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Empty Nesting & Trading it all in. Am I Crazy?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by pamc, Jan 20, 2013.

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  1. pamc

    pamc New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2013
    Messages:
    3
    Location:
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    We have raised our family on the water be it on a 43 ' Welcraft weekender or a 5k sq. ft. Home on the ICW. I am now empty nesting and ready to trade in a 1.3 mil home on the ICW of Fl for a 560 carver voyager! Is it the peace, the adventure , the passion or simply a fresh start? not sure what to call it! Except a DREAM my husband and I have, and I am so afraid that we won’t do it if we wait. Life is short and those golden years may never come. we are in our mid 40's and feel very ready. Can anyone share live aboard experiences? Please share~
    Raised 4 amazing children and are ready for a new journey!
  2. Chris W

    Chris W Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2008
    Messages:
    54
    Location:
    stuart florida
    go for it

    You wont know if you dont try, but dont jump in unprepared or under informed.,lots of good info on cruising and living aboard online.. also, try a charter here or there on a midsize,ie45ft,sail and then powerboat. go to the virgin islands or someplace nice and easy,even if its crowded and not so cheap as it used to be. subscribe to lattitudes and attitudes,cruiseingworld,etc..both good magazines. check out noonsite.com.lots of websites like that.
    i lived aboard and sailed around for years when i was young and broke. saw sooo many middle aged people with nicer boats than me sitting at docks waiting for everything to line up and be perfect and they never got far.. make a short plan and try it.. but, be aware,its a lifestyle,not a hobby. and dont buy a carver...
    good luck.
  3. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2005
    Messages:
    7,388
    Location:
    My Office
    Hi,

    Where are you planning on going on this yacht?
  4. searage

    searage Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2010
    Messages:
    33
    Location:
    South Miami, Florida
    My wife and I made the move 2 years ago. We have a 2 hour commute to work from our home and decided to purchase a 48' Hatteras to keep in a marina closer to our jobs. We ended up using the boat 5-6 days a week. You really learn to downsize when you move into the boat. By the way, we are also accompanied by two dogs. We have enjoyed the live aboard experience so much that we are now planning on renting or selling our home and we are already actively looking for a larger boat. The marina and or location you choose is very important. Do your research and chat with the members on this forum. There is plenty of experience here and they are very professional. My plan is to keep a rental warehouse were i can store some of the toys and any additional items that we really want to keep. Anyway, i do have plenty of tools and enjoy working on the boat. On a new boat there will be less work initially that is. if you are handy it will be a big plus. If not you will need to locate someone you can count on. It is a steep learning curve, there is always something that will need attention. You will learn to start a logbook and maintenance schedule and you will never be done. We are in our late 40's and very glad that we did this now. Good luck and enjoy.
  5. pamc

    pamc New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2013
    Messages:
    3
    Location:
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    Thank you

    Thank you so much Searage!! we are very excited, and are very aware of the cost and maintenance issues. My husband is very handy, and a diesel mechanic! I am getting very excited. we already own a large garage off site with lots of room for storage. This is our dream, has always been since we sold our 43' Welcraft years ago. We are anxious to get back to a live aboard! It's funny we thought having a home on the ICW would satisfy that urge of being on the water(it is not even close to being out on the water on a mooring or anchorage) Some may think we are crazy, but we are looking forward to the experience. Thank you again for sharing, its good to know we are not alone out there. I am placing the house for sale this week!!
  6. pamc

    pamc New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2013
    Messages:
    3
    Location:
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    where are we going

    For now we will keep it as our local live aboard, we would love to plan a trip up north via ICW ( we are orginially from MA, and planned this tripp approx 10 years ago and due to a freak accident had to sell our 43 Welcraft and where not able to fulfill the trip at that time. We would love to explore the Bahamas, as well as the Keys. Honestly would be very content to pull out of the marina and throw an anchor on weekends.
  7. YesMan

    YesMan New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2013
    Messages:
    5
    Location:
    Tampa
    My parents, in their mid 60's, lived aboard throughout 2011 while renting their FL house out and travelled throughout the keys and all they way up the Chesapeake and back. They just sold their house - and ALL their belongings - and are back at it again permanently. I'll try to get them to sign up and come on here and share their experience and wisdom.
  8. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2006
    Messages:
    1,458
    Location:
    Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale FL
    I say go for it. It's your dream go live it. You can always return to the dirt.

    I too think you could do better than a Carver, like an older Hatteras, as a live aboard. But if that is what you really want and like, enjoy!
  9. mrsbond4ever

    mrsbond4ever New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2013
    Messages:
    2
    Location:
    Port Canaveral
    Also live in Florida and on the verge of being an empty nester too! My husband and I's dream is to sell it all and live aboard! We are mid forties but still a good 5 years out from fulfilling the dream. Of course do the research and live the dream! Exciting!
  10. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2006
    Messages:
    1,458
    Location:
    Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale FL
    Even though you are 5 years away from "living your dream", based on the down condition of the market now is a great time to buy a boat.

    At the very least you should consider chartering once a year or so. That way you will get to know what you might like in the way of features, performance, equipment, etc. in and on the boat you end up with.
  11. mrsbond4ever

    mrsbond4ever New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2013
    Messages:
    2
    Location:
    Port Canaveral
    Thanks Capt Bill11!!!

    I shall follow that chartering advice! My house will be paid off enough in 5 years so I can sell and then have the money to buy a boat. So researching now and learning what I can now and in the mean time playing on my 20ft center console in ICW.
  12. Jack Eisenbahn

    Jack Eisenbahn New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2013
    Messages:
    29
    Location:
    SW France
    I had started a "life on the ocean" transition exercise 15 years ago, knowing fairly well that the clock was ticking and that waiting too long wouldn't work: we wouldn't have the time to make the "life change" adjustements if we had waited to be say 65 or older..and fully retired.

    Unfortunately a debilitating illness hit me at age 57 and stopped the plan.
    Now 70, 99% recovered, I am thinking about it again very seriously.! (Which is why I am on this forum...)

    Nevertheless, I think I can share what I remember from the first years of the attempted transition.

    1° the boat: make sure you have a good feel of where you want to cruise /explore and obviously choose the boat that fits the needs.
    This may sound like an oxymoron, but it isn't.

    Space and comfort are important, but seaworthiness is too.

    Speed is *not* important for boat dwellers (unless you have mucho mucho $$$!) but reliability, fuel economy, ease of use are all indispensable.

    Make sure the boat is large enough to go where you want but can still be easily and safely handled by a Mom and Pop team!

    If you plan long range trips/ ocean crossings etc. don't skimp on navigation and safety equipment.

    We could talk for ever about "the boat"...but maybe later in your thought process.

    There are today a large choice of very "live-able" boats on the market, especially in the "pre-owned department". It's a buyer market, take advantage of it.
    And Florida may be the best place in the world to find what you need.

    Find the boat you want and use a reputable surveyor if you don't feel you have all the experience to perform the verifications.

    2° Now a word on the people involved: before you definitely throw away the mooring lines and sell the "dock" (your house) make shorter less adventurous trips.
    Besides the fact that it will develop your seamanship,confidence and boat running skills, it will also test the team husband + wife (and the operative word here is *team*), living in a (relatively) confined area for extended periods of time.
    Yes there *is* a difference between "at sea" and "at the dock"!!
    If both continue to enjoy it more and more after a while, you're good to go!!
    Realize that with the transition to the senior years (~55 to 65), the relation in a couple will evolve faster than in the 30 years previous!
    Living aboard, underway, with different routines to be established, and other type of problems to solve, this transition could just magnify the difficulties.
    Maybe the most important piece of advice I can offer....

    Hopefully, the few "things" I became aware during my aborted attempt can still be useful to someone...


    Good luck
  13. suenosazules

    suenosazules Guest

    Awesome..

    When you make the big leap.. Be sure you write a blog about the transformation. I love reading about those "off the deep in" moves to water life. Good luck!
  14. gr8trn

    gr8trn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2012
    Messages:
    733
    Location:
    OR/CA
    Mr. Eisenbahn,
    Well played sir, best of luck in your next 30 years of boating.

    pamc,
    I vote yes. Liveaboard is great if you don't have to go to the office from the boat. I love living aboard, I don't love leaving the boat to go to the office. If you much work, work from the boat.
    Find the right boat for the job is one thing, but I find that I am always changing my mind/vision on the right boat. I am sure that I am not alone in that, as I think that there would be no boat brokerages otherwise...

    Have fun!