Unexpected issues for a new live aboard?

I have to agree with Pascal on the water issue. Hooking your boat directly to dockside water is an invitation to trouble and I would never do it. We live off our tanks and like Pascal said it keeps them fresh. We drink all our water from the tap and don't have a problem. I have never been hooked to dock water and never will boats are not piped to be hooked to that much pressure for a long time and can burst a line or valve with a pressure increase.


I saw one boat almost sink because a line burst and it was listing very badly to port until one of the marina employees saw it and cut the water. The bilges were overflowing and she was filling fast, no thanks.

I have seen experience boaters also leave the dock with power lines attached as well as newbies doing it. People are fallible human beings and prone to error so make a check list and follow it is the best method. We have our list in excel and when we want to go out we print a copy and check it off as we progress. Yes it slow our progress but it makes it a safer and happier trip, nothing like pulling your power connection out of the boat to ruin a trip. Saw a good friend do that one day on his boat and he has been boating since he was a kid with his dad. But he had company and they distracted him so he forgot, a checklist will help a newbie or an experienced sailor from having an accident.

I prefer to keep a boat hooked up to dockside water rather than taking it out of the tank. Yes, it does keep the water in the tank fresher, but I usually dump the water in the tanks fairly often anyways. I don't like the pressure change when running off of the water pump (when it cycles on and off) in most boats as well as the noise of the water pump. I find it easy to put a pressure regulator on the hose fitting on the dock (although most yachts have them built in at the dockside water hose connection), I also find it easy to just shut the water off everyday when leaving the boat. If you leave the breaker on for the water pump, it will automatically come on when the dockside water pressure drops enough and you won't end up with a burnt hot water element.

You might also consider a mechanics course. And there are boat handling courses for women taught by women.

When looking at the marinas, don't forget to talk to the boaters, not just the dock master. Ask why they are where they are and where they've been that they did and didn't like.

Judy Waldman

I've been away for a few days and like what I see here. Very good stuff, especially the mechanics course and the check list. One thing I've found helpful is that whenever I leave a boat I always stop part-way down the dock and look back at her bow to stern. You'd be amazed how often that reminded me of something I forgot from a rag I meant to put away to shutting the water. Sort of that check list but mental.

Spiders. Everywhere. If you're an early riser or a night owl, be prepared to clear the docks of webbing, mostly with your face.

The missus is disturbed by the sound of lines rubbing in their hawseholes when the wind blows 20kts out of the NW during winter. Chafe protection does some good, but there have been times in the middle of the night when an elbow to the ribs has induced me to go up topside and apply a dollop of dish soap to the squeaky bits.

OUCH! Reminds me of the words ' If it bothers you, get your own ____ ____ up there greasing and let me sleep."

NYCAP123, you must be either happily divorced or never married.

33 years and going of married bliss to the best in the world . That's experience talking. BTW she'd say the same thing to me were the circumstances reversed.

The above statement means as close to nothing as a statement possibly could.

Let me rephrase it for you then newcomer. We take ultimate care of each other, but there are no Prima Donnas living here. I don't wait on her any more than she waits on me nor any less. Equals. Sorry every statement can't be a revelation.

On our Vancouver Yacht, we deliberately opened an internal hose connection with the City water on, checked to see if the main bilge pump could handle it and it was ok, City pressure at the boat was about 50 psi, and a 1/2 " line feeding the boat inlet connection, left it for an hour and it would activate the high water alarm then catch up and be ok for a while. This was to prove we could sleep ok and go for daily shopping etc without the worry of wondering if we turned off the water. As we disembark and start to walk out of our slip, the water shut off is right there, so, for longer absence it would be tough to forget to turn it off and we do have neighbours to phone if we ever did forget.....so far..no forgets in 14 yrs.....we do run the tanks often anyway and treat the tanks with iodine for purity. Aluminum tanks so no chlorine. living aboard is great and space if married is critical, specially closet space !!!!, we are lucky as we also have a 20x15 heated storeage room at the Marina. (3rd clothes closet) lol..

When you say a budget of $500,000, is that just the initial purchase budget, or are you including operations and maintenance in that budget? Are you planning on living in one location with it or travelling as well? The biggest gotchas are the ones Mother Nature is going to throw at you. Regional flash flooding and storm surges if you're subject to them can not only be challenging but deadly. If you're on a plastic type boat (polyester, vinylester or epoxy) there is the potential for personal reactivity and health issues with continued exposure. Some people develope reactions to the continued low volume offgassing of various hydrocarbons. It's not a common thing, but it does happen I know a hand full of people who can't go aboard a plastic boat any more and one of them I have been friends with for over 25 years. About 2 minutes after he goes below on a plastic boat he's coverd in a red rash and after about 10 minutes he has trouble breathing. He has developed 3 differnt forms of cancer in the last year including liver, pancreatic and melanomas. Whether they are related in any way I am not certain. He's not a drinker either. Personally, for a live aboard I prefer wood as it's the most comfortable material, but it does require more work to keep it up.

Sounds like you have quite a gal. When I showed my lovely wife "ALL of our clothes fit into the same master closet." Well, I'll tell you what she says when she stops rolling on the floor laughing. Sounds like you've got a good thing going. Have fun.

as a newbie i have too many quotes to list for questions?

we will be going all over the world sailing...
what sort of fun can we expect in cold weather.
I can imagine frozen all over, but what is the reality?
kats cheaking anchors? we have a kitten we wish to live aboard and sail with us, we are wondering how well it will deal with it all?
what is a Haul outs? we are buying a timber 1970 NZ Kauri 8.8 meters, I came on site today seaking info about chalking the hull, anti fowling, and repairing a water leak around the inboard joints- is there any way to do it with out drydocking the boat?
Torredo worms? what symptoms do i look for visually?
its now like i'm drowning in questions... lol

Hi,

If I recall correctly you wrote somewhere you are from a Cattle Property. I am not sure how cold it gets in your part of the world but the sea where it freezes is probably a world away in more ways than one.

The reality of being in places where everything freezes is the ability for this to do some really good damage to your boat that will not necessarily reveal itself till you thaw out.

If you are planning on living on this vessel in freezing conditions you will also encounter the difficulty of heating it and the whole inside getting damp from condensation - This will be worse if the vessel has never been setup with the intention of being used in freezing conditions.

I almost forgot, the boat might also be difficult to sail if covered in ice and the deck gear is frozen up.

I have in past lived every where, cattle station and farms included...
on the station it was down to -11*C with white frost everywhere.

I thought along the lines that the ice would compress the hull, but didnt think about the winches, we used huge electric ones that ice never affected.
when the term cold was used, in australia cold is cold and freezing is freezing
while it gets cold here not many areas actually freeze.
we still have alot to think about before we are ready for the world trip... lol

Hi,

I see that you added some info to your post.

I sincerely hope that you are having this old wooden boat thoroughly surveyed.

As first timers planning on a world cruise on a boat I question your choice of ride as this old girl will no doubt need a lot more upkeep than one made from other materials and will definitely be damaged if you get iced in anywhere.

Your cat should be ok, hundreds of others have made similar trips. It will be unable to go ashore anywhere. Just check what the NZ or Australian Quarantine Service says about animals from overseas to get an idea.

Having lived aboard and cruised for the past 35 years, I have one thing to say, DO IT, they were the best, most fun times of my life. Remember to help mama carry the grocerys down the dock.