I am interested in the Live-Aboard lifestyle. Not sure if I have the grapes to do it, nor do I have any idea of costs (Toronto area), and marinas (Yacht Clubs) that will let you do it. Anyone out there have an idea of what the costs are, roughly, as well as other hidden costs that a land-lubber would not think about...i.e. de-icers for the winter months, etc.
Live aboard? Are there any here?
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roibert taylor
info / living aboard
i have lived on 5 boats over a period, on and off, for 30 years. this is way too complicated to go into much detail, but this will be close. i now live on a catalina 470 (pretty expensive). however when i lived on a late model catalina 36. after i sold it and all of the dust sttled, it cost about 750 per month. the cash flow is high while making payments and marina fees, but you can get some return on the expense at the sale. to find out what costs are in your area, you need to do the following. decide how much to spend on a boat you can afford (leave some money in the budget for replacing pumps, airconditioners, bottom job every three years, insurance, etc., just like a house). find a marina that has bath house, laundry, and allows live aboards. find out what they cost per slip or per foot and add it all up. living aboard is a great lifestyle. you will also probably need some storage for off season clothes and "stuff" you can't keep on the boat.
i have lived on 5 boats over a period, on and off, for 30 years. this is way too complicated to go into much detail, but this will be close. i now live on a catalina 470 (pretty expensive). however when i lived on a late model catalina 36. after i sold it and all of the dust sttled, it cost about 750 per month. the cash flow is high while making payments and marina fees, but you can get some return on the expense at the sale. to find out what costs are in your area, you need to do the following. decide how much to spend on a boat you can afford (leave some money in the budget for replacing pumps, airconditioners, bottom job every three years, insurance, etc., just like a house). find a marina that has bath house, laundry, and allows live aboards. find out what they cost per slip or per foot and add it all up. living aboard is a great lifestyle. you will also probably need some storage for off season clothes and "stuff" you can't keep on the boat.
I too live on a boat
Everything he said plus.... I have lived on a 356 for the last year.Water was probably the biggest hassle in the winter.I had to haul water to the boat during the coldest months.We used it for washing dishes mostly. Also,condensation can become a big issue.Everything must be vented or you will get alot of mold and moisture in all your storage bins. As for the rest,it is worth the stuff you put up with to be able to relax on the back of the boat every evening,especially when the weather is good.
Everything he said plus.... I have lived on a 356 for the last year.Water was probably the biggest hassle in the winter.I had to haul water to the boat during the coldest months.We used it for washing dishes mostly. Also,condensation can become a big issue.Everything must be vented or you will get alot of mold and moisture in all your storage bins. As for the rest,it is worth the stuff you put up with to be able to relax on the back of the boat every evening,especially when the weather is good.
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Bil sv Makai
live aboard cold areas
We moved aboard in Feb on the Cheseapeake Bay. One of the biggest supprises was the cost of electricty. Since we were only going to be there 2 months before heading to the Caribe we only used electric space heaters. $378 for the first month. Yikes. Second if you get an ice eater, spend the money and get a thermastat to control the on and off. It saved us a bunch instead of letting it run 24-7. Some marinas charge live aboard fees. Not large, but they can be a suprise. Make sure that your marina even allows liveaboards.
We moved aboard in Feb on the Cheseapeake Bay. One of the biggest supprises was the cost of electricty. Since we were only going to be there 2 months before heading to the Caribe we only used electric space heaters. $378 for the first month. Yikes. Second if you get an ice eater, spend the money and get a thermastat to control the on and off. It saved us a bunch instead of letting it run 24-7. Some marinas charge live aboard fees. Not large, but they can be a suprise. Make sure that your marina even allows liveaboards.
Go Ahead and Live Aboard...
I agree w/Roibert.. on average around $750 a month depending on where you are... too much to talk about but the bottom line is that it's great. Been living on board for 2 years, including a winter in the water in NY, and I love it. The great thing is that you can move around if your work supports it. This year I'm heading down the ICW to the Keys, then back to NYC....
I agree w/Roibert.. on average around $750 a month depending on where you are... too much to talk about but the bottom line is that it's great. Been living on board for 2 years, including a winter in the water in NY, and I love it. The great thing is that you can move around if your work supports it. This year I'm heading down the ICW to the Keys, then back to NYC....
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Tony Z
I did it for a while in the Boston area
I did it for two years on my Hunter 33 on my own. Not too bad. The three seasons were excellent. I think two on the 33 may have been a bit tight. But depending on the area you are in, Winter was real interesting. I shrink wraped a luan door onto the deck and left the the mast up. This gave me a lot of topside storage area and basically a mud room to keep things semi-safe. I had a DSS dish under the shrink wrap and it worked fine. I wish I still had a photo. Definately not the proper yacht club look. Make sure you have plenty of electric service available. The first place I wintered at kept popping breakers. I would recomend a wind up alarm clock or other back up device if getting to work on time is a problem. I finally divided up the power between seperate circuit power poles. As far as de-icing went, I was in an open bay so the water was moving pretty good and never actually froze. I figure I spent $ 3000./year. Not bad There were no hidden costs that were killers. Power was under $ 100.00/ year. The marina I was at did not have very good parking in the winter as the lot was full of stored boats. You may want to ask. Find out if they tend the docks in the winter. Shoveling the dock can be a challange. If you are in a tidal area, the gang plank to the docks is going to be real steep and icy. Try carrying groceries down that. Ask the marina just how open they are in the winter. One place I was at had horrible services. Restrooms were never cleaned. Laundry was broken till spring. Any problems (like power down) did not get an imediate response as nobody was there. I would not try to save small dollars next time. I would go to the big full service place and pay their price. It is still cheaper than rent or mortgage and you get less agrivation. Good luck
I did it for two years on my Hunter 33 on my own. Not too bad. The three seasons were excellent. I think two on the 33 may have been a bit tight. But depending on the area you are in, Winter was real interesting. I shrink wraped a luan door onto the deck and left the the mast up. This gave me a lot of topside storage area and basically a mud room to keep things semi-safe. I had a DSS dish under the shrink wrap and it worked fine. I wish I still had a photo. Definately not the proper yacht club look. Make sure you have plenty of electric service available. The first place I wintered at kept popping breakers. I would recomend a wind up alarm clock or other back up device if getting to work on time is a problem. I finally divided up the power between seperate circuit power poles. As far as de-icing went, I was in an open bay so the water was moving pretty good and never actually froze. I figure I spent $ 3000./year. Not bad There were no hidden costs that were killers. Power was under $ 100.00/ year. The marina I was at did not have very good parking in the winter as the lot was full of stored boats. You may want to ask. Find out if they tend the docks in the winter. Shoveling the dock can be a challange. If you are in a tidal area, the gang plank to the docks is going to be real steep and icy. Try carrying groceries down that. Ask the marina just how open they are in the winter. One place I was at had horrible services. Restrooms were never cleaned. Laundry was broken till spring. Any problems (like power down) did not get an imediate response as nobody was there. I would not try to save small dollars next time. I would go to the big full service place and pay their price. It is still cheaper than rent or mortgage and you get less agrivation. Good luck
T
Tony Z
Oh yeah I forgot the water
How could I have forgot filling and dragging 5 gallon jugs of water down that icy dock after work. I guess we forget the real bad stuff. I finally bought 600' of hose and ran it down the dock from the marina rest room. I used a SCUBA tank rig to blow the water out of the hose when I was done and left the hose rolled out.
How could I have forgot filling and dragging 5 gallon jugs of water down that icy dock after work. I guess we forget the real bad stuff. I finally bought 600' of hose and ran it down the dock from the marina rest room. I used a SCUBA tank rig to blow the water out of the hose when I was done and left the hose rolled out.
A lot of good info
Thanks to all those that contributed. My main thought is cost of living. I have a mortgage, plus all the exenses of living in a house. The other thing is the distance of travel to and from work. I live in Bradford, but work in Toronto. Total commute is about 60Km's each way, that is I guess what about 30 miles each way? With the price of Natural Gas going up again, and gasoline at $1.05 a litre, there really is no incentive to continue the commute, but we don't want to live in the city either. I figured that living aboard would be the best of both worlds.
Thanks to all those that contributed. My main thought is cost of living. I have a mortgage, plus all the exenses of living in a house. The other thing is the distance of travel to and from work. I live in Bradford, but work in Toronto. Total commute is about 60Km's each way, that is I guess what about 30 miles each way? With the price of Natural Gas going up again, and gasoline at $1.05 a litre, there really is no incentive to continue the commute, but we don't want to live in the city either. I figured that living aboard would be the best of both worlds.
Bluffers Park
I lived on my boat (35 O'DAY) at Bluffers Park Marina in Scarborough the winter of 2004. It cost about $600/month. You will need a couple of deicers which can be pricey if you buy them new but sometimes you can find used ones. You'll also need about 3 1500W heaters to get through those really cold Feb. nights. There are a few other marinas that allow live aboards: Port Credit, Pickering and Queens Quay in downtown Toronto. Pickering is probably too far for you and Queens Quay has a very long waiting list. I found it to be a great experience.
I lived on my boat (35 O'DAY) at Bluffers Park Marina in Scarborough the winter of 2004. It cost about $600/month. You will need a couple of deicers which can be pricey if you buy them new but sometimes you can find used ones. You'll also need about 3 1500W heaters to get through those really cold Feb. nights. There are a few other marinas that allow live aboards: Port Credit, Pickering and Queens Quay in downtown Toronto. Pickering is probably too far for you and Queens Quay has a very long waiting list. I found it to be a great experience.
Liveaboard in GTA
GTA Area Waterfront Maps: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/trail-p-toronto.html PORT CREDIT HARBOUR Marina: Lat. 43 32.80N x Lon. 79 34.66W Map: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_08.pdf Contact: Les Norridge 1 Port Street East, Mississauga, Ontario, L5G 4N1, Phone: 905-274-1595 Fax: 905-274-1029 BLUFFER'S PARK Marina: Lat. 42.49 N x Lon. 13.42 W Map: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_14.pdf Contact: George Rutley 7 Brimley Road South, Toronto, Ontario, M1M 3W3, Phone: 416-266-4556 Fax: 416-266-7808 E-mail: admin@bluffsparkmarina.com Web: www.bluffsparkmarina.com
GTA Area Waterfront Maps: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/trail-p-toronto.html PORT CREDIT HARBOUR Marina: Lat. 43 32.80N x Lon. 79 34.66W Map: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_08.pdf Contact: Les Norridge 1 Port Street East, Mississauga, Ontario, L5G 4N1, Phone: 905-274-1595 Fax: 905-274-1029 BLUFFER'S PARK Marina: Lat. 42.49 N x Lon. 13.42 W Map: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_14.pdf Contact: George Rutley 7 Brimley Road South, Toronto, Ontario, M1M 3W3, Phone: 416-266-4556 Fax: 416-266-7808 E-mail: admin@bluffsparkmarina.com Web: www.bluffsparkmarina.com
Best advise I could give you is...
The best advise I could give you is to move to Vancouver, or one of the Gulf Islands, or Vancouver Island. The weather is much more conducive to the live aboard life style than the rest of Canada. If your work can be accomplished over the internet, then you can get cheaper moorage on Bowen Island (Harrison Ford just bought a mansion there) or Gibson's (where Beachcomber's was filmed). Some of the best climate in all of Canada, with some of the most sunny days (245) is on Salt Spring Island, moorage should be cheaper there as well - Ganges is the town you want to live close to or "in" on this Island. If you want to live the life style on water, you might as well come to the best area to sail in North America and leave the snow behind.
The best advise I could give you is to move to Vancouver, or one of the Gulf Islands, or Vancouver Island. The weather is much more conducive to the live aboard life style than the rest of Canada. If your work can be accomplished over the internet, then you can get cheaper moorage on Bowen Island (Harrison Ford just bought a mansion there) or Gibson's (where Beachcomber's was filmed). Some of the best climate in all of Canada, with some of the most sunny days (245) is on Salt Spring Island, moorage should be cheaper there as well - Ganges is the town you want to live close to or "in" on this Island. If you want to live the life style on water, you might as well come to the best area to sail in North America and leave the snow behind.
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