heh,heh.... no offense my sailing brother... but, you do a lot of pointing out. Sorry I don't have anything to add to this thread, I'm just ramblin'.
The Live-Aboard Debate... Looking for a few good opinions!
- Thread starter rtdbphoto
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The biggest problem to living aboard in new england is the winter ! In addition to the heat issue, the fresh water and sewage are big concerns. If you can manage those three things the rest is all very doable. I know some live aboards who get a "winter rental" cottage for three or four month (most rents are modest in winter) to ease the pain of winter issues. Just something else to thing about...
LIve on your boat? Sail up the east coast during the summer months, sail back down and winter in the keys. 
My heat pumps keep me roasty-toasty as long as the water temperature is 35 deg or warmer. Marine units don't gracefuly degrade--they will suddenlty stop working when the water freezes up in the heat exchanger.
His water gets to freezing
A reverse cycle heat pump is great for most of the year in the upper bay but during Nov-Jan you are going to get pretty cool as the water temp does not get above 35 for most of the time.
I've found that it is much easier to just turn on the heater when needed than to try and install a whole system that only gets used for 2 months in the non sailing season.
It is also much nicer to have 100+ degree heat than to get the 90ish that a heat pump puts out. Yes it puts out 90ish degree air all day long but my poor old feet like to operate at 98.6 so that air always feels cold to me. An electric heater however makes a nice warm heat that you can hang your socks or shirt on to get them warm in the morning or to stick my toes in front of when reading at night.
FWIW
A reverse cycle heat pump is great for most of the year in the upper bay but during Nov-Jan you are going to get pretty cool as the water temp does not get above 35 for most of the time.
I've found that it is much easier to just turn on the heater when needed than to try and install a whole system that only gets used for 2 months in the non sailing season.
It is also much nicer to have 100+ degree heat than to get the 90ish that a heat pump puts out. Yes it puts out 90ish degree air all day long but my poor old feet like to operate at 98.6 so that air always feels cold to me. An electric heater however makes a nice warm heat that you can hang your socks or shirt on to get them warm in the morning or to stick my toes in front of when reading at night.
FWIW
rtdbphoto - you don't say that you want to sail and live-aboard. I would say the best live-aboard boat is a house barge. Assuming you want to sail or move from place to place I would look for a deck salon type boat. I would want to be able to see outside of the boat from the living area - it would make me feel like less of a shut in. I wouldn't want to have to go up the steps, remove the companionway boards just to find out what that noise is or to see if its still snowing.
Decks are treatcherous when covered with snow. I think docks would be too.
I would look for a boatyard with year 'round toilet, shower and laundry facilities.
Finally, I wouldn't embark on this without a girlfriend with a nice warm apartment.
Decks are treatcherous when covered with snow. I think docks would be too.
I would look for a boatyard with year 'round toilet, shower and laundry facilities.
Finally, I wouldn't embark on this without a girlfriend with a nice warm apartment.
You might take a look at this other forum:
http://www.livingaboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000181
http://www.livingaboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000181
Just get a 30 to 40 footer and move back and forth between where you are now and the south.
Anyone that tries to tell you it cannot be done has NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE. You got a lot going for you. Your young, energetic, plugged in, and employable. So stop thinking about it and get to doing it. I'm 43 and starting down the same journey you are but I intend a circumnavigation. I am taking CG classes reading a lot and also looking for a live aboard blue water boat. I am looking really hard at a older Pearson Triton 28 ft loa just because the older ones are built like battleships. Yes I may need to upgrade a few things but from what I have read and seen, Less is MORE!
Good Luck and God BLESS
Anyone that tries to tell you it cannot be done has NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE. You got a lot going for you. Your young, energetic, plugged in, and employable. So stop thinking about it and get to doing it. I'm 43 and starting down the same journey you are but I intend a circumnavigation. I am taking CG classes reading a lot and also looking for a live aboard blue water boat. I am looking really hard at a older Pearson Triton 28 ft loa just because the older ones are built like battleships. Yes I may need to upgrade a few things but from what I have read and seen, Less is MORE!
Good Luck and God BLESS
I couldn't imagine living aboard with out AC. Yes, there are more than a few times a year I need to break out a couple of my West Marine electric heaters when the water temp goes below 35. I am thankful for the comfor that forced air central heating and cooling offers the other 300 days of the year.
Ok, time for me to pipe in!
I lived aboard a Cal 25 for a summer, and a Catalina 36 for several years, here in Canada (and you KNOW it's the Land of Ice and Snow...). So concerning insulation and such: Not as much of a deal as you'd think. First, the ocean doesn't get that cold - so around 4 deg C, it starts getting WARMER near the water. Also, a layer of snow is insulation. I didn't have any insulation on my boat except on the mast - it's a BIG heat-sink! (and also usually a source of leaks when it rains).
I had "central heating": A Volvo forced-air unit that was crap - but look into Wabaso and even hot-water-heating systems. It's not hard to keep a boat warm in the winter. The other concern is of course sewage - if you have a holding tank it will have to be BIG and pumped out periodically. If not, you need a sewage hookup from the marina.
Which brings me to why I quit living aboard: here in Vancouver it's IMPOSSIBLE to find liveaboard space in a marina. The best you can do is find a marina willing to look the other way. Be sure to check out liveaboard space before you commit.
As for size, I had GOBS of space on the Catalina! Of course, it's a big 36, but I see no problem living on pretty much anything over 30 ft. My neighbours were mosly in smaller boats than mine: one was on a Cat 27 (although he'd tarped up the cockpit to make more room), another was a couple living on a 24ft powerboat.
There are some compromises that you will have to endure no matter how big the boat is: You need to go to a Rec Center for a decent shower every once in a while. You need to take you laundry to a laundrimat. (doesn't matter if you have a shower and laundry on board - trust me!) You will need a storage locker for... "stuff" that you just won't put on the boat. You'll need to arrange for phone, cable, internet... all the stuff you take for granted in a house.
But to (finally!) get to the post I'm replying to: I found more cameraderie and neighbours on the docks than I've EVER found in a house or appt! You really get to know your neighbours, help each other - there's a great sense of community on a liveaboard dock!
druid
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