What is?

[countrywill]

Hello all. I am planning on living aboard in a few months and would like to know a few of the bad things about living aboard. What are the biggest problems or reoccurring issues. I havnt found a boat yet, but hope to be looking at acouple here soon. Unfortunatly time is against me since i currently live in CO and will be moving to CA. Thank you in advance

[44'cruisingcat]

For us the hardest thing about moving onto the boat was leaving our neighbourhood. We had a lot of great friends. Still miss them at times.


That said, we've made some great new friends on the water.


But with the friendships you make on the water, there always the awareness that at some point your paths will diverge. You may not meet these people again for some time, maybe years, maybe never.

[gonesail]

i can't think of anything problematic about it. having a waterfront view and cold beer every evening while meeting the best of friends and neighbours. plus being able to go sailing whenever you feel like it. i guess the one issue for me was when i almost broke my neck slipping on ice when getting off the boat on a frosty morning. so try to make sure you have safe access to and from the boat.

[svPeaceKeeper]

For me, because I was on a very limited budget, I bought a mostly functional project boat. I ran into a few items with the systems:
-No running water, or water tank. Every time i filled it the water would leak into the bilge.
-Heater was missing some plumbing, had a few cold nights.
-Head was broken, had to walk to the marina bathrooms every time.

I had to learn to deal with these things until my budget would allow me to fix them. I bought a space heater for the colder nights, a $13 plastic collapsible 5 gal water jug, and just deal with walking to the marina bathrooms. Lots of people do that anyway just to avoid pumping their boats out.

The worst for me was when it rained for three straight weeks. Every time opening the hatch water coming in. I dont have a dodger or anything. But my boat ran and I can sail it whenever I want, so every time i get to take her out it makes all of these other things worth while.

I wanted this so bad for so long, many of the problems dont even feel like problems. I know that they are temporary and just need some time to go away.

Also, Im not sure if you are a tidy organized person, but start practicing. There is absolutely no room on a boat to be messy. And the thought of having to clean the cabin up so you can go out makes you stay in the slip on a lot of nice days. Get used to having less stuff, and keeping it "ship shape". No pun intended, I just now realize the reason for the saying.

another thing you will run into: Condensation. There are a bajillion threads on combating the enemy of v-berths and locker puddles. fighting condensation is an art and an every day thing.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by countrywill

Hello all. I am planning on living aboard in a few months and would like to know a few of the bad things about living aboard. What are the biggest problems or reoccurring issues. I havnt found a boat yet, but hope to be looking at acouple here soon. Unfortunatly time is against me since i currently live in CO and will be moving to CA. Thank you in advance

Are you just changing your location or are you changing your lifestyle?

The adjustment for me will be giving up space for all the things I think I need want around me.

Books, 4-burner stove, unlimited ice, refrigeration water and sewer. Big tv. Office/mancave. Endless hot showers. My house/apartment not sinking. Too many closets with too much clothing I don't wear. Too many shoes. Too many tools.

If you are already living minimalist it's likely no big deal but transferring aboard, especially if LOA is limited is a big life change.

[denverd0n]

I lived on board a very small boat, for a relatively short time, while I was still having to go to work every day. So, issues for me at the time...

1. No long, hot showers unless I schlepped up to the marina, and frankly, because I was in a pretty cheap marina, the showers there were not all that attractive.
2. Moving the boat around to get the holding tank pumped out every 5-6 days.
3. Hauling laundry to the laundromat, which was a fair distance.
4. When the weather turned sour, being confined in a closed, cramped space for three days.

I quickly realized that the liveaboard life was not for me. At least on a boat that small. At least as long as I had to go to work every day.

[countrywill]

Thanks for all the replies. I am planning on just moving and buying a boat to live on and maybe cruise up the coast of CA. ( after I figure out what Im doing first of course). Im not worried about space sence I practicaly live in a semi any way, and as far as stuff goes....... I got a divorce in may and gave her everything on purpose.lol I never realy liked the furniture any way. With in the next few months i will be selling, donateing everything else i have left mainly to make the move easier. Another question i had was How long does the whole boat buying process take. the reason i ask is i will only have a week off of work to move to CA.

[Greenhand]

For most people, the long part of the boat buying is finding a suitable boat. Then you have a few days to come to an agreement on price; this time of year it will likely take a couple of weeks to set up the surveys; if you choose to go with USCG documentation, that can take a couple of weeks, as well. Liveaboard marine insurance (you will need at least liability to stay in a marina) is a slower process than most land based insurance, especially if you want to compare prices, as many agents take their sweet time getting back to you.

I love living aboard. The projects can become overwhelming at times on an older boat, but everything else makes up for it.

I like using the marina showers: unlimited hot water!

Going to the pump out is good docking practice!

I do miss having a washer and dryer, I really felt like I had arrived when I got my first set.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

I lived on board a very small boat, for a relatively short time, while I was still having to go to work every day. So, issues for me at the time...

1. No long, hot showers unless I schlepped up to the marina, and frankly, because I was in a pretty cheap marina, the showers there were not all that attractive.
2. Moving the boat around to get the holding tank pumped out every 5-6 days.
3. Hauling laundry to the laundromat, which was a fair distance.
4. When the weather turned sour, being confined in a closed, cramped space for three days.....(omitted) .

these and maybe add heat and condensation in the winter.

[sailorchic34]

To liveaboard a boat you need two things, a boat 30 to 35 foot minimum, some places want a 40' boat. second is a liveaboard slip or mooring.

Be advised that finding a liveaboard slip in southern California, may be problematic. Even in the SF bay there is only one one marina I know of, that has liveaboard slips without a wait list.