Liveaboards: does your boat gradually deteriorate, or does it improve?

Kelpie

Kelpie

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 May 2005
Messages
7,766
Location
Afloat
Visit site
Hope this isn't an odd question.
My boat is really tired in many respects, particularly the interior. Masses of varnishing, replacement of veneer, cabinetry needing rebuilt where trim has been lost and hinges seized etc. Plumbing and wiring both need lots of work and currently function through a variety of bodges and temporary fixes.

We hope one day to be living aboard full time, but the thought of how much needs done to the boat is a bit of a downer. So, how realistic is it to actually get these sorts of jobs done whilst living aboard? I manage to get a few things done every time we are away cruising but I have the advantage of being able to plan the job and set out with all the necessary tools and parts already aboard.

I hear about how boats can get very tired when used full time, with equipment failing. So, as a general question, do you find your boat gradually improves when you are a full time liveaboard, or does the wear and tear outweigh your efforts to tackle the jobs list?
 
Well mine is getting better, slowly, inside jobs through the winter, outside jobs in the spring. The worst bit is nice days in the spring when there is varnishing to do, go sailing or varnishing , sailing usually wins lol
 
I think it gets to the point where it can become an 'elephant' task that is overwhelming leaving you confused as to where to even start. So how do you eat an elephant? Answer - one bite at a time.

If you need re- inspiration have a look at Mads's you tube channel Sail Life
 
Depends on the type of work. I have re rigged with the mast upwhile living on board on the hard. Also removed old fridge and fitted a new one while living afloat - we dried out for one tide to fit the through hull cooling plate. Regular maintenance and repairs just require a bit of planning. My wife usualy has an afternoon on the beach during oil and filter changes as the engine is under the main cabin. Exterior woodwork is treated while afloat and onboard. Antifoul is genuine Coppercoat, in UK this was pressure washed in spring and sometimes in autumn as well by drying between tides. Now I swim to clean it while afloat.
On the other hand I aranged to stay ashore when the engine was lifted to fit new mounts. Likewise I will plan to stay ashore when we revarnish the inside of the cabin and probably reseal the windows at the same time.
Just needs a bit of planning and saving big interior jobs to a time and place when you can stay ashore - winter lets of holiday apartments may be reasonably priced. There are a couple of boats here ashore with the owners living aboard and doing fairly major work on the hulls.

It is a good idea to have the boat in a good condition before you start, but I have come across people - usually male and single - rebuilding their boat as they cruise. I also know one couple who lived aboard in the yard for four years during a rebuild. The guy sailed off with his boat last spring and the lady stayed in the house she had bought to renovate! Another example is an elderly (70+) couple with a steel boat - the lady (skipper) was doing some nasty sounding grinding and repainting work inside while they remained on board with their 4 dogs.

Anything is possible so go for it.
 
Ours gets better all the time. We bought a project boat and spent the first two years rebuilding her. We were also working full time so a pain when the boat is two hours away. She was neglected and needed a lot of work. We sailed her across the Atlantic after two years. In hindsight we sailed her across a year too early as we were still fixing stuff. Four years later she is in pretty good condition. We always have a job list and we keep plugging away at it. We had her resprayed, new teak in cockpit and high level deck, new windows, portlights and deck hatches. Removed main deck teak and glassed. New galley! New winches, rigging, sails, etc, etc. Shes a great boat and we wouldnt change her. Superb sea boat. Fast and comfy.
I get bored without a project!
 
Living full time aboard thing to tend to wear out quicker , so you do have to keep on top of repairs . Our latest boat which we only had for just over three months was use in the summer month by the previous owner and kept in the med ,
no disrespect to him he wasn't a handy man so he paid out for job , most wasn't done very well . So when we took her over there was a lot to do , almost a total refit , she now nearly finished .
We still have a jobs list , but then who don't ,
I find living on board is an advantage as not have to drive hours to get to the boat before having to start work .
The real big disadvantage is having no transport to pick stuff up ,
example we needed some Maine ply and bringing an 8x4 sheet on a bus could be a problem as you can imagine ,
Also it means you have to clear up stuff at the end of the day , you can't just leave tools sitting about for to morrow .
I think you have to ask yourself you happy to live in an upheaval boat more to the point is your wife/partner .
If not then you be better to get the work done while you still got an place Togo back to .
 
>I hear about how boats can get very tired when used full time, with equipment failing. So, as a general question, do you find your boat gradually improves when you are a full time liveaboard, or does the wear and tear outweigh your efforts to tackle the jobs list?

We were way for six and a half years covering over 10,000nms and the boat didnt get tired and it wasn't when we bought it. One issue is that everything except electronics will break more than once, everything is made for weekend and holiday sailors. We carried parts diagrams for everything, two spares for everything and a large toolkit, impellors for the generator and engine and a spare alternator. I usually used to spend two days a week doing maintenance or repairig things. The longest I went without doing that was a month then two things broke on the same day.
 
I found that maintaining the boat was much easier when I was living on board. I found if I had a spare 10 mins I could do all sorts of the little jobs that otherwise don't get done and the bigger jobs could be tackled and planned into the daily routine easier. Now I go to the boat to go sailing and the jobs require a seperate journey. Even though I'm only 10 mins away, they don't seem to get done as easily.
 
Kelpie said:
Hope this isn't an odd question.
My boat is really tired in many respects, particularly the interior. Masses of varnishing, replacement of veneer, cabinetry needing rebuilt where trim has been lost and hinges seized etc. Plumbing and wiring both need lots of work and currently function through a variety of bodges and temporary fixes.

We hope one day to be living aboard full time, but the thought of how much needs done to the boat is a bit of a downer. So, how realistic is it to actually get these sorts of jobs done whilst living aboard? I manage to get a few things done every time we are away cruising but I have the advantage of being able to plan the job and set out with all the necessary tools and parts already aboard.

I hear about how boats can get very tired when used full time, with equipment failing. So, as a general question, do you find your boat gradually improves when you are a full time liveaboard, or does the wear and tear outweigh your efforts to tackle the jobs list?
Click to expand...

I don't think its the boat that deteriorates . Its the Owner.
and the state of the boat is a reflection on the state of the owner and his relationship with a SWMBO

Doing jobs a t the same time as you have a SWMBO aboard is tricky . You have to be a poiitician . Nice day , sunny deck to sit on with suitable shade and good book your in clover with time to get on with the job
however tht only lasts for a short time . SWMBO 's tummy starts to rumble and she thinks of food , restaurants and decent meals , not a few sardines ot of a can . SO lunch could last a couple of hours and in the evening a ll has to be spic and span for a comfortable night . no sleeping in a corner with the headlining down and wires all over the place .

The big problem is night time for SWMBo;s of a certain age . Buckets are out , access to a loo with shower with out climbing down a ladder are a must . So buddy its a hotel or a campervan .

Sorry
 
catmandoo said:
I don't think its the boat that deteriorates . Its the Owner.
and the state of the boat is a reflection on the state of the owner and his relationship with a SWMBO

Doing jobs a t the same time as you have a SWMBO aboard is tricky . You have to be a poiitician . Nice day , sunny deck to sit on with suitable shade and good book your in clover with time to get on with the job
however tht only lasts for a short time . SWMBO 's tummy starts to rumble and she thinks of food , restaurants and decent meals , not a few sardines ot of a can . SO lunch could last a couple of hours and in the evening a ll has to be spic and span for a comfortable night . no sleeping in a corner with the headlining down and wires all over the place .

The big problem is night time for SWMBo;s of a certain age . Buckets are out , access to a loo with shower with out climbing down a ladder are a must . So buddy its a hotel or a campervan .

Sorry
Click to expand...
This may apply to some but most of the liveaboard we know , both partners are keen to get on with work and keep their home nice , I have four obs on the go and my partner has two , has for going out to lunch , I can't remember the last time we drop our tools and did this .
One of the problems with living on board and doing repairs in side is that hours are lost each day with tiding away the mess and tools at the end of each day .
Has for us the winter month are when we try and get all the work done so we can enjoy a season of sailing without too many problems .
 
Surely you've heard the axiom that "cruising is fixing things in exotic places".

I'm a part-time liveaboard who only spends the summer on board, floating around the Adriatic, much of that working at something that either needs fixing or can be improved - there is always something.

What really bugs me is something that I left perfectly serviceable on laying up at the end of October but come next April when I arrive for fitting out, no longer works - usually something electrical. Although last year it was the split galley-pump where some dregs of water had remained after draining the fresh-water system and frozen with the exceptionally cold winter.
 
For me the liveaboard life, over the past 20 years, has been living with many more "freedoms" than most shore bound individuals can only imagine (which used to include me)

A major breakthrough came ten years ago when I realised I did not have to maintain the boat to maintain its sale price. I do spend the time and money to ensure safety and sea worthiness but for most things aesthetic I just ignore them. Being gloriously indifferent to how it looks, and even more so to comments from fellow human beings, was a new pfreedom gained.

When I have finished with liveaboard sailing, or it with me, I will simply give it away to a deserving soul. Someone's future project boat??
 
My boat is getting on a bit, as am I, but improvement and deterioration take place simultaneously (only for the boat). So I fettle up some things; meanwhile other stuff is giving up ghost or doing its intermittent fault trick. The only way I can get some sailing in is to prioritise and make sure the basic stuff is working; the rest can wait for it's turn in the schedule. The current boat has more gadgetry than the last one and so more things go wrong but it would waste valuable time to get them all fixed. I have chums who are boat fixers rather than sailors and always seem to find some job to do that prevents sailing. One of them came into the cafe to celebrate "finishing his boat" and it was true but he still doesn't go sailing.
 
It really depends. Some things obviously experience more wear, like small marks on the varnished timber interior - unavoidable even with the greatest care. And being in constant use, things you already fixed will wear down again and need fixing again, which adds to the workload (like the toilet pump for example). But being constantly on the boat, you also notice small defects before they can cause big trouble, i.e. can find and fix a small leak before it gets the chance to rot a bulkhead.

Some jobs are easier because you're constantly around, like exterior varnishing (you're around every day, so slapping on another coat every 24 hours is no difficulty at all compared to driving to the boat for a simple 30 minute job five days in a row). Others are much more annoying, such as anything that kicks up lots of dust inside or requires you to clear all your belongings from a locker to access something. A broken fridge is irrelevant when you're just visiting the boat for a day, but highly irritating when living aboard and full of perishables.

But in the end it depends entirely on you. Some are very motivated to fix things and keep the in good and sound condition, others just don't care and let it decay. When you live aboard, it's first and foremost a home (possibly a mobile one, although I've met several stationary liveaboards with no interest in boating), with a secondary function of going on fun sailing trips with. Finding the balance, keeping it in sailing condition and not getting too many things that need to be put away before you can go sail is a constant struggle :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

R
My boat trip hopefully in May Around Scotland
2 3 4
Replies
65
Views
2K
RobBradley
R

Share this page

Top