Living in a sailboat, thoughts?

Peter Gore Seer,

Depends On The Boat, Not Recommended, Quite A Lot Of Dampness,

Lots of people live on boats. I in fact having been living & cruising on a boat for over 25 years. It's NOT for everyone, that's for sure. It is also NOT cheap, that's for sure too! I have a paid for boat, yet my "boat related" cost of cruising & living aboard average about $1,000 a month. Then of course, I have the cost of living & all of life's necessities, as well as the cost of eating out and being a tourist at all the wonderful destinations I reach.

So, I figure - all things considered - my living on a boat & cruising full-time cost me about the same as living on land. BTW - I continually cruise around America's Great Loop. It is a safe wonderful 6,480-mile adventure. Google Capt. John Great Loop - and you can learn all about it.

I lived on a 34' power boat for 10 years. Marina fees, power(boats aren't insulated very well) and lack of space all add up. Be prepared to get rid of most of your stuff. I don't advise it. The 'new' will wear off quickly. I was able to do it because I found a nice, cheap marina and I work on boats.

Well apart from the fairy stories on here about others who like to make up tales about living on boats.

Just how are you going to finace this day dream.

Going by your remarks you appear to be a half witted twelve year old

And a day dream it will always be unless your independently wealthy?

Living on a boat and basically doing sod all is very expensive.

Unless your one of the idol rich that is never going to happen.

I know one person that lives on his boat during the summer months. He prefers it to living in an apartment which he still does during the winter.

There are definite sacrifices in terms of space while living on a boat but it can be done.

Yes, I've done this, and I've also lived in a van for many years. Is it doable? Yes. Is it easy? No.

1) Except for short periods, you're never going to be free of the need for income to support yourself in a boat or road vehicle. It's much harder to "go anywhere you want" with a sailboat than with almost any other form of conveyance. Sailing is mostly about the going, not the getting there.

b) Sailboats are more expensive to buy and generally more expensive and labor intensive to equip and maintain than road vehicles, even if they sit tied up to a dock and don't go anywhere. You'll need a lot of money to get started.

c) Sailboats still require fuel for heating, cooking and the auxilliary engine which you will use far more than you think. You've got to replenish it regularly, which means having the money to pay for it. Bartering is a very sketchy, unreliable option.

d) The sea is very unforgiving of the ignorant. Sailing is a very knowledge and skill intensive exercise. If you don't have it, the learning curve is steep and fraught with hazards. Trying to learn it all on your own (especially quickly) is difficult at best and deadly at worst.

e) One of the main problems in living aboard a boat is having a source of income. You cannot live well by subsistence fishing alone. There will always be things you need to buy to keep yourself and your boat in good rig. That means being on land at least as much as you'll spend on the water unless you are able to fund yourself for very long periods offshore.

f) Staying in marinas is expensive, finding places to anchor safely and securely for free can be challenging, especially near anywhere you might find employment. Being on the open water by yourself is tiring, fatiguing and hazardous, not to mention lonely.

g) As I said, and need to re-emphasize, you're not going to be free of earning an income, and to do that you'll find that living in a marina on a boat isn't cheap, but it's the easiest way to have ready access to employment that will allow you to maintain a seaworthy vessel. And, of course, being tied to a job means being tied to a dock mostly.

h) True freedom is an illusion. It does not exist except in death.

Thought about it, but I don't like the humidity. Pity, I enjoy myself, don't need people, a Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 can go anywhere.

I used to live in St Thomas and there were many people that lived on boats. They would pick up their mail at the post office