I am in the process of looking for a boat to liveaboard and would like to hear from anyone their opinion of the best liveaboard boat. I would also like to hear the good and bad of living aboard. I am planning on living aboard with costal cruising with the possibilities of going to the Bahamas and Caribbean after I retire. I will most likely be living aboard for 3 to 5 years. So far I am looking for livability, space, storage, tankage, good strong & fast sailing AND motoring abilities. Any other suggestions of what to look for? I am especially interested in hearing from anyone who is or has lived aboard but any and all comments, opinions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank You! Kathy
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Your Question Leaves a Lot of Questions
for you. How many will live aboard? Pets? Other passengers from time to time? What is your sailing experience (re: size of boat, etc)? What about a budget to work with? How much equipment will you need to store? It sounds like you want to live aboard, but are looking to actually sail, too. Those two items must be considered.
for you. How many will live aboard? Pets? Other passengers from time to time? What is your sailing experience (re: size of boat, etc)? What about a budget to work with? How much equipment will you need to store? It sounds like you want to live aboard, but are looking to actually sail, too. Those two items must be considered.
If you love to sail
a sailboat is the way to go. But if you see yourself doing a lot of motoring you might want to consider a trawler or houseboat. Even if you love to sail but see yourself mostly tied to a dock the trawler might be the better way to go. If you see yourself cruising and mostly living on the hook then a sailboat might be the better way to go. One great thing about a trawler is that it opens up a lot of water that isn't available to sailors due to bridges. Yes diesel costs money but new sails do also. There are so many rivers and lakes to explore that would be open to a houseboat or trawler. Supposedly you can go to Lincoln Nebraska in a houseboat!!! Not to mention all of the east and gulf coasts. All of the major cities in Alabama are accessable by houseboat!!! Huntsville on the Tennessee, Montgomery on the Alabama, Birmingham on the Warrior. Tennessee is the same with Knoxville ,Memphis,Nashville and Chattanooga all on major rivers.
a sailboat is the way to go. But if you see yourself doing a lot of motoring you might want to consider a trawler or houseboat. Even if you love to sail but see yourself mostly tied to a dock the trawler might be the better way to go. If you see yourself cruising and mostly living on the hook then a sailboat might be the better way to go. One great thing about a trawler is that it opens up a lot of water that isn't available to sailors due to bridges. Yes diesel costs money but new sails do also. There are so many rivers and lakes to explore that would be open to a houseboat or trawler. Supposedly you can go to Lincoln Nebraska in a houseboat!!! Not to mention all of the east and gulf coasts. All of the major cities in Alabama are accessable by houseboat!!! Huntsville on the Tennessee, Montgomery on the Alabama, Birmingham on the Warrior. Tennessee is the same with Knoxville ,Memphis,Nashville and Chattanooga all on major rivers.
Kathy, we are not live aboards, but as with any...
decision like this we began by making a list of things we wanted on a boat. I've seen single people live on 26 footers. IMHO the H28 is about the minimum, but it used and alcohol two burner stove with no oven. Karen Thorndike sailed solo around the world in a 36 foot cutter sloop with a 40 gallon fresh water tank. Check out boats for sale at your nearest marina and visit boat shows to help you compile the needs/wants list. You will have a blast doing it. Terry
decision like this we began by making a list of things we wanted on a boat. I've seen single people live on 26 footers. IMHO the H28 is about the minimum, but it used and alcohol two burner stove with no oven. Karen Thorndike sailed solo around the world in a 36 foot cutter sloop with a 40 gallon fresh water tank. Check out boats for sale at your nearest marina and visit boat shows to help you compile the needs/wants list. You will have a blast doing it. Terry
sounds similer to my question....
i find myself in the "triangle" delima. good shape, big, cheap....i can pick any 2 of the 3 but i cant have all 3! i am considering spending some time coastal cruising the gulf of mexico in a few, <5, years whan i retire. (quit will be more like it...i'm not quite to that age yet
i have a hunter 23 now that i am ready to sell so i can start working on that "retirement" boat. problem is: i cant find the "perfect" boat. i of course know there is no such thing but seems like the more i look and the more ideas i get the more confused i become. its kinda hard to anticipate what i will want to do and see in 5 years. coastal...inland...carribean...if you would like to brainstorm and/or compare notes you can e mail me off-line. williamrd@attglobal.net
i find myself in the "triangle" delima. good shape, big, cheap....i can pick any 2 of the 3 but i cant have all 3! i am considering spending some time coastal cruising the gulf of mexico in a few, <5, years whan i retire. (quit will be more like it...i'm not quite to that age yet
i have a hunter 23 now that i am ready to sell so i can start working on that "retirement" boat. problem is: i cant find the "perfect" boat. i of course know there is no such thing but seems like the more i look and the more ideas i get the more confused i become. its kinda hard to anticipate what i will want to do and see in 5 years. coastal...inland...carribean...if you would like to brainstorm and/or compare notes you can e mail me off-line. williamrd@attglobal.netprevious posts
read all of the posts under "comparisons on hunter catalina, and beneteau" there is a lot of good information from all of these very experienced sailors.
read all of the posts under "comparisons on hunter catalina, and beneteau" there is a lot of good information from all of these very experienced sailors.
Quick and Dirty
Go to yachtworld.com or simular site. Punch in the amount you can spend, the size you want etc etc. And see what's available. Then if you have ideas about speed capize formula, beam etc get the sailcalculator and compare the boats you can afford. After you have a reasonable number of boats say 10 that you like start driving to marinas and looking at the real thing. Our best boat evolved as we looked at and considered many boats. we thought that a Cape Dory 30 looked great on paper. In person it was too cramped. A pearson 365 ketch seemed like more boat than we could handle. A catalina 30 not heavy enough. Catalina 34 mark II too expensive.... Then you will see the boat model that you like best.... Then search for that boat only and compare prices and conditions. We drove a couple thousand miles looking at boats. Some were an absolute waste of time. Nice photos but green smmelly boats with oily bilges. We tried the broker route but they always wanted us to buy what they had to sell. It's a lot harder than buying a house!!! Keep an open mind you might find a great deal on a boat that will work for you that you didn't initially consider. If you have the money get a newer boat because all boats develope problems as they age. Your best liveaboard boat will be unique to your wants and circumstances.
Go to yachtworld.com or simular site. Punch in the amount you can spend, the size you want etc etc. And see what's available. Then if you have ideas about speed capize formula, beam etc get the sailcalculator and compare the boats you can afford. After you have a reasonable number of boats say 10 that you like start driving to marinas and looking at the real thing. Our best boat evolved as we looked at and considered many boats. we thought that a Cape Dory 30 looked great on paper. In person it was too cramped. A pearson 365 ketch seemed like more boat than we could handle. A catalina 30 not heavy enough. Catalina 34 mark II too expensive.... Then you will see the boat model that you like best.... Then search for that boat only and compare prices and conditions. We drove a couple thousand miles looking at boats. Some were an absolute waste of time. Nice photos but green smmelly boats with oily bilges. We tried the broker route but they always wanted us to buy what they had to sell. It's a lot harder than buying a house!!! Keep an open mind you might find a great deal on a boat that will work for you that you didn't initially consider. If you have the money get a newer boat because all boats develope problems as they age. Your best liveaboard boat will be unique to your wants and circumstances.
Kathy, we went through the same exercise
nearly 2 years ago and have lived aboard since then. You don't mention whether you're alone but with only 2 of us and a limited budget we settled on a 1991 Hunter 43. We checked out the Beneteau's of a similar size but preferred the Hunter, mainly because of the saloon size. For us, anything smaller than 43 foot would be difficult to live on but it does depend where you start. We have cruised the Bahamas without difficulty, 2 up and can manage the boat between us. A survey suggested that most cruising boats are in the 43 - 46 foot range - there must be a reason. Good luck
nearly 2 years ago and have lived aboard since then. You don't mention whether you're alone but with only 2 of us and a limited budget we settled on a 1991 Hunter 43. We checked out the Beneteau's of a similar size but preferred the Hunter, mainly because of the saloon size. For us, anything smaller than 43 foot would be difficult to live on but it does depend where you start. We have cruised the Bahamas without difficulty, 2 up and can manage the boat between us. A survey suggested that most cruising boats are in the 43 - 46 foot range - there must be a reason. Good luck
10 Boats that will take you anywhere
It's a book. You might like to read it I thought it was very good, tells what to look for in a boat. No mater what you get anything can sink, so get a life raft and other saftey equipment and learn how to use them. I wouldn't get too hung up on thinking you need a battleship size boat a lot of people have done a lot of crossings with small boats.
It's a book. You might like to read it I thought it was very good, tells what to look for in a boat. No mater what you get anything can sink, so get a life raft and other saftey equipment and learn how to use them. I wouldn't get too hung up on thinking you need a battleship size boat a lot of people have done a lot of crossings with small boats.
Tradeoffs
The first question is how blue water capable the boat needs to be. True blue water cruisers aren't as liveaboard friendly as the dockominiums. The second question is how big a boat to get. The 40+ footers are the most comfortable, and even ride better at sea, but they are also the most expensive to buy, dock, and maintain, not to mention the hardest to handle single-handed in any sort of sea. Some people successfully live aboard 34-footers, or even smaller.
The first question is how blue water capable the boat needs to be. True blue water cruisers aren't as liveaboard friendly as the dockominiums. The second question is how big a boat to get. The 40+ footers are the most comfortable, and even ride better at sea, but they are also the most expensive to buy, dock, and maintain, not to mention the hardest to handle single-handed in any sort of sea. Some people successfully live aboard 34-footers, or even smaller.
magazine article
I was reading a magazine article by a long time marine writer who decided to review some Caribbean ports to update his info on what boats were being used by yachties nowdays. To his surprise, he realized that the majority of serious cruising liveaboards he saw were center-cockpits, not necessarily large ones.
I was reading a magazine article by a long time marine writer who decided to review some Caribbean ports to update his info on what boats were being used by yachties nowdays. To his surprise, he realized that the majority of serious cruising liveaboards he saw were center-cockpits, not necessarily large ones.
Comfort level
In 1970 we purchased a Tartan 27 damaged by Huricane Camile. For two years she was our home as we repaired her. In the spring of 1972 we sailed her along the gulf coast to Texas. At Port Arthur we traded her for a VW van. The van became our home as we toured the US for another 8 months. Living on the Tartan 27 was just like living in the WW van. If you live on a boat, you will never have enough room........you just make do. You will learn what you must have. It is a different life. Sell or give away everything you do not need. An average apartment has more storage and living area than a 100 foot boat. But I know of a couple that live on a 23 foot boat. They rent a storage garage for everything not kept on the boat. They are very happy.
In 1970 we purchased a Tartan 27 damaged by Huricane Camile. For two years she was our home as we repaired her. In the spring of 1972 we sailed her along the gulf coast to Texas. At Port Arthur we traded her for a VW van. The van became our home as we toured the US for another 8 months. Living on the Tartan 27 was just like living in the WW van. If you live on a boat, you will never have enough room........you just make do. You will learn what you must have. It is a different life. Sell or give away everything you do not need. An average apartment has more storage and living area than a 100 foot boat. But I know of a couple that live on a 23 foot boat. They rent a storage garage for everything not kept on the boat. They are very happy.
Shallow draft-Bahamas
If the Bahamas are in you plans 5ft or less should be on the shopping list. Much more and you are limited to missing a lot of areas not accessible to you.
If the Bahamas are in you plans 5ft or less should be on the shopping list. Much more and you are limited to missing a lot of areas not accessible to you.
My husband and Iived aboard our Legend 45
for 2 years and cruised from Louisiana thru the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Trinidad and back. I agree with others who suggest 40+ is a good size for a live aboard boat. We were quite comfortable when we were in a marina and on anchor and were able to carry enough provisions, water, fuel, spares, etc to not worry about being away from stuff for a good period of time. The two of us were able to handle the boat just fine. We think good sailing characteristics are important too. Our boat has 6’ draft, which did not create a problem for us and a 63’ mast which only meant we had to check for bridge heights when planning our routes. We really enjoyed living aboard and cruising, although we have decided to move off the boat and do land things for now.
for 2 years and cruised from Louisiana thru the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Trinidad and back. I agree with others who suggest 40+ is a good size for a live aboard boat. We were quite comfortable when we were in a marina and on anchor and were able to carry enough provisions, water, fuel, spares, etc to not worry about being away from stuff for a good period of time. The two of us were able to handle the boat just fine. We think good sailing characteristics are important too. Our boat has 6’ draft, which did not create a problem for us and a 63’ mast which only meant we had to check for bridge heights when planning our routes. We really enjoyed living aboard and cruising, although we have decided to move off the boat and do land things for now.
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