Going to live aboard. Advice please?

[Chrisd106]

Hello,

I've always been a live in a house person and never considered living aboard a boat before. But over the past few months I have been reading up on how people have made a life out of living on a small boat. I live in the city and work in the city and it is a boring day to day life.

When I was younger I was a sea scout so I know a bit about the water and water safety but has anyone got any tips on where to start when it comes to living aboard. Any recommendations on boat sizes. I'm not looking at living on a river but on the sea in a small yacht or similar vessel.

A 4 berth seems to be a nice size but would it be too small?

Cheers

Chris

 

[duncan99210]

Chris welcome to the forum. You might try posting this on the Liveaboard Forum where you should get more response than you've had on here.

 

[maby]

Don't underestimate the difficulty of living aboard long term away from the facilities of a marina berth or, at least, a trot buoy close to a decent size town. Make sure you understand the implications of not having access to mains electricity, running water, fuel, food, even a postal address! I'm certainly not saying it can't be done, but it is a very big change from living in a house - even one in a small village, let alone a large city. The majority of liveaboards I know are either virtually static residents of one marina, or hop between marinas, possibly stopping off for a few days in some quiet anchorage on the way.

 

[TQA]

There is a marina in London it will cost you about £6k a year for a 30 footer.

Summer will be fine but I suspect it will quickly get old in winter.

 

[[70521]]

An old trawer always goods good to me.

 

[maby]

There is a marina in London it will cost you about £6k a year for a 30 footer.

Summer will be fine but I suspect it will quickly get old in winter.

I assume you mean "cold" - I'm "old" all the year round!

If the boat is in decent condition and you have access to fuel of one kind or another, then it is not hard to stay warm in the winter. Being anchored in some remote bay is a different matter - short days and long nights put a heavy demand on batteries and the convenient forms of heating like electric radiators or diesel fired Eberspachers are not practical for long periods without shore power. You certainly can burn other things like charcoal or paraffin, but you still have to obtain and store them and they are a lot less convenient. The OP has "always been a live in a house person and never considered living aboard a boat before." - he needs to think carefully about what he is letting himself in for.

 

[vyv_cox]

The type of boat makes a huge difference when it comes to interior space. I have a 26 ft motorboat and a 34 ft sailing boat. There is more living space in the motorboat than the yacht and stowage is similar.

Maby is correct, living aboard is far harder work than in a house, even in a marina. There will always be additional jobs such as filling water tanks, walking to the ablutions and toilets, carrying stores along pontoons, etc. Many marinas will not allow living aboard, although some say so but turn a blind eye.

 

[theguerns]

Hi Chris well as the others have said its quiet a thing to try. But having said that I lived aboard a Sadler 26 for 11 years yes I was in a marina and had to do as one of the lads said shopping carried to the boat water filling but all these things are just exercise and fresh air. I am 5ft 7ins tall and the sadler was great for me easy to heat in the winter (800 watt rad) and the mooring fees wer not too bad as the sadler at 26ft comes inon the cheaper side of the fees. Another thing is do you wear suits for work if so not a lot of hanging space but enough for about 3 suits and a couple of coats. Do you like cooking if so no probs there good cooker and we had a small Weco fridge freezer. I don't want to rant so will finish with this thought have a look at a few of the boats both motor and sail on the market get aboard and try them out for size then make your decision. Remember this after a busy dayin the city even on the thames to get home to your little yacht is heaven quiet warm and yours for a hell of a lot less than a flat or house and the added bonus you can take your home with you on holiday. Good Luck Pete

 

[maby]

I should add that, provided you go into it with full knowledge of what you are letting your self in for, then it is a fantastic way of life. We are not full-time liveaboards just now due to the pressure of work and work locations, but we do spend half our time or more on board including working. There's nothing to compare with waking early and having breakfast in the cockpit before breaking out the laptop and getting down to work.

Do your research, plan carefully and then do it!