Falmouth Liveabord Suggestions

Sandyman said:
OP should do some more research. The above will no where near provide enough power to get you through a winter.
If alongside you will need shore supply & if at anchor or on a mooring a reliable eberspacher/wood burner etc A dehumidifier will make it even better.

A trip to Trago Mills to purchase a couple of rolls of foam carpet underlay to lag the boat will improve comfort beyond belief.
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Thanks Sandyman, you ARE my research :D There's hundreds and hundreds of years of wisdom and experience and opinion and advice on this forum, I've learned so much already from posting just one question. I mean... foam underlay!? Who would have thought it!!! :)

Thanks for the prod though, yep, I have an ebber onboard - it needs an overhaul, well, it needs putting back together and seeing if it actually works!! It came with the boat. I have a small delonghi dehumidifier, and I have a little oil filled radiator - what I'm trying to ascertain, is how much power these might need, and what alternative complementary forms of heat generation, moisture reduction, insulation, ventilation and lifestyle choices I would need to adopt to make my little floating home suit my needs. Part of those needs are a desire to shift to 'off-grid' living - so I'm researching how best I might achieve that, and if not fully, what compromises I might need to choose to get as close as I can.

There's nothing better than peoples real life advice, and I'm taking everyones suggestions as another point to look into. So, please, if you have opinions, keep 'em coming. The more that is raised, the more I learn. :)
 
Downsman said:
I lay on the hook down in Falmouth off the Custom House Quay in 2009, waiting for the weather when bound for Portugal. It was £7.50 a night then, if I recall correctly. So you're looking at £50 odd a week at least. Handy for the town though and a berth in the Yacht Haven is a possibilty. Oh! and close by ashore is awash with pubs..:D
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Downsman, yeah that would be pricey, although I think (not sure now that I've been looking at a variety of options last night) that the price reduces if longer stretches of time are taken. But I could be pretending I read that somewhere too!! A shore full of pubs is starting to sound delightful! ;)

halcyon said:
Falmout harbour can be very bad in winter due to Easterlies, wind and swell.
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Thanks Brian for the headsup about the liveaboard options across the other side of the river. Looks like I'll be wandering around Challenger + Ponsharden today!

Hmm, maybe the harbour might not be a winter option, afterall.
Its daylight here now, so off to have a better look around.

phantomlady said:
As to the winter village at the Yacht Haven.... it's more a question of first come, first served and being on the ground and (dare I say it?) your face fits..ie you're friendly to the staff and other residents.
Please don't underestimate how bloody awful it can be living in a damp, cold climate on a boat in the depths of winter. YOU WILL NEED POWER FOR HEATING!
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PhantomLady, Yes, the 'face fits' is true I think, of a lot of places, I'll stop by the harbour office today and check if my version of 'friendly' is theirs too :D I wandered by last night in the dark, but hard to get bearings in a new town, I'm sure it'll make more sense today! Thanks for the CAPITAL warning :) yep, I'm looking at all kinds of options for heat at the moment - its good to get the prods and warnings though!!

Thanks all again, this has been really helpful in shortlisting and getting familiar with locals opinions and options!! :)
 
Hi again,

If you consider staying on the hook at 50 quid a week expensive then you should realise its going to cost you much much more in the Haven Marine. Having said that it still a lot cheaper there then in Premier or Pendennis.
Might be worth a word with Pendennis thought as I recall they do a good winter rate for smaller boats. Probably to fill up the smaller available berths.
Also worth a word with Falmouth School of Sailing............just past Trago Mills. Lots of locals there (they are user friendly :D) with lots of local knowledge.

BTW the best Oggies are from the butchers half way up Killigrew Street the road on the left hand side of The Moors (Main square)
 
Forget the eber if you do not have leccy, mains leccy, they eat power, they have a fan. The only way to heat without leccy is solid fuel, paraffin or drip feed diesel. For the winter months I would definitely be looking for a berth with leccy, I wintered two winters in Dartmouth and found out its just unbearable without decent heating.
I luckily had a geneartor, but knocked hell out of that in one winter, the small diesel gennys are for "liesure" use!! Also get yourself a leccy blanket, you can run one on an inverter, they are very low wattage, so draw low power, but great to get into a warm bunk. Just my tuppence worth.
 
ccscott49 said:
Forget the eber if you do not have leccy, mains leccy, they eat power, they have a fan. The only way to heat without leccy is solid fuel, paraffin or drip feed diesel. For the winter months I would definitely be looking for a berth with leccy, I wintered two winters in Dartmouth and found out its just unbearable without decent heating.
I luckily had a geneartor, but knocked hell out of that in one winter, the small diesel gennys are for "liesure" use!! Also get yourself a leccy blanket, you can run one on an inverter, they are very low wattage, so draw low power, but great to get into a warm bunk. Just my tuppence worth.
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Tend to agree, but always handy to have the eber or other form of ready use heating available in case you lose shore supply.
Not unknown in marinas. Boat being in water tend to lose heat v quickly, especially if not well insulated.

OP keep us informed of your progress. Will be interesting to hear what decisions you make & why.
 
Unless you're dead set on living aboard £50 a week is shared flat money, my son has just left a 3 x double bed at £625 a month, right on the Prince of Wales pier. Student stuff can be cheaper.
 
phantomlady said:
I think you will find that the winter berths in the Yacht Haven are very reasonable. And their facilities are excellent, the position even better.
Me, I always rely on a good old hot water bottle. Cheap and cheerful!
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I just missed the harbour master office at yacht haven today (5pm) but did bump into a v friendly chap on the walk down to the gate who told me how nice it was to berth there (over winter), showed me where the printed prices were, and pointed me in the direction of the hm office. will check out tomorrow morning before driving back north

it does look like a nice spot - blowing today thought :)

yeah, cant agree more, i'm a hot water bottle hugger too, none of this leccy blanket stuff!!! :rolleyes:
 
Sandyman said:
If you consider staying on the hook at 50 quid a week expensive then you should realise its going to cost you much much more in the Haven Marine. Having said that it still a lot cheaper there then in Premier or Pendennis.
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I checked Premier - they were £3370, Challenger were £3177!! and Ponsharden were £1872.

Sandyman said:
Might be worth a word with Pendennis thought as I recall they do a good winter rate for smaller boats. Probably to fill up the smaller available berths.
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I'll check with Pendennis tomorrow, that does sound promising though!

Sandyman said:
Also worth a word with Falmouth School of Sailing............just past Trago Mills. Lots of locals there (they are user friendly :D) with lots of local knowledge.

BTW the best Oggies are from the butchers half way up Killigrew Street the road on the left hand side of The Moors (Main square)
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Would that be a veggie pasty then? Or only full blown meaty versions available down here!? :)

Ahh, Sailing School is a good call, thanks for that! Busy day tomorrow!
 
ccscott49 said:
Forget the eber if you do not have leccy, mains leccy, they eat power, they have a fan. The only way to heat without leccy is solid fuel, paraffin or drip feed diesel. Also get yourself a leccy blanket, you can run one on an inverter, they are very low wattage, so draw low power, but great to get into a warm bunk. Just my tuppence worth.
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Thanks ccscott49, now thats something I didnt realise - that ebers used leccy too - I thought it was just: diesel in, heat out! :o Did you find the winters too cold for the solid fuel/paraffin/drip feed diesel type heater options? I've considered paraffin, but not checked into it enough yet.

Re the leccy blanket, I'm more of a hot water bottle person, never quite got in to the whole electric blanket thing! We used to put river stones in the fire when camping, and then put those into our sleeping bags just before bedtime... very toasty!!

Thanks for your tuppence, very helpful! Now I'm considering stripping out the eber, selling on, and replacing with another solar panel.

fisherman said:
Unless you're dead set on living aboard £50 a week is shared flat money, my son has just left a 3 x double bed at £625 a month, right on the Prince of Wales pier. Student stuff can be cheaper.
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Hi fisherman, yep fraid so, living aboard is half the fun! Thanks for the suggestion though, its good to know what things cost down here!
 
halcyon said:
What size are you ? and where did you go, we pay £22.95 a week at Ponsharden for a 27 footer :confused:
Brian
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Hi Brian, I spoke to Michel - I'm a 27 footer - he quoted £27 pw (storage only), £36 pw if I wanted to live aboard. Hmmm, did I do my math right?? I make it £1404 for storage only, and £1872 to liveabord. We walked around looking at possible places to put me... its pretty tight for space!

phantomlady said:
Internet access is usually important for students. No problem at the Yacht Haven. Just something else to consider.......?
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Oh yeah, thnx!!! I'd probably rather have no heat, than no internet!! :D
 
floebs said:
Hi Brian, I spoke to Michel - I'm a 27 footer - he quoted £27 pw (storage only), £36 pw if I wanted to live aboard. Hmmm, did I do my math right?? I make it £1404 for storage only, and £1872 to liveabord.
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But you are only there for 9 months, so £1400 max liveaboard. remember that marinas may have winter rates, but that ends April, so you need an alternate till June.

Brian
 
halcyon said:
Infact the Uni is closed for 4 months, or more.
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Chuckle, I wondered if thats what you meant! I'm thinking too much about living and not enough about sailing!! :D

Didnt get a quote for lift in at Ponsharden, just basing prices on a like for like across 12 months, for comparison.
 
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