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Live Aboard and Travel with Parkinson’s Disease

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by 88OY44, Jun 7, 2026 at 10:20 AM.

  1. 88OY44, Jun 7, 2026 at 10:20 AM
    #1
    88OY44

    88OY44 New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2023
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    Location:
    Southport
    Here is possibly a whole new and different question for everyone out there…
    Has anyone ever been a “Live Aboard” traveled to different places or maybe even did the loop and had say… Parkinson’s Disease?
    I see everyone chat about everything under the sun but what about those who love boating or fishing and have this disease. I’m talking motor boat not sailing. Just curious if anyone has or is currently a live aboard with such a disease and how do you handle it on a daily basis.
    Yes I have Parkinson’s and yes I miss the water very much. The ocean, the icw are in my veins. Nobody would understand this but other avid brothers and sisters that feel the same way.
    I figured if I got a sportfish I would need a swim platform and transom door to get on and off. If I got a motor yacht I would need to purchase stairs to get on up on the side of the boat. Or if push came to shove purchase or have made a folding ramp instead of stairs. I’m still able to walk and drive. I’m not dead yet. My Parkinson’s has not progressed to the point such as Michael J Fox. I have other symptoms of the disease.
    Please give me your thoughts. I could really use some advice about now!
  2. JWY, Jun 7, 2026 at 3:39 PM
    #2
    JWY

    JWY Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2004
    Messages:
    1,622
    Location:
    Ft. Lauderdale
    Go for it!! I have sold several trawlers to clients who had various incapacities and limitations. Perhaps trawlers tend to attract these boaters because they tend to be roomier, are more stable under many circumstances, and cruise slower.

    I had a Cape Horn that had an electric chair lift going down to the staterooms and one going up to the flybridge. I had a Kadey Krogen that had a wheelchair lift on the aft deck and was wheelchair accessible inside. I sold a Nordhavn 40 to a stroke patient and made a film about the client's transAtlantic crossing that has won awards. I had a 55' Seahorse that had a crew cabin to include a nurse as crew and was a mini-clinic. I have had full-time liveaboards with adult children with special needs (one was cerebral palsy on a Grand Alaskan and one with Down syndrome on a Cape Horn.)

    While Parkinson's can be a debilitating disease as it progresses, as long as you have a good mate onboard and know your limitations, you should be able to find a yacht that will accommodate your needs and let you enjoy life on the water hopefully for many years.
    Norseman and leeky like this.
  3. ranger58sb, Jun 8, 2026 at 7:52 AM
    #3
    ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2013
    Messages:
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    Location:
    Chesapeake Bay, USA
    In the grand scheme of boat costs... stairs or ramps aren't the hugest add-ons you might encounter. And "convertibles" -- and aft-cabin motor yachts -- often have a swim platform and a transom door, so that could solve the access issues during your buying stage. (Note sportfishers and convertibles also often have low-enough bulwarks/cockpit coamings so folks can climb over the side when necessary at fixed docks (because the swim platform is too low)... but you might need stairs for that, too.)

    -Chris