Liveaboard may be cheaper than renting a flat?

[ryanroberts]

Increasing restrictions inland (particularly the Thames, which used to be doable on a weekly rhythm without annoying anyone too much) was one of the reasons I moved to lumpy water. That and there are only so many times you can cruise past the back of the Armitage Shanks factory.

 

[Wing Mark]

Too many people doing it these days, nobody minded a few.

 

[overstag]

Maintenance is much more then 200 a month. Especially on a cheap boat. I would advise to look deaper into this, before making this cost-based decision. You’ll be in for a nasty surprise.

 

[Graham376]

Maintenance is much more then 200 a month. Especially on a cheap boat. I would advise to look deaper into this, before making this cost-based decision. You’ll be in for a nasty surprise.

Maintenance is the biggest unknown cost, for instance new engine needed could be next week or 20+ years from now, unexpected £6k to £10k bill depending on size. I do think OP is underestimating all costs.

 

[Bru]

Doh! I guess the solution is to keep moving about, which would satisfy my wanderlust.

I hate to rain on your parade again but that's way too simplistic

Where do you go? Visitor berths are prohibitively expensive from this prospective. How do you access essential services such as shops etc in the middle of winter etc?

Don't kid yourself that you can live on the hook and dinghy ashore for supplies whilst working remotely over 4G. Not in the UK, not in winter. Even on a riverside mud berth I found it tough going and I've been living around (and for several periods living aboard) and working on boats for most of my life.

On the hook or a swinging mooring in winter you could well find yourself stuck on board for days on end in conditions too dangerous to use the dinghy and too uncomfortable to work in.

Then there's access to fresh water. Toilet disposal (over the side is increasingly unacceptable and will almost certainly be banned outright before long) and so on and so forth

The people who do this sort of thing successfully are few and far between. The exception to the rule, at least on the face of it. Because when you dig deeper you invariably find that they've got a steady income from property or investments, they've invariably got alternatives and backstops to staying aboard 365 days a year etc.

For nearly everyone who goes down this route, it ends in tears. Sorry to be so negative but I've seen it more times than I can count. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong though

 

[Kelpie]

Don't kid yourself that you can live on the hook and dinghy ashore for supplies whilst working remotely over 4G. Not in the UK, not in winter.

That's the key to it. Don't stay in the UK.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Maintenance is much more then 200 a month. Especially on a cheap boat. I would advise to look deaper into this, before making this cost-based decision. You’ll be in for a nasty surprise.

Agree with this and the other reply that you're generally over-simplifying and under-estimating the costs.

Also, you can't anchor all the time in the summer - you can probably get away without visiting a marina for weeks at a time, at least for no more than a night or but then you'll need to do some maintenance and have to pay visitors rates (again, for weeks) whilst you wait for parts or tradesmen.

Also, you may not be legally allowed to work abroad. If you're a freelancer then you may get away with operating under the radar in foreign countries if you're only visiting for a few weeks or months. If you're PAYE then your employer will take a very dim view of it - if they don't then they're probably not considering all the liabilities! They would have to register themselves with the Portuguese government in order to pay your payroll taxes.

Sorry to be a debbie downer. Definitely if you have the means you should go - I have found sailing very rewarding, but I am fortunate enough to be financially independent.

 

[ibbo]

The hardest things are finding a place for the dinghy/ car, and keeping power in the batteries.

There are places out there to do it cheaply if you search though.