Had this dream since childhood - considering making it a reality

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forestboy

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Hi guys and thank you for this wonderful forum.

I have some questions for you that I'd love some feedback for. I've always dreamt of living aboard and I'm finally in a financial position to make this possible but I am extremely apprehensive. Perhaps because my ambitions may be too high and too soon.

I don't have any children and I am a single 35 year old male with a dog. I work for myself and I have some savings as well as a fairly good income. I do work a lot, pretty much every day in one way or another. I'm a very practical person but have minimal knowledge of boats or mechanics, oddly enough, as my mind is quite suited to mechanics in particular and most likely the pragmatic implications of boat ownership.

Now I am sure I may get flamed for this from one or 2 people but what I want to do is buy a relatively large vessel. I have no intention of taking it out for at least 5 to 10 years, the time I presume it would take me to get the boat how I want it, and a good feel for it as well as whichever courses would be required to undertake. I do understand that a wealth of knowledge will be required that will take a lifetime and I am prepared for this as I intend to purchase a vessel that I will have as home for the rest of my life.

This is an example of the sort of thing I would like to sink my teeth into for the rest of my life. I have no problem with the amount of labour required cos as I say, I work all the time. Work is my pleasure really. I get bored without on-going projects.

http://houseboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=211492

I want a large vessel because I don't want restrictions. I want an on board workshop/ study and the deck space to be able to winch my motorbike aboard for example. Also I want the space to accommodate a small family in the not too distant future as I intend to have one at some point. I appreciate a boat of this size requires a license to pilot and insure and I intend to get one. I also appreciate the cost for mooring this particular boat would be in excess of £6000 yearly. I would consider going down to 70+ft as this would make mooring fees more affordable and general maintenance cheaper and less extensive too but if possible I think 90-100ft is required. Baring in mind this is for life.

So, my bottom line question is, I have access to currently approx £120,000. Is this a bridge too far or can this dream be made a reality, and how many/ what kind of problems do you think I will face?

Many thanks in advance.
 
Nobody has responded because I doubt if anyone here has personal experience of what you intend. Houseboats, very large, £120,000 disposable spending money and that word "work" you used more than once. You frightened everyone off.
 
Hi , as nobody is giving you any encouragement I thought I would. I have very rarely regretted going after madcap ideas and usually if you put in the effort they work out.
Without stating the obvious a boat of that size is going to be a lot of work, make sure that the basics hull/steel structures, major mechanical parts are all in good order as I would imagine you could spend a small fortune on them. The interior work of turning the boat into a home would be time consuming but not especially hard and with a boat of that size you could work in one area and live in another.
As for a family , find the right partner and it could be a great way of living
Good luck
 
Thanks for the feedback Voyager:). My heart sank when I read the other reply for some reason. I'm really worried about this.

My madcap ideas unfortunately haven't generally had the most pleasant conclusions. Probably why I'm worried!

Yes, I thought exactly that. I'd prioritise lounge and kitchen, then bedroom and bathroom and so on. I've done quite a few different hands on jobs in my life so hoping some of them will come in handy. Enjoy woodwork for example. Oh yes, I'll try and remember to check the hull;-)

To the other poster, if it makes you feel any better I can possible scrape together 115k if I sell my flat, use some inheritance and live like a pauper for the next 6 months. Also, the work thing.... I only work a lot because I need to be occupied or I get depressed and partying 24/7 nearly killed me a couple of times. I'm a recovering everything-aholic! Just so you don't get the wrong idea;-)
 
temptress said:
interesting. Is it doable? Pobably. I would be checking the hull structure - is she strong enough to go to sea? What woudl it cost to re-engine her? IMO i think that perhaps you are underestimating the costs.
Click to expand...

Regarding mooring, maintenance etc? Or getting her ship shape?

The ship shape bit I imagine is gonna cost a fortune i.e most of my spare income for years/ decades!
 
make sure you understand the maintenance costs that you cannot cover for yourself - boats need to be cleaned, painted and antifouled from time to time - and these are boats that have to be hauled into a dry dock, not lifted in the marina crane. I have no idea what the annual running costs will be.

P.S. if you fancy something a bit unusual, there's a Russian sub beached at Rochester that I think you could have for a song!
 
There is a line to be drawn between living on a boat and having a functioning boat that you can live on. The one you are looking at is unlikely to be in the second category, but is more a potential housing unit that is boat shaped. As you indicate you want eventually to be able to sail (or motor it) then perhaps you need to be looking at old fishing boats like jellyellie's. Another member of this forum, Graham Wright has a son who is renovating a similar boat. If you are interested in inland waterways, particularly in Europe you should look at Dutch barges, either converted original boats or even new build which you can buy in part complete form and complete as you go.

The problem with these sorts of boats is the size - you are looking at 60'+ and finding somewhere to moor them that is convenient to both do the work and a basis for everyday living. Such places are rare, often expensive, tend to be in out of the way places and lacking in permenancy. So you have to be prepared to move to where the moorings are or hopefully buy a boat that is already on a mooring.

Having said all that, there are many people who do what you are thinking of doing, but you will find when you start looking around that there are also many part finished projects for sale where the dream was not realised!
 
In the advert it says it's being sold as a static boat, along ith the suggestion that removing The engine would create more space. So a re-engine seems likely....it's a ship not a boat so I would guess several thousand hp......prob £100's of thousands of pounds to replace engines, drive shafts etc.....allow at least £300k - £400k for refit to make seaworthy(guess): and then there's the fuel cost......several gall per mile.:eek:

An Old fishing vessel that s smaller might make a better purchase.
 
Second the advice about making damn sure the hull (of whatever you end up buying) is sound before you sink thousands of pounds and years of work into it. You can fix up more or less anything inside it given enough time and money, but if a steel hull is rusted to hell then you're stuffed.

I used to follow the blog of (and exchanged a few words with, as I sailed by his mooring) a guy who had bought a 90 foot ex-trawler in 2004. He worked and worked on her, spending god knows how much money, loads of his friends' time, nearly all his own time of course, and two girlfriends who couldn't put up with the boat dominating their relationship. I think one of the girlfriends took the dog with her too. But he seemed cheerful enough.

Then in 2011 he had the boat hauled out at Hythe for a wash off and antifoul (costing yet further vast sums due to the size of it). One of the yard workers fired up the pressure washer - and blew a hole right through the side into his cabin. The whole hull was just a mass of rust held together by the paint. Utterly unseaworthy, not safe even as a houseboat. He took off a few of the more valuable and portable bits, and the whole lot went for scrap. Within just a couple of days he went from being (he thought) nearly ready to set off on a cruise, to all his work becoming just so much rubbish.

All because when he bought the boat seven years previously, he didn't bother to get it surveyed to check the state of the hull plating. Don't make the same mistake.

Pete
 
P.S. I wouldn't want my previous comment to be interpreted as "don't do it" - just "be careful of the hidden costs". As soon as you go much bigger than 40 foot and 10 tons, you are getting into a new (and much more expensive) ball game. There are plenty of engineers that can do repairs for you on 40 foot boats and every marina has a crane that can lift it out onto the boat yard where you can fix it up. The boats that you posted are a rather different proposition - they are things that are maintained in ship yards - not so many around these days and a lot more expensive.
 
To forestboy: For what it is worth, your whole scheme (dream) is in my opinion a crackpot misguided direction for an inexperienced boat person to take. If you do take the advice of this forum and go ahead with it, I sincerley hope my own boat is nowhere near yours when you take this 90 foot monster out of the dock for the first time. There is noway on this planet you would get insured as a man who's sole experience is in building cabins and galleys. Especially with waht is left of the £120,000 (if any) Give it up for goodness sake.
 
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BurnitBlue said:
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To forestboy: For what it is worth, your whole scheme (dream) is in my opinion a crackpot misguided direction for an inexperienced boat person to take. If you do take the advice of this forum and go ahead with it, I sincerley hope my own boat is nowhere near yours when you take this 90 foot monster out of the dock for the first time. There is noway on this planet you would get insured as a man who's sole experience is in building cabins and galleys. Especially with waht is left of the £120,000 (if any) Give it up for goodness sake.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want to be quite so negative, but do think carefully about coming down a bit in size - go for a yacht in the high forties rather than a decommissioned commercial vessel in the nineties!
 
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maby said:
I wouldn't want to be quite so negative, but do think carefully about coming down a bit in size - go for a yacht in the high forties rather than a decommissioned commercial vessel in the nineties!
Click to expand...

I can only agree. There are currently many large-ish mobos on the market, heavy on fuel but considerably cheaper than they were a few years ago. Something along the Grand Banks style, 45 ft or so, would provide enormous living space for a single person plus dog, or a small family. Spending half of the capital on the boat leaves an awful lot for fuel.
 
Thanks everyone. Including the aptly named Burnitblue residing on the Moody 363 or is that 365? No doubt raining a lot where you are in Greece! Like directly above your boat lol.

As I said the link was an "ideal" (yes a dream) and I did expect critique. Certainly I have taken on board everything everyone has said. Though I desire space and would be content to use the vessel as a static home and no more for many years, (while I obtained experience and qualifications of course) I would prefer to be able to jaunt about from time to time which that particular boat would not prohibit for a variety of logistical reasons. I do appreciate that.

I think it's better to start of smaller. I'm not into yauchts though. Too small and too expensive. I would prefer a fishing vessel/ motorboat I think.

What about this
http://houseboats.apolloduck.co.uk/image.phtml?id=286589&image=1

What's the first step to obtaining a full motorboat license? I want to find a residential mooring in the Southampton area also as this is where I run my business.

Cheers
 
forestboy said:
Thanks everyone. Including the aptly named Burnitblue residing on the Moody 363 or is that 365? No doubt raining a lot where you are in Greece! Like directly above your boat lol.

As I said the link was an "ideal" (yes a dream) and I did expect critique. Certainly I have taken on board everything everyone has said. Though I desire space and would be content to use the vessel as a static home and no more for many years, (while I obtained experience and qualifications of course) I would prefer to be able to jaunt about from time to time which that particular boat would not prohibit for a variety of logistical reasons. I do appreciate that.

I think it's better to start of smaller. I'm not into yauchts though. Too small and too expensive. I would prefer a fishing vessel/ motorboat I think.

What about this
http://houseboats.apolloduck.co.uk/image.phtml?id=286589&image=1

What's the first step to obtaining a full motorboat license? I want to find a residential mooring in the Southampton area also as this is where I run my business.

Cheers
Click to expand...

That one is certainly more manageable - I can't see a weight listed, but it is the sort of thing you can get lifted out of the water with a large crane rather then needing a dry dock for maintenance. You do realise that a wooden hull like that requires quite a lot of maintenance? Fine provided you are ready for it!

There's no legal requirement for you to have a "motorboat licence" unless you want to use the boat commercially. It is a good idea to get some training and certificates - follow the RYA trail from Dayskipper upwards - there are plenty of sailing schools around the Southampton area that will run courses. Don't bother with Competent Crew if you intend to progress up the scale - Dayskipper is a perfectly reasonable starting point and will give you knowledge and a certificate that has some value.
 
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