Land home, yes or no?

[belizesailor]

Yes.

First time we took a cruising sabatical we kept the house.

Second time, we did not intend to return so sold the house.

Now, Ive managed to accumualte two land dwellings in two different countries. One has gotta go!

We cruise seasonally, so like having a land base too. There are many things I like to do ashore for which a boat is less well suited: brew beers & meads, work on my Jeep, ....

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Youngest kid moved out 3 years ago and we sold the smaller boat and bought our current one - Pacific Seacraft 40. This is now our only residence; however we do maintain a full storage unit

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks for all the interesting answers. And sorry about not having a middle option. There’s always ‘something in-between’, no matter what the question or issue.

Interesting how low the overall response numbers are. Given the high volume of usage on CF, I suspect this means the majority of Cruisers Forum members aren’t cruisers (at least not yet).

Maybe my next poll will be: Are you a cruiser (Y/N).

I’m also surprised at the actual breakdown so far. My hypothesis was that the majority of cruisers did keep some sort of land home. The “sell” side is edging ahead.

[sailorboy1]

There’s not really an answer between Yes and No in this case.

[Boatsie]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Maybe my next poll will be: Are you a cruiser (Y/N).

I’m also surprised at the actual breakdown so far. My hypothesis was that the majority of cruisers did keep some sort of land home. The “sell” side is edging ahead.

N

Just a thought. Old man had a job that was 2 weeks away, 2 weeks home with a couple of 6 weeks at home a year. A Rob Legg 24 made us perfect cruises. Launched by a 1.8 litre family car and she held provisions of many weeks. If I had a Monday -Friday job I'd certainly appreciate knowledge and many short cruises using a same or similar vessel. Very low cost. Very easy rig.
(I was banned from using her.. They can skiff up wind in ideal conditions. Unfortunately on 2 separate moments, I carved a couple of smiling faces in the swing keel housing using the locking bolt and a bit to shallow. After that was fixed, I can't remember how but I broke the mast foot.)

Probably the same as everyone else.. Doesn't matter if berthed or trailered, would be lovely to gain some more cruising time. If my job wasn't such long hours I'd certainly consider a trailer yacht. Time spent hauling and rigging would (to me) be worth the habit of many short cruises such as 2 day ventures.
With a long job fairly close to a marina, options to get me skippering a cruiser soon include liveaboards. They cost heaps more to maintain but they're the size of a house and ocean passage capable.
Hence? So happy dude, housing the oldmans lovely lady soon (although she's a blokes name lol) . Whether to polish or use is unknown.

Pros of a small cruiser +keep house.
Much less monetary budget.
Easy to learn with.
Really easy to go solo.
Very good sleeps cruising.
Maintenance at home on trailer.

Cons.
Length of adventure.
Early harbours when conditions are strong.
Slower travels.
Pirates (if in a populated area normal kids might try have a look being so close to land and very hidden from weather's aspects) .

Land, yes or no?
Either can be done.
Best of luck

[JPA Cate]

Hi, all.

We did a trial sail to HI, and Jim bought a larger boat. We did a year's cruise, but realized our financial ducks were not lined up yet. We got married, and I sold my house, which became our cruising kitty. Jim had been renting since his divorce. This didn't happen overnight, by any means, it had been a process of coastal cruising, and round the buoys racing, and weekends on SF Bay, 2wk trips SF to Channel Is., accumulating knowledge and experience beforehand. After we returned to the States, we worked for about a year, I sold my house, and moved aboard: we lived in a marina till the work was finished.

We still do not have land property, but it is in our future, I think.


Ann

[Lepke]

I have a private dock where I winter - Columbia River. It has no mail service. I use a commercial mail box service. When cruising, they hold my mail and later box and ship to a forwarding address. There are no bills or other time dependent mail and they toss the junk for me.
Much of my life has been on boats or ships. A boat is home to me, a house is prison.

[Boatsie]

Originally Posted by Boatsie

N

A Rob Legg 24. Unfortunately on 2 separate moments, I carved a couple of smiling faces in the swing keel housing using the locking bolt and a bit to shallow. After that was fixed, I can't remember how but I broke the mast foot.)

Either can be done.
Best of luck

I lied. Broke the mast step.
Knot the foot.
Hence accelerate slow.
Keel step. Lol. Decelerate slow.
Walk on water sister, brother.

Trailer sailers cruise well too.

Nathan

[Boatsie]

Just in case interested..
That's why the long keel thourabreds are hard to balance. They're like a ballerina with a toe sharing a step, the mast foot on keel. The little girl above has a stance of about 5 feet. She's powerful but nowhere near as agile as a long slow keel. (Unless beaten with a tiller; that'd get her dancing)..

Whatever floats your boat.. The agility of a longkeel is known and much preferred during a storm. Ballerinas don't run as fast as athelites..
I'm tapping out..
Love Nathan

[Jim Cate]

A boat is home to me, a house is prison.

Could not have said it better!

Jim

[Simi 60]

We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Give me five bees for a quarter, you'd say.

Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones

[Tayana42]

Kept our house (rented it) wife needed “home” to come back to. We were out for three years then family and medical issues brought us back to land for now. This worked out well for us. Renters were all good. Planning to go again one day soon...

[Alan Mighty]

A boat may be home, but a boat is a depreciating asset.

The market value of land can appreciate or depreciate, depending on the economy and population around it.

A well chosen lot (position, position, position) with domestic residence or commercial property on it can generate a flow of income via rent.

Owning the lease (or sub-lease) on your marina berth can mean that management does not question your live-aboard status. Owning the lease on a few berths (and having the surplus berths in the marina's rental pool) can sometimes work in your favour too.

Investing the equivalent lump of money in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), market-traded index-linked equities, direct equities, bonds, and other instruments are alternatives for growth and income flow to support a cruising lifestyle. Of course you bear some costs and uncertainties. But also advantages including: (1) that you can buy/invest in smaller increments than the cost of land; and (2) when you really do need a land base, you can rent housing and let the landlord of it subsidise your lifestyle.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones

Smells like just another of Matt Groening's "crazy Grandpa Simpson" stories.

Everyone knows to eat only red onions.* The red phytochemical prevents the mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's Disease that are the reasons for crazy grandfather stories.

* see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27730693

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Interesting how low the overall response numbers are. Given the high volume of usage on CF, I suspect this means the majority of Cruisers Forum members aren’t cruisers (at least not yet).

There probably should have been a 'never owned a house' option as well. That may have increased participation.

I know most of the people I know in my age group have never owned a house as it's waaaay too expensive (even when you make decent money). Unless you want to live in the suburbs, but then you have the commute and have to own a car etc and that's all more money and time