Full time live aboards with jobs-do you actually use your boat?

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katie777

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We are looking to switch our classic motor boat for something lower-maintenance. We have been basically static in the few years we have been living aboard (largely due to a lack of water in our mud berth-but we love it here). We actually bought a little lift keeler to get out on. It would be nice to have just one boat though...
We are weighing up a change to a 35ft-ish sail boat (lift keel) and a more mobile way of life. Obviously this will cost us space and light compared to a mobo but we can work with small and simple IF it is really worth it. My concern is that live aboards just somehow don't really use their boats, we know plenty who don't (okay including us atm!).
Does anyone manage to get out regularly while holding down a (part time) job and pretending to be at least a bit like all the land folk? Or does life (stuff?) mean you realistically only manage holidays and a few weekends per year? Or Does the fact that it's your home make you somehow too nervous to get out there, too easy to make excuses? If we're going to do that we might as well buy some ugly motor boat...
Any help appreciated!
 
Before we set off from the UK in 2008 we lived on board in a marina and both had full time jobs. We only went sailing a handful of times over 18 months. A combination of work and family commitments meant that we rarely had a weekend free to go out of the marina. However we were working towards being able to retire and head off on our cruising life, therefore any spare time was spent getting us and the boat ready for our departure.
 
We've lived aboard for 10 years now and, apart from the last year, our boat was probably the most used boat on the marina. We both work full time including one in 3 weekends. In the early years we had teenage children, but on a Friday night we would always head off out returning on a Sunday evening. Living aboard does place more wear and tear on your boat and over the last 9 years we have maintained her while gently upgrading and improving. For the last 6 months however we have placed a self imposed ban on regular cruising as she is in serious need of a re-paint so we have been sanding and prepping her. The fact it is also our home has never stopped us cruising - In fact it's a bonus :)
 
we live aboard permanently and work full time. As they say - work is the curse of the sailing classes. We hope to do better next year, but in the last year we managed only 2 weekends and a 2 week summer cruise. Of course, it would depend where your marina is, but we are in central London so it's a whole day to get out to sea. If we were on the coast I have no doubt that we would have made more weekend and short trips.
 
I lived aboard FT in a marina for 4 years (and soon will be doing so again!) & I'd say most boats, whether they are lived on or not, don't venture out more than a handful of times a year. If you're disciplined about how much stuff you accumulate and also keep things you're not actually using stowed prpoperly it shouldn't take too long to get ready to go sailing. Having a bit of OCD helps. I also think boats deteriorate more quickly if they're rarely visited/used than they do if they are lived aboard and used. If you're already there you're more likely to do & keep up with maintenance than if you have to make a trip down to your boat. Biggest barrier to sailing in the UK is the weather...
 
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