Living on a boat

[Gonzo]

I met a guy today in Florida that was also from Wisconsin (Green Bay)... he had retired from the railroad and first traveled with a RV. Then 2 years ago he bought a old wooden 38 ft CC and lives on it in Key largo. The boat is anchored off a marina and he pays I think $120 a month to park his car and you the showers (he has a dingy to get from boat to shore). He only gets one Miami TV station, no phone, no electric (boat has a generator) but does have intertnet access through a phone company but does not have a cell phone

He said he stayed on his boat during two hurricanes although he was tied up in some sheltered cove in the area!

He said he was born in 1946.

Gonzo

 

[dory36]

It works well! We did it for several years, and knew hundreds of others doing it.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i'm not so sure i'm even going to stay in my house if we get another hurricane never mind on a boat. when i trade house for boat i'll be spending hurricane seasons in cruising grounds like downeast, upstate n.y., great lakes & canada, or maybe even green bay. or the southern caribbean to points further south. i don't know why anyone would ride one out in a boat.

 

[newyorklady]

don't think i could ever live in an rv or a boat. kudos to anyone who can, think i need a bit more of a sense of permanancy myself.

 

[sgeeeee]

According to local news sources, Phoenix has the largest number of boats per capita of any city in the US. No one lives on them, though. They only tow them to the lakes to our north each weekend, use them as floating bars, then drive them into each other on the way back home.

 

[dory36]

i'm not so sure i'm even going to stay in my house if we get another hurricane never mind on a boat. when i trade house for boat i'll be spending hurricane seasons in cruising grounds like downeast, upstate n.y., great lakes & canada, or maybe even green bay. or the southern caribbean to points further south. i don't know why anyone would ride one out in a boat.

Most (not all) boaters I know spend winters in the warm weather in Florida and the Bahamas, and are now, or soon will be, on their annual migration north to above the hurricane zone. Not only self-preservation -- the insurance rates skyrocket if you keep your boat south of the Chesapeake after June 1 and before about Oct 1.

 

[Jarhead*]

According to local news sources, Phoenix has the largest number of boats per capita of any city in the US.  No one lives on them, though.  They only tow them to the lakes to our north each weekend, use them as floating bars, then drive them into each other on the way back home.   

I fly-fish with a buddy of mine in a partricular location, about 4 or 5 times a year that is a feeder stream for a large popular boating and fishing lake.

We start at first light, and wrap it up about noon. There's an elevated outdoor restaurant overlooking the boat launchig area, that we always make a point to go to.

The lions share of the boaters are rookies, and are already feeling no pain, (Coming out of the City), and attempting to cram as much time into 2 days as they can.

The entertainment value at the boat launching area isn't available at any price, nowhere, nohow.

 

[Irwin41]

I'm working on it. My wife isn't quite ready to lose a "home base" but she's fine with spending a lot of time on the water. I'm working on getting the boat shipshape so we can push off. Had planned to leave in November but circumstances prevented that. Now I think we'll push off for the Northern climes in a month or two.

 

[audreyh1]

The entertainment value at the boat launching area isn't available at any price, nowhere, nohow.

I so get that! We enjoy watching the newbie weekenders setting up their RVs. What chaos! Although they usually aren't in the "feeling no pain" state, thank goodness.

Audrey

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

don't think i could ever live in an rv or a boat.  kudos to anyone who can, think i need a bit more of a sense of permanancy myself. 

just think of it as that beachfront home you were looking for. pick a beach, any beach.

Most (not all) boaters I know spend winters in the warm weather in Florida and the Bahamas, and are now, or soon will be, on their annual migration north to above the hurricane zone. Not only self-preservation -- the insurance rates skyrocket if you keep your boat south of the Chesapeake after June 1 and before about Oct 1.

sounds wonderful (except for florida of which i've had enough). i want that life soooo badly. i forget the latitude but i think there is also safe harbor south caribbean (although there was that one freak hurricane in the south atlantic last year or year before.) so if you winter the caribbean instead of the bahamas you can run further south instead of heading north to escape hurricaneville. (and while down there i hear it's good to refuel in venezuela). what a great lifestyle that all is.

I'm working on it. My wife isn't quite ready to lose a "home base" but she's fine with spending a lot of time on the water. I'm working on getting the boat shipshape so we can push off.

good for you. that's so gr8. i'm about 5 years away. can't wait.

 

[AFloat]

We started ER a couple of months ago and moved onto our boat here in the PNW. Plan to sell our house this summer and spend 2-3 years drifting around on the boat. We love the freedom and adventure of traveling to different ports and being able to move around freely. It’s not for everyone but if you’re thinking about it, go for it. It’s a great life style.

 

[BUM]

I love the idea but I couldn't get DW on a boat at gunpoint!

 

[gtmeouttahere]

Your first problem is you are talking to and actually listening to someone from Wisconsin...Let the games begin. 8)

 

[AFloat]

One thing a lot of people do is to use their boat as a vacation home. In the PNW people will use their boat in the summer and go south in the winter to a condo or do the RV thing. If your boat is in Florida, you can use it in the winter and have a home up north for the summer. We may try that in a couple of years to get out of the cold winters up north.

 

[Outtahere]

I have 3 people that work for me that live year round on their boats. If we were in Fl I wouldn't think anything of it but up here in MA is another thing. They all seem to enjoy it and get thru the winters just fine.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We started ER a couple of months ago and moved onto our boat here in the PNW. Plan to sell our house this summer and spend 2-3 years drifting around on the boat. We love the freedom and adventure of traveling to different ports and being able to move around freely. It’s not for everyone but if you’re thinking about it, go for it. It’s a great life style.

What are the specs of your boat?

SWR

 

[AFloat]

Our boat is a 1983 Defever 44. It is a power boat with 2 diesel engines. It's 44 feet in length, has a nice queen size walk around bed, shower, wi-fi, dish-tv, furnance, washer/dryer, etc. Basically everything a small apartment would have except a dishwasher. It's very comfortable but small. We figure it's around 550-600 sq feet of living space. Keeps you from buying a lot of junk. And did I mention that we have 3 cats living with us? It's cozy but fun.

 

[dory36]

I love the idea but I couldn't get DW on a boat at gunpoint!

It took me 30 years, but getting a boat was DW's idea...

 

[Dog]

The entertainment value at the boat launching area isn't available at any price, nowhere, nohow.



So true.  The best weekend entertainment around.  Watching a husband and wife load or unload their boat is priceless (best when there is some wind and a little chop)! 

 

[ShokWaveRider]

The entertainment value at the boat launching area isn't available at any price, nowhere, nohow.

So true. The best weekend entertainment around. Watching a husband and wife load or unload their boat is priceless (best when there is some wind and a little chop)!

With this I have to agree. When we were ancored in St. Marten or the Virgins it was a daily show watching others try to ancor, take sail, stop, start, fall overboard, bathe, you name it, it was on show and most entertaining.

SWR

 

[Kitty]

I owned three boats, one at a time of course, all sailboats. My trailer sailer was a 26'sloop. I dreaded comming into the ramp on a weekend to haul her out. The weekend yahoos were intollerable... rude, crude, and dumb.....baddd combo when there are spinning propellers....some of them scared me with their death wish behavior.

The best night's sleep I ever had was on a boat rocking gently until some drunk turned up their music on their muscle machine in the middle of the night and thumping up the dock...sigh

The life style can be fun but you have to be tolerant of small spaces and learn to handle your boat, make wise decision, and be conciderete of others....

 

[audreyh1]

Here is one of the more interesting ways I've seen someone living on their boat:

They pulled the boat into a camping spot in a state park.  Plugged it into "shore power".  Used a collapsible ladder to get in and out.  Note the air conditioner mounted on top of the cabin.

Audrey

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Our boat is a 1983 Defever 44. It is a power boat with 2 diesel engines. It's 44 feet in length, has a nice queen size walk around bed, shower, wi-fi, dish-tv, furnance, washer/dryer, etc. Basically everything a small apartment would have except a dishwasher. It's very comfortable but small. We figure it's around 550-600 sq feet of living space. Keeps you from buying a lot of junk. And did I mention that we have 3 cats living with us? It's cozy but fun.

Fuel for those engines must be interesting at today's prices.

SWR

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

They pulled the boat into a camping spot in a state park.  Plugged it into "shore power".  Used a collapsible ladder to get in and out.  Note the air conditioner mounted on top of the cabin.

looks like some sort of trailerable trawler or tug design. that's actually kind of interesting & offers great access to nature because not only can they use it to live in parks as you noted but while traveling they can go coastal cruising or drop her into any lake or river with a boat ramp. bet it even goes to the bahamas if you wanted. very nice.

Our boat is a 1983 Defever 44.... furnance, washer/dryer, etc.

love defevers though i'm partial to the protected props of single engines. when considering florida, even in winter, you might want to consider air conditioning. dec-feb is best nov-march is tolerable, but we hit the 90s two days in a row already and it's only april.

 

[audreyh1]

looks like some sort of trailerable trawler or tug design. that's actually kind of interesting & offers great access to nature because not only can they use it to live in parks as you noted but while traveling they can go coastal cruising or drop her into any lake or river with a boat ramp. bet it even goes to the bahamas if you wanted. very nice.

This was in north central Florida. They had been cruising the local (small) rivers. They were having a blast!

Audrey