Hello All, new liveaboard family

[freyja40]

Hey Everyone

Just signed the papers to take ownership of my first sailboat: a Kalik 40. With that I figured it was time to actually get an account for this forum rather than just read all the posts.

I'll be spending the next 6 or 7 months living aboard the boat and fixing it up. The hope is to have the boat ready to go when my family moves onto it in Dec/Jan. (My family consisting of myself, my wife, my 1.5 year old son, and my dog).

I have a lot to learn (everything...) and I'm ready for the challenge.
Feel free to post any wisdom or tips you might have for a 26 year old who is just starting out in the world of liveaboards.

Cheers

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and Welcome Aboard the Forum Freya40!

I know it must be an exciting time for you and your family when you get that first big boat and move aboard too. I know I would be excited to do so.

I looked at a Kalik 40. Nice boat. Nice use of wood inside the Vberth and interior spaces. And I think it has an exemplary galley design for "Blue Water" cruising too. Ideal in fact. Smart design.

You posted some good info in your intro. I will post some of my suggestions below. They may not be what you expect, but I believe they will help you in the near term and in the long run if you intend to spend much time here on this forum and if you wish to gain the most from the knowledge available and shared here etc.
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A Few of my Favorite Tips for New Members to this Forum:

Since you are new to this forum, let me mention a few things you might miss but that could help you more enjoy your time here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ics-19760.html

There are also some "social groups" that are more focused on special interests. I am not a member of those groups, but you should be able to find them if you do some exploring of the forum website, look for "groups."

Cruisers & Sailing Forums - All Groups
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Profiles Help People Relate

You can also post a profile (when you sign up you can create a forum profile on this site or edit it later) and in that "About Me" tab you can also post photos (e.g. of your boat, etc.) and a description of your sailing desires or experiences. I also think it is a good idea to include in your profile where you are located (country, region) and type of boat if you own one now or had in past.

As I see it, it is a good idea to post something about yourself and your sailing experience or goals in the "About Me" tab (page) within your forum profile. That is the most helpful part of the profile. If you have posted relevant information in your "Meet & Greet" post, simply copy some of that to you profile "About Me" page, because the "Meet & Greet" post will soon disappear into the archives.

You may click on a member's name (or avatar) to see their public profile and through that page you can also send them private messages if you wish. You can look at mine for one example, and see I have written something in the About Me tab, and also posted some photos in an album (in this case showing my other passion, I am an artist and I like painting sailboats).

I encourage you to complete the profile early in your membership in the forum, so those people who would like to know something about a new member can learn. I did not post a complete profile (due to ignorance about that feature of the site), until after I noticed that my empty profile page had already had 1,000 views by forum members. This meant I missed sharing information with those 1,000 folks who had some level of interest in who I am. I was completely surprised at how many people look at member profiles, so it really is used and viewed and can be a good way of sharing information and connecting and relating. I firmly believe it can help a member and a community in many ways.

Not everyone does post any written "bio" or even a photo of themselves, but I think it adds to the human factor of a community to see a face and know a little about that person, and makes it more "personal."

Cruisers & Sailing Forums - FAQ: User Profile Features

I also encourage the use of a photo (e.g. a "headshot") of the sailor (or couple) as the avatar. I think it also adds to the "human community" aspect of the online experience.

Posting Photos?
Here is a FAQ page on how to post photos here.
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - FAQ: Reading and Posting Messages
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - FAQ: Reading and Posting Messages
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Another one of my favorite tips to newcomers to this forum:

Since you are relatively new to the forum, here is my favorite friendly forum search tip: Look at the green menu bar on the forum pages for the drop down "Search" menu. Click on that to drop down a list of search functions. From that drop down menu select the GOOGLE CUSTOM search feature (the second box down) and then enter several different descriptive terms for your topic of interest. That will do a Custom google search of ONLY this site and it is likely to find answers to your questions or results for you. It is the best and fastest method I have found to the answers I seek here.

Since you mentioned you have a 1 year old child and a dog, I highly recommend adding "Lifeline Netting" to your boat ASAP. This is what i would do. I also suggest using those key words in a Google Custom Search, and look of the thread titled "Deathlines" as it had a lot of good suggestions in it.

[Stevelack]

I'm in the same boat (pun intended). Except my last kid has just moved out, so my wife and I are moving onto our 1969 Morgan 38 next month. I've been sailing dinghy's and this is our first large boat with an engine. Thanks for the tips, Steady Hand. I'm heading over to fill out my Profile/About me now!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Freyja.