Life Aboard a (Very) Small Sailboat in Scandinavia

[KillerBoo]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, premiere sailing today. Bye bye boring winter.. I just LOVE springtime and summer.. I can only hope that the summer will be half as hot as the winter was cold.. haha.

Some summarizing of my experiences of a winter on board:

You need to REALLY know that it´s a small area to live on. I´ve spent almost any time I can on a boat for as long as I can remember so I was fairly sure I knew what to expect. Even so, after several days of not going outside for more than a short time, I felt that I´d like at least 2 more feet of boat at times.

Shore power: Wouldn´t have made it w/o access to "unlimitied" supply of shore power. Especially during the coldest period.

A cockpit tent is a must, preferrably with some possibility to heat it up, at least a bit. It gives you an "extra room" and you can store wet/damp clothes there along with all the stuff you "might need"

My water tank is only 75 litres and even though Vänerns water is good enough to drink, it would have been nice to have double that capacity, unless you are really close to a tap.

How you pack stuff is vital. Some consideration as to what to pack together with what, and where is worth a lot when you are standing in a heap of clothes, cords, dry foods etc, not knowing where to put it while you are diving the stowage compartments to find that last bag of underwear..

Good insulation. Cannot emphasize enough on that. I had condensation problems in the beginning, in the 2 wardrobes where I at first only glued one layer of foam, and had no vent fans installed. That caused a jacket to go to the dumpster.. A small computer fan is cheap on power and makes the air circulate well enough to keep the moist away. Also, don´t forget to insulate any surface below the water line extra carefully. If you keep any fabrics in the compartments, consider installing a fan there too.

For the times you are frozen in, make sure you do have plenty of things around you, to keep your mood at a maximum.. Even if you think you have no room for a TV, then get a USB-stick for your laptop and watch TV through the computer. After a week of darkness outside, even Idol is worth watching.

If you have no running water, get a BIG electric water boiler. I boiled water and poored into a solar bag along with cold water, strapped it to the boom and took showers even in the dead of winter.. Refreshing and it fells like a luxury not having to get outside to the marina facilities each and every time.

Toilet: Either use a "portapotti" that´s easy to empty, or use the marinas toilets. You dont want a full holding tank when you cant move the boat an inch towards the sewage dumping station.

Any through hull outlet/inlet valve should either be filled w anti freeze, or have a safe and reliable heating source nearby.

A de-icer is good to have. It gives you open water around the boat, minimizing the risk of ice making any damages to the boat. Especially important if there´s a fair amount of increase/decrease of tide but also nice since it attracts a lot of animal life.

[KillerBoo]

And that concluded the 1st liveaboard year.. Now, winter is closing in again and even though I´m not really embracing it, at least I know it´s possible, and even cosy. The downside is that soon I´ll be frozen in again, and I want to sail.. not look at the snow.

The summer period isn´t a lot to write about.. summer sailing is something everyone here knows about and nothing special worth mentioning happened.
Oh, well.. I blew the head gasket in one of the first trips but apart from that it was all ok. Took me a while to find spare for the old MD6-engine, but after that, it was a fairly easy job to fix it.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

Thanks for showing you don’t need a million dollar boat navigating through the tropics to enjoy cruising. I have been looking a bit further a field for inspiration and here is a link that might even excite you?

Introduction to the junk-rigged Corribee Mingming

(Noting my post 369! Getting a bit numerically superstitions or are things finally start to add up with innuendos of nearing gratification?)

Thanks, I´m looking for those kind of sites actually. Since I´m neither a millionaire, or anything in the neighborhood of it, it´s always inspiring to read about what peopla can do in boats within reach of normal everyday economy.

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

Thanks, I´m looking for those kind of sites actually. Since I´m neither a millionaire, or anything in the neighborhood of it, it´s always inspiring to read about what peopla can do in boats within reach of normal everyday economy.

No problems - – here is another that might interest you. It is actually where I found the other link.

http://www.jesterinfo.org/index.html

Heaps of other paper books worth reading out there as well. Given your climate you might even pick up some great tips off the guy in the first links books. When I have a few spare bucks I might grab his latest. If you purchase directly from his webpage they are not that expensive and he does not sting you too bad on postage.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

No problems - – here is another that might interest you. It is actually where I found the other link.

http://www.jesterinfo.org/index.html

Heaps of other paper books worth reading out there as well. Given your climate you might even pick up some great tips off the guy in the first links books. When I have a few spare bucks I might grab his latest. If you purchase directly from his webpage they are not that expensive and he does not sting you too bad on postage.

Well.. given my climate... maybe ya wanna swap homes for 6 months or so?
Each and any cruise opportunity that pops up.. I´m game for any of `em

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

Well.. given my climate... maybe ya wanna swap homes for 6 months or so?
Each and any cruise opportunity that pops up.. I´m game for any of `em

You could have the house in proper while I disappear to sea. One of those worst houses in best location 200 m form the ocean in the middle of a city scenario at only minimal rent compared to today’s repressive prices; probably one of the few reasons I am holding out that bit longer! However, again, your posts are inspiring as my boat, although slightly longer, is not that big inside. I also have a daughter, so maybe we are in a very similar predicament?

Nothing otherwise stopping you from sailing down here? You could pick up this Dutch mate I once shared house with on the way past. He is another totally mad adventurer.

Currently my favourite author’s on the budget go for it front are the Pardeys (eg http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Sailor-Larry-Pardey/dp/0964603675/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286841665&sr=1-1). They kind of swing to a minimal wooden boat philosophy, but there is heaps of good content. Best bet would be to read through the indexes of their various books on Amazon.

Another interesting character who fell for the Pacific must be Bernard Moitessier? There must be a good reason why he was about to win the first ever solo round the world race and decided to keep going? Sounds like how I feel; when I get on the boat I don’t want to get off. I am sure I read similar comment in your posts!

See, http://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Bernard-Moitessier/dp/0924486848/ref=pd_cp_b_1

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

I still have no regrets. Sure the Maxi isnt the biggest boat but that too has it advantages: I don´t have to run myself tired to move from one place to another

Marina, incl shore power, water, and garbage collecting 2K SEK (appx 350 USD) for the entire year

I really don’t want to clog your great thread, but I really need to say that is cheap! Over here for a marina berth you can expect to pay slightly more than that a month. Then in the state I live you are really NOT allowed by law to live on a boat. (the official I talked to simply said they “frown” on the practice). As such, you kind of need to keep moving and/or avoid attracting too much attention.

Keep posting and some of us will be moving to Sweden!

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

I really don’t want to clog your great thread, but I really need to say that is cheap! Over here for a marina berth you can expect to pay slightly more than that a month. Then in the state I live you are really NOT allowed by law to live on a boat. (the official I talked to simply said they “frown” on the practice). As such, you kind of need to keep moving and/or avoid attracting too much attention.

Keep posting and some of us will be moving to Sweden!

Yes it´s cheap... But it´s a small marina and I suppose that if more people start doing the liveaboard thing the prizes would rise drastically. I doubt that it even covered half of what I used in power costs. A normal fee would be around 5 times what I pay.

I´m sure you don´t want to live in Sweden haha. It´s too short of a season for boating. Well, at least my part of Sweden is, at the west coast you could probably sail all year round on a normal winter though.

I´d like to go cruising and I probably will, in a couple of years. Need to save up some money first however, and either change boats or possibly get the one I have worthy to sail the bigger waters. Even though the waves rarely get bigger than 6 feet the seas are short and really hard, and you smash into the next wave before you´re done dealing with the first. So, most work that needs to be put in this boat would be to make sure it stands up to higher waves flooding it.

[PatrickS]

Originally Posted by KillerBoo

Wow... that was fast.
Woke up and the entire marina is covered with 1 inch of ice. Time to go icefishing any day now
Woke up cos it was friggin FREEZING cold inside the boat. Turned out there was a power outage on half the marinas elecrical outlets. Turned on the diesel heater and started the engine to move to another pier, with working electric power. It was no major problem to break the ice but what do I do if this happens again? Maybe with 3 inches of solid ice that I wont be able to crush.. hmmm oh well, I´ll get a mobile generator if that happens. But it´s rare with power outs here thankfully

Do you worry about hull damage from the ice? I'm considering also living aboard through the winter here in Espoo, Finland, but am planning to haul out for 4 months or so and live on the hard, as I'm concerned the ice may damage the hull.

Numerous larger boats stay in the water throughout the winter, but they typically have either steel or cement hulls.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by PatrickS

Do you worry about hull damage from the ice? I'm considering also living aboard through the winter here in Espoo, Finland, but am planning to haul out for 4 months or so and live on the hard, as I'm concerned the ice may damage the hull.

Numerous larger boats stay in the water throughout the winter, but they typically have either steel or cement hulls.

I didnt get as much as a scratch on the hhull. Since the boat is heated, there´s always about an inch of open water around it, no matter how thick the ice gets. I did worry for the rudder tho. Not so much that it would get damaged during the winter, but in the spring time, when it starts to "travel" as it melts it could do some damage to e.g. the rudder (since I have a rudder attached to the stern, sticking out). This isnt so much of a problem in my waters, since there´s no tide and the marina is very sheltered from strong winds but I wanted to play it safe, being the first time I left the boat in the water for the winter. The pump I used did a great job for keeping the water open, so I never had to worry. In hindsight, it would probably come out fine even w/o it and I don´t think I´ll be using it this winter. But get one if you are spending the winter where the sea level changes regularly, like tides or if you´re exposed to rough seas

[capn_billl]

Awesome post! you are living the dream. I spent a few weeks last winter on my boat to keep it from freezing, and I loved it. It was hard to go back to the job and house.

[Ti' Punch]

Killerboo - you mentioned some vandalism and theft problems in another thread. This really surprised me. For some reason I picture Sweden as being relatively crime free. My only experience in your part of the world was a too brief visit to Tromso, Norway. I had a fantastic 3 days there, and that's what I think of anytime I think about that part of the world. Considering how small, and far up there Tromso is, it probably isn't a good comparison for the whole of Scandinavia huh? I guess I just imagined it to be too cold for anyone to be interested in causing mischief. I am glad to hear you got the situation under control. Thanks again for all of your effort on this thread.

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by Ti' Punch

Killerboo - you mentioned some vandalism and theft problems in another thread. This really surprised me. For some reason I picture Sweden as being relatively crime free. My only experience in your part of the world was a too brief visit to Tromso, Norway. I had a fantastic 3 days there, and that's what I think of anytime I think about that part of the world. Considering how small, and far up there Tromso is, it probably isn't a good comparison for the whole of Scandinavia huh? I guess I just imagined it to be too cold for anyone to be interested in causing mischief. I am glad to hear you got the situation under control. Thanks again for all of your effort on this thread.

Well, it´s probably relatively crime free compared to USA and other large countries but it´s been growing I´m sad to say. Where I have the boat there are two small boat marinas with around 6-700 boats in each. There´s a shared responsibility between the owners to take turns and watch the piers and surrounding during night time from late may through mid october. Even though the thievery is below average (being a small town/village with appx 15K residents) it´s mainly a problem for small boat owners that will get their fuel tanks nicked every once in a while and fishing rods etc left behind wont stay long . Not "pro´s" in action mostly, but 13-15 year old kids with the need for gas for the mopeds etc...
My way to deterr (?) them worked fine though haha

[KillerBoo]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Awesome post! you are living the dream. I spent a few weeks last winter on my boat to keep it from freezing, and I loved it. It was hard to go back to the job and house.

Actually yes, I AM living the dream.. The dream I had for some 35+ years
I hope I never will have to get back to a house/apartment. Will probably have to get some handicap adjustments made for when I end up in a wheelchair haha

[kredix]

well,I was on the west coast of bergen for 2 years living aboard a 25' westerly tiger-actually much more interior ergonomics than the 77(which i was gonna buy) Only problem was headroom but 600 bucks to a chiropractor fixed that-overall was a great experience as being the only LA in a remote marina outside of Bergen...absolute prefection compared to my present mooring next to san diego airport,coast gaurd heli-pad,
and all other urban calamitys.