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Planning a liveaboard boat in the future

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Jeff in SoCal, Oct 11, 2020.

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  1. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Your idea of a house and a smaller boat is really good. About the "significant other", you've been married. You know that what most women want is stability / security. A guy living on a boat is a fun date for a bar fly, but good luck finding a significant other that finds it attractive. Even if they pretend, you can count on the boat getting sold will be priority #1. Now a guy who owns a house AND has some toys like a boat is a catch. You've mentioned 'at comparable cost' a couple of times. They're not. Boats are big holes in the water that suck money out of your wallet by the thousands. Very little loses its value as fast as a boat or costs as much to maintain. You mentioned cruising up the coast....and burning 30 or 40 gph at 20 kts. A 100 mi trip takes 5 hours+ and 200+ gals of fuel. That's 1.5 hours and maybe 5 gals. of gas by car or 2 hours and 10 gals. by motorhome. One other thing about that significant other. You think apartments have thin walls? Try living on a boat with your neighbor 4' away for a lack of privacy. I've worked on boats most of my adult life and the one thing I've learned is that the best boat is the one your friend owns. You show up with the beer and leave the hassles and expense to him. There really is only one good excuse for living aboard a boat, and that's an addiction to boats and salt air. It does get in the blood for some guys (but much fewer women).
  2. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Or an Albin Weekender, like this one:
    www.odincharters.com

    28’, single diesel, plenty deck space to lounge and fish during the day,
    2 beds, a small galley and a head for living on the hook a few days now and then. They go from $45k to about $75k
    Albin 28TE if you want to search.
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I would say for the time being buy yourself a house/condo. Join one of the boating clubs for a year. The fees are cheaper than owning your own boat, don't have to worry about any of the ownership hassles such as dockage, repairs, keeping it clean and you just call, use the boat and pay for the gas you use, pull back in and hand them the keys.
  4. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    It takes a number of things to make living aboard enjoyable.

    1)- the right marina. Safe neighborhood, easy parking, good docks and utilities incl pump out, and a combination of live aboards and non live aboards. There are 4 or 5 live aboards on my pier but none are next to each other. Privacy not a concern. We have more privacy then many of those suburban homes in tightly packed communities.

    2)- the right boat. There is no way I would live aboard on anything smaller than my 53, without adequately sized bathrooms, storage space, and washer dryer. I ve never used a public bathroom shower or laundromat. Also on a larger boats you have more areas to hang around so you re not on top of each other all the time. I have 4 areas : salon, aft deck, foredeck and flybridge. All with comfortable seating.

    3)- the right area. Part of the fun is being able to leave the dock in a moments notice and have access to nice spots to anchor for the night or for the week end without having to run in rough open waters or long distances. Sometimes we leave the dock later afternoon, drop the hook in the bay, have dinner and come back the next morning. All within half an hour, protected and with great views of Miami. Oh and the boat is pretty much always ready to go... less than 5 minutes and we re out of there
  5. Jeff in SoCal

    Jeff in SoCal New Member

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    Great suggestions and lots of stuff I hadn’t considered (which is why I’m here).

    I think the boating club is probably the best idea, to start. Not only does that give me an idea of what I like, but it also introduces me to a whole community of people who can help.

    Back to Google!
  6. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    I wonder if there is an opportunity to rent a bare charter and stay at the dock for a month or 2 to get a taste of what it means to 'live aboard". If you're new to boating you may not really understand what that phrase entails?
  7. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Did exactly that years ago in St. Croix: Young Wifey and I was on vacation and stayed on a sailboat at a dock in Christiansted for a week in 1984.
    Couldn’t take the boat out, stuck at the dock, but great experience. ($25 a day or something back then, Airbnb way before Airbnb was invented)
    We ended up buying a boat a few months later right there and lived on it for 3 years and sailing the Virgin Islands on days off.
    All good, loved it.
  8. captainBB

    captainBB New Member

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    There are certainly people who enjoy living on a 35-foot yacht all year round. It just wouldn't be my thing. I drive a small luxury engine, 40 footer. For the summer I think that's okay, but if you can only be inside in the winter, I'd rather be inside a house somewhere. To me this is way more comfortable, although my boat is designed for year-round use as well. It’s just not my thing to spend all year long on the boat…

    If I were you, I would make sure that double glass panes are installed. If possible, no simple air heating, but a heating system that runs on hot water or oil heater… A good insulation of the hull and the superstructure…

    I think you should bear in mind several options. Personally, I need my place sometimes…which I don't always have on a boat.
  9. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    None of that is needed. The OP is in Southern California.
  10. Jeff in SoCal

    Jeff in SoCal New Member

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    Update:

    I found a couple boating clubs in the area. The one-time initiation fees range from $3000 to $7000, and then the monthly fees range from $300 to $800. You can share your membership, so I was thinking maybe I'd see if a friend wanted to split it with me.

    If you join the club, you also get a bunch of free instruction.

    I also found just a stand-alone couple of full-day classes on dual engine power boats for $350-400 apiece.

    I feel like the way to go is to do the classes first, then decide from there. I could probably just rent boats for a half day once every month or six weeks and it would be less than joining the club.

    So all of that would be my gradual toe-dipping to see if this is all as great I think it is. I have boated around lakes or harbors 4-5 times and always love it.
  11. Jeff in SoCal

    Jeff in SoCal New Member

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    Also, I didn't see a way to change the thread title, so maybe a mod can do it.

    I think I've been talked out of the liveaboard thing, so maybe someone can delete that part from the subject for future readers.
  12. captainBB

    captainBB New Member

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    RER, ok, when the OP is in Southern California, you're right, none of that is needed. But I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to be prepared for an "emergency." And maybe you would like to go somewhere else sometime, where it can get a lot colder at night during winter. Well my credo is always: BE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING! :-D

    JeffinSoCal, if you can share your membership and split it with your friend, that would be very nice. You just have to consider a few things in beforehand, and if you do, you can save a lot of money. If you just rent boats for a half day once every five to six weeks, it would be less than joining the club. You just have to think about what you prefer. In the club you would also get a bunch of free instructions…depending on what you prefer and how often you want to use a boat, you can decide what option fits best to you! :)
  13. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Personally I would not join a club if I didn't have a boat. Solving specific boat issues among boat owners is generally my experience at clubs, as well as discussing the latest cruise, if it's a cruising club, or fishing techniques if its a fishing club. A yacht club is more of a social experience than a learning experience. I think I'd rent that boat at the dock on a per diem basis to truly test my desire. If its an active dock you'll get as much info there as you would from a club, maybe more. Also you'll get an opportunity to learn about a range of boat models if the facility has any size and has a good transient business.
  14. Jeff in SoCal

    Jeff in SoCal New Member

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    I got on a waiting list for a rack storage place!!!

    As I was doing my research, I realized that the waiting lists for the marinas are super long, and the few I checked won't even let you on the waiting list without a boat. So it seems like when you buy your first boat, you just have to trailer it around at first. The problem is, I don't have a vehicle big enough to trailer a boat. And I really don't want to own a pickup or SUV ... ever. Besides me not wanting to drive something like that, it adds a whole extra layer of expense.

    So it seems like the only 3rd option is rack storage at the water, and there is apparently only one place in SoCal that offers that. I imagine the waiting list is long for that too, but at least they were nice enough to put me on the list without me actually owning a boat.

    It seems like it might be the best storage option because it's cheaper than a slip, but avoids the hassle of trailering it around, especially if your storage location is not at the water.

    Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your boat better off being on a rack than sitting in the water 24/7? For cleaning and rust and barnacles?

    In the short term, I am going to take some classes and just rent boats for the day here or there, until I find a nice little one (28 feet?) to buy and put in rack storage.
  15. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    How large of a boat can the rack storage take?
    Waht is the towing capacity of your Prius?
    Seems like a no-brainier to me.....
  16. Jeff in SoCal

    Jeff in SoCal New Member

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    Up to 40 feet and 10,000 pounds (loaded).

    And no Prius, just a regular Acura ILX.
  17. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    You may want to consider this.

    I think the Prius will out tow the Acura. Hard to call.
    No matter, both a left coast mini car that barely tows it self.
    Now, If you are wondering about left coast predigest,, you are correct..
    California has shot itself in the feet so bad, it is hard to reply to most post.

    A great water front adventure, regulated by the few.
    FM
  18. Jeff in SoCal

    Jeff in SoCal New Member

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    Capt Ralph, a little 25-30 foot Cuddy should be easily less than 10,000 pounds, right? I looked up a couple that had specs and they said 5500-6500. Even with fuel and other items loaded on, that should still be well under 10K, right?
  19. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Down hill and with the wind....
    Some imagination can help.
    Certainty, you are not expecting to maintain hyway speed...

    Jeff
    Since the beginning of your post, I suspected a new boater with out a clue.
    Now,, I have to ask,, what the heck are you smoking and not sharing?
    Come back to earth..
  20. alvareza

    alvareza Member

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    Check out Freedom boat club. I have a few friends who use it. You get to use one of several center consoles, lowest cost/commitment way to get into boating with a newer reliable small boat. They do all the maintenance and offer lessons. Might be a way to gain experience while on the waitlist.
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