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10-02-2009, 09:52
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 28
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Looking for some assistance from the forum
I will be at the boat show">Miami boat show this weekend, looking for our future "liveaboard".
My daughter (10) and I are enthused about selling everything and living aboard.
My wife is ready for this - in theory - but keeps coming up with constant questions that I can't answer.
Being landlubbers, we are used to all the things that take up our time. On paper, it sure looks like a family would have a ton of spare time while living aboard.
I'm interested if there is a publication, or if anyone can enlighten us on what takes up your time on a typical day / week / month.
Home-schooling my daughter is obviously going to take up some of our time, but I'm guessing there are tons of things that one does not take into account until actually being immersed in the life.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Phil
Future owner of a Gemini 105, or a Beneteeay 373 or 393
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10-02-2009, 10:08
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#2
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 51,808
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Greetings and welcome aboard Phil.
One thin to keep in mind, is that "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." (Parkinson’s Law)
In the frenetic world of most cruisers, acquiring a few gallons of diesel might take a full week.
Day 1: Consider the need for fuel, and decide to get it this week.
Day 2: Remove the jerry cans from storage, place them in the dinghy. Call around to other boats, asking for local knowledge of best fuel source.
Day 3: Go to town, walk 10 miles (uphill) to get the cheapest & driest diesel, walk 10 miles back to dinghy (STILL uphill), and load dink & return to boat.
Day 4: Remove jerry cans from dinghy, and empty through filtre into boat tank.
Day 5: Clean everything up.
Day 6: Pat yourself on the back.
Day: Rest & recover from a hard week’s work.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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10-02-2009, 11:26
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#3
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CF Adviser Moderator Emeritus

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Virginia
Boat: Island Packet 380, now sold
Posts: 8,943
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Yep, doing anything on a boat just takes longer. When we were cruising, friends used to ask, "What do you do all day?" Our reply, "We don't know, but it takes all day to do it!"
__________________
Hud
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10-02-2009, 11:36
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Northern California
Boat: finally a catamaran dive boat...
Posts: 505
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if you go check out sailblogs.com you can look up the various cruisers that frequent that site and read there blogs, etc. it's very, very interesting and majority of the real blue water / coastal cruisers that don't spend more time at the dock than in their vessel can be contacted via SMS or email etc. right from their blogs. One that comes to mind is sora. you can go to the blog and type in sora as the vessel name and it's father/daughter that has spent the better part of the last two years circumnavigating. Very intersting. www.sailblogs.com/member/sora
another very interesting famil is... Pass the BBQ | Wandering Dolphin
Contact them with your concerns and questions, they are having the time of their lives! Just ask them...
db
__________________
the perfect dive boat is one you're on...
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10-02-2009, 12:03
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: St. Maarten Dutch West Indies
Boat: prout event 34
Posts: 60
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We don't have a plan and we stick to it. The boat pretty much tells us what to do next and trust me the boat never has nothing to say. The rest of the time is spent with friends and usually involves a spot of grog. If you are a real serious person don't waste your time playing around with a boat, go study for the usmle or the bar or something.
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10-02-2009, 12:20
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 105
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There are dozens (hundreds?) of books chronicling the day to day life of cruisers.
Just for a start, check out:
Anything by Lin and Larry Pardey
Anything by Eric Hiscock
and for a lighter, more casual look at it, check out
"Blown Away" and "You Can't Blow Home Again" by Herb Payson
There are several books that were written by families with school-aged children, too.
DGC
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10-02-2009, 13:01
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#7
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cruiser
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: No longer post here
Boat: Catalac Catamaran
Posts: 2,462
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No one mentioned looking around this forum? There's a lot of info on here.
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10-02-2009, 22:47
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#8
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Long Range Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Australian living on "Sea Life" currently in England.
Boat: Beneteau 393 "Sea Life"
Posts: 12,820
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaiserlp2
it sure looks like a family would have a ton of spare time while living aboard.
I'm interested if there is a publication, or if anyone can enlighten us on what takes up your time on a typical day / week / month.
....
Phil
Future owner of a Gemini 105, or a Beneteeay 373 or 393 
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LOLOLOLOLLOLOL
Surely you jest! Spare time?! SPARE??????????? And you with a 10 year old? Spare time?????? And schooling this child and you still wonder what you will do on the moment in the far distant future you will get some SPARE TIME????????????????????????????
Go the 393
Mark
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11-02-2009, 07:54
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 28
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Amazing response on this forum
It's hard to believe how active it is!
I am researching books to collect, and have forwarded some of the blogs to the wife to peruse.
I really appreciate the response.
I fully expect there to be some kind of "shock" period when going from the hassle of daily life on-land to living on-board. With us being in the 2 or 3 year timeframe from going, we still have quite a bit of time to convince the boss that she will be able to stay busy!
Phil
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11-02-2009, 08:42
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Central Ohio
Boat: Lord Nelson 41 S/V Fair Wind
Posts: 120
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Check out A First Mate's Rules of The Road
Very well written, informative and fun to read!
Mike
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11-02-2009, 09:51
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hollywood, Fl.
Boat: FP Athena 38' Poerava
Posts: 4,028
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MJWEENZ
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I'll second that!!!
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15-02-2009, 18:04
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: At Sea
Boat: Albin Vega 27 Lealea
Posts: 65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaiserlp2
Being landlubbers, we are used to all the things that take up our time. On paper, it sure looks like a family would have a ton of spare time while living aboard.
I'm interested if there is a publication, or if anyone can enlighten us on what takes up your time on a typical day / week / month.
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I've been living aboard for twenty years. In 2007 I retired and we set off on an open ended cruise.
.
Mostly I spend my time drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. Once a week I tar the cat
Just funnin' ya. Take a look at the links in my sig.
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17-02-2009, 03:17
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 101
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And I thought that I was going to get to relax and enjoy life......
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17-02-2009, 07:48
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Cincinnati, OH (for now)
Boat: custom built 47' wooden trawler yacht
Posts: 71
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Because your daughter is ten years old, my advise would be to buy the first boat that meets your needs and price, lock the front door on the house and leave, QUICKLY!!
You have maybe two good years left before she turns into a monster.
If anyone wants to argue this point, I'll send over my 16 and 17 year old daughters and I'm sure you'll agree with me after a day of two.
__________________
Quidam (pronounced "key-DAHM"; IPA: /kiːˈdɑːm/) means "a certain one" -or- "a certain thing", "an anonymous passerby" in Classical Latin
*****
One must be constantly on guard against advocates of the "Be reasonable and do it the hard and expensive way" school of thought.
That type of elitist thinking has ballooned the cost of boats, and cruising , far beyond what it need be, and beyond the reach of too many low income cruisers, for no benefit. -- Brent Swain
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17-02-2009, 08:36
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 28
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Been there, done that
The 10 year old is the youngest of 5 kids - four of which are girls.
We are 1 - 1 and 1 in the teenage girl department so far: One monster (now 25), one angel, now (23), and then our current 16 year old - who the jury is still out on, but is leaning a bit more towards the monster side.
The 10 year old is daddy's girl - don't foresee too many problems with this one (go ahead, laugh at my self delusions).
After returning from the Miami boat show, we have MASSIVE enthusiasm now from everyone (including the wife), but one major issue:
The wife and daughter fell in love with a Manta 42 - which there is no WAY in the world we are going to be able to afford! Doh!
At least we've crossed the hurdle of what to do to stay busy, and whether there would be enough room on a boat for privacy and comfort!
Phil
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