Questions from a future liveaboard

[lucia1964]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Sweet, Kevin !
That sounds awesome. I'm definitely going to have to check out the rental idea. (I'd love to try it now and get the hell outa . . . ) Anywho, sounds like a great idea.
Thanks for the info.
Lu

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Wow, some scary thoughts posted above... so I'll say this:

It depends on your love of boating... I'll use me & my admiral as examples...

in 2005 we bought the Party Cruiser, and from mid July on we decided to just live on it. I commuted to work, 27 miles each way. We had no electric or water. Or sewer either. A Solar panel helped with running on batteries, and I hauled in water. To save on battery power we used ice boxes. Every day before leaving work I'd dump the 24 ice cube trays into a bag and fill them with water for the next day.

Inconvenient? Yeah, but we loved every minute of it. Enough so that we sold our house to buy the SkipperLiner and haul it from Lake Powell to Utah Lake the next year. We lived on her 7 months a year for 3 years. While I did get myself a power line, to this day I still have to drive 2 miles to fill a 55 gallon barrel with water which siphons 200' from the hard to the boat thru a water line I installed. There's one pumpout on the lake which has worked exactly 3 times in the last 7 seasons, so I have a macerator setup that pumps into a portable RV tank, which I haul up to the truck, lift INTO the truck and dump at a Texaco station 3 miles away. Some days that's 4 trips. Now, the only reason we haven't been living on her full-time during the past few summers is because of family issues, and our business, which, because of said family issues, required much of the admiral's time, and my workday increased by four hours a day. Since our business is in our home, driving to the boat just to sleep and return the next morning just doesn't make much sense! I'm hoping this summer to fix this problem to spend more time on the boat...

In addition to all of the above, I also haul in gasoline, I do all my own maintenance and repairs and I launch & retrieve the Chap by myself 2 or more times every week. All those chores would be considered by many to be nonsense, enough to send many 'hard-core' boaters packing.

Not me. I love every minute of it. I'd rather do boat chore nonsense 365 days a year than shovel snow ONCE.

 

[lucia1964]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Wow, correct me if I'm reading this the wrong way, but there are so many negatives being tossed in. This boating world must be quite exclusive and newbie outsiders are discouraged from applying. This is the way it feels. I'm not changing my mind, I have done quite a bit of research and feel I'm headed in the right direction. Many of the marinas in Florida welcome liveaboards and offer, for a price, electric, water and the like. It sounds like inland lakes are a very remote place and its camping at best. I'm sorry that it was so rough for you and Admiral.
Meanwhile, full steam ahead for my plans. Thanks to everyone for their info and comments.
See ya on the big blue.
All my best,
Lu

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Wow, correct me if I'm reading this the wrong way, but there are so many negatives being tossed in. This boating world must be quite exclusive and newbie outsiders are discouraged from applying. This is the way it feels. I'm not changing my mind, I have done quite a bit of research and feel I'm headed in the right direction. Many of the marinas in Florida welcome liveaboards and offer, for a price, electric, water and the like. It sounds like inland lakes are a very remote place and its camping at best. I'm sorry that it was so rough for you and Admiral.
Meanwhile, full steam ahead for my plans. Thanks to everyone for their info and comments.
See ya on the big blue.
All my best,
Lu

I don't know your age sir, but as I grew older and accumulated more and more experiences I learned that "it's a lot cheaper if you do it on paper first". If you do that, and we have attempted to help you do that, then you are aware of some of the gotchas, have analyzed them and made your decision one way or the other. We are not boo birding the idea, just being realistic. Once the new wears off these things become apparent to the uneducated. To the educated, you surely have a plan in place to deal with them.

Good luck and hope you enjoy.

Mark

 

[Don S]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Wow, correct me if I'm reading this the wrong way, but there are so many negatives being tossed in. This boating world must be quite exclusive and newbie outsiders are discouraged from applying. This is the way it feels. I'm not changing my mind,
Lu

No ones trying to make you change your mind, just pointing out some of the "less fun" things you may not have thought about.
I wouldn't have lived aboard so many years had I not enjoyed it.

 

[lucia1964]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Thank you, guys, for the genuine concern. It's just the responses were more discouraging than encouraging, not that I'm dissuade at all. I'm not. I guess I was expecting comments more on the lines of "Well, this issue could be a problem or that issue has crept up and bit me in the rear, but this is how we got around it . . ." or "This issue really made me wake up and I resolved it like this . . . " not "There are these issues like a hike from your car to your boat with supplies, sewerage issues to deal with, etc. that you need to think about. Be realistic because it may not be what you think when you finally get out there." I almost feel sorry for some.

I guess I understood these forums to be more on the informational and helping side. It feels more like a clique I've walked into, one that because I wasn't born into or didn't do from childhood with the family. I do value what has been said because it was said due to experience and appreciate the info, guys.

I apologize if my comments are not clearer and appear "fluffy". I am researching the concerns expressed by others as well as you all by reading from other sources. The concerns expressed are addressed as well as possible solution, so none of what's been said has been new. And, hey, I know it's not all roses and sunshine. The sewerage issue doesn't thrill me but, like ya said, good goes with the bad. That can be on land as well. I have a house that I need to work on until then. Never ending.

Meanwhile, I'll concentrate on my goal. Like I've said, it's the thing that's getting me through these bloody winters.

Thanks again guys.
Sunny skies and fair winds,
Lu

 

[JoLin]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Buy a boat. Get educated (boater safety training). Get out there. Start boating and associating with other boaters. Learn to handle the boat and how to deal with situations that arise on the water.

Upgrade to a boat that you can spend nights and weekends on. Start cruising and associating with other 'cruisers'. Learn to deal with new situations that come with owning a cruiser. Aboard these are cooking facilities, fresh water systems, HVAC systems and sewage systems to be operated, maintained and repaired. All of the systems and amenities you'd have on a liveaboard, in a smaller package.

Forums have their place, and people here are always willing to help... but you won't learn about boat ownership, boating and and living aboard by reading about it.

My .02

 

[lucia1964]

Re: Questions from a future liveaboard

Exactly my train of thought the past week. I've been checking out smaller boats and have sent off for a boater's safety book as well as other material to study. Lots of boats in the area and sailing lessons nearby.
Thanks for the suggestions.

Lu