Liveaboard boat guys, what’s it really cost?

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

I love boats, have spent my life on boats,

Thanks for writing that up Dr. I was particularly curious about things being salty and damp.

An uncle lives onboard a converted "commercial" boat/ship and loves it. But I think it's parked up at the marina all the time.

[JeremyD]

Hey Chris - Before you do anything I'd suggest a charter or two. Start with a captain then progress. If you want you can even purchase a cat and have it at least pay for itself while you are not using it.

https://www.moorings.com/

[cstreit]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Strike three

Great thread, btw. I have learned a lot.

A friend of mine has a daughter that does horse jumping. He says “it’s the same motion as racing but you have to put gas in the car and maintain it all winter soo”

[stevej37]

Mine was cheapl

[HobieMarty]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Think about it...you probably spend more time actually sailing than 90% of the liveaboard cruisers...who spend 95% of their time on board moored or in a slip.

Stan & I once exchanged letters about that with he doing the math...my sailing on summer weekends with family in a little 15' Chrysler mutineer vs. his "house moving", as he called it, aboard his 53' gaff rigged wooden ketch. I spent more hours actually under sail than he did.

Also, no better way to learn how wind works moving a boat than to start small, in either aa small cat or unballasted dinghy. Trim mistakes that a large boat owner can get away with results in a dinghy or cat sailor going for a swim.

So true. I learned to sail with a Sea Snark, ( google that one), little styrofoam "Armorclad" boat, when I was 10 years old. Had a Hobie 14 when I was a teenager and really learned to hot rod it around. I then sailed a few Sunfish boats, easy peasy after cutting my chops on a H14. I lived in a house on the beach when I was in my 20s and the house had small sailboat that I could use and guess what it was... a Sea Snark. I had a blast with that little beat up boat. Every day I would hit the beach around 2:30 and be out there ripping it up until sunset. Great times!!!

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[HobieMarty]

Here's a nice live aboard for ya, Lol.

This thing actually does sail, and for a kids toy from the 70s, it has some really neat details.

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[3rd_gear_Ted]

I learned to sail on a Lido 14. It had a rope loop you pulled out of a hull pocket to help get back in the boat after capsizing. My size 13 foot in sailing shoes wouldn't fit the loop and I had to tread water for a while and remove my shoe every time I capsized. That taught me real quick all about proper sail trim @ all times.
Beer can racing on Monday summer afternoons and hanging in the Marina till sunset were good times.
The only rule for my sailboat is tops are optional

[dsfnctn]

Check out this sailing series on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYfFeySHGN4DPrOc9So7PA

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/utl

[dsfnctn]

This series Volvo boats will give you an idea of the advances is modern sailing today.
Interesting is the abaility to power and depower the boats . you may ask what does this have to do with my needs? Its important to have enough performance in a boat to keep the thing positioned on the course to be able to make passages saftley keeping ahead of the changing ever weather. Typically in a sailboat passing thru the equator there will be hundreds of miles in convergance zones to manage passing thru. These modern boats will sail at 10 knots with almost 0 true wind. Amazing. Remember this is a Porsche forum. At 65 im foiling on a kite board. Lets not give up the need for speed
In this series of boats they were a bit wet .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyG7tyHCvgk

[john70t]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Think about it...you probably spend more time actually sailing than 90% of the liveaboard cruisers...who spend 95% of their time on board moored or in a slip.

This.

Small sailers:
-I spent time at summer camp in the very basic Sunfish.
-Dad had a LazerII with deeper seats. It was a fun boat for up to 4 people, and wish we'd spent more time together. I dumped it in 2' chop a few times and could dip my head while dragging the tip of the boom. When it's very windy use the jib only with careful angles to the wind. That was a nice boat and had room for a cooler or blankets.
-The small catamarans are hella fast and fun. But you get lots of wind exposure, even on warm days, and there's not much room to duck when that boom comes around fast. Some people might not like that style of travel.
-The good thing about small boats is ease of storage and portability. You can load it up in a few minutes and go anywhere within driving distance.

Bigger sailers:
-You'll still need to maintain a trawler motor for docking.
-Sails, cleats, and trim will be more expensive to maintain.
-Docking, storage, and professional paid maintenance is usually required. Downtime.
-A cabin is a nice relief on long trips, but someone still needs to drive the thing, unless it'[s equipped with an elaborate auto-pilot and nav/com systems.
-Two or more people are required on the big ones.
-The folk saying is "traveling with people brings out their true nature". Even more so with nothing but blue around and being dependent on preparations.

Bigger motorboats:
-Gas prices. 'Nuff said.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by dsfnctn

This series Volvo boats will give you an idea of the advances is modern sailing today.
Interesting is the abaility to power and depower the boats . you may ask what does this have to do with my needs? Its important to have enough performance in a boat to keep the thing positioned on the course to be able to make passages saftley keeping ahead of the changing ever weather. Typically in a sailboat passing thru the equator there will be hundreds of miles in convergance zones to manage passing thru. These modern boats will sail at 10 knots with almost 0 true wind. Amazing. Remember this is a Porsche forum. At 65 im foiling on a kite board. Lets not give up the need for speed
In this series of boats they were a bit wet .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyG7tyHCvgk

If you think Lemans is a grueling race...think again. This racing compared to cruising/liveaboard is like Lemans 24 hours to a Sunday afternoon time-speed-distance rally.

John nailed it on small boat sailing...tons of fun for little money...with the benefit of them being fitness/exercise machines.

One fun memory with the Mutineer...a Deputy Sheriff in the launch site checking out boats for safety equipment at a local reservoir...where I was often the only sailboat. All went well, the deputy with his head in his checklist. "Life jackets?"...Yes...all down the list. Until: "Coast guard approved gas can"? ..
Nope. "Spark arrestor muffler?"...nope. Finally, he spotted the mast, I guess. "Why...you don't have a motor!" Nice detective work, deputy...LOL!

Hobi? Nice "pond boat"...

[HobieMarty]

^^^ Thanks. Here is my other "pond boat", lol.

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[pwd72s]

Cats are a LOT of fun...and many people think so. Your sail number tells the tale.

(edit) Another popular area to cruise. The intercoastal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9IOov52NUQ&ab_channel=WaterwayGuide

[dsfnctn]

So smart of you Chris to ask the retired guys in another thread what it cost to retire.
Us liveaboards do t really know since we live every day like we are retired. Thing is when every one else was saving for retiring We were buying boats, cars, and airstreams. Little did We know they were such a good retirement plan. Im writiing this from my airstream that i only paid $15 K for. The tides they are a turning

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

So true. I learned to sail with a Sea Snark, ( google that one), little styrofoam "Armorclad" boat, when I was 10 years old. Had a Hobie 14 when I was a teenager and really learned to hot rod it around. I then sailed a few Sunfish boats, easy peasy after cutting my chops on a H14. I lived in a house on the beach when I was in my 20s and the house had small sailboat that I could use and guess what it was... a Sea Snark. I had a blast with that little beat up boat. Every day I would hit the beach around 2:30 and be out there ripping it up until sunset. Great times!!!

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LOL. I taught myself on a Snark that I bought at Woolco (remember those?) on closeout for like 90 bucks...I did put a varnished luan "foredeck" on the front to keep it drier...

[HobieMarty]

Oh yeah I remember those stores. When sailed a beat up little Sea Snark when I lived at the beach, I used to love getting the thing up on it's side enough to have water pouring in, then I would settle it back down and bail the water out. The last day I sailed that little boat was a November day in 1987. The gulf was very flat and there was a bit of a north wind and I could see the gusts rippling across the water. I would catch a gust, and I would have my feet planted against the opposite side of the hull and hang off the edge to keep the boat flat and I would fly, felt like I was skipping across the water. My hair was long back then and it would get wet as I was hanging out, man that was a blast!!! The best time with that boat was one day, summer of 87, I sailed with a pod of Dolphins and it was amazing, especially in a tiny boat like that. Best summer ever!!!

Sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread, just reminiscing.

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[HobieMarty]

https://youtu.be/YizWH264qws

This makes me want to get another one just to have at the lake when I don't want to get the Hobie out.


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[dsfnctn]

Here is another Youtube channel to watch that will give you one of many options regarding your concerns of how much will it cost . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOhsy5rY_mU

Gone with the Wynns reminds me of a couple yuppies that were in the tech industry that
looked at the potential for living off of having a camera in front of them to make the needed money for expensive wine and cheese. Thing is about the Wynns they have been on a milk run and now are out of down wind sailing real estate. from New Zealand to get anywhere the foulies are going to have to come out.. Its upwind time

[dsfnctn]

I just drove to the marina and snapped a price sheet for moorage prices

[cstreit]

Originally Posted by dsfnctn

Here is another Youtube channel to watch that will give you one of many options regarding your concerns of how much will it cost . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOhsy5rY_mU

Gone with the Wynns reminds me of a couple yuppies that were in the tech industry that
looked at the potential for living off of having a camera in front of them to make the needed money for expensive wine and cheese. Thing is about the Wynns they have been on a milk run and now are out of down wind sailing real estate. from New Zealand to get anywhere the foulies are going to have to come out.. Its upwind time

dsfnctn if I had 3 bikini clad women along with me for a sailing trip it would get very expensive indeed as I’m sure my wife would have something to say about this.