Newbie after help and advice.

Ian.S said:
I've just got back from Puerto Calero Lanzarote and it was a bit breezy but there were also a lot of days of very calm waters especially in the mornings..
Correct me if I'm wrong but is the Med warm enough to spend our winter months over there living on a boat?

Any suggestions for suitable boats would be great.
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You can't judge what an entire season of weather is going to be like from a week's holiday. You might have a week of unusually settled weather or you might have a week of storms. The only way to find out what its really like is to go and stay there for the winter.

If I were you I would be looking to rent an apartment for the winter and while you are there get some tuition. It looks like there are a couple of RYA training schools in Lanzarote - book yourself in for a course and you will find out exactly what it is like to go boating there and you will get the qualification you need. I think that experience would also make quite a big difference to what you think you would like to do.
 
We are renting a boat in the marina to stay on and some lessons have been booked for May 2018 whilst we are there.

Can anyone suggest the best courses to do in relation to motor boating, the school at Playa Blanca have recommended some but would be nice to know whether people in the know think they are the way to go.
I'm just looking for the email to see which they recommended.
 
Ian.S said:
We are renting a boat in the marina to stay on and some lessons have been booked for May 2018 whilst we are there.

Can anyone suggest the best courses to do in relation to motor boating, the school at Playa Blanca have recommended some but would be nice to know whether people in the know think they are the way to go.
I'm just looking for the email to see which they recommended.
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Day Skipper is the one to go for. Preferably on a boat similar to what you intend to buy.
 
Just the day skipper?

The school have recommended - Powerboat level2 two days
Day skipper theory online
Day skipper practical 4 days.
 
The poster has got family in the Canaries and you are guaranteed some decent temps, we frequently do Xmas down there in one or other of the Isles, Gomera being our favorite.
Having spent the odd xmas in Portugal,the Balearics,Spain,Malta, Cyprus etc etc it can be not very pleasant around December to January, purely the luck of the draw.
IMHO the Med is not the much lauded paradise of legend,either can be cold and windy in winter or far too hot in summer.
..and ex UK boaters who have spent a fortune and burnt their bridges to get down there are hardly likely to say otherwise :)
Spent one of the coldest holidays ever in Israel over Xmas blimming freezing.
Nice view of Bethlehem through the snow showers.
Stick to Lanzerote in winter.
 
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I'm not convinced using a boat as a live-aboard for 3 -4 months of the year is the best option for a winter getaway for someone who isnt sure what they are getting themselves into. Before you float this dream I'd want to make certain I have a good pragmatic handle on what boating all entails, not the idealised romantic version, and whether its for me or not. Certainly a boat is not a financially great option compared to real estate if your chief aim is simply a winter break, nor does it supply the same levels of convenience one expects from a second home in the ranges being touted. I suspect you may find your winter holiday one more dealing with maintenance and break-fix than sunning it in some sheltered bay leading the good life.
 
BruceK said:
I'm not convinced using a boat as a live-aboard for 3 -4 months of the year is the best option for a winter getaway for someone who isnt sure what they are getting themselves into. Before you float this dream I'd want to make certain I have a good pragmatic handle on what boating all entails, not the idealised romantic version, and whether its for me or not. Certainly a boat is not a financially great option compared to real estate if your chief aim is simply a winter break, nor does it supply the same levels of convenience one expects from a second home in the ranges being touted. I suspect you may find your winter holiday one more dealing with maintenance and break-fix than sunning it in some sheltered bay leading the good life.
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I'm all ears if you'd like to explain the real side of what boating entails. Genuinely I'm all ears. Am I missing something?

Some more boat options would be good folks.
 
Good question and one that is also difficult to answer. I guess the closest analogy would be like Land Rover ownership. Cost of parts, reliability, and cost of ownership etc are all secondary to the brand loyalty. For most boat owners it's a way of life and costs are secondary and hidden behind the Man Maths principle because there is no real justification other than I like it and I want it.
So what is boat ownership like? Well take a look at this forum as a microcosm:

Broadly
90% - It's broke advice sought
5% - This is a neat upgrade - replacement
2% - another great / stupid buy come to market
1% - reviews
1% - complaint about service / weather etc
1% - bragging rights of what and where I went.

Well if the 1% floats your boat then you are a believer and welcome to the fraternity
 
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That could work too :p Boating will probably just grab you anyway. I went in with a romaticised idea I'd catch more fish. Bought a little cuddy. Two years later 20 foot grew to 36 foot. Now I have an eye on 46 to 55 foot, but have sort of reached the tether of my man math bubble. I love it but had I known at the beginning what I know now, probably would have taken up Top Fuel drag racing as a cheaper, stress free option.
 
Also note. In the sub 50 foot range living on a boat for extended periods is barely one up from glamping, dont kid yourself on that score. Living room is premium, compromise is rife.
 
BruceK said:
Good question and one that is also difficult to answer. I guess the closest analogy would be like Land Rover ownership. Cost of parts, reliability, and cost of ownership etc are all secondary to the brand loyalty. For most boat owners it's a way of life and costs are secondary and hidden behind the Man Maths principle because there is no real justification other than I like it and I want it.
So what is boat ownership like? Well take a look at this forum as a microcosm:

Broadly
90% - It's broke advice sought
5% - This is a neat upgrade - replacement
2% - another great / stupid buy come to market
1% - reviews
1% - complaint about service / weather etc
1% - bragging rights of what and where I went.

Well if the 1% floats your boat then you are a believer and welcome to the fraternity
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Bruce, you should delete this post. A boater’s wife might read it:D
 
Training courses. Given your intention of moving swiftly on to a larger boat, I'd ensure the RYA school yougo to has a boat similar in size and type to the one you think you will buy and get the school to do your Powerboat level 2 course on that boat (at least in part, I'd think they'd probably want to teach the first lessons on a RIB). That'll give you a proper feel for this boating lark. Then do Day Skipper practical and theory in fairly short order, if the Level 2 experience gives you a desire to continue with the dream. Doing the Level 2 course is a useful introduction to someone who is a complete novice and is a relatively cheap way of finding out if boating something that you can't live without.
When booking the course, make sure that the school will provide accommodation on board the boat during the course. That'll give you an insight into what life is like on board a boat and the compromises you'll have to make if you decide to live on board for relatively long periods.
If I may be so bold, get your wife to do the courses with you. She will be needed as a crew member and alternate Skipper if you fall ill/fall in the drink etc but, more importantly, it will enable you both to decide if this is the sort of thing you want to be doing. Makes life easier all round if you can settle that issue before sinking money into a boat.
If you don't have the skills to maintain the boat yourself then you need to acquire at least some of them before moving aboard. It's not the normal preventive maintenance and servicing that you need to know (although that's a money saver) it how to sort out problems twenty miles from a safe haven.
We lived on board a sailing boat for 5 years. I didn't find it a problem but 35 years in the military means my standards of comfort and space are somewhat more austere than my wife's, who enjoyed our time aboard but found that moving back into a house was less of a wrench than it was for me.
Things we enjoyed: the freedom of movement, somewhere different whenever we felt like it. The sailing. The community we found existed, making friends quickly because we all knew that tomorrow we'd probably be sailing off in different directions. Wonderful places to visit, local people to meet and the time, if we wanted, to stop and stare at whatever took our fancy. Did I mention the sailing?
The not so good things. Lack of space, both to store things and to occasionally escape from one another. The limits imposed by fresh water and food storage. The long hike from the boat to the loo block on a cold winter's day. Iffy internet connections and high data charges so you couldn't watch live TV (not so much of a problem now). On the other hand, we didn't watch much TV because most evenings in the winter we had folks round or went to their boats for drinks/supper/card games.
Impossible to do much more than sketch things. Read the blogs from 2007 to 2013 for a flavour of our life. Maybe that'll help one way or another.
 
Thank you very much for that information it's appreciated. Do you have a link to the blogs or advise me where to look?

My wife is intending to do all the courses with me for the reasons you state. She's quite looking forward to it to be be honest.
The school mentioned doing the pb2 in a rib, should I ask to do this in something bigger? He suggested the rib as it would give me a better idea of how a boat handles/manoeuvres.

He stated the skipper course was not residential on the pb because they can get back in a day so no requirement to live in.
My intention at the moment,maybe naively is to only ever sleep overnight when in a marina,with this in mind we have booked to stay onboard a boat of similar size to what we hope to eventually purchase for a week in May next year.
 
Ian.S said:
Thank you very much for that information it's appreciated. Do you have a link to the blogs or advise me where to look?
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Follow the link in my signature block.

My thought in suggesting doing at least part of the level 2 course on a larger boat is that there is quite a marked difference in Howe they handle: you may find it useful to experience this difference at an early stage so you can appreciate what you're getting into.

Whilst I agree that there's no necessity to stay on aboard during the Day Skipper course, given the ease with which you can return to harbour in a power boat, staying on board would give you a good feel for the lifestyle, which staying ashore would not necessarily capture. However, you're aiming to rent a boat as accommodation so that'll tick that box. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it!
 
Thank you very much, I'll have a read of the blogs.

Just need some suitable boat ideas now for my budget.
May sound a stupid question but where would be the best place to physically see and go onboard a boat I'm interested in, do owners/sellers mind showing people around? I intend to see as many possibles as I can.
 
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