Still trying to find out more about the realities of living aboard

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CalmSkipper

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So far I think I've worked out that if I pursue the livaboard life style for the c2days a week I'd be in Southamnpton...
- a 29-33 footer should be ok (there would only be me aboard)
- its cold and damp in winter (so heat and de-humidify)
- a modern boat would have to come out of the water for at least a month in the winter (showing my ignorance again here but I'm not precisely sure what anti-fouling is...it just seems to be essential!)
- second home council tax and the issues regards marinas not wanting to officially sanction permanent residents wouldn't be an issue at c 80 nights per year

What I'm not sure of is ...what are the harsh realities of living aboard in winter
- would the boat rock around so much you couldn't sleep
-what are the hidden costs over the marina charge plus electricity/gas
- is there a 'livaboard community' at most marinas where people get to know each other, help each other out when needed etc
- what are the questions I haven't even worked out yet?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
would the boat rock around so much you couldn't sleep
-what are the hidden costs over the marina charge plus electricity/gas
- is there a 'livaboard community' at most marinas where people get to know each other, help each other out when needed etc
- what are the questions I haven't even worked out yet?? !!



[/ QUOTE ] Most of what you have already worked out is correct..
Harsh realities.
Will only rock around in a marina when there are big gales.
Liveaboards in most I think -- all help each other out.
Hidden costs could be insurance, learning to sail...
Not worked out or costed - things go wrong with boats. Even new ones.. Need to be bit of a DIY person to keep on top of them.. A lot of the many systems on a boat were never designed for liveaboards so break easily from too much use... other than that - no problem - except constant maintanence + go sailing/motoring in it and use it as a boat not a caravan...

Michael
 
No reason to take the boat out the water in winter, or for a month. Anti fouling is to stop weed growth. But hardly matters if not going anywhere. The need to take out is to replace anodes, though a diver could do this in water. If no anodes, all the mettle bit's rote away quite quick.

Livaboards in this context are mainly dropouts and failiers in society. Though not all. Many have a big chip on there shoulder. You wont see them on here though, cos well they have a chip, so do not form part of the normal community.

Electric hook up is a must, less you can heat off coal and maybe use gas lights.
 
You've already had good advice to which I can add....you won't really be pursuing a 'liveaboard lifestyle' you would be camping on board a couple of nights a week. No problem with that, as long as you have a dehumidifier (24/7) and an electric heater. Try to get one of the non-compressor type dehumidifiers as the compressor ones tend to get frozen up in colder weather. Do a search here, there have been recent threads on the subject.

You won't have a bath - and on a smaller boat you might not like the shower very much, so check. You won't have satellite TV and being at sea level your terrestrial TV might be dodgy. You won't have ADSL but you might get WiFi - check with the marina if that is important to you, and check the cost. Chichester Marina is happy with liveaboards, so is at least one of the Southampton marinas (don't know which) though as you say, you will not really be living aboard.

If you buy a boat you will need to learn about the basic systems even if you don't go anywhere in it. Nigel Calder has written a selection of good books, buy one and read through it, it is easy reading. If you don't know about boat systems you could cause damage through ignorance or neglect, or even suffer a major leak.

Do get a survey - a full survey. The cost will usually be covered by the things the surveyor uncovers and in due course your insurer will ask for survey so it will have to be done sooner or later anyway.

Once you've got a boat, get some training. If you don't like group lessons (though they are arguably the best) then you can get an instructor to give own-boat tuition. A few days to a week would be all you need to get started.

If this is your first introduction to boating, then welcome /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Enjoy, and fair winds!
 
If you don't intend to go out in her or at least keep her in a condition that she could go out then most marinas (Chichester included) will not tolerte you.

Have you considered a caravan somewhere? This is a serious question as you say you have no boating experiance and are not intending to get any.
 
You seem to have answers to most of your questions. One point that I would add is that some people, including me, find it easier to sleep onboard than on land. My boat is on a fore and aft mooring in Cardiff bay, so moves more than in a marina. The thing that most people complain about is the noise not the movement. Lapping water and rattling halyards can be very annoying.
Allan
 
Thanks for all the thoughts and advice. I do seem to have inadvertantly encouraged some misconceptions ( probably through the nieveness of some of my questions!). Why a boat not a caravan...because its a caravan with a sail and I will be sailing it weekends and when on leave from work (I'm a dinghy sailor currently doing DS). It's just that in addition, 2 nights a week I happen to work where the boat would be so I could sell/rent out my apartment there and use the boat for my accommodation on those nights, hence my wanting to understand the realities of living aboard during the dark cold winter months. In short if I forgo the apartment I could get more boat! I suppose the only trouble is if I get m /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gifore boat It will be very tempting on a bright breezy spring morning not to go into work at all!!
 
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It will be very tempting on a bright breezy spring morning not to go into work at all!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Never mind the weather - oh, never mind the work either.

S x
 
[ QUOTE ]

-what are the hidden costs over the marina charge plus electricity/gas
- is there a 'livaboard community' at most marinas where people get to know each other, help each other out when needed etc


[/ QUOTE ]Electricity may be a hidden cost. Some marinas include it in the price, some charge extra for hookup - at VERY inflated prices. Check when you ask about terms at the marina.

Water is always free, as should be the shower facility. Garbage - you bag it and dump it at the marina's facility for no cost.

Gas you supply yourself, buy a Calor gas cylinder of a suitable size from the local chandler, many garages also sell them. After you've paid for the cylinder, budget about (Pounds)5 per week for full-time cooking use.

Laundry - you may need to use the marina laundrette. Check they have one, or where the nearest is.

You'll need fuel of course, for the engine, for getting in and out of the marina.

Insurance is the other important extra, but it should be no more for a liveaboard than for normal usage. (Do check the small print though, I think one of two insurers don't like liveaboards.

Marina communities differ greatly. Personally, I like best those you find in mud-creek marinas where there are always plenty of people with DIY skills. If there is a yacht club (with a bar) on site or nearby you will often find the liveaboards gravitate there in the evenings.
 
Kevan,

If you have mains power onboard, we would recommend an electric blanket – no really! – The boat will take quite a bit of heating up after a few days away in the winter and will be cold & damp with intermittent use.

The sheer ‘luxury’ of climbing into a warm, dry bunk cannot be overstated under such conditions!

Good ventilation is the key to solving the damp problem, but avoid cooking too many ‘boiled’ foods, potatoes, rice etc. A pressure cooker is also a must, saving gas and releasing far less steam. Well worth mastering the use of.

Water may not be so freely available, as northern marinas often shut this off in November to prevent freezing, so ask around before renting out that flat, unless you are very frugal and/or feel comfortable humping water containers across icy pontoons in the dark?

Do chat up and listen to all the locals, you will soon work out those that DO know, as opposed to those who THINK they know! We find that most over-wintering liveaboards are very friendly and helpful in times of need.

Maintenance can be an issue as already said, many items of ‘boating equipment’ are not really designed for constant use, water pumps and diesel (warm-air) heaters have been our main breakdowns, but we run a pretty complex boat.

We are mostly on inland waters, but this year took the boat out for the first time in three years and she was very clean, needing only a good pressure-wash. We did put a couple of (very expensive) coats of matching antifouling to ensure another few years. Local knowledge of the best type of antifouling is handy, as local conditions vary - and do not buy it in Holland as we did!

We found it cheaper to have the lift out mid-summer since the yard was not busy. Whilst I was working on a new prop shaft bearing, Urszula; using a hand-roller, did the whole boat (15m) in less than three days, if that info helps.

Good luck!
 
colin/urzula - thank you. There's so much to find out for someone coming at this with such limited experience but I must say the more I find out the more fascinating I find it all. I'd say I've found a new hobby but that feels like a complete understatement. It's all much more involved and requires much more commitment than a hobby and if I opt for 'livaboard' thats another complete step in addition to simply getting a boat to sail. Hell. Maybe my daughter's right - maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis!
 
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