Liveaboard.... Doable? Feasible? Lets talk...

[TxPaw79]

Hello everyone! I am new here to the forums but have spent the last 2 weeks just clicking through everything and trying to absorb any and every thing in regards to becoming a live-aboard.

Just a little about me. Im a 40's something young man, who has never sailed before. Now I have been out on both ocean and lake waters on powered boats, and I have always grown up near the gulf coast. So I am confident that being around and on the water will be right up my alley.

The first thing that comes to my mind is can I afford this? So I am a 17 year military vet and do receive disability every month. Im not going to get rich off of it, but it is more than just some spare change each month. I envision being a solo sailor/cruiser with roughly a 30' monohull ( yes yes.... i dont have a boat... this is what I like to call the learning/planning phase of a dream). Would a monthly payout of roughly $1900 a month. Would it sound possible to be able to sail in and around the Gulf Coast to Carribean islands area? I know from what I have taken from alot of forums that it doesnt cost anything to anchor out somewhere vs a marina, but how long can you even stay at anchor if im out off the coast of an island like that?

I appreciate any and all responses as I continue to educate myself on this life style

[HighTemp]

I would think that it can be done, and has been done by a number of folks. The thing you would have to ask yourself would be " What degree of comfort, or lack thereof, are you willing to settle for day to day?"

You mentioned $1900 per month, I assume that this is after you have purchased the boat outright and with no other debt. The initial buy in for the boat and getting it ready to cruise would be the biggest nut to crack. Then keep in mind, that boats require constant maintenance, which equates to money being spent constantly. The amount would be dependent upon the skills that you possess. Do all of the labor yourself and then the only concern is the price of the parts.

[s/v Moondancer]

In 11 years of cruising we never paid to anchor and in some places stayed for over a month. Some locals jurisdictions have areas that limit anchoring and some in Florida have illegally harassed cruisers who were legally anchored.

If the water cops come and harass you just tell them you are a disabled Vet and that you will moves as soon as it is safe to move.

I have just agreed to teach a young paraplegic to sail. If you want free sailing lessons, in Miami, Biscayne Bay and the Keys just contact me. I sail a very fast Corsair 28 tri.

[TxPaw79]

Thanks HighTemp - the current "grand" vision would involve me moving to the Texas coast in about 3 years (got to wait for my daughter to graduate high school). During this 3 years I would be saving money and starting to downsize my daily life. During this 3 years, take some sailing lessons and maybe even purchase a smaller boat to get familiar with sailing "techniques". After getting to the coastal area, spend the next 2-3 years sailing in and around the gulf and carribean, all of this with a plan of owning my boat outright so that I wouldnt have a loan payment to make

[TxPaw79]

Thanks Moondancer! I am in Texas so I prolly wouldnt be able to take you up on that offer!

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by TxPaw79

Hello everyone! I am new here to the forums but have spent the last 2 weeks just clicking through everything and trying to absorb any and every thing in regards to becoming a live-aboard.



Just a little about me. Im a 40's something young man, who has never sailed before. Now I have been out on both ocean and lake waters on powered boats, and I have always grown up near the gulf coast. So I am confident that being around and on the water will be right up my alley.



The first thing that comes to my mind is can I afford this? So I am a 17 year military vet and do receive disability every month. Im not going to get rich off of it, but it is more than just some spare change each month. I envision being a solo sailor/cruiser with roughly a 30' monohull ( yes yes.... i dont have a boat... this is what I like to call the learning/planning phase of a dream). Would a monthly payout of roughly $1900 a month. Would it sound possible to be able to sail in and around the Gulf Coast to Carribean islands area? I know from what I have taken from alot of forums that it doesnt cost anything to anchor out somewhere vs a marina, but how long can you even stay at anchor if im out off the coast of an island like that?



I appreciate any and all responses as I continue to educate myself on this life style

Totally feasible.

It really depends on how much you end up spending on maintenance refit to begin with. I have been cruising around Florida for 9 months or so. I spend around $400 on food. I always anchor out, don’t pay for dinghy docks etc. I also never really go out to eat/party.

With that being said I dropped a fair amount of cash making sure my vessel was in good condition for my goals. Things will go wrong and you need to make sure you mitigate those surprises as best as you are able by both having a healthy savings, plenty of spares, consistent maintenance.

1900$ to me would be living the good life but I am totally used to a Spartan existence. With comfort comes cost. Keep that in mind and look for a vessel without a lot of bells and whistles that you can reasonably maintain. The big boats with AC and fridge look great in theory but in practice they end up costing quite a bit.

Best of luck!

[TooCoys]

Thinking and talking about boats and cruising is fun, but there are a number of changes that you'd need to consider and address before you even get to that point.

Have you lived in extremely small spaces for significant periods of time? Are you good at entertaining yourself and being alone? Can you be extremely organized? What are you going to do with all your belongings? How many of those belongings are you willing to part with and can live without? Are you willing to do things like pump out your own waste from the holding tank?

There are a lot of adjustments that have to be made when moving aboard. People see the "glitz and glamour" of sailing and living on a boat, but it's not all wine and lounging around in the sun. We haven't lived in a sticks and bricks home since March of 2016, and while the RV and boat have been fun, I miss things like bathtubs and being able to flush toilet paper.

Don't just look at boat and monetary costs. There's WAY more to it.

[TxPaw79]

Thanks Solitare! I am not tied to "creature comforts" and assume (cause i would never know until I do) that there isnt a ton of bells and whistles that I want. Some basics of course would be a fridge/ice box, I want a shower in the head and a water maker (if thats even an option on a 30' mono.

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by TooCoys

Thinking and talking about boats and cruising is fun, but there are a number of changes that you'd need to consider and address before you even get to that point.

Have you lived in extremely small spaces for significant periods of time? Are you good at entertaining yourself and being alone? Can you be extremely organized? What are you going to do with all your belongings? How many of those belongings are you willing to part with and can live without? Are you willing to do things like pump out your own waste from the holding tank?

There are a lot of adjustments that have to be made when moving aboard. People see the "glitz and glamour" of sailing and living on a boat, but it's not all wine and lounging around in the sun. We haven't lived in a sticks and bricks home since March of 2016, and while the RV and boat have been fun, I miss things like bathtubs and being able to flush toilet paper.

Don't just look at boat and monetary costs. There's WAY more to it.

Very good point! (OP) listen to this and make friends with some live aboards to do further research.

I always forget about these aspects as downsides. (Prior to the boat I was living alone in a remote tiny cabin with no heat running water, so the transition was pretty seamless but I forget that for most these aspects can be a shock.


Another thing to think about, especially if you are planning on having a “home” anchorage is friends/girlfriends etc. Now this isn’t a hard and fast rule but I can say 90% of the middle aged solo men I’ve come across are very lonely, let their boats fall into disrepair, and their health along with it. I would recommend finding an anchorage close to a sailing club, a strong cruisers net or anything else that would avail you of opportunity to socialize with like minded individuals.

[TxPaw79]

Oh you are so correct TooCoys! And for all of those things you have mentioned, I have had experience with. I spent 17 years in the infantry and have spent a couple years camping in my RV, so I have learned alot when it comes to giving up the "luxury" items in daily living. I learned a long time ago that the glamor you see through video bloggers that it isnt the real truth. The glamor didnt catch my attention as much as the life of being able to escape the hustle and bustle and constant "fast" lifestyle

[TxPaw79]

Very true Solitare. I am a "loner" by nature in the aspect that I tend to keep to myself alot. My "social" tank doesnt require a lot to become full. (This is part of why, I feel like I would fit in as a sailor/cruiser)

[TooCoys]

Originally Posted by TxPaw79

The glamor didnt catch my attention as much as the life of being able to escape the hustle and bustle and constant "fast" lifestyle

You don't really escape it though, you just kind of shift it. You might not be going into an office 9-5 every day, but it's still a ton of work. It might not be 5 o'clock traffic, but it can be very fast pace especially when systems start breaking one after the other. We've lived aboard for three years and had minimal maintenance costs, but this year it's been one thing after the other and we've ended up with $20K or more in upgrades and repairs.

If you've addressed all of the things I mentioned, the rest is just experience, and costs are going to depend on what experiences you choose. Bigger boat with more systems... more costs. Smaller boat, with core systems.. less costs. There are liveaboards and cruisers in every budget class. ETA: I bought a 27' Hunter Cherubini in 2017 for $4500. I'll see if I can find the link, but there was a youtube couple living/sailing a 27' boat a few years ago, and he was paralyzed! So anything can be done.

But don't make any choices based on internet posts or youtube videos. Get out there and actually spend some time on a boat - or a few boats. Things you think you want/need, you may end up not wanting or needing, and things you think you don't, you might actually have to have.

Truly, that may be my only regret when deciding to move aboard - buying the first, and only boat we lived aboard. I wish I had taken the time and opportunity to reasearch more.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by TxPaw79

Thanks Solitare! I am not tied to "creature comforts" and assume (cause i would never know until I do) that there isnt a ton of bells and whistles that I want. Some basics of course would be a fridge/ice box, I want a shower in the head and a water maker (if thats even an option on a 30' mono.

You might look at yachts that a little bit bigger. That isn't to say you can't do it on a 30ft but that extra length also means height and width increases so reduces the cabin fever of a smaller yacht if the weather is bad. It will also mean you can have two decent sleeping areas for daughter to visit with bf perhaps?

The extra size also means more space for storage and food. So buy food that keeps easily but cheap in places like the US before you head out to the islands.

It doesn't need to be new, and there are some nice US yachts that are not perhaps as desirable as modern yachts with twin wheels and open transoms. Sailing Uma's Pearson 365 springs to mind.

This guy does some interesting reviews and there are some real good nuggets of advice in the videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk-J...%2CYachtHunter

[Scubaseas]

What Pete 7 said. Also consider a lot of marinas won't allow liveaboards unless 38' or bigger. I have lived aboard a 32 footer and a 42 footer. No question life is easier on the 42' boat.

[redhead]

TxPaw79 it sounds as though you've put a lot of thought into it.

Keep reading, keep learning, keep asking. We've been living aboard for 7 years now and I can't stress enough that if you can't do your own repairs you will most probably run out of money no matter which boat you choose. Take courses in marine electrical systems, plumbing, etc. The more you invest now in your memory bank the longer your budget will stretch.

I think it's also a good thing that you're a relatively socially independent person (I think many of us would fit into that category). One of the things we all search for is that solitary anchorage but trust me even the #1 loner among us gets bored with their own company and goes in search of conversation and whatnot. I was surprised at how much I craved some companionship after my first winter aboard.

Finally, if you watched the video about the Pearson 385, I can tell you that I'd still be on my Pearson 365 if it had had that second sleeping berth and second head. So that's a really good example of how a boat just 2 feet longer can change everything. I can also tell you they're built like brick #$%houses. Good good boats.

Good luck to you and I look forward to your stories!