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Old 23-10-2020, 21:19   #1
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New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

This is a duplicate of my first post in a boating forum…the first turned out to be a UK forum. So, take 2. This mistake is probably the first of many many many many many more boating mistakes to come.

I’m about to start a new chapter in my life… One I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. I have always lived near the Chesapeake Bay and “on the outside looking in“ to the boating community. I grew up with exposure to sailing and power boating. I sailed in college and then raced again as an adult in my 30s with a local club. I’ve spent my whole life wishing I was IN the boating world. Really in it. And now I have an opportunity to make it so.

I am beginning the planning process to become a live aboard... It will have to be a powerboat as I can no longer sail due to an injury. I am completely overwhelmed by how much I don’t know. It’s a bit terrifying. But I’ve never been more committed to walking into the unknown. I have a million questions, but the one that, at this moment, trumps them all is:

How can I find someone who is willing to rent their 45 foot+ boat to me for a period of 6 to 9 months (a timeframe that is presumably in the off-season when they are less likely to use it) so that I can learn what I need to learn about living aboard before I would begin the journey of purchasing a boat of my own?

Everything I have read about this so far has been discouraging. Marinas don’t allow it. Where would you find people. The risk to the boat owner is too high. Etc. I don’t even need to take the boat out from the slip… I just want to live on it. To know that I can. And to know that I can overcome all of the other obstacles... and that the reality feels as good as the dream. Based on my current research, it seems like I’ll need to call boat brokers to see if any owners of boats not selling might be interested in making some money every month.

I appreciate any advice that anyone can offer. The two liveaboards that I found and reached out to locally weren’t exactly encouraging. So I am casting a wider net. Not saying I’m not open to hearing the realities… but I want to hear about them in the context of how to navigate them. So I would just ask that you absolutely keep it real… but also keep it positive where possible. Cause I’m doing this no matter what.
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Old 23-10-2020, 22:07   #2
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Welcome aboard Bucketlistboatr! I don't know the situation in your area but I can tell you I did live aboard a powerboat for about 6 months if I remember correctly back in '88 in Santa Barbara harbor in CA while I was finishing up some school. In that case I was paying more than the owner paid in slip fees so he was fine with it. The boat could not go out because the engine was blown and it was kind of a wreck. To find a similar situation the owner will have to be in a position where he sees his boat as a rental property and not a yacht anymore I suspect. However if you get to know people in a given marina and they know you will not abuse the boat, they may then say well, this guy down here has a boat and he never uses it etc, try giving him a call. It might work that way. I can't recall how I found out about the boat I was on, it had to have been word of mouth because I had many friends living and working in the harbor. The main thing is, what is the availability and attitudes towards liveaboards in general in the marinas near you? You'll need to do some research in that department.
But if you find a boat you like in a slip where liveaboard is permitted, and it's a good boat in your budget, buy it and don't worry about how you'll make it work. You'll love it and you will look back and wonder why you were so anxious about it! I say, if you can't find a good rental prospect, jump past the renting-someone-else's-boat phase and go straight to finding your own boat.
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Old 23-10-2020, 22:17   #3
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Welcome aboard!! I'm sorry to hear about your troubles but it will be tough to satisfy your requirements. I hope someone else can be of more help here, but definitely welcome aboard and hope everything works out for you!!

Stay healthy and safe!

P.S. I also vote for immediate boat ownership... from my experience, you won't regret it
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Old 24-10-2020, 02:58   #4
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Have you considered AirBNB


https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3821453...At3R2I3bzkn8Cb
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Old 24-10-2020, 04:55   #5
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Bucket, can you afford to go ahead with a purchase? Living in a power boat is not conceptually different from living in an RV; you should be able to see during a short tour of a boat whether you can live comfortably within it. It should not take months of experience. I encourage you to go with your dream now rather than agonizing over it. Sure, it's possible that after a year you'll realize that your dream was not realistic, and there's a price tag to that, but making any move in life includes those risks. After all, some of us even get married.
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Old 24-10-2020, 05:04   #6
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BucketListBoatr View Post
How can I find someone who is willing to rent their 45 foot+ boat to me for a period of 6 to 9 months (a timeframe that is presumably in the off-season when they are less likely to use it) so that I can learn what I need to learn about living aboard before I would begin the journey of purchasing a boat of my own?

I appreciate any advice that anyone can offer. The two liveaboards that I found and reached out to locally weren’t exactly encouraging. So I am casting a wider net. Not saying I’m not open to hearing the realities… but I want to hear about them in the context of how to navigate them. So I would just ask that you absolutely keep it real… but also keep it positive where possible. Cause I’m doing this no matter what.

The 6-9 months in off-season -- in the Chesapeake -- will be a difficult entree into liveaboard life... given that the off-season runs from Dec through Mar for many, for some even from Nov through Apr. And that's when you have the most trouble (extra work) dealing with heat, sanitation, and fresh water issues. All addressable, but maybe a bit much to deal with starting on your first day...

What is it about living aboard that you want to learn that you couldn't learn by doing on your own boat?

If you're doing it no matter what, then no obstacle you encounter will deter you, right? And generally there are no unsolvable obstacles... just some that might be more difficult, or less comfortable, etc.

-Chris
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Old 24-10-2020, 08:47   #7
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

I think if you do the numbers you can buy a old boat that would need a lot of work to make sailable, but suitable for a moored livaboard for a year for about the same price as a rental. Especially if you include resale .... it will not depreciate much unless in sinks
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Old 24-10-2020, 08:57   #8
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

9 months seems difficult, but finding a boat to rent in the off-season, how long that may be, should be possible, especially if you agree on performing some basic maintenance during the off-season. I can see owners being open to somebody boat-sitting their boat in the off-months, especially if the person pays rent and offsets the slip fees.
I agree it would have to be word of mouth, there are no "official" channels for this kind of things, as far as I know.
Alternatively, if everything fails, I do not know your area, but here there are "house boats", you can find them for rent in the same places where you find apartments for rent. They are not exactly the same as living on a boat, but sufficiently close to the experience.
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Old 24-10-2020, 09:11   #9
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Should be easy enough to find a boat owner who is selling their boat and willing to rent it to you for awhile if it's been sitting unsold. They can still list it and craft an agreement with you to allow for inspections and what would happen if a willing buyer comes along.

Or, you can "lease" the boat with an agreement to buy at the end of the lease with a deposit. If you decide not to buy you forfeit the deposit.

A motivated seller would be willing to listen to your proposal and craft an agreement with you.
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Old 24-10-2020, 09:26   #10
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

I think you are right to try renting first. It will give you a good feel for whether that particular boat is the right fit for you. It will also teach you about your needs for space and various features (heater, air conditioning number of toilets, galley layout, ventilation etc).
Most moorages have a bulletin board where you could let the boat owners know you can provide a boat sitting service for the winter. I would think there would be a lot of boat owners in your area that would love to have a live aboard to keep their boat warm and dry in the off season and help to pay the moorage fees. Just make sure the boat has an electric hook up and maybe wifi. A short walk to other showers and toilet facilities would also be good.
cheers,
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Old 24-10-2020, 09:51   #11
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

I can see by your post that you have a number of misconceptions. There are a lot of people who live on boats in marinas. Start doing YouTube searches on living the marine life. A 35 ft. diesel trawler would be ideal for you. Research. You can do it.
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Old 24-10-2020, 10:18   #12
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

Bucket,
Visit Marina’s. Walk the docks. Talk to people about their boat. Everyone loves to talk about their boat and dreams. You will make quick friends who will guide you in the right direction. Don't be scared, its just a boat!
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Old 24-10-2020, 11:41   #13
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

My thoughts are to take it easy, go slow but with a plan. First off, I don't know who would rent/lease a boat to someone with little boating experience. Sailing in college is a bit different than cruising a powerboat in the often crowded Chesapeake. If I were you, I would take a cruising course with an instructor on a boat that might work for you. You will learn boat handling, rules of the road, a bit about maintenance, living aboard and so forth. At the end you will have a better idea whether its for you, if so, what you want on a boat and so forth. In a past life I cruise in the Chesapeake, it gets really cold and damp in the winter, so you will be busy staying warm keeping fed and so forth.
That said, good luck and keep us informed.
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Old 24-10-2020, 12:20   #14
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

I think what you are proposing is achievable.

There are a great number of boats which are either sitting in yards or on marinas which aren't actively used. This may be due to a death, lack of funds, divorce, physical injury, illness etc.

Three places to start would be by speaking to boat yards, marinas and yacht clubs. If the front offices don't want to divulge contact information, but are willing to point out the boats, by taking down the State registration number, hull number and document number if available, you will be able to find the owners through public records. FOIA requests are an option if the records aren't readily available. They are free or close to it and usually respond within a few days. Check your state law, they will state the required turn around time.

Yacht clubs would know of any members who died but the widow didn't sell the boat. I run across this all the time. Due to the emotional attachment, the spouse doesn't want to sell yet, but may be happy to see the boat have some use. Estates would be harder to find, but if you had the diseased name, an estate, by law, has to post contact information in a public newspaper.

Yard or Marina workers usually know the status of all the boats. They are a good starting point if the front office is being overly formal.

Another idea would be to find owners who charter or B&B their boats. If you are wanting off-season, these owners would be glad for the money. They already have the insurance and business side handled.

Good luck.

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Old 24-10-2020, 13:21   #15
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Re: New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

My suggestion is to hold on / off now.


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