live-aboard advice

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manticore999

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The admiral and I always figured we'd live on a boat when we retire. Then we thought ... what are we waiting for? Now we're thinking of renting the house out (can't sell now with the market the way it is), buying a bigger boat and taking the plunge. Anyone else make this switch with any advice to offer?

Thanks, everyone.
 
As long as I have my health I am a liveboard and love it.
I have everything I need aboard and enjoy every day, winter and summer.
April 3 2012 will mark ten years.
 
We lived aboard for 7 years. These were the best of my life. Since you asked.

1. 50' minimum

2. Look at storage space, Most boats are designed for weekly, not yearly living. Pantry space is important as well as hanging closets. I've seen Lake Type house boats with 2 huge bathrooms and NO hanging closets.

3. Number of state rooms - 2 large is heaps better than 3 small

4. Home style , stack washer and dryer. Splenddi and other marine units SUCK.

You CANNOT beat a Pluckebaum houseboat for liveaboard.
 
Only downside that I see. Being a landlord is no prize. Take it from somebody who is there only because of a weak sales market.
 
+1 to what Pete says. That is what we are waiting for. Once the economy improves enough where we do not have to take a loss like we did on our CA house (ours was jyst diwn the riad from you in fairfield so i know where your coming from)we will be out there full time also. Renting in your area is not easy either with out doing it at a loss. Being a land lord sucks. Especially long distance. Will the rent be paid? Will it be paid on time? Are they tearing up the inside? Pissing off the hoa? .......

But after spending just two weeks aboard last may we can not wait to get back out there on a permanant basis. And we envy all of you that are already there.
 
I envy all of you who liveaboard. For me it is out of the question unless I want to live alone. While the wife really enjoys a week or two on the boat, there is no way she will ever give up the house. :)

So, mostly, I cruise alone most of the time. :)

Bob
 
quote:
Originally posted by PeteMrrs

Only downside that I see. Being a landlord is no prize. Take it from somebody who is there only because of a weak sales market.

Click to expand...


It is also not a really bad chore. At times it can be frustrating, but at times anything in life can be the same.

I have been landlord for rental units for thepast 30 years.

George
 
We were live-a-boards for seven months last year. We loved it. There are some concessions to be made. But even though we finally have our dream house on the water, we both have said at least a few times that we wish we had stayed on the boat. We really liked the marina people we were living with. They were a fun crowd.
 
We have lived aboard in the Summers on the Hudson, and now we have the boat South and live aboard in the Winters. We have pulled the plug on the condo and hopefully will have it sold soon.
Think washer/dryer, inverter, large battery bank, satellite TV, internet, freezer and space for all of these. Storage is also key. If you are tall sailboats are out.
Consider that if you have to lug stuff around to make your normal day happen, you don't have enough space or equipment aboard.
 
We lived aboard for 7 months during a house renovation. best time of our life. My wife was pregnant to boot. House wasnt quite ready so my baby spent her first 2 weeks home on the boat! A place for everything and everything in its place sinks in real fast. Out of necessity we had to eliminate a bunch of stuff. to our credit we have kept it up and feel we live much more simply because of our time on the boat.
 
it's been exactly 8 years to this day that i closed on my 53 and moved aboard. only two regrets are not having done it sooner and not having switched to sail back then

i was lucky to have sold the condo (2/2 on the bay here in miami) at times where you'd actually break even on real estate, it was just before the bubble (unfortunately...). Nowadays, your options are very limited and depend on your situation. If the house or the existing boat is paid for, renting the house and upgrading the boat can work but if you need rely on the rent to cover the house mortgage and taxes, or worst need to finance the boat then you are taking a BIG gamble and it can all go downhill very quickly.

also, some areas are not Liveaboard friendly so the first step so to research your area and see what your options are. by not liveaoard friendly i mean very few marinas or even jurisdictions which allow liveaboard.

finding the right slip/marina can be a little difficult as well as you will be a little more picky than you would with a non LA slip. Location Location Location is even more critical than on land; not only do you want a nice neighborhood but you need to consider exposure to wind and chop, view, etc... you also need to consider pier configuration and ease of boarding (finger piers often a must), accessibiilty to pump out (unless on board treatment is legal), etc...

i don't think i'd consider living aboard under 50' and certainly not with home comforts like AC, washer/dryer, full size appliances, etc... on a side note i disagree about Splendide washer dryer combo 'sucking'... i've had one for 5 years and it's fine. the vented model dries as well as stackable, the problem is with the non vented model. btw, the Splendide is NOT a marine/RV appliance, they're made in italy and very popular in european homes where washer/dryers are often installed udner counter in kitchens. obviously they are small so for a big family you have to do frequent loads

the Live Aboard forum mentioned above is ok but it's more like a Camp Aboard forum as most members live on smaller boats and frequent discussions include whether or not you can "live" on a 30 foot sailboat kept on the hook :)
 
We did what the OP is talking about 4 years ago. It was going to be a two year plan, but we ended up enjoying it far more than we thought we would, so we are still going. One of the big questions is how you are going to use the boat. Up until this past year or so, we cruised full time from the Keys to New England and back and everywhere in between. So we wanted a very sea-worthy boat as well as a good house. One of the best truisms in boating is "buy the smallest boat you can be comfortable in, not the biggest boat you can afford". That is a very personal judgement that only you can decide for yourself.

We had spent years chartering 43-49 foot trawler-style boats for vacations, so had a good idea of what might "fit" us ergonomically; I can't stress how important that is, both for being underway, at anchor, close quarters handling, and maintenance. We had always lived in big houses where we each could get some "space", even after we became empty-nesters. I wouldn't recommend my boat to everyone, but for US, it has been perfect and we are still very comfortable on it. But to me, there is no attraction of merely buying a boat as a house and seldom cruising it, just being a dock queen. We use ours as a boat every chance we get; good for the boat and it's systems too. So where you dock it is important.

Since we both have gone back to working (the one part of the two year plan we came closest to sticking to), we'd like to get back to having a permanent house again as a base. We have based ourselves in eastern North Carolina, mostly since we have rental properties here and had made friends, but also there is some great cruising destinations within a few hour's reach. We used one of the very small (as in smaller than the boat) rental cottages as a part time base last winter when it was vacant, that was nice for variety's sake and closer to where my wife teaches. Not to mention it was a lousy winter last year and she did not enjoy walking up the docks at 0530 through the snow. Our units are leased out now and we are looking for something to rent for the winter. Next year, we plan to relocate back to south Florida and buy something there.

On the rental unit note, hire a management company. We did this for the North Carolina properties we bought when we lived in Dallas and it is absolutely worth the 10% fee. We still use them, even though they make their money off over priced maintenance projects, we don't have to hassle with it if we don't want to and they generate great monthly/yearly cash flow and expense reports for tax purposes.

George
Hatteras 56MY
Boston Whaler 130 Sport
 
On the flip side, I don't know if I could do it or not. Maybe it's because I have an express cruiser or because of my Navy career. Going to the boat (ship) meant I was going to work. Saint Max to me is like a weekend home where I go to get away from it all. Obviously from what has been posted above, I am in the minority but just wanted to give a different perspective on the subject.
 
when i ran a business on land, as soon as i opened the gate at the pier entrance every evening, something magical happened. The hassles of the day, the city, etc.. jsut disappeared and it felt like i was away unlike just stepping into a high rise elevator!!!
 
Pascal nails it.
When I get home to the boat I am a whole different person.
I cook, chat with friends, perhaps take the inflatabe out with a camera.
Or putter around doing a few maintainance items.
Even in winter, when my visibility is restricted I enjoy being aboard, doing some projects or just watching TV
Life is good.
 
My very first thought for you Steve, is where in the world would you dock a live-aboard????? Most of SF Bay and CA Delta area are very anti-liveaboard. So decide where you want to keep the boat and confirm that you can live-aboard there before plunking down the money.

I seriously considered doing that back in 2001, before I bought my retirement home in the mountains. I finally decided against it due to increased maintenance costs for a boat vs a house. Also a boat will never appreciate in value whereas a house will [someday!].

I'd be curious to know what/where you are considering, if you care to share.
 
quote:
Originally posted by The Other Gary

Pascal nails it.
When I get home to the boat I am a whole different person.
I cook, chat with friends, perhaps take the inflatabe out with a camera.
Or putter around doing a few maintainance items.
Even in winter, when my visibility is restricted I enjoy being aboard, doing some projects or just watching TV
Life is good.

Click to expand...


I will third this, as soon as i get out of the car at the marina - thats it. Even if i plan on doing nothing but maintenance or repairs.
 
We're still looking, and really aren't in a hurry. We're thinking we'll keep our 27' Express to cruise around in and mostly keep the live-aboard in the slip. One of our friends took his live-aboard out for a cruise-out with his club and hit a log. It was out of the water for 6 weeks getting repaired and he had to live with his son while this was going on. We have a dog and 2 cats and no one to impose upon if this should happen, so I don't think we'll be taking a lot of chances with the 'big' boat.

Liz, sent you a PM
 
If your just going to live at the dock, why not just get a condo?
 
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