Questions from a Dreamer

[KSBailey]

Hello. First time posting a thread, but a long time lurking.

As someone who has "gotten the itch" to become a full time cruiser, I have a few questions to people that have transitioned from a home on land all their life, to full time on the water.

1. What was something you thought was going to be difficult but in reality was very easy?
2. What was something you thought was going to be easy but in reality was very difficult?
3. What was something you never thought of as a land dweller that is common to living on the water (either hard or easy)?

I am maybe 5-10 years from actually making the transition, but I wanted to get some opinions on things I am over thinking, under thinking, or not thinking of at all. Thanks to all for sharing your experiences and knowledge on this forum.

[MicHughV]

There is no telling. What I might think as difficult someone else will think as easy.

5-10 years is a long time to making this transition. Only way to find out is to do it yourself.

[Marathon1150]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

There is no telling. What I might think as difficult someone else will think as easy.

5-10 years is a long time to making this transition. Only way to find out is to do it yourself.

I agree with this - everybody is different and has personal likes and dislikes. Experience may vary between boats and the same person. And much depends on where you and the boat are located - weather related temperature extremes can be challenging. I prefer cold to hot but others prefer the reverse.

Good luck finding the right boat and the right place. The latter is easier to fix than the former if the match for you isn't right and at least sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get it right. I recently met a circumnavigator who decided to switch from sail to power after the circumnavigation, but then determined that he is really a sailing kind of sailor and now has another sailboat.

[KSBailey]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

There is no telling. What I might think as difficult someone else will think as easy.

5-10 years is a long time to making this transition. Only way to find out is to do it yourself.

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I am aware that some tasks might be easier for some than others. Someone who is a Diesel Engine Mechanic wouldn't think twice about changing fuel and oil filters, but that task would be daunting to a Chef if they had no experience doing it in the past.

I realize 5-10 years is a long time, which is why I am still in my dreaming and planning phase. I want to leave enough time to learn at least the basics of being an engine mechanic/electrician/plumber/etc. Is there anything you thought it would have been good to know more of ahead of time before jumping into a liveaboard situation? Or anything you maybe over-thought (i.e. "Hey, I didn't need to know as much about plumbing as I thought")?

Also, I know people learn in different ways. Some like to jump right in, while others like to read all they can before the experience. What I am looking for are some examples of people's experiences moving from a land-based residence to a water-based residence. What was your experience like?

[KSBailey]

Originally Posted by Marathon1150

Good luck finding the right boat and the right place. The latter is easier to fix than the former if the match for you isn't right and at least sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get it right. I recently met a circumnavigator who decided to switch from sail to power after the circumnavigation, but then determined that he is really a sailing kind of sailor and now has another sailboat.

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, I agree. My plan right now is to get as many experiences on different types of boats as I can. Even then, as you noted, it could change in the future.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by KSBailey

"Hey, I didn't need to know as much about plumbing as I thought"

LOL!!!! I know it's an example, but that is furthest from the truth. If you're going to own a cruising boat, you're going to need to understand marine plumbing on both the pressure water side and the sanitation side. You're also going to need to have a fairly decent understanding of DC electrical. Knowing how to change oil, filters, and zincs isn't rocket science, nor is it expensive, but it's helpful.

This general "give me an outline of everything I need to know" is tough.

Honest advise, buy a small boat now with some basic systems and use it and work on it.

[Na Mara]

I’m in the middle of this process.

What I am finding easier than expected is how understanding and positive all my friends and family are being about the transition. I thought everyone was going to condemn me as irresponsible.

What I am finding much harder is cutting the land lines. There are always so many really good reasons to put off the departure. The boat is not quite ready, we aren’t properly set up ashore, the kid’s schooling and social life, new exciting jobs, the finances, etc etc. The list of reasons not to go just keeps back filling every time I check an item off it. This is the bit of the transition I’m not successfully negotiating and I’m only going for a year or two.

The thing I hadn’t fully considered is the cost of maintaining the boat. I thought that cost on a well found quality boat would be minimal. It isn’t. Count on about 10% of the boat’s purchase value per year to keep on top of maintenance. Spend much less than that and the boat will slowly fall apart around your ears as you voyage.

[KSBailey]

Originally Posted by Shrew

LOL!!!! I know it's an example, but that is furthest from the truth. If you're going to own a cruising boat, you're going to need to understand marine plumbing on both the pressure water side and the sanitation side. You're also going to need to have a fairly decent understanding of DC electrical. Knowing how to change oil, filters, and zincs isn't rocket science, nor is it expensive, but it's helpful.

This general "give me an outline of everything I need to know" is tough.

Honest advise, buy a small boat now with some basic systems and use it and work on it.

Ha ha! Yes, it was just an example.

Thanks for the reply, and general areas of knowledge needed.

I am not really looking for an outline of what I need to know (I think I have that from lurking so long on forums like this), but more about what others have experienced. What was your experience like the first time you went full liveaboard?

[KSBailey]

Originally Posted by Na Mara

I’m in the middle of this process.

What I am finding easier than expected is how understanding and positive all my friends and family are being about the transition. I thought everyone was going to condemn me as irresponsible.

What I am finding much harder is cutting the land lines. There are always so many really good reasons to put off the departure. The boat is not quite ready, we aren’t properly set up ashore, the kid’s schooling and social life, new exciting jobs, the finances, etc etc. The list of reasons not to go just keeps back filling every time I check an item off it. This is the bit of the transition I’m not successfully negotiating and I’m only going for a year or two.

The thing I hadn’t fully considered is the cost of maintaining the boat. I thought that cost on a well found quality boat would be minimal. It isn’t. Count on about 10% of the boat’s purchase value per year to keep on top of maintenance. Spend much less than that and the boat will slowly fall apart around your ears as you voyage.

Thanks for the reply and great examples!

Yes, I had been thinking a lot on the physical aspects of what is needed, but the psychological and social aspect needs to be taken into account as well. Thanks again for sharing!

[wrwakefield]

If you are not going to keep a home on land after you make the transition, then stop accumulating 'stuff' right away.

You will be getting rid of most of it when you move onto your boat anyway...

Corollary: Don't fall into the long term storage trap if you go cruising. You will end up paying more than what you stored is worth in the long run... and it may not be in the best of shape once you are ready to retrieve it...

There are lots of cruiser written books about 'getting rid of stuff.' Start practicing now... Really... Put the $ saved into your boat purchase kitty...

Best wishes with your persuits!

Cheers, Bill

[KSBailey]

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

If you are not going to keep a home on land after you make the transition, then stop accumulating 'stuff' right away.

You will be getting rid of most of it when you move onto your boat anyway...

Corollary: Don't fall into the long term storage trap if you go cruising. You will end up paying more than what you stored is worth in the long run... and it may not be in the best of shape once you are ready to retrieve it...

There are lots of cruiser written books about 'getting rid of stuff.' Start practicing now... Really... Put the $ saved into your boat purchase kitty...

Best wishes with your persuits!

Cheers, Bill

Thanks for the reply!

Yes! I have come to the conclusion that 'stuff' is my enemy. If it doesn't have a use, or replace something that I am already using, it doesn't come in the house!

I have been interested in the 'minimalist lifestyle' for a while, and try to put those practices in my life. This will also help not having to sell as much when making the transition to water-based living where space is much more limited.

Thanks for the tip on long term storage as well.

[chrisr]

couple of thoughts ;

- unless you are a dedicated solo-ist (and lets face it, most people aren't made this way), the most important thing for a live-aboard cruiser is a like-minded compatible partner

- the companionship and mutual assistance from the cruising community is far stronger than in the land community. this never ceases to both humble and exalt us

cheers,

[MicHughV]

Well, I'll tell you a story.

Back in High School, (for me, this was in late 60's), I came across a National Geographic magazine that detailed the voyage of Robin Lee Graham, who was then the youngest person, age 17 when he started, who singlehanded on an around the world trip.

To say that I was smitten by this tale, would be an understatement, but I had neither a boat nor a dad willing to sponsor such a trip.

Shortly after that, I received another magazine (divine intervention at work) put out by Bruce Roberts, detailing how to build your own boat. This was more like it. If I couldn't buy one, I could surely build one.

From the time I saw the Nat. Geo. magazine till the time I actually started to build my own boat was probably around 10 years.

Having never built a boat before, the actual project took about three years. Mistakes were many, but I plugged along.

About two years after I launched it, added this, that and the other and also built up a cruising kitty, I took off.

So that was about 15 years altogether for me, from my first read to my first voyage, so your time line is not out of whack.

I suspect that for many sailors, they too, have a story such as mine.

I actually wrote a book of how I came to be building my own boat. PM me, if you have an interest in reading it and I'll direct you to where you can find it. The book elaborates on the many trials and tribulations I had to attain this goal.

Since then, I have accumulated around 35 years spent living on boats and bopping around and loved every minute of it.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by KSBailey

Hello. First time posting a thread, but a long time lurking.

As someone who has "gotten the itch" to become a full time cruiser, I have a few questions to people that have transitioned from a home on land all their life, to full time on the water.

1. What was something you thought was going to be difficult but in reality was very easy?
2. What was something you thought was going to be easy but in reality was very difficult?
3. What was something you never thought of as a land dweller that is common to living on the water (either hard or easy)?

I am maybe 5-10 years from actually making the transition, but I wanted to get some opinions on things I am over thinking, under thinking, or not thinking of at all. Thanks to all for sharing your experiences and knowledge on this forum.

Forget the questions for now about cruising.

Buy a small sailboat as soon as possible and start sailing.

Otherwise you could waste 5-10 years of your life thinking you might like to cruise on a sailboat only to find out that it's really quite slow and uninteresting

[Kelkara]

I think what I found most surprising about boat maintenance is how what seems like a simple 5 minute job can morph into a weeks hard work ...

- stowing and unstowing gear from lockers to access things.

- crawling into the locker ... repeatedly getting in and out to fetch a different tool that you didn't think you could possibly need the last time you climbed out.

- removing or disassembling other things blocking access.

- fetching the bent coat-hanger to go fishing for the wrench you dropped, and has fallen into an unreachable place beneath the engine.

- trying to work in an uncomfortable contortion, one handed and blind.

- realising it is a two person job as someone needs to hold a screwdriver on the other side ... go and find a neighbour to help.

- reassesing how the whole task has to be done because it turns out the previous owner did something non standard.

- a trip to the chandlery to buy a proper part to replace what the previous owner did

- realising that the "proper" part is a fraction of an inch too big, which is why the previous owner used the non-standard bodge in the first place.

- deciding whether to cut down the new part to fit, reinstall the previous owner's mess, or go for a big redesign.

- realise that while you have access to this area there are two other projects that might as well be done before you put everything back.

- repeat the above for each of these projects.

- reinstall everything to removed for access.

-restow all the stuff back in lockers.

- test all the affected systems are still working.

... et voila! 5 minute job done.