Liveaboard Nowhere?

[Papasail]

I have kept liveaboard sailing like a carrot in front of me for years (10). Now with CoVid in front of us, the world is on fire. So are my dreams, I think?

Like so many, I just got a severance for October 1, 2020. Shortly, I'll be out of a job, in a HELLA job market/ Great Depression 2.0. I'm 58. I think I just retired, and didn't know it.

I've got easy money for the sailboat, and YES!... I'll be sensible and not buy too much boat. I like a Bristol 35 to 41. (Liveaboard). That takes me anywhere.

((BUT...)) I have very little coming in, short of whatever I can piece together (like everyone else!), plus some savings, until (4 years) I can get Social Security. *Ahem... if that lives through what's coming economically...

MY LIFE HAS BEEN SO HARD!!! I'm burnt to the core... and I mean that (personally), not so much professionally. I need (something) good in my life.
Like... >anything<. I worked hard, I sucked it up, was patient, did all the right things in a terribly harsh environment, but have almost no sense of belonging.
I get what work is. I know how to do that. ... and how to fix ANYTHING... I am extraordinarily resourceful. A true survivor type.

October... to buy, or wait for what comes next? By next May, the housing market will be in full collapse, and I imagine sailboat prices will be at rock-bottom.
Very tired of just surviving.. for what I've been through, I need to thrive a little bit. I have to figure out what to do for about 6 months (after October), while I wait for the coming collapse.

Again, October - east coast hard weather window, if not hurricane season/ that timing sucks. West coast maybe? PNW? All the Bristols are on the (east) coast...
and THAT sucks.
With every country being shut down, is sailing just broken like everything else?
*All done* not worth doing anymore? Any cool places to sail along the U.S.?
My goal has always been that beautiful clear blue water you see on every Calendar,,,, and now more than ever, a sense of belonging/ community...
I've read many good things about sailors/ sailing/ marina communities.

A bit of a rant... can you blame me?

How is the liveaboard life panning-out effective 06/12/2020?
Are folks feeling trapped in their boats?

If the world is on fire, and Great Depression 2.0 is just around the corner....
at 58, why not do it anyway? WTF? I don't want to "survive" a Great Depression, just to die without ever having lived.

Thanks for being patient with the broken hearted. Your opinions are valued, and thanks in advance. Sorry for ranting.
Bill

[NorthernMac]

You’re right

Dooooooomed

Might as well just stay in your TP fort till the end comes (going to be a looong wait).

What if I told you nothing really has changed? Just takes the meek a little while to notice.

I have a boat on the east coast, debated brining it to the west coast, nice thing about living aboard, can always sail somewhere else

[OloteleMtn]

Go for it; what skills do you have or can acquire to pay your way? Be assured that the boat, once purchased, will continue to cost you time and money to maintain and repair; you need a way to pay for that or things go downhill fast.

[SV Tru]

OP: After reading your post I scanned Yacht World and found this:
1972 Bristol 35
US$ 24,500*
Port Hadlock, Washington

Looks like it might be a fine ship, checks off some of your boxes and there might be some wiggle room in price due to its age, but remember you require a survey to assist you in deciding your final choice whatever that might be.
My opinion is that the vast majority of forum members here will advise you to go for your dream. Pursuing your dream should start the day you realize it, so start looking at more boats, locations etc.
The economics of living aboard is to a large degree is what you make it. Of course it can be expensive, but this forum is full of threads/posts on how to enjoy living aboard with minimal expenditures. It is all about the choices you make and THAT is one of the great things about living aboard, we get to choose. Can't afford lithium batteries? Buy golf cart batteries! Don't like your neighbor? Move! Etc etc. But if you HAVE to have the latest "do-hickey", be realistic in the expensive, long term implications of this type of decision. Finally, as you seem to be a capable person, the value of personal sweat equity should not be underestimated. It can have a very large impact on the economics of your situation. This forum is full of ideas to help.

* I have no connection whatsoever to the boat referred to above. It was added just to give a place for the op to possibly start from.

[Chotu]

Get going, man!

Don’t just sit there waiting for the world to end. If you want a boat, go get one!

Life will pass you by and you’ll remain an armchair dreamer if you don’t get that boat.

There is a LOT of great sailing inside the USA. It’s all open now. Bouncing country to country is getting ready to open up. The procedure here in the USA is anyone coming from another country has a 14 day quarantine to do on the boat before they can go do whatever they want. I could think of worse places to quarantine.

I’m a cynic and a pessimist and even I am a little surprised by your post.

Get out and get your boat now! There is no collapse of the used boat market. Why? Everyone is doing exactly what you are. The demand isn’t going away. People are shifting a fortune into boats and RVs for the exact same reasons you are.

So go get the deals now before it’s mostly junk left.

[Captn_Black]

Boat work, travelling and the liveaboard life are the best therapy there is. You won't have time for worrying about anything else. And you will be surprised at how small a budget you can manage if you learn the skills you need to do everything. All the best. Feel free to ask me more specific questions if you need to.

[arsenelupiga]

no passion - you have lived no life, my man !

do passion or die.

we were both well paid ambitious city workers. Made transition at 54 as i felt my pay, sense of adventure and work environment stopped justifying time of my life any longer.

We are now both very happy liveaboards and willing to go really , really cheap if SHTF just to avoid going back to that land mess.

[LittleWing77]

Hey Papsail,

Please update your profile to reflect where you are. It's helpful to members who are offering advice (for instance, that Bristol suggested above). If you are in New Jersey, no way are you going to buy it and truck it across the continent.

Remember, this is an international forum!

Good luck,
LittleWing77

[FAST FRED]

Living aboard can be very low cost , IF you chose the right country to live in.

Many cruisers will spend big bucks on having 2 - 5 sets of anchoring gear so their home is protected, and anchor out at all times.

In the US the condo dwellers believe they own all the water from their coast to euroland and force no anchoring areas in front of their balcony.

A noisemaker for air cond and similar dirt house gear is out, but a fine lifestyle can easily be had with an RV propane reefer, one 20#bottle will last a month , so cold beverages and fresh food is under a buck a day.\

An aluminum dink with oars , no maint an not as prized as a .B Whaler with big outboard.
Sun cover with sewn hose can take care of water , solar shower for body or dish washing.

After a while you will never miss fixing "stuff".

Try cruising in the Carib to see just how nice the lifestyle is.

[sanibel sailor]

https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/chl...128574489.html

I am a bit partial to the 35.5's

[Allied39]

Cheep up sunshine, it will all be ok, same old same old.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/chl...128574489.html

I am a bit partial to the 35.5's

The teak decks on that boat are toast. No wonder the guy is trying to unload it. (The rest of the boat looks gorgeous, granted.)

If anyone would like a sense of what a job removing teak decks would be, have a read of ttex's ongoing thread:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ck-225756.html

Best of luck, Liveaboard Papasail,
LittleWing77

[thomm225]

Bristol 35.5's appear to be great boats. I like those with the fixed keel......

As far as the liveaboard idea, get the boat and go from there.

See how you like it. Or get a smaller boat first.

I bought my first monohull (12th boat), a Bristol 27, at 55 years old and am still sailing it after 9 years. Got it for $2,000.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Bristol 35.5's appear to be great boats. I like those with the fixed keel......

As far as the liveaboard idea, get the boat and go from there.

See how you like it. Or get a smaller boat first.

I bought my first monohull (12th boat), a Bristol 27, at 55 years old and am still sailing it after 9 years. Got it for $2,000.

Yup, Bristols and C&C's were on my list when I was looking too. Good cruising ships by all accounts.

[Captn_Black]

Also, OP, I fully recommend a Junk Rig if you have the chance to buy one, they're pretty rare, but for a cruising single handed sailor they have many advantages such as quick reefing, no hard gybing, and being able to do everything without leaving the cockpit. Wooden masts may seem like high maintenance, but that is not really the case in the long run when compared to the costs of standing rigging.

The book Practical Junk Rig can fill you in further on it if you want to know more, as well as containing everything you need to know about making a conversion, although that might be a bit of an ambitious project for your requirements. Anyway, I thought I would present it as an option.