Princess 31

[VALERIE-BOO]

Hi all, just purchased a project 31 to live aboard anyone else as crazy as me lol, would like to swap ideas about how to make her more comfortable, I've started the interior rip out and was considering taking out one of the heads to make the shower larger good idea or not, also have problems with battery charging, and was wondering if i could run all i need from shore power if possible.

 

[greeny]

Depends what you mean by live aboard. Are you going to live on her, moored in a marina as a house boat or are you actually going to go places and move around harbours, maybe anchoring and making passages. What you need and how you equip her will be very different in each case probably.

 

[VALERIE-BOO]

Shes now my home perminently I'm in a residential tidal morning and will be moored for 9 months and was hoping to go out during the summer months, was going to run everything from mains like the diesal heater, toilet and lights and when under way switch to boat batteries.

 

[Seastoke]

You would be better moving this thread to the motor boat forum

 

[Tranona]

You will get relevant responses here about living aboard.

Yes, you can run everything from shorepower if you have a decent mains charger and sound batteries. However I suggest you have your 240v system checked over by a qualified electrician to ensure it is safe and suitable for the loads you will be placing on it, particularly if you want to run 240v domestic appliances such as kettle, microwave, heater, dehumidifier etc.

These boats were never intended for living on - weekend and short holidays in summer. Winter is a killer as they are poorly insulated and suffer from damp and condensation. You don't say what experience you have of full time living on a boat, but winter is a really testing time even if you are firmly moored to land and have shorepower. Rather than messing about with the layout concentrate on insulation, particularly the large window areas and minimising condensation - so avoid cooking on gas and using the diesel heater. Keep well ventilated - a cockpit cover is a good idea as you can leave hatches and the companionway open to encourage a through flow of air. Before making any drastic changes suggest you leave it for a few months , or even a year to gain experience of what works and what needs modification.

As suggested in post#2 keeping a liveaboard boat in seaworthy condition is rather different from what you might do to turn it into a permanent houseboat. What you do to make it suitable for both purposes depends in part on what the boat is like in terms of condition and equipment. You have identified correctly that power is an important factor and there are many ways of enhancing this depending on what it is like now and what you plan to do in the future - and of course your budget and whether you are capable of understanding both what is possible and how best to do it.

More questions than answer and more information would help get more focused suggestions. For example is it just you? where are you (influences where you can reasonably cruise to) the condition of the boat and its gear - does it have good engines and a modern electrical system. Do you work or are you on board all the time. Not meaning to pry but liveaboards come in all sorts of flavours and what is suitable for one individual is no good for another.

 

[Seastoke]

Shes now my home perminently I'm in a residential tidal morning and will be moored for 9 months and was hoping to go out during the summer months, was going to run everything from mains like the diesal heater, toilet and lights and when under way switch to boat batteries.

Are you on a berth or a mooring.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Are you on a berth or a mooring.

See post #3

 

[colind3782]

See post #3

But VALERIE-BOO states that the plan is to run everything off the mains which might suggest a marina berth?

 

[Seastoke]

But VALERIE-BOO states that the plan is to run everything off the mains which might suggest a marina berth?

Exactly.

 

[kingsebi]

I lived on a Senior 32 aft cabin (same hull I think) for five years on the rivers and canals in the South of France. The previous owner had built a pilothouse and equipped her with 300w solar panels and a 400ah battery bank. I added insulation and a solid fuel stove. It kept the boat warm and dry in winter and made life on board quite comfortable. One summer I took her from Bordeaux to Santander along the Atlantic coast and another to Barcelona down the Costa Brava. We got some funny looks in the ports, but the boat coped well up to Beaufort 5. Most problems I had were with the Z-Drives. They were good for maneuvering, but very exposed at the stern. All in all I had a great time. Loved the boat!

 

[V1701]

1. Get a dessicant dehumidifier - Ecoair DD1 or Meaco DD8, to keep the condensation down. With those big windows you'll need to run it 24/7 in the colder weather. Don't worry about cooking on gas if you run a dehumidifier. Choose a dessicant as opposed to compressor type dehumidifier because they work well in colder temperatures whereas the compressor type don't and are also more prone to spontaneous combustion.
2. Get an electric blanket.
3. As Tranona says, concentrate on better insulating first and see how you live with the layout, etc. first before you start ripping the interior to bits - it's a lot easier to rip it all out than it is to make a good job of building a good interior.

For what it's worth a dessicant dehumidifier, 1 x 1.5kw electric radiator and an electric blanket keep me toasty 24/7/365 but my boat is well insulated and much less window area than yours, it is slightly bigger however. In the coldest months (usually Jan/Feb) my electric bill will be about £150/month, we're paying not far off 40p/unit still. There will be people who tell you a dehumidifier is no use unless you hermetically seal your boat, this is nonsense. Do stop cold air coming in as best you can though obvs, this includes things like leaving the plugs in any sinks...