I got this in my E-mail box today. Very interesting indeed!!! NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Cramped quarters. No central air. $1,000 a month. Utilities not included. Sound like an ad for a San Francisco sublet? Think again. It's the living description of some 30,000 Americans who call their sailboats and other cruising vessels home. And nearly all of them would agree -- it's a lifestyle not suited for the faint of heart. "It can be very enjoyable, but at times it's also very demanding," said Edward "Chili" Ridley, who left his job at a Texas feed mill three years ago to sail year-round with his wife. "You've got to deal with the weather, equipment failures and repairs, and unless you've got the money to have someone do it for you, you've got to become a semi-expert," he added. Even so, the Ridleys -- who returned to their slip in southern Florida last week after hiding out from the hurricanes in the Bahamas -- wouldn't have it any other way. Having sold "everything [they] owned," the Ridleys these days spend their time navigating the Atlantic and bankrolling the voyage with some well-placed investments. "We're just out here having fun and we'd do it all over again," Ridley said. "We like the water and we're both scuba divers. We go where the wind takes us." A microcosm Statistically speaking, the majority of those in the liveaboard community are bachelors, but John Bierrie, founder of the newly established National Live-A-Board Association (NLABA), said there are plenty of married couples and even some families who brave the waves on a daily basis, too. [IMAGE] Source: LiveAboard Magazine And contrary to popular belief, he notes, very few are among the super rich. Most are professionals with full-time jobs back on shore, including politicians, engineers and office managers. They simply park their cars at the marina and drive to the office like the rest of us. 'It's like every other segment of society, from the very rich to the very poor," Bierrie said. "I know people who wear a suit and tie and drive in to work every morning." The definition of a liveaboard is a bit lose -- but traditionalists reserve the term as a badge of honor for those live on their sailboats or motorboats year-round. If you count those who live on house boats, you can tack on another 50,000 or more. According to the NLABA, the average liveaboard boat (most often a sailboat since fuel costs are nil) is 35 to 40 feet long. That gives you roughly 350 square feet of cabin space, but at least 150 of that is absorbed by storage and furniture, he said. "There are closets bigger than that," Bierrie said. Consequently, organizational skills are key. You keep only what you use and you use only what you can comfortably squeeze on board. "I liken it to those who have retired and are traveling the country in their recreational vehicles," said Mark Brown, editor and owner of LiveAboard Magazine. [IMAGE] Source: LiveAboard Magazine Costs The liveaboard lifestyle is a bit more expensive than most people think. If you dock your boat in southern Florida or California, the cost of leasing a slip plus liveaboard fees for marina utilities are roughly $500 a month. Add that to $500 monthly loan payments on your $200,000 boat and you're looking at expenses of about $1,000 a month. If you cruise up to Pacific Northwest, you can cut your marina fees nearly in half. But that still doesn't include the $1,000 it costs to haul your boat out of the water each year for a fresh coat of paint, or $45 a month for scuba divers to scrape the bottom of your boat - standard maintenance for salt water vessels. [IMAGE] "I estimate it costs me $15,000 a year for everything," Brown said. In high-priced parts of the country, like San Francisco and Manhattan, however, $1,000 for room and board may sound like a bargain. But Brown said marinas are starting to get wise. "In the last three or four years, landlords who own marinas have decided that if they can charge more for rent why can't they charge more for slip fees," he said. "I've received numerous letters from liveaboards who say they've seen their slip fees shoot up as much as 300 percent in San Francisco Bay." Salty dogs agree that the bottom line for most liveaboards -- as with most Americans -- is you're likely to spend what you earn. "Everyone wants to know what it costs, and the best response that I've heard is this: How much do you have to spend?" Ridley said. Ports in the storm If you're thinking about taking the plunge, you should think long and hard about what you're giving up. Be prepared to wage a constant war against mildew, and don't forget that you'll likely have to deal with inadequate space heaters and energy absorbing air conditioners (if you're lucky.) And if you're thinking of doing this with your spouse, be prepared for very tight quarters and a lack of personal space. Those who have been there say not all marriages can handle it. "The 3 a.m. walk to the bathroom when it's raining is really a drag, especially in the winter months," Brown admits. "Plus, your friends think you're weird, but that's what makes it unique." [IMAGE] Source: LiveAboard Magazine Under fire Also, be prepared to meet with some resistance from marinas and even some government agencies. Many marinas these days are banning liveaboards from their docks, frustrated by the sometimes cluttered look of their decks and the heightened use of garbage waste and electricity. In some cases, they've been burned before by individuals who buy a $500 run-down boat to live on, fall behind on their rent payments and eventually abandon the boat where it sits -- an expensive proposition for the marina. "You always hear about the 70-year-old liveaboard who gets thrown out of the marina, but you never hear that he had stopped paying his slip fees or that he was leaving trash and clutter on the deck," Bierrie says. "The marinas don't want their good customers to be turned off. We've done a lot of this to ourselves in many cases, either through attitudes or action." Moreover, many liveaboards tell horror stories about securing loans for their boats and cars, getting a driver's license or having a mailbox installed, since some companies and government agencies aren't quite sure how to handle customers with no residential address. A taxing situation And don't forget taxes. One of the perks of the liveaboard lifestyle is that you get to write off the interest payments you make on your boat loan on your federal income taxes, as you would for a regular mortgage. The Internal Revenue Service requires only that the boat act as either your primary or secondary residence and that it be classified as liveable, complete with sleeping quarters, cooking facilities and a toilet. The other advantage is that you don't pay property taxes -- in most states, that is. Liveaboards often register their boats in a state like Florida, for example, which has no state income taxes either, and simply dock their boats in another part of the country. But states have become increasingly frustrated with liveaboards who avoid property taxes but make use of trash collection services and in some cases send their kids to school. Some now are levying property taxes on the liveaboard community. Brown, who docks his 40-foot sailboat at a Marina in Los Angeles, said he pays a 1 percent county property tax on his boat. Unfortunately, the county decides how much his boat is worth, so the boat he purchased in the 1980s for about $10,000 is now taxed as a $40,000 vessel. "There have been some problems on this issue with some states because they feel like liveaboards are getting away with something," Bierre said. You should always check with a tax advisor and your state tax collection agency to find out what your obligations are under the law. [IMAGE] Source: LiveAboard Magazine A vacation every day As for the tight living quarters and the challenges of day-to-day life, many liveaboards say they love the carefree existence. And of course, they add, the views are great. "When I drive over the hill on my way home from work I can look out over my marina and the whole ocean. I know that in five minutes I'm going to be in my shorts and T-shirt on the back of my boat enjoying a scotch on the rocks. I feel like I'm on vacation every day," Brown says. Copyright 1999, CNN America, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED