Anyone here ever lived on a boat?

I have only lived on a boat for no more than about six months at a time, but have owned a 37ft schooner for over thirty years. You can soon get used to living on a boat, but space is very limiting. Maintenance costs are high, and the boat will need to be slipped about once a year - where will you live while this is happening? State governments are prone to making expensive (for you) decisions on equipment, inspections, registration, licencing etc, that could really make life difficult.

Living in a marina can be inconvenient, as others have pointed out.
Some places/marinas prohibit living on board - this is particularly common in Qld (the prohibition I mean) although in some places a blind eye is turned. You should check on state, council and marina rules and regulations before committing to it - just because others do it does not mean it is legal.

The cat should adapt readily and easily, but note that having a cat on board (or dog) will make visiting most national parks illegal.

john

you don't say what sort of boat or size

besides space being tight, the question l would be asking do you like living in a caravan if you don't for prolonged periods then don't live on a boat.

word of warning for insurance purposes must have minimum crew on board when sailing to man 3 watches, if you don't then insurance won't cover you.

friends of mine after spending 7 yeas refurbishing 90 year old ketch and sold everything to sail around the world and lost it on reef near fiji found out to their cost 2 person yatch not covered and did lifetime savings and 7 years work

My first thought is the Simpsons episode where Homer says "If you don't like your neighbours you can just pull anchor and move!". :D
It was something like that anyway.

I have never lived on a boat but growing up my Grandad had a succession of 35-40ft bay cruiser type boats. I can't say I'd ever want to live on one. When we went out there was usually 5 or 7 (3-4 adults the rest kids) of us on board and it was always cramped. The last and biggest slept 4 in the single room sleeping area. Maximum two if you planned to live on it without killing each other though.

My first thoughts are:
When you want to go fishing and the rest of the family don't want to go?
Kids have sport etc so you can't go anywhere
Boats use ****loads of diesel
Boats need a lot of maintenance
Everything kept on board or at the dock will rust or corrode etc
No storage space (can you keep stuff at work?)
Depreciation
Where does the family go when you want a boys trip?

What do you do when you want to retire and you have a boat that is worth much less than you have paid for it and spent on it and the property market has left you behind?

Ellis's boat yard on Norman Creek tell me a traditional timber boat, motor cruiser, not particularly lavishly equipped, will cost in the region of $20,000 per foot to build. Yet older used ones in fairly good order can be bought for a fraction of this. A friend bought, six years ago, a 55" Halvorsen, thirty years old, for $85,000. It had been for sale for nearly three years and the price had progressively dropped from $250,000.

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Ellis's boat yard on Norman Creek tell me a traditional timber boat, motor cruiser, not particularly lavishly equipped, will cost in the region of $20,000 per foot to build. Yet older used ones in fairly good order can be bought for a fraction of this. A friend bought, six years ago, a 55" Halvorsen, thirty years old, for $85,000. It had been for sale for nearly three years and the price had progressively dropped from $250,000.

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Traditional timber boats are labour intensive and hence expensive to build. (wood is expensive too!) Old ones are also expensive to maintain. By the time a boat is thirty years old it will need a LOT of work. I know. At the beginning of this year I brought my thirty year old boat home to the farm to work on - it needs an enormous amount of work done on it.

John

what a marvellous opportunity, and to have the family behind you as well ,
all i can say is go for it...but dont put all your eggs into the basket have a plan B.

I lived on a barge on the Birmingham to Coventry canal for just over 12 months loved it. But was single and very few possessions

T

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Originally Posted by tony

I lived on a barge on the Birmingham to Coventry canal for just over 12 months loved it. But was single and very few possessions

T

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...........and you didn't catch any contagious diseases on that stretch of 'water' :D:D:D

I fell in it once, swallowed a few mouthfuls and was sick for a month :o

No more having a few beers on Friday and Sat nights....I'd have this horrifying feeling that I'd end up overboard.

And for all the arguement about not having mains electricity, or having it limited or whatever...you get used to it...trust me. I've been livin' without it for a year and a half now :D.

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Originally Posted by cartm58

you don't say what sort of boat or size

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Originally Posted by justinc

We're looking at a steel hulled 45 foot Ketch next week, I cant believe how cheap it is, a heck of a lot of boat for $120k. 3 cabins, one a double.Hot water etc, freezer, genset, tender and outboard, new Nav equipment, built 1986 locally. I am trying REALLY hard not to get too excited just yet....

JC

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The maintenance is not cheap and slip fees are horrendous for a yacht that size

With a wife and 2 teen girls I'd be looking at a 45 to 55ft Cat. At least twice as much room as a 45 ft monohull......unfortunately a bit more than $130K for a good one though.