Liveaboard around Vancouver without a slip

[amandak]

Originally Posted by dmitrytoda

Water - get to a marina every once in a while and fill the tanks, for a fee if needed. Shouldn't be that bad.
>> you can fill your tanks at the pump out in Heather Marina or the fuel barge. I use 20L water containers from Canadian Tire. I motored over to the fuel barge once a week and filled them up.

Sewage - either get the appropriate number of miles off shore and dump, or same as water.
>> 2 really great, easily accessible pump outs at Heather and Burrard marinas

Food - probably same, buy in bulk, load when you dock once a week or two.
That actually raises another question though, when people go ashore, what do they do with their dinghy/kayak/whatever they use for it?

>> a super short walk up Cambie you have Save-On Foods, Whole Foods, and NoFrills on Broadway.

When in False Creek you can lock your dinghy up at Olympic Village, Stamps Landing, David Lam, Granville Island... lots of great places! When I was in English Bay I dingied into Granville Island and locked up there.

Honestly, living aboard in False Creek is not difficult at all - there are so many options for everything.

[Eder]

Hers the dirty secret...if you are trying to live on the cheap anchoring in False Creek most likely you are dumping your sewage into the slough every day. Reality.

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Eder

Hers the dirty secret...if you are trying to live on the cheap anchoring in False Creek most likely you are dumping your sewage into the slough every day. Reality.

Maybe you would. I certainly wouldn't. I dumped regularly at Burrard Marina.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by amandak

Maybe you would. I certainly wouldn't. I dumped regularly at Burrard Marina.

The City of Vancouver provides FREE pumpouts, including a mobile pumpout that comes to your boat (Summertime):
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transpo...pump-outs.aspx

EVERY Winter we see beached boats that dragged/broke free while anchored out in English Bay during regular Winter storms. Summers occasionally too.

[amandak]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

The City of Vancouver provides FREE pumpouts, including a mobile pumpout that comes to your boat (Summertime):
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transpo...pump-outs.aspx

EVERY Winter we see beached boats that dragged/broke free while anchored out in English Bay during regular Winter storms. Summers occasionally too.

Yah, quite a number of the boats out there are abandoned. People who either don't want their boats anymore or can't be bothered to check on them reguarly.

[dmitrytoda]

Amandak huge thank you! very helpful and encouraging

[Eder]

Originally Posted by amandak

Maybe you would. I certainly wouldn't. I dumped regularly at Burrard Marina.

No I wouldn't but I am familiar with many live aboards that do to save a buck.

[Heathenly Twins]

Not sure if I have much to offer but I did anchor in Vancouver once for 4 days in summer of 2019. I tried to anchor in false creek but it was packed with dodgy looking boats too close together so I dropped the hook further out near Kits Beach. Kits was really rolly and unpleasant despite low winds. Lots of wakes rocking the boat all the time.

I have a 26' sloop which is relatively inexpensive compared to most boats but when something needs replacing it costs big bucks. The bigger the boat the more expensive everything is and the more trouble you can get in. You'll also have a harder time finding dock space for the inevitable marina visits. I heard Shelter Island allows live aboards but read mixed reviews on the experience. It sounds like things have gone downhill there in the last few years.

From personal experience trying to work from a newly purchased old boat you're going to have to contend with unpleasant things like waking up to do anchor watch at 3 am when things kick up. Even if you have a great anchor the odds are your neighbors do not and you have to be ready to deal with people dragging anchor into you.

You can get by with solar panels but a big boat whose owner is on his laptops all day is going to require a lot of juice and when it's cloudy ( like most of the winter) the panels provide little energy. Personally, I'm thinking I will cruise in summer and spend winter at a dock working while attached to shore power, it's just easier.

Best advice I'll give anyone with little or no sailing experience is do not rush into it. Buying a boat is like getting married, you need to choose wisely to keep your bank accounts from bleeding dry.

Maybe try to spend some time aboard some boats first. In Vancouver, I'm sure you can get aboard one of the many barely used boats and see if you like it. You might need to bribe them with a few bucks but it's nothing compared to buying the wrong boat.

I'd offer to take you out for a sail but I'm away at work and my boat is ashore.

Trente Pieds was right, there are a ton of sunk costs in boat ownership. If you want to do it for the love of boating then great but I don't think the possibility of saving a few dollars on a cheap boat is worth the many discomforts. Perhaps moving to a cheaper place outside of Vancouver is best. Port Hardy is reasonably priced.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you decide.

[amandak]

Originally Posted by Eder

No I wouldn't but I am familiar with many live aboards that do to save a buck.

Pumping out in Vancouver is free. They even have a free Pump-Out boat that comes straight to your boat in the summer.

[dmdelorme]

Hey thanks for asking the question i am just about finished purchasing a Alberg 37. I will be working in the Vancouver area. I will be on the hard in shelter island till i have some more local knowledge and install a propane locker, galley stove and heater to heat the boat. All were removed from the boat because of ??? probably bad /old / dangerous install. I got some great incite from the comments.

[dmitrytoda]

@dmdelorme oh cool, then maybe we'll be neighbours in a few months!

[jeepers]

If I was going to do what you describe.
And one day I might..
I would look at Bowen Island just across from Horseshoe Bay.
And, I would keep a regular eye on Craigslist posts.
There was a mooring with a 38' sailboat also a Boston whaler type with motor & a floating dock on a well sheltered mooring.
A month ago there was a 55' boat for FREE @ Uclulet.

[dmitrytoda]

For those interested what I decide: I've decided that I am not ready yet to live at anchor full time, but I could try a marina for the first half a year to a year. BUT then I discovered that it's virtually impossible to get a slip. I called a dozen random marinas both on the maindland and on the islands, and none of them had any available. Of course there is more marinas around here, and I will keep calling, but doesn't look very promising.

I managed to find one slip on kijiji, but that particular marina (in Nanaimo) does not allow liveaboards. As, I suspect, most of them.
For those lucky to have slips somewhere in BC: is it written in your contracts that you cannot sleep aboard more than N nights per month or something? or is it just not encouraged? anybody has the experience of doing a sneak abord life in BC?

[westwon]

Hi dmitrytoda.


This is an unusual year for marinas. Many of the 800 boats that were at Point Roberts Marina left due to the pandemic border closure, and they filled a lot of spots on VA or the Mainland. Next year that (hopefully) will reverse itself, at least somewhat, and there will be more slots available.



You made the right decision to take a slip. Now you can use that as your 'base' for practicing longer term anchorage as you learn the pros/cons of live aboard anchoring.


One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is the possibility of renting a mooring ball. Much less expensive than a slip without the anxiety of anchoring. There is a mooring field just outside of Van-Isle Marina in North Saanich.


Steve

[westwon]

Sorry, that should have been VI (Vancouver Island), not VA


Steve