Advice for an Aspiring Live-Aboard Sailor

NYSail · Sep 5, 2017

Hey.... do the math. Let's back into this. What would you spend on rent each month? Interest rates are still low. You can finance a fairly new 150,000 boat for 750/800 a month. Add to that marina charges and insurance and you are still ahead of the $2,000 a month in basic rent. Just do it........ and have fun. Take a chance and smile. Also chicks dig dudes with sailboats!

JRT · Sep 5, 2017

Rent and homes in DC metro just suck. I had a friend live on a sailboat in VA and commute to DC metro and his boat was always ready to sail. Keep it organized and a routine and it works.

LeoLambert310 · Sep 5, 2017

Just my 2cents. Having a 32 foot sailboat and been on it for weeks at a time I would be looking for a 36-48 foot boat. You can find some in your area but as mentioned before look at newer and pay a few dollars more for a bigger boat you'll get more living space. Most up here in BC that are live-aboard do so in 38+... just my 2cents

dLj · Sep 5, 2017

I know a guy that lives aboard in Boston year round, has a suit and tie job. Lives with his family. They enjoy it, and they have been there quite a few years. In the winter, they wrap their boat in plastic leaving an access spot. It helps keep the boat warm during the winter. They have a frame they put up on the deck that gets wrapped, so they can actually walk around on the deck in the winter under the plastic wrap, albeit in some places not so easily...

As far as what boat to get, I'd say you need to go inside them and see how the interior layout meets your needs. Helping my brother buy a boat for him, I did the structural evaluation, but he had to go in the boat to see if it felt like he could be comfortable inside it. So he only stepped inside boats that I gave the thumbs up on meaning that the boat was structurally sound, then he could decide if he felt comfortable. The first boat we bought this way took us almost two years to find. My bother had a smaller budget than you have.

You aren't really sailing, you are mostly living. The sailing you may be doing you say will be on the Chesapeake. So you may wish to look at shoal draft boats. There are a lot available down there. It takes time to get to know more about what is available and what you get for your money. Time spent looking at boats is well spent. I've been sailing and looking at boats for many decades. I know what I like and don't like. You simply have to spend time finding that out for yourself. I don't think there is any other way to do it.

Looking to live aboard in a specific area, I'd suggest that you first talk to the marina where you want to live. Find out what services they give you at what cost. Find out what they say about what happens in the different seasons there. If they allow live aboards, then there must be some folk living in the marina. Go talk to those that are living there. Once you are looking at a boat, hire a marine surveyor. Tell that person what you are looking to do and have them examine the boat with that use in mind.

As others have said, there are better ways to spend your money if you are looking for investment. But it is an awesome way to live! Just my 2 cents worth...

dj

Kings Gambit · Sep 5, 2017

dLj said:
Looking to live aboard in a specific area, I'd suggest that you first talk to the marina where you want to live. Find out what services they give you at what cost. Find out what they say about what happens in the different seasons there. If they allow live aboards, then there must be some folk living in the marina. Go talk to those that are living there. Once you are looking at a boat, hire a marine surveyor. Tell that person what you are looking to do and have them examine the boat with that use in mind.

Marinas are typically limited in the number of live-aboard slips that they are allowed. This can be a matter of municipal code. It may be 10%, 20%, or something else. The point being, there may be a waiting list for a live-aboard slip-- could be a few months to a couple of years or more. The slips in highest demand right now in many places are around 40 ft. Some marinas will not permit any live-aboards on boats less than a certain size, such as 26 or perhaps 30 ft. Marinas also have rules against "sneak-aboards"--people trying to live aboard a boat for which they do not have the permit. This means spending more than 3 nights/wk on the boat overnight. They may have a security service that checks your usage.

If a slip becomes available you may have only a month, perhaps two, to occupy it b/f it passes to the next guy in line. You cannot have (hold) a slip for long unless there is a boat in it that you own. So, timing has to be good. Often, folks get a regular slip and get in line for a live-aboard so they have the boat when they get called and can move it. Two years ago there were many live-aboard slips available in southern California. Not so now.

So now, "back into" that scenario. A 35 to 40-ft boat with a mortgage, insurance, property tax, and use tax; and no live-aboard slip available where you wish to go; regular slips only? So get a regular slip and live--???--ashore in an apartment for one year waiting for a live-aboard slip to become available? Or, hold out for a slip and then buy your boat within the month or so time frame that you may get? Meanwhile, live ashore in an apartment? Better plan this out well or you could s*$*$ yourself badly.

Make sure your ducks are...

!!

jssailem · Sep 6, 2017

Read the book "Tranquility, a Memoir of anAmerican Sailor ".
If you are still ready to forge ahead than consider the advice of Gunni and locate near the Chesapeake not Alexandria. Unless your job is being a lobbyist and the boat is for business. Then a sailboat is not the boat. A very large power boat is needed with a large refrigerator and the downtown DC marina.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Sep 6, 2017

Kings Gambit said:
Yeah, what about the other 76-18-6 = 52 years?; that's enough time for two careers right there. Sorry, a near octogenarian who spent not even six whole years living aboard does not strike me as the most credible testament as to its desirability.

And I had two careers- 17 years as a computer programmer,, IBM and Prudential. Then the first liveaboard. then 25 yrs as a furniture repair and refinisher, running my own shop. Then several years as a professional boat builder (some 20 boats built)

But note the last line of my post

"I'd say, if that's what you want to do, go for it. You only go around once and there's no rewind or replay"

Kings Gambit · Sep 6, 2017

Looking to live aboard after 17 yr of a working life is a little bit different of a ball game than setting up to do it right out of college, IMHO.

LakeShark · Sep 6, 2017

@Pearse just do it! I moved out of my parents home onto a 31 foot motorsailer when I was still a sophmore in Highschool (long story). Wound up living on that boat and then buying a Catalina 30 years later. All total I spent 11 years at the marina and living off the coast for a time. It was an experience I will never forget and that I would never take back. Did I get out as often as I planned: no, was it a "chick magnet": no (but I did meet my wife in the process) was everything easy: No, did my family think I was insane: Yes! But all in all I still long for those days when I lived aboard and life seemed simpler even though I was young, dumb, and dirt poor. Living on board is a choice you must make and it takes a particular type of person to enjoy it. Every Morning you get up and can spread your arms out to touch almost everything you own on your way to the door! My best friend at the marina lived on a Catalina 22 for about 3 years and we sailed almost every week together on his boat. So It can be done the question is are you willing to part with all the comforts of shoreside living to achieve it?

Kings Gambit · Sep 6, 2017

Hey, question--did you finish high school?

LakeShark · Sep 6, 2017

Yup then tried college and decided it was not for me. Went on to work in various technical careers. My speciality was in electrical as I could troubleshoot anything from 30kva transmission lines and sub stations to sub components on circuit boards and everything I between. Left that rather lucrative career field to peruse a different path in life though. Like I said it's somewhat of a long story.

gettinthere · Sep 6, 2017

You wont be sailing much, if at all! That is a fact of livaboard life. Buy a 34' to 36' trawler, a great boat for living aboard and cruising the rivers and the bay. Then buy a sailing dinghy you can carry on the back deck or tow behind the trawler. You can have a real blast learning how to sail a laser or lightning on the upper Potomac river. You can take week long trips down the river with the trawler and then sail the dinghy around wherever you go.

Whatever you choose, be prepared for a big battle against condensation in the winter.

Johann · Sep 6, 2017

1. In my humble and biased opinion I would look at the Hunter 336 or 340. Those would be in your price range for a late 90s boat. I spent 3 months on ours with a family of 4 (and 4 dogs) and would say for a young single dude it would be adequate long term, space and storage wise. You get a queen berth aft, a nice saloon and decent v berth. It's got a 70 gal fresh water tank that will probable last you a week between fill ups.
2. My reverse cycle electric heater works fine here in FL, but the coldest I've used it was in the upper 20s air temp. Don't recall the water temp. The 336/340 has a top load fridge, which can be a pain sometimes, but not a deal breaker considering its just you.
3. Installing AC is pretty easy. You're looking at probably $2k or so for a 16k btu unit. If you need to add a thru hull for the water pump factor in hauling the boat. The hardest part really is planning the install. I wouldn't consider the need for refrigeration or AC a fixer upper tho. Those are 2 simple upgrades, just $$$ and time.
4. I think it depends greatly on how the boat was maintained, and where it was used.

dLj · Sep 6, 2017

Pearse said:
@dLj - What are some things I should look for in regards to structural integrity? How can I tell if a boat has been properly maintained? I can likely repair the engine, HVAC system, or electrical stuff, but no way I can repair a hull or other major external issues.

Lets say I buy a boat and the costs are equitable to renting an apartment. No equity gained either way, no money lost. I live-aboard for a year and decide I've had enough of the salt life and want to crawl back to land for awhile. How difficult would it be to get rid of the boat? What are the financial implications of this?

Structural integrity - hire a marine surveyor or engineer that has experience and can evaluate the boat for you. Tell them what you are planning to do. There are lots of available resources down in the Chesapeake/Annapolis region. They have test equipment for checking moisture content of the hull material and lots of other things you can't afford to have (or you wouldn't be asking this question here). Plus, they know what they are looking at/for. A good professional is worth every penny you pay them.

Boats are hard to sell.

dj

Advice for an Aspiring Live-Aboard Sailor

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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