Renting a liveaboard or 'boat sitting' - possible?

[JimClendenin]

I've always been curious about living aboard a sailboat and I considered trying that in Clear Lake while I worked in Houston. I live in Atlanta now and boats are not as enticing.
I have a possible multi-year contract coming up in Newport News VA. I was wondering if it would be possible to rent a liveaboard situation to try it out. Even better, is there such a thing as 'boat sitting'? Rent free..

Am I way out in left field with these ideas?

[Lepke]

Free is probably past left field. Try putting an ad on Craig's List stating your wishes. There's always someone trying to sell a boat that can't get a buyer. They may see your ad and go for it.

[YachtOgler]

This does exist, although it may be difficult to find. My father did this for a while on the east coast when he was younger. That said, he is a master woodworker with yacht building experience and traded interior upkeep for his stay while living aboard. So perhaps boat sitting will be about clearly identifying for someone what you are willing to do for them and their vessel, and then finding someone to trust you on board. But don't get discouraged, it does happen and in my opinion it's worth a shot at least. Good luck.

[rassabossa]

You might find a semi-free way to do it. When you post the ad on craigslist, say you would consider trading x amount of dollars worth of upkeep in exchange for free "rent". You might find an owner that no longer has time to keep the boat well maintained (possibly looking to sell it?). You'll also gain valuable experience in repairing things that break in boats (i.e. everything). Your out-of-pocket would only be the cost of the items and you charge-back the owner via "rent value" for the installation. Or maybe they would pay for the parts and you only barter for services rendered. It can be tricky but if you find the right owner, it can be a sweet deal. Get it in writing, all of it, including values for services for each item.

[WaterfrontcplUS]

We have a SeaRay 390 cruiser that is semi-permanently docked not far from Newport News -it was retooled as a live aboard and no longer leaves the pier. We are looking for a renter. You can respond to "waterfrontcpl@yahoo.com". Same conditions apply as if you were renting an apartment, ie references, credit card on file, one months rent as deposit, and 30 days notice to vacate. Nice quiet and safe marina, great facilities, a good restaurant, free parking, post office and bank 2 blocks away, 25 min from the Newport News shipyard area, and the view from the upper bridge at sunset is sweet.

[allyk]

Hi, I'm also wondering about the possibility of renting a liveaboard in Marina Del Rey. Would anyone know a good place I could find out? After livingaboard for a month last year, there is no other way I'd rather live, and I could offer cleaning and upkeep services.
Thanks!

[FutureStories]

I lived aboard a house boat that I found on Craigslist.

Home away has nightly rentals listed. You can contact them about long term. Also try calling a few marinas that allow liveaboards. My marina has a ton of rentals in Baltimore. And the marina master has rentals and looks out for the other guys. Live aboard marinas are getting more and more scarce. So find those, talk to the ppl there and see what you find.

My friend got a rent to own after talking to the marina management.

[markpierce]

On principle, I'm against long-term renters living aboard. It's tough enough for owners of boats to liveaboard in many marinas because of restrictions on the percentage of liveaboards. Also, find never-used boats taking up space (unless there are plenty of vacancies) a shame, and don't welcome a marina becoming a site for low-income housing.