Am I doing the right thing with liveaboard??

[nortada]

Yes I suppose it's a broad church.
For us, the whole point is being free to keep on the move. If we wanted to stop, we would want to go back to living on land.
Anyway, the clock is ticking, I guess we will find out soon enough

Most of us start out like that but with the passage of time priorities change.

Seem to remember that the average time for an expat/liveaboard’s adventure is about 7 years.

 

[V1701]

...I do like the idea of a wheelhouse, spent many an interesting day in my dinghy wishing I had one, the scottish weather can change in an eyeblink, and I dont think it pays much attention to the forecast..
When you say 'dont sail well', what aspects are you thinking of? Last time I went out to sea on a friends boat, she had a folding cover that could be mostly stowed away for better days.. Was better than just using my hat..

Some "motor sailers" are effectively motor boats with sail assist so if your passion is sailing don't buy a Colvic Watson I guess. I have a CW34 that doesn't even have a rig but may swap to something with sails when I no longer have to work. For now it's like living in a luxury flat compared to the late 20's footers I've had before. For me I realised that living in the UK, working full time the amount of actual sailing I was doing was very little...

 

[GHA]

Most of us start out like that but with the passage of time priorities change.

Seem to remember that the average time for an expat/liveaboard’s adventure is about 7 years.

Most of those around you when you go nowhere....

 

[Wansworth]

I can quite see myself living aboard say a 32 footer in Chichester marina,nice hot showers,laundry,bus service into Chichester for food etc,nearby yacht club and marina social life,then out through the lock gates at anytime of the year to wander about

 

[ryanroberts]

Most of us start out like that but with the passage of time priorities change.

Seem to remember that the average time for an expat/liveaboard’s adventure is about 7 years.

10, but much of that spent cruising past the back of the Armitage Shanks factory in Stoke

 

[V1701]

10, but much of that spent cruising past the back of the Armitage Shanks factory in Stoke

I feel your pain, that's where I grew up. In Stoke that is, not round the back of Shanks's...

 

[fasteddy13]

Hi all..

Did not take much wrestling with all the issues.. So am doing it..! Been to have a look at a couple of boats, really bad condition and not worth it.. Although the big wasps nest in one of them did look funky..
Clock is ticking now, will be out of my terrestial domicile by mid august, does not leave a load of time to work on a boat so now looking at plans for winter..
Thank you all for your input, was a huge help in my feeling more informed with my choices, will no doubt spend more time on the forum when the next few weeks whirlwind has finished..

 

[Kelpie]

Nice one. So it's a winter afloat in Scotland then? Get a boat that has no leaks, no sign of any water ingress at all.
If you enjoy your first winter you'll absolutely love the summer

 

[fasteddy13]

Hey Kelpie..
Good question..! All depends on where I buy the boat from, seems it is purely down to population density (sailing density) as to where the biggest choice of boats are. Round the solent there seems to be loads of cheapee boats, up here in the north of Scotland, not so many..
Just off to Inverness to have a peek at a couple.. Will let you know how I get on..

 

[cherod]

good luck ,, dont overthink the whole thing ( except in buying the boat ) , just go for it , but more in the steadyeddy than the fasteddy mode .. i know the buying local may dictate where you are initially but if you are heading back up East for the winter then Peterhead is well worth considering , cheap and friendly .

 

[fasteddy13]

Hi cherod..

Apologies for delay in responding, things getting a bit nuts here in divesting myself of all this stuff, my computer being part of that, which left me with no internet access for a bit.. Have now managed to create a 12v system and it should fit nicely onto the boat I get. Still have not got one, the logistics of buying a boat when I am so far north of everything is going to be a bit of a challenge methinks..
Keep having to catch myself and stop thinking of the location too much, I now realize I have landlubbers thinking and I will be able to move location at will, after all these years of building a home it is quite a jolt to accept the freedoms of my new life and have to keep reminding myself that I can move around wherever I wish.

Had a good days fishing at Peterhead, nice place and lived about an hour from it for a while.. My thinking , which could change of course, is to maybe stay further south this winter. I think this summer will be taken up with maintenance, learning sail-craft and generally sorting out my new home. Am leaning towards the notion of making life a bit easier for my first winter, suspect insulation, condensation and weather in general might be hurdles that are best tackled after I have put the time and work into my boat, especially Scottish weather in the winter.

Hmm.. fasteddy is a nickname that stuck when I was younger and used to play a lot of pool (Fasteddy Felson -Paul Newman - The Hustler, you are all showing your age if you know that one), but really I am someone that likes to plan things well and then be flexible as I go along. Think you are right cherod re the overthinking part, certainly when it comes to deciding which direction to point myself in, but at the moment I certainly find myself feeling a lot more comfortable when I have a few plans in place, even if I have to change them.

It has certainly become clear that there are a huge amount of bargains to be had around the solent, have quite a list of possible boats around there. So little up here, the ones in Inverness were rotten with seized engines, one had a nice wasps nest though..! I do have plans for a few days out and around Oban and the Clyde, perhaps I will spot a bargain or two..

My chickens are going today to a neighbour so best go get that sorted before the midges come out, sigh.. wont miss those little blighters.. !

 

[Tranona]

Do not be deceived by thinking there are bargains just waiting for you down south. If a boat in the sub £20k range is unsold for more than a couple of weeks it either has problems or is overpriced - or both. A local broker here in Poole who mainly lists lower value boats normally has around 30 boats listed. Currently has only 8 and to my knowledge at least 3 of them will never sell. There is one that would suit your requirements, but is overpriced.

Expect you will find those boats that are for sale are advertised privately rather than with a broker. Buying private can be good and bad. The bad is that private sellers often have no idea about how to present a boat and are often selling under duress (looming yard bills, lost interest, domestic trouble, ill health and so on) and difficult to arrange viewings. Although the Solent (say Poole to Chichester) looks compact, the reality is that you will be lucky to see more than 2 boats in a day. You really need to allow a week or two, plus travel down here. However you slice it, even when you decide on a boat and do a deal you still need time to complete, get the boat shipshape and find a berth or mooring.

Now the positive. This boat might be of interest, particularly as it comes with the possibility of a berth brightonboatsales.co.uk/boats-for-sale/westerly-konsort-29-3/ well worn but £4-5k less than a good condition one. Interestingly I understand it used to live up your way and last year was for sale there for £10k, but earlier this year was sailed down to Brighton. Don't know the background or why it is for sale, but might be worth following up.

In the meantime good luck with your search around the Clyde.

 

[Kelpie]

Konsorts are amazingly roomy for a 29ft boat.
There's a Vancouver 274 for sale in Plockton for £10k, not the biggest boat out there but should be pretty solid.

 

[capnsensible]

We lived aboard for 22 years. What a blast. Couple of Atlantic circuits. Worked in sailing throughout. Sailing schools. Deliveries. Awesome.

I never thought I'd move ashore but now I got a house and a tree.

My thoughts? Do it and never regret a bit. But one day you will swallow the anchor with some awesome memories.

Enjoy every bit, it's worth it!

 

[absent]

Just wanted to say don't forget to check abroad - particularly France, Belgium etc if you still haven't purchased. A friend of mine bought his 28fter over there several years back and had a great experience crossing the channel as a maiden voyage. I'm now living aboard that same boat and enjoying it just as much as he did.

 

[Tranona]

Just wanted to say don't forget to check abroad - particularly France, Belgium etc if you still haven't purchased. A friend of mine bought his 28fter over there several years back and had a great experience crossing the channel as a maiden voyage. I'm now living aboard that same boat and enjoying it just as much as he did.

The world is different since 1/1/2021 when we left the EU as there are now significant barriers and costs related to buying a boat from the EU for use by a UK resident in the EK - not least VAT at 20% and certification (from 2022) costing anywhere between £500-5000.

 

[absent]

Ah bum yeah I forgot all about that. Disregard

The world is different since 1/1/2021 when we left the EU as there are now significant barriers and costs related to buying a boat from the EU for use by a UK resident in the EK - not least VAT at 20% and certification (from 2022) costing anywhere between £500-5000.

 

[Seastoke]

10, but much of that spent cruising past the back of the Armitage Shanks factory in Stoke

Joiners Square boy.

 

[Sailfree]

I assume most livaboards want a nomadic life.

We lved aboard out boat in Nazare marina for 15months between selling apartment in Nazare and while new house was being bult.

We may go on short sailing holidays from Nazare.

Our boat is currently sheltered by being beside a 50'wooden trawler type boat (built in Scotland circa 1920s) currently owned by a Belgium guy who uses it as his summer home.

I know many UK marinas do not permit livaboards but think its easier on the continent providing you can apply for residency which I believe you can still do if you can demonstrate you are financially independant (eg retirement pension)

 

[fasteddy13]

Hey all..

I did it..! Been a frantic and chaotic couple of months, but today I wake up on my Westerly Windrush in Blackwater, Essex.. Hardest part of all of this has been divesting myself of all the enormous amount of clutter I have accumulated over the years, if fact, I still have to get my car sold and the trailer I came down here with but nearly there and am at least on my boat now..

Very grateful to all you folk, loads of pearls of wisdom which I relied on quite heavily.. Not sure I did everything as wisely as I could but at least I am on my journey at last. Some very funky folk around me as liveaboards, the one consistent theme I have noticed, is that there isn't one..! Seems everyone has a different story, different reason, different motivation to do this. They dont even seem to share a love of sailing, some stick to powered cruisers, some are happy to stay moored where they are. There are families, singles, couples, old, young.. No two boat owners seemed to be even similar, let alone the same. Cant begin to descibe how good that feels after being on terra firma and surrounded by very singular types of folk. Seems like living on land has a tendancy to restrict diversity, I know I should not generalize too much, but this eclectic mix of peeps around me is certainly a big contrast to my landlubber life. Love it..

My boat is on the small side, but the openplan interior makes it quite comfy for me. A somewhat overpowered engine (Volkswagon) makes her quite nippy under power, taking her out for a sail today and having my hand held by the previous seller who has many years of experience at sea, so really looking forward to catching the afternoon tide, might even catch my supper.!
Quite a bit of cosmetic work to be done if I want my boat to look extra shiny, but everything works and there are no outstanding issues at all at the moment. Still not got everything stowed away, suspect I brought too much crap with me but considering how much stuff I had, feeling quite heroic to have got rid of as much as I did. Brought a lot of tools with me, but my tool boxes are just a smidge too big for the lockers.. sigh..

Have hugely resisted any urge to plan anything so far. I very much want to end up amongst the Western Isles of Scotland next year, but no rush, no urgency and I really dont mind how long it takes me. I am probably in the most benign part of the UK when it comes to winter weather, global planetary destruction aside, 'warming' is way to gentle a word for what humans have done to our planet, probably dreamed up by the fossil fuel companies..
At the moment I am just going to try to enjoy not having the pressure of running in the rat race and finding my sea legs.. Brace yourself fishes, I am coming for you..!