection. I will add that to our list of research and visit in September.

Your specific marina or anchor Location makes the biggest difference when it comes to hurricane protection. We've spent about 25 of our 43 living aboard hurricane seasons in the St Johns River.

If you arrive in september you might have a touch of tropical storm weather. We won't be back from the Chesapeake and New England until november! Afterall,- "hurricane season" you know!

'teasing aside,- Jacksonville is about as safe as you can be for a Florida hurricane season.

[IslandSeeker]

Great advice just keeps rolling in - thanks everyone! As we continue to prepare, I know I will be reviewing these postings often!

[StoutWench]

Washington, NC (not DC). Much less expensive than Florida or New England. Mild temps in winter and not suffocating in the summer. Plenty of boating resources and the slip fees are very reasonable. Try McCotters Marina: www.mccottersmarina dot com. I'm fairly certain they allow you to DIY.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by StoutWench

Washington, NC (not DC). Much less expensive than Florida or New England. Mild temps in winter and not suffocating in the summer. Plenty of boating resources and the slip fees are very reasonable. Try McCotters Marina: www.mccottersmarina dot com. I'm fairly certain they allow you to DIY.

"Little Washington" is a favorite stop for us. If you accept the far colder winters that what we are accustomed too, then places like this could be great.

McCotters Marina has a posted policy of $100/month/person liveaboard fee on top of their rate per foot which makes it quite a bit more expensive than the liveaboard marinas that we frequent in Florida. We usually pay about $500 to $550/month for livng aboard at Florida marinas. Of course, we could choose the marinas that cost $1,200/month, but they don't offer anything that we think justifies the difference in cost.

Actually, the only states we have not found inexpensive marinas are those north of the Chesapeake.

[SURV69]

Hi steverleonardjr

There's a family in Akron, Ohio that's, at this time, on the same path as you ... if you'd like I could put the two groups of you to cross-reference notes, aspirations and dreams.

They have just acquired a boat in Port Clinton for the purpose of learning for a couple of years(?), before heading to bigger waters.

In any case, I'll mention this thread to them

[steverleonardjr]

Originally Posted by SURV69

Hi steverleonardjr

There's a family in Akron, Ohio that's, at this time, on the same path as you ... if you'd like I could put the two groups of you to cross-reference notes, aspirations and dreams.

They have just acquired a boat in Port Clinton for the purpose of learning for a couple of years(?), before heading to bigger waters.

In any case, I'll mention this thread to them

Yes, that would be great. Thx

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