[2k9]

I am new to yachting and i am looking at living on my yacht in the future. I was wondering if anyone who has done it or doing it now could give me their insight. pros, cons, it would all be helpful. Some general rules on size maybe. I have been looking at a budget of near 300,000. i like the style and size of the 40-50 ft motoryachts. Thank you.

[Pascal]

lol... i never thought of it in these words... "living on a yacht" :-)

if that helps, I live on a boat... a 53' Hatteras (old one.. 1970)

Cons? there are none! Pros? where do i start? being on the water, having the whole biscayne bay as my backyard and most importantly being able to drop the lines and live the dock at any time without worrying about bringing food, drinks or a change of clothes. it's all there. love it!

seriously, the down side is if you live up north and it's cold for 6 months and you have to deal with snow, iced water lines, no pump out, etc... i guess that's not fun.

heck, even hurricanes are better on a boat... I can move my boat from under the bullseye, try that with a house :-)

General rules on size? well... some folks live aboard 27 foot sailboats and use marina bathrooms... so it all comes down to you.

I think a good liveaboard boat is one that will provide all the comforts of home (full size galley, comfortable heads, decent staterooms, washer/dryer, etc...).

having enough space and privacy is important, especially if you're married or have kids. I like the layout of the classic Hatteras because the master is all the way down the lower companionway, unlike some boats in the 40' range where the master opens up right in the saloon,just a couple of steps down.

Nowadays, you can find some nice MYs in the 50' range and as recent as the early 90s for under 300k.

One issue to consider is finding a slip, especially for larger boats... not always easy in some areas.

[NYCAP123]

Growing up my dream was always to live on about a 45' yacht. Then I moved to Ft. Lauderdale and boats started to shrink. After a few years of looking at megayachts I came to the conclusion that I couldn't live on anything less than 70' and since I can't afford that I guess I'll just keep my homestead.
Upside: The romance of living on the water and if you're single the romance it attracts.
Downsides, sorry, but everything else.
Most people view you as a second class citizen, most women view you as unstable and most employers view you as gone tomorrow.
Comfort: Sleep on a bunk instead of a bed, no storage space (forget bulk shopping), Small shower, holding tanks, small TVwith poor reception, small fridge. Poor insulation (hot in the heat/ cold in the cold).
No privacy (Your neighbor is 3' away).
Financial: You're living in a depreciating asset that you buy and then still pay rent to live in, often paying a premium for electric and insurance. Earning a living from a boat is hard (see above). Then there's the family questions, and (except for the weekends) it's a fairly lonely life in most marinas.
Living on a boat is a great adventure for a short period ( maybe a year or two if you keep it moving) if you're independently wealthy otherwise why not just work a boat so you can live the life.

[Pascal]

that's a pessimistic view! gee... My galley is as big as what you find in many city appartment... fridge? full size GE with top freezer and ice maker, 24" self cleanin oven... I got tons of storage and i sleep on a queen size bed... not a berth! yeah, so i had a 300sq ft marble bathroom before.. so what? i spend 5 minutes a day in the bathroom/head!!! do i need the 300sq ft? hell no!

hot in the hot? i had 70 degree inside this afternoon, even with the sun beating on the boat!

the neighbor issue depends on the marina... if you dont' have any LA neighbors you don't see anyone during the week... on week ends, we're usually out of the slip so i dont' care... Lonely in the marina? i used to see my next door neighbor maybe one a month in the elevator...

I moved to the boat after selling my 1800 sq ft condo... privacy? with the conciergem, valets and security staff in the lobby? what privacy...

yes, i'm paying rent for the slip but i used to pay $900 condo maintenance/assoc fees plus $700 real estate tax... so i'm saving money. and since i already had a boat (a little smaller) I was paying boat insurance, slip, etc... anyway...

one thing is sure, is that you need the right marina. you need nice docks, nice parkings, pump out at the slip, and the right neighbors...

and if people think i'm a second class citizen because i live on a boat, their problem... if they're that narrow minded, i dont' even want to know them...

[FISHTIGUA]

Hmm... this is a toughie.

1. Will you ever move the boat?
2. Do you go for cruises and trips?
3. How much crap do you have to lugg around? (Mostly un-needed)

Living on a boat can be cheap/ uncomfortable/elegant/best move ever. It all depends on how you normally live. Pascal says do you need 300sq/ft marble showers, well do you?

I've lived on 26' wooden sailboats for 6 months at a time but I was in my 20/30's and stupid then. Now I'm older I think a 42' trawler is the minimum. Great life though, only back on land due to family commitments.

Dave

[NYCAP123]

Hey Dave,
Let's put your wife, your kid and that mum-in-law on that 42 footer. Ok we'll be fair and only bring the in-laws for the holidays. How's she feeling?
My thoughts aren't pessamistic, just realistic. Dave put it right. It's a bachalor life, maybe a newlywed or recently retired (if she really loves him and is adventurous). It also takes enough money to keep the boat moving, cause if she sits in one spot I go back to How's that social life?

[FISHTIGUA]

There is an old wooden Grand Banks for sale, just turned up outside my office. Man, I am very tempted to move back again. Bachelor life sucks in some ways and great in others (no mother-in-law). Oh well, life ebbs and flows.

Dave

[NYCAP123]

"an old WOODEN Grand Banks" That'd be a move to permanent bachelorhood (not that it doesn't get considered now and again).

[Pascal]

42 is too small for me... the 53 is probably as small as i would consider as a liveaboard. again, layout is important. Some boats have a lot of areas you can use if you dont' want to be on top of each other, esp. with kids. any Hatt, Viking, CC, etc... MY will have the saloon but also the bow, aft deck and flybridge...

i would certainly avoid wood as a liveaboard because of the extra maintenance and time on the hard, especially in warm climate.

Kids dont' mind living aboard... wife? well... need to pick that one even more carefully than a boat! :-)

[NYCAP123]

Years ago I went to look at a 70 odd footer advertised cheap saying "divorce causes sale". One look told me that the sentence should have begun "boat caused divorce..."

[sgawiser]

We spent six months a year on our 46 foot sailboat, first winters in FL and then summers in CT.

It certainly is great to be on the water and in the community of a quality marina. it certainly is not so great to be on display when lookee loos walk down the dock at all hours of the day and night to look in the windows to see what your boat is like.

The issue of space, both for living and storage and for the ability to get away from other family members (read the spouse) is a serious one. On the other hand, our New York City apartment is smaller in every way than the boat was.

And the admiral tells me that it was all a plan so that she would think a condo in Jupiter Florida would be really really spacious.

[Loren Schweizer]

Hi 2k9:
Looks like you've received a lot of great firsthand advice. But, it's kind of like sushi. You can ask all you want but you'll never really know until YOU try it.
Pascal has the boat that works for him and very likely would work for you: the 53 Classic Hatteras offers the space separation (salon, 'back porch', galley, master stateroom, flybridge, +) from your Significant Other when needed.
Early '80s boats in good shape sell for in the low $200s. Plenty left in the budget for a Porterhouse and a '72 Margaux for the inaugural cookout.
And, the best part? If you decide it's not your cup of tea, it is a fairly liquid commodity that you can flip.
Call your local yacht broker today!

[Capt J]

I agree that the 53' Hatteras MY makes a terrific liveaboard. They are extremely quiet inside, very spacious, large galley, in your price range, built like a rock, have a large holding tank (2 actually), and well the crew stateroom in the front keeps guests far enough away. I would recommend the 58' Yachtfish if you can find one. It's the same boat but with a 5' cockpit and more water capacity and fuel capacity and the cockpit makes getting on and off at some marina's much easier.

Downsides are that it is more costly to live aboard. Higher maintanence and there is always that occassional having to get up in the middle of the night because the shorepower went out or a bilge pump stopped working. Also you do have to be in the right marina to match your personality.

[yachtbrokerguy]

If you are thinking of financing part of the price of the boat, you might want to check about getting pre-approved. Some banks are reluctant to have their collateral traveling to parts unknown.
The interest on this loan can be tax deductible if it is a first or second home, so there could be an advantage to financing.

[2k9]

Thanks to everyone who has given me info on the subject. None of the information has made me think negative about the venture. I think i am just going to do it. I have been reading everyones feedback and doing research on what was said. i appreciate it all. thank you