The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat Read online

  The philosophy of this book:

  The first questions I faced when deciding to write this book were what needed to be discussed, and the corollary to that, what should not be discussed.

  When discussing the essentials to living aboard, it is necessary to consider the process of choosing a boat, choosing a location for that boat, lifestyle issues, amenities, sanitation, and so forth. These are truly all essential to your undertaking.

  It doesn’t, however, make any sense to spend much of our time discussing the benefits to living aboard. I think the fact that you are reading this book means that you are already prepared (or preparing) for this undertaking; consequently, I suppose that you already know the benefits to living aboard. You probably already know how wonderful sunsets can be. And of course you are looking forward to the gentle motion. You might even be so focused on the benefits that you are about to undertake this endeavor without knowing or preparing for the challenges that might be forthcoming. Therefore, we will spend the majority of our time talking about problems, costs, concerns, and issues.

  It would be easy to conclude that I am trying to scare you away from this lifestyle. That couldn’t be more wrong. This book is about preparation: trying to educate and prepare the future liveaboard for the challenges that this lifestyle will present.

  The bottom line is that I love the lifestyle and everything about it—almost. I have had some brilliant days. I have also faced some significant challenges and unexpected costs. But don’t confuse our spending time on the challenges of living aboard with thinking that I believe this lifestyle to be less than ideal. I do not. I just don’t want you to think that it is easy.

  Another important point is that you need to learn how to be a boater on your own. The Coast Guard, for instance, has safety rules that apply to all boaters. If you plan on taking your boat out for a cruise, then it is incumbent upon you to be a competent captain and to take the Coast Guard’s safety course. You need to know the navigation rules and rights of way and how to captain and master your own vessel, if not for your own safety, then for the safety of your passengers and neighbors. You need to know how to handle engine maintenance and emergencies that may arise. This applies to all boaters, and there are many courses and books and videos already out there that will teach you this. We’re here to focus on issues that affect liveaboards. And while sometimes there might be some overlap, this resource is not a definitive source of safety requirements or other legal requirements for boating or boaters.

  Now that I’ve told you what we won’t cover . . .

  Tom and Lynne Cox

  Lounging Aboard Rosinante

  Constitution Marina, Boston, Massachusetts

  [1] Typically does not mean without exception. One can always find exceptions.

  2. Let’s Get Started!

  Well, we have quite a bit to do. There seems to be a paralyzing amount of variables among boats and lifestyles—but by applying logic, the complex undertaking of living aboard becomes simpler. An uninformed novice can easily fall into this pattern: He first decides to live aboard, then picks a boat by falling in love with aspects of it, ignoring mundane details such as comfort and storage. So with the best of intentions, the novice liveaboard starts with a less-than-ideal liveaboard boat. Moreover, his attempts to cut initial costs can be followed by extreme and unexpected expenditures, totally undercutting one of the primary reasons he became interested in this undertaking in the first place.

  What Is Your Motivation?

  Freedom? Cost cutting? Luxury living? A dream to cross oceans? Social aspects? To be different than the norm? To escape a marriage or difficult relationship? To escape from the law? There are as many variations of liveaboards as there are liveaboards, and it is important to know who you want to be and what you want to achieve. Without this understanding, it is difficult or impossible for you to choose the best boat, the perfect marina, and the “right” amenities and equipment. Know thyself.

  What Kind Of Liveaboard Are You?

  There are many kinds of liveaboards, each with his or her own personality as well as specific needs, wants, desires, and aspirations, probably no two alike. You need to have an idea of which kind of liveaboard you want to be, and your goals, as well as your needs and wants, should be decided carefully. The cost of a boat for a cruising “bluewater” liveaboard is substantially more than that of a boat purchased for non-cruising purposes, and the cost of a coastal/day cruiser can be substantially more than that of a non-cruising floating home. Unfortunately, many liveaboards often spend a substantial amount of time, energy, and money buying their expensive boat (or money pit fixer-upper) and installing complex systems for a voyage that is never taken. It’s hard to preach practicality for an endeavor which, by its nature, can easily be impractical. Nonetheless, evaluate your needs very carefully.

  We can generalize two broad kinds of liveaboards: the “non-cruising liveaboard” (the more common of the two, he is primarily located at a slip, only leaving for short excursions) and the “cruising liveaboard” (who is chronically under way). There is a hybrid called the “one-day-I’m-gonna” liveaboard who is stuck at a slip with a day job and either a working boat, or a boat that is in pieces waiting to be put back together. He is always planning that adventurous journey, that great escape. Many non-cruising liveaboards have no desire to leave the dock; some have boats not designed to ever leave the dock. Those liveaboards have no need for an engine—a floating raft will suffice.

  Of each of the two main liveaboard varieties, there are two broad subsets: those who want a TV, and those who don’t. While this is a great oversimplification, the point is that there are those liveaboards who demand a regular connection with civilization and entertainment, and those who wish embrace separation. When it comes to choosing a boat, its amenities, and home port, knowing honestly what your desires are is critical.

  When I bought my boat, I expected to do a great deal of reading and far less TV watching. It turned out that while I was at my slip, I did a great deal of TV watching, Internet surfing, and telephone calling, maybe as much as I would have done had I still lived on land. This is who I am, a TV-addicted fool, and only at sea did I manage to avoid these connections (although I still used my cell phone when close to shore).

  Know yourself and your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Are your goals realistic? Is this going to be your dreamboat, or a way of getting started in this lifestyle? This doesn’t need to be your last boat. Remember that if you have a boat with systems you don’t use, you may still need to maintain those systems. Can you put off those expenses for a bit? Do you want to? It seems that almost every liveaboard talks about leaving to go cruising, but few ever seem to go.

  If we are talking about cruising, will your time away from land be weeks or months, or merely days? Will you always have access to land and provisions? If you are away from civilization, you will need a boat designed for safety and stability, and with adequate storage for provisions. Offshore safety gear, including communication gear and life rafts, is expensive. You probably want multiple backups of systems and spare parts for every major system, and you’ll want to make sure that your crew (if you have one) is up to the challenge of undertaking this lifestyle.

  Non-cruisers, or “floaters,” have their own set of decisions to make. They use floating accommodations in much the same manner as a landlubber uses a house. There are many options for floaters; some want a floating home that also works as an operational boat, and many others don’t. Since floating accommodations don’t need to do much other than float and be comfortable, there are often economical solutions that will satisfy a floater’s specific needs.

  Most of the chapters included in this book are geared toward the needs of the liveaboard who is looking for at least an operational boat, but comfort and amenity issues as well as safety and sanitation issues are equally applicable for all types of boaters.

  The Steps to Living Aboard

  I’m very fond of the couples that I meet in the
oceanside bars who have been planning for decades to become liveaboards upon their retirement. These are couples that have often gotten the most out of their lives, with their kids and jobs and homes and families, and now are planning to live their dreams. I know a man who tells a story about how he has been thinking about his perfect boat for the last 40 years, and is now buying his first boat. What a great feeling that must be.

  Choose Your Boat Wisely

  Based on all of your tangible and intangible needs and limitations, you’ll need to choose the right boat. There is a detailed chapter on this topic, and you should take plenty of time to examine many options, visiting as many boats and talking to as many people as possible.

  Buy Your Boat

  Once you’ve decided on your boat, you need to develop a strategy to acquire your boat. You’ll need a thorough understanding of the buying process so that you can avoid unwelcome surprises and be sure that the experience of taking ownership is as pleasant as possible.

  Move Aboard

  Now that you have the boat, get on it. Sounds pretty simple. To do that, you’ll obviously need to have identified a place to keep your boat (see “Choosing A Marina”) and have prepared the boat and yourself (see “Preparing To Live Aboard” and “Families, Children, and Pets”). This isn’t brain surgery, for moving aboard can be as easy as taking a pillow on board and going to sleep.

  Depending on your budget, needs, and desires, you will want to equip the boat with the amenities that will make your life comfortable (See “Amenities”). Then follow the rules of the road, taking care of your environment and fellow boaters (see “Safety and Sanitation” and “Government Oversight”).

  In addition, this book includes a detailed discussion of potential costs of boat ownership, boat operation, and living aboard (see “Costs”). You should carefully consider what you can afford and make decisions accordingly. I know many cruising liveaboards, some of them aging couples, who don’t have any health insurance. I know others who only own two shirts and two pairs of shorts. And we all know others who live like royalty on the water. How are you going to live?

  The allure of living aboard, fed by magazines, fiction, movies, and TV, is almost universal. The lifestyle is usually shown as romantic and carefree. Indeed, life on a boat is often the metaphor for someone who has “made it.” People reach for it all the time; there are plenty of stories about couples retiring, buying their first boat, moving aboard, going on their first long cruise . . . and upon landfall, a spouse (or the couple!) decides to abandon the boat life. [Note that these boats may often be acquired economically.] Your success depends on balancing preconceptions with reality. Those who manage to do this, rarely want to turn back. Yes, there will be the clinking of drinks at sunset, but there will be gruesome toilet malfunctions as well.

  Perceptions

  Liveaboards are perceived by the general public as being unique individuals. Or insane. Many government officials perceive liveaboards to be polluters damaging the environment; likewise, many liveaboards, who constitute a group so diverse and unorganized that it cannot properly defend itself, believe that the government uses them as environmental scapegoats, often seeking legislation to curb liveaboard activities or ban liveaboards altogether.

  Some permissive marinas allow their liveaboards to use the dock as their garage, scattering storage containers, bikes, tables, chairs, and barbeques—once I even saw junk cars—throughout the docks. The public, government officials, casual boaters, and marina owners look at these few as a representation of all liveaboards, perceiving them to be dirty, unkempt, and disruptive. At my marina, which many liveaboards call home, the docks are spotless, and marina management cares deeply about the condition of the premises. No boater, liveaboard or otherwise, is permitted to use the docks for anything other than expressly permitted purposes.

  Your land-based neighbors and coworkers, not to mention your family, might think you’re crazy. Or they might think this is a pretty cool thing to do, but even then they will conclude their thoughts with statements such as, “Well, I couldn’t do it.” Either way, you will be on the “other” side. Better to get used to the idea soon; living aboard is very foreign to the general population. Welcome to a lifestyle that is by its very nature different than the norm.

  Terminology

  Even though this is a book on living aboard, I feel we need to mention a few key terms that every boater (including a liveaboard) needs to know. It surprises me how many prospective liveaboards start looking for their perfect boat without even understanding the meaning of key words. The following is a small list of general terminology. Also, we will take the time to walk through a sample boat spec (specification) sheet and review the definitions of the terms contained on that sheet as well as a brief discussion as to why those specifications are important. (Take no offense if you already know these words. Just skip ahead, if you’d like.)

  General Terms

  It is common for boat shoppers to find listings that use nautical lingo to describe a boat’s layout, accommodations, and amenities. Here is an example of a listing I found on a used boat listing service:

  Starting forward is the master head with stall shower to port and marine head to starboard. Moving aft is the large master berth to port with storage beneath. Going aft through a privacy door is the spacious salon area which accommodates diners seated on both settees. To port is a full length L-shaped settee which converts to a double sea berth. To starboard is the other full length settee. Just aft of the port settee is the large galley with sinks near the centerline. A custom shelf folds up between the sinks and bulkhead. To starboard is the guest stateroom with large double berth. Aft to starboard is the nav station. Large spacious cockpit and helm.

  This description uses terminology that is quite common, and it is essential for boat shoppers to understand the meaning of these words. Let’s start out with the rooms of a boat:

  Berth:

  A bed or other place to sleep. In this case there are two double beds and a settee that converts to a full double bed. A sea berth is a bed that secures the sleeping person(s) so they do not fall out of bed when cruising.

  Cabin:

  Any room for gathering of crew or passengers.

  Cockpit:

  Also known as a bridge, depending on the configuration. A place from which the boat is steered and controlled.

  Galley:

  Kitchen

  Head:

  Bathroom and toilet (master head is the equivalent of the master bathroom).

  Helm:

  Steering station

  Nav Station:

  Stands for Navigation Station, comprised of a desk/chart table, radio, and often a GPS readout and other electronic equipment.

  Salon:

  Living room

  Settee:

  Bench seats

  Stateroom:

  Bedroom

  V-berth:

  A berth that is pointy at one end, typically found in the bow of the boat.

  Structural layout and related terms:

  Bow:

  The front of a boat

  Stern:

  The back of a boat

  Forward:

  Moving in the direction of the bow

  Amidships:

  In or toward the middle of a boat

  Aft:

  Moving in the direction of the stern

  Port:

  While facing forward, the left side of the boat as well as the area to the left of the boat

  Starboard:

  While facing forward, the right side of the boat as well as the area to the right of the boat

  Beam:

  The widest part of a boat

  Draft:

  The maximum depth of a boat

  The Listing Sheet

  If you want to buy a boat and are given a sheet of the boat’s specifications, you should be familiar with every one of the terms on that listing sheet. Further, a buyer would be a fool not to have some understanding of how those
specifications will affect the ownership and use of that boat. The same applies for the description and understanding of what equipment is offered with the boat.

  A good example of the impact of these terms would be the experience of a guy named Bob (an acquaintance of mine not named Bob) who was looking for a 38-foot boat. Bob fell in love with a Hans Christian 38’ sailboat. The listing sheet confirmed that the boat’s length was 38’, and offered information such as the boat’s beam of 12’6”, draft of 6’, displacement of 27,500 pounds, and LOA of 46’. Bob went off and ran the numbers and learned that a 38-foot boat will cost $6,300 annually at his marina. Although this was a little tight for him, just over $500 per month, this seemed OK. He found a slip that could handle a 38-foot boat and Bob was ready to go—that is, until he bought the boat and pulled into his marina.

  The marina told Bob that there was no available slip for his boat, since its overall length (LOA) was 46 feet. The marina continued that Bob would need to be put into a significantly larger slip and that none was available. Bob was forced to find an alternative, less desirable, marina that charged him for a 50-foot slip. The boat could not stay in a 38-foot slip, since its extreme overhang would have been highly dangerous if the boat were docked bow in (the bow toward the dock), and just as menacing to passing boats if docked stern to (the stern toward the dock).