How many liveaboards

[lindsay]

As a 17year long liveaboard I was recently asked how many liveaboards there were in the Mediterranean. I had no idea. A wild guess was between 10,000 and 20,000, based on the idea that there may be around ten liveaboards in each of 1000 ports, or 20 in each port....or whatever.

Any thoughts? How about worldwide.- excluding native peoples for whom it is a traditional way of life.

 

[homer]

My guess is that you are way over the top. It depends what you mean by liveaboard, of course, but if you are only including those who live on the boat all year except for a couple of short trips away then I really don't think that there are that many. There may be a 1000 marinas in the med but few of those are used by overwintering liveaboards. Take Turkey, for example (since I know that best), there are only about half a dozen marinas with significant winter populations. From the East, Alanya has a few, Finike about 70(boats), Kas about 2, Fethiye 2, Marmaris maybe a 100 and not that many (actually living on the boat all year) further West and North as it gets too cold and wet in the winter. Extrapolating that over the other Mediterranean bases and you really don't get that many. More like 3000 I would guess. But it is just a guess and it will interesting to hear what others think!

 

[AndrewB]

I have a memory (sorry, can't locate the source) that the US government estimated 12,000 liveaboards in the USA. This is probably the nearest you will get to a reliable figure anywhere.

 

[sailaboutvic]

The biggest chunk I seen was in 2011 in Ragusa where there must had been at less 60 couples who stayed most of the winter this year about 25 couples , other year there only been a few .
Most people go back home over the winter month to top up there funds or to be with there family I find the odd few fly off to some where warmer then the Med .
I just guessing but 10000 to 20000 I would had tho was well over the top .