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Old 17-08-2017, 14:40   #16
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

No boat is well insulated. None whatsoever

You'll have to do it
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Old 17-08-2017, 17:50   #17
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Something that I did was look at staying on a boat through AirBnB. At the time I didn't know anyone with a boat and had not been on one. Best thing that I ever did! Now I know that I love living on a boat and it saved me a lot of time "just looking" at boats. Good luck!
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Old 17-08-2017, 17:52   #18
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Start looking at boats you think interest you by Opening every hatch in the floor, finding all the through hulls, keel bolts, and having a good look in every nook and cranny. turn the gate valves, etc. Take the front off electrical panels etc, If you can get your camera-phone into where the fuel tanks are take photos to check for rust. See what quality water comes out of the water tanks. Turn the stove on and any other appliances. Look in ever cupboard for signs of leaks from above. Get the hose onto it if possible- especially around the mast. Look for papers/old invoices that show maintenance history. A well maintained boat will generally have a record of the maintenance because it is valuable when selling to be able to show it. Inspect all the big ticket items- motor, generator, winches, rigging, teak decks, tanks, Inspect lots of boats and ask lots of questions before falling in love with one of them. Ask if someone can take you for a sail in it if possible. A boat that sails regularly is going to be lower risk than one that has sat in a marina unused for years. When you find 'the one', Get the boat out of the water and get a proper survey. Don't let love blind you to potential costs or issues that could stop you from ever getting out of the marina. A simpler boat is often a better choice because you'll have less to go wrong/maintain. Find out what other boats of that make and vintage are selling for around the world, and offer below average. It's a buyers market and a global market.
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Old 17-08-2017, 18:16   #19
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Marine Survey 101 Will help weed out the junk yourself before hiring a surveyor.
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Old 19-08-2017, 18:34   #20
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

you should listen to Sailing fan. excellent reply
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Old 20-08-2017, 09:32   #21
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Hello from a live aboard a bit north of your position. After spending 2 winters aboard I will reinforce the advice of others here to consider carefully moving onto a boat here in the PNW just in time for the winter gales to hit. And the rain. And the snow and ice. Water can be shut off for a month or more.

Now I'm not telling you not to do it. Only you can decide. But this is one of the harder things we've had to deal with and we only do it because we love this life so much. If it were a financial decision ("it's cheaper than a house") or a life-change decision (suddenly single, mid-life whatever) I wouldn't recommend this.

It's the most glorious thing in the world in the spring, summer and fall.

But man it's hard in the winter.
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Old 20-08-2017, 10:53   #22
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

I would not waste more breath on this thread until the OP comes back and reposts...because they might never come back.
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Old 20-08-2017, 13:29   #23
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

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Originally Posted by Suijin View Post
I would not waste more breath on this thread until the OP comes back and reposts...because they might never come back.
That's quite a good point , in even my short time lurking on this forum I have noticed a few ( tho not many ) folks coming on looking for advice / help whatever and then they just disappear , rather rude I would think .
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Old 20-08-2017, 20:21   #24
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

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Originally Posted by Suijin View Post
I would not waste more breath on this thread until the OP comes back and reposts...because they might never come back.
Don't let that discourage you from responding! I wound up reading through this thread based on the original post and find all of your feedback very helpful. So, thank you!
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Old 21-08-2017, 02:47   #25
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Welcome aboard Cf, RebaBLynch. Yes, the cruising life really isn't for everyone. For those it suits, it's super. But that's maybe .5% of the boating population.

The first question to ask when someone wants to liveaboard primarily, is whether living aboard is even legal in their area. When it is legal, then there's some point to discussing how to survive ice, rain, and cold.....or way more heat than they're used to.



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Old 21-08-2017, 03:50   #26
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Also, the person has to decide, as others have stated, how little they can do with, relative to physical possessions. The few possessions they do retain generally have more to do with operating and repairing the vessel than they typically would have to do with operating and maintaining a land-based home.

Further, if the person is desirous of gaining momentos along the way, they will sooner or later be disposing of those as well because space comes at a premium, and salt air gets at most everything pretty, sooner or later. Usually sooner.

Maintenance on a boat is a constant. More so than a land-based home. You really have to be willing to learn to do it, but also to actually perform that maintenance, or the costs will eat you alive.

On the other hand, if you are not going ashore constantly or motoring around a lot, you aren't spending money as easily in the trickle trickle manner that is so easily done on land. Your money still goes, as repairs and stores do cost in terms of parts and such, but you can at least budget it more easily sometimes by just skipping out on the latte or McCheese you just HAD to have last time you drove by the restaurant or fast food joint.

You can save a bit by living off of rice and beans, fish (in some areas), and other nutritious foods that you will not as easily afford in the store or would not normally take the effort to cook, and takeout pizza can become a thing of the past, saving you a bit of cash as well. Your food choices are limited by your ingenuity and the laws that govern what you can harvest on your own and the equipment legally required for said harvesting operation.

If you dispose of your land assets, you lose the safety net, but you also lose the drain on your accounts due to insurance on cars, the Internet bill, the electric bill on your land vessel, and all the maintenance fees and other costs that go with the land based home. However, that also means that you are now living on the boat with noplace to go should things go badly, so some real thought is wise in this election.

You will be away from medical help, at least immediate help relative to where you likely lived on land, so you will have to maintain your health a little more effectively and preventatively, and perhaps will need to stockpile your meds a little, if the law allows it, but you also can perform workouts on board, and thereby increase your stamina and health without the temptations of poor diet that accompany travelling down a normal city street in a car or on foot. The only foods on board will be those you bring. So, just bring healthy stuff, and leave the crap behind.

Water lines are a big deal in the winter in the PNW, as freezing temps will cause burst lines. You have to generate heat and electricity to suit your needs in your boat, and depending on its design that can be easy or excessively difficult. You will also need a means of controlling moisture and ventilation on board, again depending on design this can be easy or tough.

Some means of dealing with bottom growth may come to play as well, depending upon the waters you are in. You may be able to dive and clear the hull, or you may need an occasional haulout. You alternatively may be able to change from fresh to salt now and then to kill off the hitchhiker colonies, but physical removal does not have to be difficult, and relocation is not mandatory.

You will need a means of dealing with emergencies such as fires, storms, leaks, and sewage/water discharge. Remember that inland waters in the US do not allow discharge of sewage over the side, so as has been stated already, you will need some means of storing it until it can be pumped into a land-based holding tank or vessel-based disposal service boat (common in some areas, not so much in others). You could alternatively use a composting toilet (about $700 or more dollars new), but you still have to dispose of the solid waste dirt later (though it is then not a hazardous material), and you will need a means to generate sufficient electricity to run the drying fans and ventilation that is required for that system.

How wedded are you to DVDs and television sets? You can use them, but you will want to consider the power loads of the devices to determine how best to gain access to that media. It does not have to take a lot of power, but it can if you are using the wrong devices or attempting to convert 12v to 110 volt unnecessarily. You can operate cheaply if you plan and stick to the plan where you can.

Still, it is largely up to you and what you are willing to live with. I can live on my 27 footer easily, but the Admiral would not be able to do so, as she "can not live without x..." Fill in the land version of a luxury, that is what she says goes into the "x" field. I could care less myself, and if, heaven forbid, anything happened to her, all my property and vehicles would be auctioned off and I would be on the boat in an instant. But that is me. I can live minimalist. She cannot.
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Old 26-08-2017, 03:45   #27
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by RebaBLynch View Post
Don't let that discourage you from responding! I wound up reading through this thread based on the original post and find all of your feedback very helpful. So, thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cherod View Post
That's quite a good point , in even my short time lurking on this forum I have noticed a few ( tho not many ) folks coming on looking for advice / help whatever and then they just disappear , rather rude I would think .
I apologize for the late response. I had been heavily occupied this past week. Many thanks for all of your help. I hope that this thread may be used as a reference for new boat owners living in a similar situation as myself.
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Old 26-08-2017, 03:50   #28
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Have you found a nice catamaran yet ?
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Old 26-08-2017, 03:51   #29
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by SailingFan View Post
Also, the person has to decide, as others have stated, how little they can do with, relative to physical possessions. The few possessions they do retain generally have more to do with operating and repairing the vessel than they typically would have to do with operating and maintaining a land-based home.

Further, if the person is desirous of gaining momentos along the way, they will sooner or later be disposing of those as well because space comes at a premium, and salt air gets at most everything pretty, sooner or later. Usually sooner.

Maintenance on a boat is a constant. More so than a land-based home. You really have to be willing to learn to do it, but also to actually perform that maintenance, or the costs will eat you alive.

On the other hand, if you are not going ashore constantly or motoring around a lot, you aren't spending money as easily in the trickle trickle manner that is so easily done on land. Your money still goes, as repairs and stores do cost in terms of parts and such, but you can at least budget it more easily sometimes by just skipping out on the latte or McCheese you just HAD to have last time you drove by the restaurant or fast food joint.

You can save a bit by living off of rice and beans, fish (in some areas), and other nutritious foods that you will not as easily afford in the store or would not normally take the effort to cook, and takeout pizza can become a thing of the past, saving you a bit of cash as well. Your food choices are limited by your ingenuity and the laws that govern what you can harvest on your own and the equipment legally required for said harvesting operation.

If you dispose of your land assets, you lose the safety net, but you also lose the drain on your accounts due to insurance on cars, the Internet bill, the electric bill on your land vessel, and all the maintenance fees and other costs that go with the land based home. However, that also means that you are now living on the boat with noplace to go should things go badly, so some real thought is wise in this election.

You will be away from medical help, at least immediate help relative to where you likely lived on land, so you will have to maintain your health a little more effectively and preventatively, and perhaps will need to stockpile your meds a little, if the law allows it, but you also can perform workouts on board, and thereby increase your stamina and health without the temptations of poor diet that accompany travelling down a normal city street in a car or on foot. The only foods on board will be those you bring. So, just bring healthy stuff, and leave the crap behind.

Water lines are a big deal in the winter in the PNW, as freezing temps will cause burst lines. You have to generate heat and electricity to suit your needs in your boat, and depending on its design that can be easy or excessively difficult. You will also need a means of controlling moisture and ventilation on board, again depending on design this can be easy or tough.

Some means of dealing with bottom growth may come to play as well, depending upon the waters you are in. You may be able to dive and clear the hull, or you may need an occasional haulout. You alternatively may be able to change from fresh to salt now and then to kill off the hitchhiker colonies, but physical removal does not have to be difficult, and relocation is not mandatory.

You will need a means of dealing with emergencies such as fires, storms, leaks, and sewage/water discharge. Remember that inland waters in the US do not allow discharge of sewage over the side, so as has been stated already, you will need some means of storing it until it can be pumped into a land-based holding tank or vessel-based disposal service boat (common in some areas, not so much in others). You could alternatively use a composting toilet (about $700 or more dollars new), but you still have to dispose of the solid waste dirt later (though it is then not a hazardous material), and you will need a means to generate sufficient electricity to run the drying fans and ventilation that is required for that system.

How wedded are you to DVDs and television sets? You can use them, but you will want to consider the power loads of the devices to determine how best to gain access to that media. It does not have to take a lot of power, but it can if you are using the wrong devices or attempting to convert 12v to 110 volt unnecessarily. You can operate cheaply if you plan and stick to the plan where you can.

Still, it is largely up to you and what you are willing to live with. I can live on my 27 footer easily, but the Admiral would not be able to do so, as she "can not live without x..." Fill in the land version of a luxury, that is what she says goes into the "x" field. I could care less myself, and if, heaven forbid, anything happened to her, all my property and vehicles would be auctioned off and I would be on the boat in an instant. But that is me. I can live minimalist. She cannot.
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Thank you for all of your helpful points. My apartment is more like a locker, I only use it to sleep. I am a minimalist myself, and I am not attached to the TV. I am single, so I don't have anyone taking my space.
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Old 26-08-2017, 03:53   #30
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Re: New to Living on a Boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by redhead View Post
Hello from a live aboard a bit north of your position. After spending 2 winters aboard I will reinforce the advice of others here to consider carefully moving onto a boat here in the PNW just in time for the winter gales to hit. And the rain. And the snow and ice. Water can be shut off for a month or more.

Now I'm not telling you not to do it. Only you can decide. But this is one of the harder things we've had to deal with and we only do it because we love this life so much. If it were a financial decision ("it's cheaper than a house") or a life-change decision (suddenly single, mid-life whatever) I wouldn't recommend this.

It's the most glorious thing in the world in the spring, summer and fall.

But man it's hard in the winter.
Thank you for your advice. I appreciate feedback from someone with experience in the PNW area.
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