Please critique my plan: want to buy a boat to live on; I'm clueless about boats

[Freeeeedom]

I have just realised that living on a boat might be the perfect lifestyle for me. I have enough cash to make the purchase today but I know nothing about boats, so first I have to test whether I would truly enjoy that and if so, what boat I should get. My first and most important question below is how to do that test. After that I write about my current lifestyle and my expectations of living aboard. Please roast that part as much as you can - whatever I'm missing, I would rather find out ASAP.

1. How to test that idea?

I was thinking the first step would be for me and my girlfriend to do some training to the point where we can sail (or drive a powerboat) alone, without hiring a skipper. Where should I do that training? What kind of training should that be? I was thinking of taking a couple weeks off to go to Croatia, charter a monohull for a week with an instructor and liveaboard, then charter a catamaran with an instructor.

Once we have enough training, we would charter boats for two weeks at a time, and try living on and working from them for that time. That would let us try different kinds of boats (sail or no sail? mono or cat?) and give us some idea what we want. Perhaps we should move somewhere (maybe Split, Croatia? I prefer to stay within the EU) for that entire period, so that we don't have to deal with air travel - I hate airplanes and all the other means of public transportation, since I hate being surrounded by people.

If that goes well, I would buy the boat at this stage and we would start gradually spending more and more time on it, while also equipping it with stuff that we think we need. Soon after that we would move in full-time.

2. Current lifestyle and expectations

I'm quite a misanthrope and often find other humans very annoying. I also grow tired of living in any place quite fast - every location I've tried living in appears to me to be an absolute sh..hole soon after I move in, and I've tried a lot of different kinds of places. Hence the appeal of living on a boat: If I want to go away from other humans, I could just find a spot to anchor where I'm alone and stay there a few days. If I want to resupply or socialise (I avoid humans most of the time but not all the time), I could pull into a marina. And when I inevitably start hating the country I'm in, I could just move to the next one along the coast.

So far I've been dealing with those idiosyncrasies of mine by frequently going abroad and living for a month or so in an AirBnB. That helps somewhat but is far from ideal: it still involves being around those pesky humans and it forces me to leave behind the comforts of my home that I have adjusted to my needs (my favourite coffee machine, my workspace). If I could instead move my home around, that would be much better. The additional appeal is that I would finally own my home and I could invest more into adjusting it. Until now, I've been only renting and never owned real estate - I cannot commit myself to any particular country or neighbourhood.

I definitely want to stay in or near Europe. We would probably cruise the Mediterranean although I have plenty of friends in London and on the Baltic Sea, so we might go up there in the summer. (Also, going to the North Sea and living in a Norwegian fjord sounds like a fairytale.)

My girlfriend and I are around 30 y.o. We both work remotely and need a reliable Internet connection and plenty of time to focus on work. The money I make is insanely good, even by the standards of the most expensive cities. Even if I lose my current job, there is a lot of demand for my skills. The income might drop to less than half of what it's now, but it would be still incredibly high.

When we start this adventure, I would pay people for all the necessary maintenance and servicing. Over time hopefully I could learn and pick up some of those responsibilities.

I ran this idea by my father who is an officer on cargo ships but without experience with small boats. He thinks I will hate it as soon as I try it. Some reasons he mentioned:
* Not enough space - he has a point since I tend to rent big places to live in. And until very recently I had been living alone, so sharing the small space with my girlfriend will be a challenge.
* Humidity, messiness
* Electricity - according to him, either I would have to stay in a marina, or run a generator which would be prohibitively expensive, or give up on some essential appliances and conveniences
* I will have to pull into a marina too often to get fresh water, throw away garbage and get rid of the wastewater. (But I think I can buy a watermaker for the fresh water and dump wastewater out in the sea?)
* Difficulty finding spots to anchor at
* Rapidly changing weather in the Mediterranean.

My own worry is that the boat will require so much work and maintenance that I won't have the time for my dayjob or to enjoy life. Although if that happens and the lifestyle appeals to me, I could probably get a part-time remote job (20 or so hours a week) and still make the ends meet. My hope is also that since I plan to sail/cruise only a bit, the workload will be lower than normal.

If living aboard gets somewhat tiring, I could take a month-long break and rent an AirBnB somewhere.

Summary

So, to reiterate, the most important question right now is: how do I test ASAP whether I want to pursue this lifestyle? Does the plan I outlined in the first section make sense? What training should I get and where to kick it off? The less important part is my expectations - please ruthlessly dispel anything that seems too naive. Big thanks in advance for any wisdom that you can share.

[mvweebles]

If you have that much money and flexibility, buy a starter boat for a half-million and give it a go. Worst that can happen is you work another few months to make up the loss. You can get excellent global internet for around $10k/mo if there isn't a SBUX nearby.

Or maybe give VanLife a try?

Peter

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Freeeeedom.

[skipmac]

If in Europe google ASA Sailing schools. They offer courses starting from total beginner to advanced. The starting classes are on the school's boats so you can get your feet wet, rhetorically speaking, without buying a boat.

If you like the 101 course move on to the next. I believe they have courses that are supposed to certify you for charters.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by skipmac

If in Europe google ASA Sailing schools...

I’d never have thought to seek an American Sailing Association [ASA] sailing school, in Europe.
Scroll down to “Take an ASA Course in Europe” ➥ https://asa.com/news/2021/06/01/chartering-in-europe/
IPC ➥ https://asa.com/ipc-application/

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Freeeeedom

My own worry is that the boat will require so much work and maintenance that I won't have the time for my dayjob or to enjoy life. Although if that happens and the lifestyle appeals to me, I could probably get a part-time remote job (20 or so hours a week) and still make the ends meet. My hope is also that since I plan to sail/cruise only a bit, the workload will be lower than normal.

So, to reiterate, the most important question right now is: how do I test ASAP whether I want to pursue this lifestyle? Does the plan I outlined in the first section make sense? What training should I get and where to kick it off? The less important part is my expectations - please ruthlessly dispel anything that seems too naive. Big thanks in advance for any wisdom that you can share.

Charter, maybe.

Plan is generally a decent first step.

As others have said, training must include how to safely drive a boat -- how to sail (if appropriate), rules of the road, man overboard recovery, etc etc. Over here that'd be ASA courses, boating safety courses (USCG Aux, US Power Squadrons, etc.)... probably equivalents where you are.

Training is even better if you include how to FIX a boat. That'd mean plumbing, electrics, engines, potentially ACs, canvas, etc... because you will usually need to repair something or other EVERY DAY. Even if you seldom move the boat.

Living at anchor adds several layers of work to the idea.

Note that I said EVERY DAY! (It's hyperbole, but not by much.)

-Chris

[hpeer]

If I was in Europe and wanted to experience living on a boat I think I would look to make my next apartment a canal boat.

That way you get to the nub of the matter pretty quick, can I live in a small space?

[more]

Originally Posted by Freeeeedom

What kind of training should that be? I was thinking of taking a couple weeks off to go to Croatia, charter a monohull for a week with an instructor and liveaboard, then charter a catamaran with an instructor.

. Perhaps we should move somewhere (maybe Split, Croatia? I prefer to stay within the EU) for that entire period, so that we don't have to deal with air travel - I hate airplanes and all the other means of public transportation, since I hate being surrounded by people.

share.

Wher are you from.

Now for charter yacht in Croatia you need license. You can go to skipper school in Croatia is very cheap and have English.german and many other languages.

If you planing charter boat Croatia Split is best places for beginner. over 2000 charter boat for rent. Easy sailing town to town is 2-10 nm difference

if you buy boat and planing stay in EU,buy and register boat in Croatia because you have right later for use winter town port from October to may for only 700-900 kn. this is 90-110€ per month unlimited MiFi internet is 22-25€ very fast.

[TBW]

You are jumping in the deep end with no idea how deep the water is.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by more

Wher are you from.

Now for charter yacht in Croatia you need license. You can go to skipper school in Croatia is very cheap and have English.german and many other languages.

If you planing charter boat Croatia Split is best places for beginner. over 2000 charter boat for rent. Easy sailing town to town is 2-10 nm difference

if you buy boat and planing stay in EU,buy and register boat in Croatia because you have right later for use winter town port from October to may for only 700-900 kn. this is 90-110€ per month unlimited MiFi internet is 22-25€ very fast.

Any recommendations for skipper schools there? Or charters? Or charters to buy from?

[Dave22q]

It is all about space. Start by renting or buying a single wide trailer and living there for several months. limit your going out to a few hours a week. If you find this unacceptably cramped (I bet you will) forget it!!
Living aboard generally begins with a love of boating. Lacking that, keep renting ashore. You will be much happier.

[bdgWesternMass]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

If you have that much money and flexibility, buy a starter boat for a half-million and give it a go. Worst that can happen is you work another few months to make up the loss. You can get excellent global internet for around $10k/mo if there isn't a SBUX nearby.

Or maybe give VanLife a try?

Peter

I agree with this buy a boat and dock it in a city you want to live in and figure it out from there.

[more]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

Any recommendations for skipper schools there? Or charters? Or charters to buy from?

https://anasail.com/en/trgovina/skip...ining-program/
https://www.crosailingacademy.com/pr...-professional/
for amater

https://diversoimpex.hr/en/boat-lead...ce-category-b/
https://seamasterclass.com.hr/proizv...-kategorije-b/
Te�aj voditelj brodice | YCZ

and 100-other companies and port authorities.
in real you don't need a course, simple learn everything pay exam and if you have lucky with question you know you pass
but really pro school is

https://ssm.hr/en/yacht-courses/
https://ssm.hr/en/vessels-portfolio/

[Adelie]

Welcome.

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[Wideocean7]

Freeeeedom.

For a nonsailor/sailor to be, I think you’ve mapped a pretty good introductory plan. Chartering is an excellent way as a first check if you like being onboard a yacht. You have many choices of locations in the Med. Croatia is a fabulous cruising ground but can be exposed to katabatic winds (strong) whereas places like Levkas are more known for the less experienced. Charter multiple times on both mono and cats to give you a feel for both. As for a qualification, in UK, Europe (and Aus/NZ for that matter), RYA qualifications are the ones to go for. There should be plenty of schools that offer the theory part online. Unless things have changed, I believe Day Skipper is required for a charter. It’s not hard to get. Cheers.