Liveaboard in NH area?

[dlsnow]

Does anyone have advice about living on a sailboat in the Portsmouth NH or Newburyport? I would be there for about a week at a time throughout the year to visit the area. Including wintertime.

I have been living on my boats in Florida Keys year round for 3 years. I have a good understanding of living in the hot area but no experience with cold climate while on the boat.

[K1MGY]

I don't know about portsmouth, but the Merrimac river can ice over if conditions are especially cold. Entering the harbor in Newburyport can be a challenge during tides... quite rough at times and notorious for ship bashing along the jetties.

I plan to visit next summer and return south after the atmosphere calls down.

I grew up on plum Island so a little local knowledge.

[Kettlewell]

Lived aboard several winters in southeastern Mass. Your first problem is finding a marina that will allow you to liveaboard in the winter. You'll need one that either has deicers in place, or will allow you to install one in your slip. Having achieved that, you'll need to be certain your cockpit drains, engine intake line, etc. will not freeze. That can be a problem even if the interior of the boat is heated. I solved this on one boat by keeping an ordinary incadescent lightbulb on in a drop light in the engine compartment which was also where the cockpit drain hoses went down. For heating I recommend electric heaters, but there is always the possibility of power outages. They are simple, dry, and have limited fire danger if installed correctly. If you are there onboard diesel heating can work, but you don't want to leave that on when not on the boat for long periods. Still, the average fiberglass boat has no insulation and will sweat like crazy on the inside just from your breath, and it will be hard to heat. A lot of people build a complete cover over the whole boat, which helps a lot, but you still get sweating from the hullsides. One of the strange problems I found is that marinas will turn off the water on the docks so you need to carry water to the boat unless you can rig up a long hose from a spigot ashore somewhere. We found marinas where we could take showers ashore in the winter to keep all that moisture out of the boat.

[CaptTom]

It's possible. Not a lot of fun. The hardest part will be finding a marina which allows it. Post back with specific questions, we have a few locals on here.

[dlsnow]

Thank you community. Possible but not fun...got it.

[Kettlewell]

Thank you community. Possible but not fun...got it.

Forgot to mention that I wouldn't recommend leaving a boat in the water in New England unless you do it fulltime or are nearby to check on her frequently, or have a good friend who will do so very reliably. I would never trust any marina to do it for me. All it takes is someone to shut your power off for some reason and your boat might go down.