Substandard Housing

[Olly75]

I'm currently living in the back of my Toyota Ipsum as I travel round New Zealand. Bu comparison living on my 44'er is not camping or substandard!

[dwedeking2]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I don't feel I proposed that really. Just said i read it and dont completey disagree.

My boat is pretty comfortable. But if not for cruising, the reason we are on it, i would get rid of it and get a house. Houses are a lot less touble to maintain and live on.

I was having a happy hour conversation with someone that is new to living on a boat.



In the 80's (I believe) there was a show that showed the doctors from MASH (the tv show) after they came back. One of the doctors lived behind the hospital in an RV. I realized while having the conversation that even as a kid I identified with that lifestyle, the ability to just pickup and go. I've lived in houses and never saw the value to them. I always saw them as a ball and chain, and as soon as the kids moved out I started working on convincing the wife that an apartment would be a better value to us.



I live to a standard that I do not feel is camping. I upgraded to a larger boat, mostly to have the storage area to have the things take me above that "camping level" but that is for what works for me... which is all that is important.



I do get that "you're homeless" vibe from land dwellers (not all the time but certainly more than 1/2). You just stop caring what people think at some point and get on with your life.



I do know that financially, for me, this is the correct way to live. Keeping my footprint small allows me to stretch the money I make much further. For me this equals less stress (vs when I tried to keep up with the Jones) which in turn equals more happiness. And I've learned to appreciate the little things in life, like ice cubes...

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

It’s like the guy who wants to stay in a marina that he has the biggest boat.
I don’t care how big or nice your boat is, there will be bigger, and nicer. I bet the ones with helicopter dinghies look down on the ones who only have four seat helicopters and not six seat, want to bet?

It has nothing to do with having a bigger boat than everyone else. I’m just tired of spending my time on the docks with paid crew instead of owner operators or other liveaboards like ourselves. If a marina has a size range from 20 to 70 feet it’s filled with people like us who live aboard, run their own boats and do most if not all their own maintenance. If the marina runs from 70 to 200 feet and up pretty much everyone you meet is paid crew or paid service personnel. The atmosphere and conversation is very different to a place with smaller boats and usually is not very relevant to our lifestyle. We have nothing in common with billionaire owners nor with most twenty-something paid crew, it’s as simple as that and has nothing to do with wanting to be the biggest boat on the dock.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

It has nothing to do with having a bigger boat than everyone else. I’m just tired of spending my time on the docks with paid crew instead of owner operators or other liveaboards like ourselves. If a marina has a size range from 20 to 70 feet it’s filled with people like us who live aboard, run their own boats and do most if not all their own maintenance. If the marina runs from 70 to 200 feet and up pretty much everyone you meet is paid crew or paid service personnel. The atmosphere and conversation is very different to a place with smaller boats and usually is not very relevant to our lifestyle. We have nothing in common with billionaire owners nor with most twenty-something paid crew, it’s as simple as that and has nothing to do with wanting to be the biggest boat on the dock.

It’s funny how we all get something different from this life of boating. Docks in general are not relevant to my experience boating. If worse comes to worse, I use a mooring. Otherwise anchor. Not because I can’t afford a dock, but because I don’t like docks. I don’t want all of those neighbors. I don’t want to talk to people. I don’t like false pleasantries walking along the dock. And I’m not interested in conversations with the other people. I am on a boat to get away from that. So I would fit in just fine on the commercial dock. LOL I wouldn’t talk to any of the crew, none of the workers, none of the billionaires. Because I don’t care. Ha ha ha. I enjoy talking on this forum, but I don’t enjoy having to stop what I am doing to talk to people in real life on a dock. I find it to be a hindrance and an annoyance. Because I am busy. I am not retired.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by Chotu

It’s funny how we all get something different from this life of boating. Docks in general are not relevant to my experience boating. If worse comes to worse, I use a mooring. Otherwise anchor. Not because I can’t afford a dock, but because I don’t like docks. I don’t want all of those neighbors. I don’t want to talk to people. I don’t like false pleasantries walking along the dock. And I’m not interested in conversations with the other people. I am on a boat to get away from that. So I would fit in just fine on the commercial dock. LOL I wouldn’t talk to any of the crew, none of the workers, none of the billionaires. Because I don’t care. Ha ha ha. I enjoy talking on this forum, but I don’t enjoy having to stop what I am doing to talk to people in real life on a dock. I find it to be a hindrance and an annoyance. Because I am busy. I am not retired.

Different strokes: we like to make friends. We find it difficult to interact with others when anchored and easier when we share a dock. It’s hard to carry on a conversation shouting from boat to boat, but potlucks and cocktails in a marina are good icebreakers. Paid crew are busy working all day and when their employers arrive they usually leave the harbor as soon as possible.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

“I have a 70’ motor yacht I stay on sometimes, but it is way too small to live on full time.”

Wow.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I know that here in Florida the State considers people living on a boat as being homeless.

This statement is simply not true.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by dwedeking2

...I do get that "you're homeless" vibe from land dwellers (not all the time but certainly more than 1/2). You just stop caring what people think at some point and get on with your life.

I do know that financially, for me, this is the correct way to live. Keeping my footprint small allows me to stretch the money I make much further. For me this equals less stress (vs when I tried to keep up with the Jones) which in turn equals more happiness. And I've learned to appreciate the little things in life, like ice cubes...

Nicely put. Sums up some of my experiences, and views as well.

The "where do you live, or where are you from?" question is always interesting for me. Our home is our boat, but I only live on it for about 1/2 the year (due to Canadian winters). The other half we do something else, which usually involves traveling around on land. Even before the boat life I've lived in a number of places in Canada, so I never really know how to answer these questions.

As for the financial side of things, there is no doubt our choice to give up all land homes has allowed us to live far cheaper. My boat is far cheaper to live on, and to operate, than any land home I've had. But this is purposeful, and I have no doubt it's not necessarily so. It would depend on the choices one makes about systems, and boat type, and location, and a host of other factors no doubt.

[redhead]

Originally Posted by Chotu

It’s funny how we all get something different from this life of boating. Docks in general are not relevant to my experience boating. If worse comes to worse, I use a mooring. Otherwise anchor. Not because I can’t afford a dock, but because I don’t like docks. I don’t want all of those neighbors. I don’t want to talk to people. I don’t like false pleasantries walking along the dock. And I’m not interested in conversations with the other people. I am on a boat to get away from that. So I would fit in just fine on the commercial dock. LOL I wouldn’t talk to any of the crew, none of the workers, none of the billionaires. Because I don’t care. Ha ha ha. I enjoy talking on this forum, but I don’t enjoy having to stop what I am doing to talk to people in real life on a dock. I find it to be a hindrance and an annoyance. Because I am busy. I am not retired.

I get where you're coming from, I really do, so this is not an argument - just a funny side note: we do live on the commercial dock. Two kinds of commercial; the really big guys who go back and forth to Alaska and smaller native American guys. There are about 6 live aboards out of maybe 75 -125 boats. At first they didn't speak to us, thinking we were "yachties". Then they heard the sound of power tools drifting over from our boat. Then we saw each other in the fishing supply houses (which has little "yachtie" stuff).
The Indians call me "Jadda" which means auntie. And our little dog's Indian name is "Eagle Bait" (I know, I keep her on a tight leash).

Now we team up with them to get deliveries, we come home to find salmon or Dungeness crab in a bucket on our deck. We throw friendly insults at each other. It's the other two gates where the real "yachties" are that I find chilly and feels a little like a lunchroom-full-of-kids-that-know-each-other-at-school -and-you've-just-moved-into-the-neighborhood.

On the other hand there are two live aboards here at the commercial gate that live a life unto themselves, they rarely speak or engage. I'm good with that - they seem happy enough. I'm not going to force my life down their throats.

Point being, part of living like this is we get what we want from this life because we chose to live outside other people's boxes. I can live a solitary life or a life filled with people. All on the same dock.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Ah... another "I'm bored" thread. What the heck ... it's winter, and I am bored.

People who say living in a cruising level boat is the same as camping have obviously never camped. And by camping I mean carrying all you own on your back, or in a small canoe. Living out of a tent that you can barely sit up in. Cooking over a fire, filtering your water.

THAT is camping. It doesn't come close to how I live on my fairly modest, but still quite luxurious, cruising boat.

As to whether my floating home is "substandard" depends on what the "standard" is. My little home is no where near as fancy as many homes, floating or otherwise. But it is far more luxurious than some.

In the end, it's a silly question. But I understand ... Spring is still too far away.

[PLANET EXPRESS]

Substandard housing would have no plumbing 3 walls and a leaking roof. And I find that the smaller boats move more often than the big ones.
Be happy with what you have and where you are always live in the moment. I know that’s hard to do sometimes I’m still working on it🤪

[Palarran]

Wow, funny thread.

Anyway, I like camping - a lot. My wife tells friends when we invite them to go sailing that it's like camping on the water, to which I add "In a motor home though, it's not like were roughing it". I mean, the similarities are pretty close IMO.

So, back to real camping which, again, I like. Used to backcountry, went to car camping, then became travel-trailer trash for about 6 years before selling it all for a boat. Now, in my older age I'm missing it so I bought a rooftop tent for my pickup and this year will start overlanding. Totally stoked for the new land adventures to augment the sea ones.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Wow, funny thread.

Anyway, I like camping - a lot. My wife tells friends when we invite them to go sailing that it's like camping on the water, to which I add "In a motor home though, it's not like were roughing it". I mean, the similarities are pretty close IMO.

So, back to real camping which, again, I like. Used to backcountry, went to car camping, then became travel-trailer trash for about 6 years before selling it all for a boat. Now, in my older age I'm missing it so I bought a rooftop tent for my pickup and this year will start overlanding. Totally stoked for the new land adventures to augment the sea ones.

See?

This guy gets it.

I love camping. And I love cruising. I don't have an RV, but I would suppose I'd like that as well.

If I could get a new VW campervan in the U.S., I'd have one right now. Ironically, they won't sell the VW California in the U.S.

What's interesting is that so many here see camping as a negative thing.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

See?

This guy gets it.

I love camping. And I love cruising. I don't have an RV, but I would suppose I'd like that as well.

If I could get a new VW campervan in the U.S., I'd have one right now. Ironically, they won't sell the VW California in the U.S.

What's interesting is that so many here see camping as a negative thing.

I love the idea of a camper van, or even something larger like a Class C. I'm seriously looking to get one since we currently live on the boat for about 1/2 the year, and then do other things the other half.

But it ain't camping.

I suppose you can call it RV-camping if you must. But then where do you stop? Are people in trailer parks also camping? How about people who live in small, low end houses? Are they camping?

I recently went on motorcycle trip where we tented along the way. I wouldn't call this camping either, but it was an eye-opener for me. The last time I spent any time car camping (in what we used to call the "front country") it was still dominated by tents. Tents are now the exception. Everyone is in some sort of RV.

On the plus side, we got a lot of dinner invitations. People would look at our little 3-person tent, and exclaim "You're living in that! Please, come to dinner..." .

[Lepke]

I consider living in a house, and especially in a neighborhood, to be sub-standard living. The worst dock I ever stayed at (2x6 between pilings) was better than any neighborhood.