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You're rushing it, but if you must...
Levin, you are apparently going to a post-commissioning school (which one?) and will only be in SD for a year. Some of that year will be used while finding, purchasing and settling into your boat, some of it will be taken up by trying to sell it (you'll probably want to move off during that period so the boat can be shown, will look presentable, etc.). That leaves a pretty narrow window to use it and experience the lifestyle you are imagining. As a young family of 3, we at one point lived on a 20 footer; we even enjoyed ourselves (most of the time) and I'm now living aboard for the 4th time, so I don't think I'm biased against the choice. But living on any smaller boat (<35') with a 9-5 regimen, even in mild SD, is the least pleasing residential option of those available. Boats, and especially small boats, make bad apartments. If you chose a smaller boat like the Catalina 27, you'll find it takes much effort, time and organization just to have room for the things you'll need. It will then take more time, cleverness and effort to make it possible to sail the boat without everything ending up on the cabin sole. You lack boat skills & systems knowledge and so can forget about someone choosing you to stay aboard & look after their expensive boat. And chartering is going to look to your checkbook a lot like renting an apartment, except perhaps cheaper. SD rentals are expensive, even after your BAH offset is considered. Moreover, as you've heard elsewhere in this thread, a 'real' liveaboard slip is going to be hard to come by unless you choose to restrict yourself to purchasing ONLY the boats currently being brokered, solely when you show up in town, that convey slip rights AND a liveaboard option. You may get lucky but, within narrow budget parameters, the inventory of choices will probably be very slim, indeed. The best part of this thread (if I place myself in your position) are the personal referrals being offered. Networking is by far the most viable method to use in any setting when resources are scarce, you are scrambling to climb the learning curve, and your in foreign territory. I would work each of those referrals hard, to see where they lead. Here's what seems to me, given your 'druthers and limited time frame, a far better option: - show up and book into the Q for the max time they'll allow; as of 3 years ago, this was very short...but work it for what you can - network with the command to which you're reporting and look for JO 'ranch'. This is a common JO set-up in SD, usually a rental home that multiple JO's share and where turnover is routine and short stays not tough to work out as tenants deploy, do a school elsewhere, TAD, etc.). Move (if the Q can not accommodate you) into a ranch that's convenient to a) your school and b) the main yachtie area (Shelter/Harbor islands) - Your school commencement date will be fixed so you need to arrive in SD soonest and front-load your efforts to meet those you have already corresponded with, suss out the marina locations, begin looking at boats, etc. Expect to make a series of uninformed or quasi-informed decisions if you take any irreversible steps now (unavoidable, given your haste and ignorance...but hey, you're young and can probably recover from anything). Try to do enough front-end work that, by school start date and before that experience envelopes you, you can revisit your initial plans and test/confirm/alter/scrub them -As part of your front-loaded research, visit the Navy's sail training facilities and get a good feel for what Plan B might look like if you sustain the longer term plan to liveaboard but only want to learn about boating in the short term. Doing this will give you a feel for Plan B. -If Plan A still feels right, consider buying a small boat, something like that Catalina 27 (ubiquitous, easy(ier) to sell. A special deal like mentioned in this thread may be just the thing, even if it will be dirty, poorly maintained and in need of much TLC. And then, while living at the ranch, try periodic liveaboard spells on the boat. Each marina will have its own rules (none of which will probably be rigidly enforced; 'Sneakaboards' are a common California lifestyle) that permit limited living aboard, a good way to avoid the 'must have a liveaboard slip' dilemma. Test the lifestyle and see what you think, all the while becoming more familiar with the berthing options in town and what might be possible if you choose to move full-time to liveaboard status. Plan to fall back on another Ranch option when getting the boat ready to sell...or trailer it to the next duty station, I suppose. You may not have the $$ for this approach, but it's one that will get you most of what you THINK you want given the circumstances you'll be facing, and allows for wiggle room in the timing of things. IMO if you buy, the hardest part of the plan will be to get out from under the boat, especially if you transfer and then must deal with the boat from a distance (slip rent or storage fee, distant broker not highly motivated by the small commission likely, insurance premium et al.). Don't forget that all this advice you are getting is not free. You owe the group some periodic follow-up reports, so we can all learn what you do as you go forward. Good luck to you! Jack
Levin, you are apparently going to a post-commissioning school (which one?) and will only be in SD for a year. Some of that year will be used while finding, purchasing and settling into your boat, some of it will be taken up by trying to sell it (you'll probably want to move off during that period so the boat can be shown, will look presentable, etc.). That leaves a pretty narrow window to use it and experience the lifestyle you are imagining. As a young family of 3, we at one point lived on a 20 footer; we even enjoyed ourselves (most of the time) and I'm now living aboard for the 4th time, so I don't think I'm biased against the choice. But living on any smaller boat (<35') with a 9-5 regimen, even in mild SD, is the least pleasing residential option of those available. Boats, and especially small boats, make bad apartments. If you chose a smaller boat like the Catalina 27, you'll find it takes much effort, time and organization just to have room for the things you'll need. It will then take more time, cleverness and effort to make it possible to sail the boat without everything ending up on the cabin sole. You lack boat skills & systems knowledge and so can forget about someone choosing you to stay aboard & look after their expensive boat. And chartering is going to look to your checkbook a lot like renting an apartment, except perhaps cheaper. SD rentals are expensive, even after your BAH offset is considered. Moreover, as you've heard elsewhere in this thread, a 'real' liveaboard slip is going to be hard to come by unless you choose to restrict yourself to purchasing ONLY the boats currently being brokered, solely when you show up in town, that convey slip rights AND a liveaboard option. You may get lucky but, within narrow budget parameters, the inventory of choices will probably be very slim, indeed. The best part of this thread (if I place myself in your position) are the personal referrals being offered. Networking is by far the most viable method to use in any setting when resources are scarce, you are scrambling to climb the learning curve, and your in foreign territory. I would work each of those referrals hard, to see where they lead. Here's what seems to me, given your 'druthers and limited time frame, a far better option: - show up and book into the Q for the max time they'll allow; as of 3 years ago, this was very short...but work it for what you can - network with the command to which you're reporting and look for JO 'ranch'. This is a common JO set-up in SD, usually a rental home that multiple JO's share and where turnover is routine and short stays not tough to work out as tenants deploy, do a school elsewhere, TAD, etc.). Move (if the Q can not accommodate you) into a ranch that's convenient to a) your school and b) the main yachtie area (Shelter/Harbor islands) - Your school commencement date will be fixed so you need to arrive in SD soonest and front-load your efforts to meet those you have already corresponded with, suss out the marina locations, begin looking at boats, etc. Expect to make a series of uninformed or quasi-informed decisions if you take any irreversible steps now (unavoidable, given your haste and ignorance...but hey, you're young and can probably recover from anything). Try to do enough front-end work that, by school start date and before that experience envelopes you, you can revisit your initial plans and test/confirm/alter/scrub them -As part of your front-loaded research, visit the Navy's sail training facilities and get a good feel for what Plan B might look like if you sustain the longer term plan to liveaboard but only want to learn about boating in the short term. Doing this will give you a feel for Plan B. -If Plan A still feels right, consider buying a small boat, something like that Catalina 27 (ubiquitous, easy(ier) to sell. A special deal like mentioned in this thread may be just the thing, even if it will be dirty, poorly maintained and in need of much TLC. And then, while living at the ranch, try periodic liveaboard spells on the boat. Each marina will have its own rules (none of which will probably be rigidly enforced; 'Sneakaboards' are a common California lifestyle) that permit limited living aboard, a good way to avoid the 'must have a liveaboard slip' dilemma. Test the lifestyle and see what you think, all the while becoming more familiar with the berthing options in town and what might be possible if you choose to move full-time to liveaboard status. Plan to fall back on another Ranch option when getting the boat ready to sell...or trailer it to the next duty station, I suppose. You may not have the $$ for this approach, but it's one that will get you most of what you THINK you want given the circumstances you'll be facing, and allows for wiggle room in the timing of things. IMO if you buy, the hardest part of the plan will be to get out from under the boat, especially if you transfer and then must deal with the boat from a distance (slip rent or storage fee, distant broker not highly motivated by the small commission likely, insurance premium et al.). Don't forget that all this advice you are getting is not free. You owe the group some periodic follow-up reports, so we can all learn what you do as you go forward. Good luck to you! Jack
S
Steve
OIS follow on in SD
If you are accepting orders to SanDiego after OIS chances are your follow on orders are going to be in SanDiego as well. Not likely to have two moves in a year. Talk to your detailer and see what the story is. Your OIS officers aren't well informed about these things so don't put a lot of faith in their good intentioned advice. Call your detailer and see if you are really in for a 3-4 year assignment in SD. This might help you figure out what to do and save you from burning a year on a boat that would suck ("can I live on a boat of this size for a year?"). Maybe you can live a year on a Catlina 27 and then 2-3 years on a big grey boat!! V/R Steve
If you are accepting orders to SanDiego after OIS chances are your follow on orders are going to be in SanDiego as well. Not likely to have two moves in a year. Talk to your detailer and see what the story is. Your OIS officers aren't well informed about these things so don't put a lot of faith in their good intentioned advice. Call your detailer and see if you are really in for a 3-4 year assignment in SD. This might help you figure out what to do and save you from burning a year on a boat that would suck ("can I live on a boat of this size for a year?"). Maybe you can live a year on a Catlina 27 and then 2-3 years on a big grey boat!! V/R Steve
L
Levin
Always good advice
Thanks again to everyone for the good advice and for pointing me towards some possibly good deals. I have E-mailed those of you who gave me E-mail addresses to inquire more about the possiblities that you spoke of. For everyone else I just wanted to say thanks again for all the good advice you have given me, both in this post and the previous one a few months back. For Jack I just wanted to say... yes I know I'm rushing things, and I apreciate your advice in spite of this fact. It might be better to wait and do the liveaboard thing when I'm older and not trying to fit it into a twelve month timetable... but then waiting has never been my strong point. If chartering is really an option that I can afford I think I will go that direction. I have no problem throwing money away on a boat for a year if I can afford to do so, because if I didn't live on a boat then I would just rent an appartment with my BAH, and that money would be gone too. I figure the boat will be a more unique experiance... even if it is not the most spacious. My thought is that at the end of the year in San Diego I will have gotten a good feel for boating and perhaps I will be in a postion to decide if I want to buy a boat more perminately (after chartering for a year if I can afford to go that route). This ensures that I don't have to try to sell a boat at the end of the year when I'm doing a lot of other things, and I can just pick up and move on. I guess the question I have (I always seem to have one more question don't I?) is does anyone know how much I could expect to pay to charter a boat (30-35 foot) in the San Diego area per month? Just trying to figure out if I can afford this option. Thanks, -Levin P.S. For those who are interested I'm joining the Navy as Psychologist (I'm finishing up my Ph.D. right now) and the training program in San Diego is actually my pre-doctoral internship.
Thanks again to everyone for the good advice and for pointing me towards some possibly good deals. I have E-mailed those of you who gave me E-mail addresses to inquire more about the possiblities that you spoke of. For everyone else I just wanted to say thanks again for all the good advice you have given me, both in this post and the previous one a few months back. For Jack I just wanted to say... yes I know I'm rushing things, and I apreciate your advice in spite of this fact. It might be better to wait and do the liveaboard thing when I'm older and not trying to fit it into a twelve month timetable... but then waiting has never been my strong point. If chartering is really an option that I can afford I think I will go that direction. I have no problem throwing money away on a boat for a year if I can afford to do so, because if I didn't live on a boat then I would just rent an appartment with my BAH, and that money would be gone too. I figure the boat will be a more unique experiance... even if it is not the most spacious. My thought is that at the end of the year in San Diego I will have gotten a good feel for boating and perhaps I will be in a postion to decide if I want to buy a boat more perminately (after chartering for a year if I can afford to go that route). This ensures that I don't have to try to sell a boat at the end of the year when I'm doing a lot of other things, and I can just pick up and move on. I guess the question I have (I always seem to have one more question don't I?) is does anyone know how much I could expect to pay to charter a boat (30-35 foot) in the San Diego area per month? Just trying to figure out if I can afford this option. Thanks, -Levin P.S. For those who are interested I'm joining the Navy as Psychologist (I'm finishing up my Ph.D. right now) and the training program in San Diego is actually my pre-doctoral internship.
F
Franklin
I agree
If you can find a boat to rent then it's a great idea for you. You will find the Military life is one that changes a lot and it's hard to know where you will be in two months, let alone 2 years. Also, your young and don't have a lot of the responsibilities that many of us have so this is a great time for you to experience such a thing as living on a boat. If you don't find a way to do so now, you may not for many many years because of how life tends to change our situations. I do want to advise on one thing though...don't think you have to do it now. It just may be a bit nerve racking to try to do it now and may not be worth the effort. It's not any easy thing to do in your situation...the military seems to make everything hard. In otherwords, don't sweet it. If you can't now, then there is always retirement.
If you can find a boat to rent then it's a great idea for you. You will find the Military life is one that changes a lot and it's hard to know where you will be in two months, let alone 2 years. Also, your young and don't have a lot of the responsibilities that many of us have so this is a great time for you to experience such a thing as living on a boat. If you don't find a way to do so now, you may not for many many years because of how life tends to change our situations. I do want to advise on one thing though...don't think you have to do it now. It just may be a bit nerve racking to try to do it now and may not be worth the effort. It's not any easy thing to do in your situation...the military seems to make everything hard. In otherwords, don't sweet it. If you can't now, then there is always retirement.
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