New. Overwhelmed. Undeterred. & Seeking advice from the starting line.

[BucketListBoater]

This is my first post in a boating forum. I’m about to start a new chapter in my life… One I’ve dreamed about my entire life. I have always lived near the Chesapeake Bay and “on the outside looking in“ to the boating community. I grew up with exposure to sailing and power boating. I sailed in college and then raced again as an adult in my 30s with a local club. I’ve spent my whole life wishing I was IN the boating world. Really in it. And now I have an opportunity to make it so.

I am beginning the planning process to become a live aboard. I am completely overwhelmed by how much I don’t know. It’s a bit terrifying. But I’ve never been more committed to walking into the unknown. I have a million questions, but the one that, at this moment, trumps them all is:

How can I find someone who is willing to rent their 45 foot+ boat to me for a period of 6 to 9 months (a timeframe that is presumably in the off-season when they are less likely to use it ) so that I can learn what I need to learn before I would begin the journey of purchasing a boat of my own?

Everything I have read about this so far has been discouraging. Marinas don’t allow it. Where would you find people. The risk to the boat owner is too high. Etc. I don’t even need to take the boat out from the slip… I just want to live on it. To know that I can. And to know that I can overcome all of the other obstacles... and that the reality feels as good as the dream.

I appreciate any advice that anyone can offer. The two liveaboards that I found and reached out to locally weren’t exactly encouraging. So I am casting a wider net. Not saying I’m not open to hearing the realities… but I want to hear about them in the context of how to navigate them. So I would just ask that you absolutely keep it real… but also keep it positive where possible. Cause I’m doing this no matter what.

 

[MoodySabre]

Welcome.

It will way too expensive to charter a boat for that length of time, even if you could find a company to let you loose. Usually charter companies will ask for evidence of your competence. Private individuals won't lend you a boat - forget it.

I think that 45ft is too big a boat to learn the ropes. Buy something smaller - 30-35 ft say, and get out there, make mistakes and learn how to sail and how to look after a boat. Then when you feel competent you can sell it and move up. There a lot of difference in the handling of a 45 to that of a 30, the volume is much greater, the power of the sails, the crewing and above all the cost of mooring and maintenance.

Pursue your dream but in sensible steps. Good luck.

 

[BucketListBoater]

Welcome.

It will way too expensive to charter a boat for that length of time, even if you could find a company to let you loose. Usually charter companies will ask for evidence of your competence. Private individuals won't lend you a boat - forget it.

I think that 45ft is too big a boat to learn the ropes. Buy something smaller - 30-35 ft say, and get out there, make mistakes and learn how to sail and how to look after a boat. Then when you feel competent you can sell it and move up. There a lot of difference in the handling of a 45 to that of a 30, the volume is much greater, the power of the sails, the crewing and above all the cost of mooring and maintenance.

Pursue your dream but in sensible steps. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I have injuries that might make it impossible for me to sail again. At this point I’m looking into a power boat and I have determined that 40/45 feet is the minimum space requirement I would need to feel comfortable. But it sounds like you’re saying that the renting option is as hard as I have heard it is. Even if I don’t ever take the boat out of the slip?

 

[laika]

I have always lived near the Chesapeake Bay and “on the outside looking in“ to the boating community.

If you're still near Chesapeake Bay you may be better off posting on the liveaboard section of a forum with a greater proportion of North American contributors, e.g. cruisersforum:
Liveaboard's Forum - Cruisers & Sailing Forums
Local laws and customs are probably different in different places and advice given by the two types of "liveaboards" who most frequent here (Those in UK marinas and retirees who spend half their year aboard in the med) may not translate.

I suspect most liveaboards also own their boats. On the same pontoon as me there's a 16-ish metre boat which has been for sale for years which the owner (almost certainly without permission of the marina) has started renting out (much to the dismay of immediate neighbours). You might want to check the type of listings site which carries ads for less-than-legitimate sublets?

A big part of living on a boat is maintaining it though. While I can see someone who can't sell their boat wanting to make a fast buck from an under-the-counter rental, it'd be interesting to see how many would be happy for you to learn boat maintenance skills unassisted on their boat. Who knows: you may luck out and find an owner who'll teach you when they come over to fix your plumbing.

 

[AndrewB]

MoodySabre is right. If you want to learn to sail, being a stationary liveaboard won't help.

There are certainly houseboats to rent long-term in the USA. I've seen them advertised in Seattle - not cheap though, and far from being a sailboat But sorry, can't remember seeing anything like that in Chesapeake though there are a number of holiday rental companies, for example at Oxford and Annapolis. that might be interested in an extended out-of-season houseboat rental.

Regarding proper sailboats, you have less chance. Occasionally I've come across people obliged to leave their sailboat in a very out-of-the-way place for a while - I'm talking hurricane seasons and South Seas here - who have been happy for someone to live aboard and provide guardianage.

Laika's idea of finding a boat that won't sell is a good one. Most yacht brokers have boats like this on their lists, and you just might find one locally willing to approach an owner who they suspect is cash-strapped. Specially if you are prepared to leave should a buyer be found.

Do, if you have not done so already, follow Laika's advice to repost on the US CruisersForum.

 

[Kelpie]

Ellen MacArthur lived in a Portakabin for three years whilst preparing for racing solo round the world. If you want to find out whether you can cope in a small basic space, it doesn't have to be a boat.

 

[newtothis]

Ellen MacArthur lived in a Portakabin for three years whilst preparing for racing solo round the world. If you want to find out whether you can cope in a small basic space, it doesn't have to be a boat.

Not for nothing was she nicknamed Smelly Elly in her racing days.

 

[V1701]

You're probably unlikely to find one to rent but a 45 foot motorboat is like a small apartment in terms of space so if you think you could live happily in a small apartment you'll probably be fine. Also bear in mind that it's all relative though, i.e. if a small apartment is minute compared to what you're used to it will seem much smaller than if you already live in a small apartment, so factor that in. Perhaps more important considerations are where are you going to moor and who's going to do the maintenance (DIY or you better have deep pockets). Good luck and I say go for it, you can think about it for the rest of your life when the worst that can happen is you sell the boat in a years time and if that happens at least you tried it...

 

[ashtead]

I believe plenty of rooms to rent on board boats on the Thames so maybe the same rent a room approach as is found here is found in the US. That said the Thames based accommodation is somewhat basic and the landlord doesn’t seem very popular on the river forum so it might not be the sort of accommodation which is required. If the OP was in the Uk a cheap grip riverboat might be there to buy on basis it could be sold off if life aboard didn’t appeal.

 

[PlanB]

Some random thoughts.
Many boat owners (apart from commercial charterers) are unwilling to leave inexperienced folk alone on board as there is so much to go (expensively) wrong.
I started out with a 43 ft flybridge cruiser - with the proper tuition and plenty of practice, it's fine. I lived aboard happily for 12 years.
To get a feel for life aboard, why not do a qualification course. There are many UK and Med based schools that do week long courses so I'm sure there are some over there too.
I don't know why I know this, but I get the feeling that there are a lot of liveaboards in Florida and California.
Make sure you do research into costs - motor boating is not cheap,
But it's a great life!

 

[Wansworth]

Do you have any skills applicable to boat maintenance?maybe you can do guardianage looking after several yachts,running the engines varnish work etc

 

[Tony Cross]

Renting someone else's boat to 'get a feel for the liveaboard life' isn't going to give you the experience you want or need. That's because it's not your boat. You're not responsible for the maintenance, you're not responsible for keeping all the systems working, and you're not responsible for the often unexpected and usually high costs involved. And if you never move it from the dock you're not going to experience what it's like to have your engine die on a lee shore in strong winds...

The marine environment is a harsh one and stuff breaks, jams, fails all the time. Probably the most useful experience you can give yourself now is in how to keep a boat well maintained. Go down to your local boatyard and volunteer whatever skills you have to help out people maintaining their own boats. You'll learn a lot of valuable skills that will make you better able to look after your own boat and popular amongst others who don't have those skills. In addition you'll see a lot of different boats which will help you decide which boat is right for you and you'll make a lot of useful contacts who may be helpful in finding your own boat.

 

[cherod]

How many people have had their engines die in strong winds on a lee shore , precious few i imagine , But who is going to give you their boat for you to learn on , precious few I would imagine ,,,, I could imagine a 45ft mobo would be a fine thing to live on , just go and do it , but learn to read a weather forecast and dont go out on windy days .??

 

[ashtead]

You might find an aging rock star or suchlike who would be looking for someone to look after their mobo but I suspect you might need so maintenance skills and a network to source such intro. If you have some practical skills you might make a living boat sitting I guess but I suspect there are many out there looking to live rent free for a few maintenance chores on say a Fleming or suchlike .

 

[Tony Cross]

How many people have had their engines die in strong winds on a lee shore , precious few i imagine , But who is going to give you their boat for you to learn on , precious few I would imagine ,,,, I could imagine a 45ft mobo would be a fine thing to live on , just go and do it , but learn to read a weather forecast and dont go out on windy days .??

A close friend of mine was struggling to get into Fri on Kasos in a strong onshore wind. His engine died just level with the outer breakwater, suspecting the bug in a stirred up tank, he rushed below and replaced the primary filter. As he was bleeding the system he dropped the bleed screw into the bilge. His wife on the helm was shouting that they were being blown towards the rocks, so he jammed his thumb over the bleed screw hole and bled the system, shouting to his wife to start the engine and get them around the ferry quay and into the small harbour there. He still had the red mark on his thumb several days later.

Knowing what's most likely wrong and how to fix it, including dealing with an unexpected problem, saved the boat and quite possibly their lives.

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. 'Just do it' is all well and good but experience has a way of sending you huge bills...

 

[cherod]

A close friend of mine was struggling to get into Fri on Kasos in a strong onshore wind. His engine died just level with the outer breakwater, suspecting the bug in a stirred up tank, he rushed below and replaced the primary filter. As he was bleeding the system he dropped the bleed screw into the bilge. His wife on the helm was shouting that they were being blown towards the rocks, so he jammed his thumb over the bleed screw hole and bled the system, shouting to his wife to start the engine and get them around the ferry quay and into the small harbour there. He still had the red mark on his thumb several days later.

Knowing what's most likely wrong and how to fix it, including dealing with an unexpected problem, saved the boat and quite possibly their lives.

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. 'Just do it' is all well and good but experience has a way of sending you huge bills...

thousands of people all over the world " just do it "

 

[nortada]

.

 

[nortada]

So true.

A message drummed into me by a very respected Joint Services NIC 55 skipper, “Don’t get into a situation, you can’t sail out of.”

Great stuff but if I recall, the OP is looking to go into power rather than sail so I suppose the corollary is always have the anchor catted and ready to go so you can put the brakes on before things get any worse.

As Joint Service skippers, on sail boats we were expected to have the anchor catted to neutralise unexpected problems.

As in flying, it was all about thinking ahead and planning for the unexpected.

 

[Tony Cross]

thousands of people all over the world " just do it "

Experience is a great teacher, but she occasionally puts in some huge bills.

TBH I'm far from impressed by people who 'just do it', Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

 

[GHA]

TBH I'm far from impressed by people who 'just do it', Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

Far more impressed by them out there doing it learning quick along the way than the majority talking about "heading off next year" but never going anywhere.
The one's I've met along the way anyway.