Living on a Yacht?

And Naive I am, no doubt. Very much wet behind the ears here. I've always been an Airplane guy and I can't imagine the costs of yachts can be scarier than aircraft (home of the $670 nut and bolt).

I see them both very similar. Requires good, dedicated and disciplined training, taking it serious like a professional, etc.

And really, the CA property costs on the coast is what's even driving this fantasy.

I don't want to rent, but I'm not going to pay over a million for 1200sq ft for a home. I think the third option is a boat. Since we don't have kids, it's not like we need a yard to play catch or to dig for worms or string up piñatas for a birthday party, you know?

On the insurance, is premium dependent on time in type, school attended for training, or?

4788 looks to cruise at about 15 knots, what is the fuel burn per hour total for those twin diesels? 1-2 mpg?

Do these large boats require annual inspections? Is it prudent to dry dock once a year and have a mechanic go through it to find the squawks to be fixed?

Thank you both for your replies. I appreciate it!

Agree, except for the second paragraph. If he's living aboard he'll be going to the School of Hard Knocks. The most important part of the lessons I give is for the student to practice, practice, practice on their own. He'll be practicing maintenance and learning the boat every day he's aboard, and that boat's systems are pretty straight forward. When he decides to take her out he'd do well to bring on a captain for a day, but that's about it. That's a good handling boat around the dock. He'll learn to dock it pretty easily.

At about 50' most insurance companies would require you to use a captain for some period. At 47' they might not. However, keep in mind that your main purpose for the boat is a home. Being able to cruise is just a side benefit. So if the Insurance company does require a captain you can just hire one when you're ready to take your home for a cruise.

Not sure about the gph (and that varies greatly whether you're slow cruising or burning, but those boats are fairly economical.

No annual inspections, and definitely don't tell a marine mechanic to "go through it to find the squawks to be fixed" unless you want to file bankruptcy. Fix things as they break, and follow the normal maintenance schedules (oil, filters, anodes, etc.) It's good to haul every year to let the hull dry out, but it needs to be hauled about every 2 to 3 years and be bottom painted (depending where the boat is kept and the type of use it gets).

Two more things.

Number one. Charter. Spend some extended time living on a boat, whether a week, two weeks or a month. Learn the differences between boat living and land living and be sure you're both comfortable with those.

Number two. Keep in mind how little you know. Remind yourself. Use that to get training. Get a captain you can trust to teach you not just about operating the boat, but some basics on all the equipment you have. Then pay others to repair what you're not yet knowledgeable enough to undertake, learning from them as you do. First challenge you'll likely face without moving the boat is a problem with the head or holding tank or anywhere in the sewage system. That will happen at the least opportune time and you'll probably be cursing the boat. That is the sort of thing just very different from land living. Ultimately everything can be learned but it takes time.

If the boat is simple enough (concerning the auxiliary systems like water, heating and so on) it might be an option to try fixing normal problems yourself and be prepared to hire professionals to repair what you´ve messed up or just replace these things by new ones. Repair manuals are availeable online for quite a lot of parts of normal smaller boat equipment.
A boat in the range about 50ft. isn´t as complicated as a megayacht with all its (for normal boaters) mystical commercial grade appliances.
Don´s play around with the engines if you don´t know perfectly what you´re doing. They´re expensive to replace or repair and very important for your safety when out at sea. Don´t mess around with the electrics unless you really know what you´re doing. Undocumented changes in the electrical systems and wirings are nasty things to clean up once a boat gets to a certain age and number of owners. Just try to do as much as you can without taking unneccesary risks. Get help, ask pros to teach you when you hire them for repairs. Make mistakes and prepare that they don´t come for free but getting things done successfully with your own hands is something with a direct reward. Just don´t be afraid to get your hands dirty and learn. That are these little things that make having a beer for sundown so much more rewarding. Just try to enjoy beeing a janitor at sea... ;-)

very interesting discussion. Some years ago I was also thinking about investing in a yacht to live on. In fact it is still a dream I would like to fulfill in my life one day. Personally I'm quite sure it would be a very enriching experience on so many levels - also worth telling my grand children when I have some!

I've never really had anything to do with yachts. Saw some big yachts on vacation but never really thought about what it's like to own a yacht or even to live on one. When I met my wife, that changed quickly. Her whole family is very interested in the topic and even then had a few yachts. It then turned out that we also bought our own yacht so that we don't always have to borrow a yacht for our vacation I was rather drawn into it, but with time you definitely learn to appreciate the benefits. In the current situation in particular, it means a lot for the family. We always have the chance to return to our house, but we rarely do it in summer. In winter it depends on whether we stay at home or "emigrate" by boat and spend the winter in the warm.

We live on the yacht and have 3 children under 3 yrs old. We are 1.5 months into it which all started with a day cruise out of Daytona looking for a new place for an overnight on the Bertram 54'. We have since purchased and moved to our new boat as our transition spot while we sell the Ormond Beach home and find the right house here in Fort Lauderdale. The kids happen to be the right age for this adventure. We have about a year before we need to worry about kindergarten. Home is where the family is so, the boat is just fine.

Sounds like good timing. Just remember to keep those baby wipes out of the toilets or a fun year will quickly turn into a nightmare.

Good point. The toilet system on this boat inspires confidence but your point is well taken.

Toilet systems on boats inspire a lot of emotions, but confidence should never be one of them. Remember you won't be pouring down Liquid Plumber or running a snake if it clogs.

Was her name Eve?

This sounds like poetry...but on a different level And I could not agree more with your sentence.

I think boats are significantly less troublesome to own than airplanes. Also, the utility of a larger boat is unimaginable. The boat is wonderful sitting at the dock and many times that moving around.

We have been living on the boat with 3 kids under 3 since mid August.

Young girls are the absolutely worst to have on board. Back in July in the Exumas, the owners nieces managed to clog a headhunter! And these things are bulletproof. Took me two hours to clear the wipes and qtips!!

Did you forget to tell them Rule #1? I love watching women's faces when I tell them nothing more than 4 sheets of TP. Wipes???
Till the kids get to school this will be a great experience and one they'll remember their whole lives.