Live aboard boat??

Wondering if anyone has insight on what its like living on a boat. Wife and I have been talking about it for a couple of days. We’re 90% sure that its just talk, but we’re intrigued by the idea. Thoughts?

Seems like there are two ends of the “living on a boat” continuum. At one end, there’s the boat tethered to dock, never moving kind. At the other end is 24/7 adventure, seeing the world one port at a time kind. If it’s the adventure one you’re referring to, there are a bunch of excellent videos on YouTube.

Find one for the right price and it works. The sea ray 340 behind me was found for a great price and upgraded. They stay there every weekend of the season and only live 8 miles away. Another one on our dock stays there some weekends and he is just over a mile or so from the dock.

We’re thinking a 50-60’ on a large lake like Texoma or PK, or Table Rock. My concern is winters. We would live there full time year-round. Many marinas shut off water during the winter. Maybe this means we would need to port in Houston and go salt water. I don’t prefer the salt life.

I worked with a couple that lived on joe pool in a 60'. they loved it!

Property tax problem solved.

for the ot gtg that you know will happen.

tablerock would be cool but winters would suck bad. texoma would be my choice since they have all kinds of slips on both sides of the lake. I will bet there are some with water yr. round.
only problem I see is coe lake may not allow yr. round occupancy, sra on fork won't allow it on waterfront within leaseback space (so I have been told).

like living in a travel trailer, get ready to downsize your life in a big way unless you opt for one of the houseboat type, cabin cruiser will suck for storage space.

Nowadays, lots of people retire to cruise ships. All inclusive, change ships, no taxes....$100,000 per year....

I like the idea, but would probably go with a motor home rather than a boat. Kinda accomplish the same thing, just more options than a boat.

If you like working on boats, all the time, go for it! I looked into it earlier this year. The people I talked to were constantly fixing things. One of them had a $250,000+ houseboat too. Things always break down.

Years ago I was in a sailing club and there was a couple in the club that had circumnavigated the globe, twice, in their sailboat. I think they had a 40 or 42 footer.
They had some interesting stories. If you deep water sail, fresh water is a tight commodity. Also, port/slip fees around the world have different rules and can get expensive.

A buddy has a sailboat he keeps on Grapevine at Scott's Landing. There is a guy there who is a Pilot for AA and he lives aboard a 40 foot sailboat there when he is in town and isn't flying.
Biggest problem the past few years has been the fluctuations in lake levels.

My next home will be built on pontoons, It will never see the water , but it won't be taxable.

MO

Have thought through a number of factors-
What if we just don’t like it as much as we thought we would?
Water conservation will be a challenge.
Frequent waste water dumps.
No property taxes!!!!
Insurance may be a problem or too expensive.
Some Marinas may restrict year-round living.
Working on a boat all the time probably same as working on my 55 year old home all the time.
No grass to mow.
Limited storage- cancel the Costco card and Amazon Prime account.
Storms, winter weather, lake level fluctuations.


We’re thinking a Chris Craft or Hatteras cruiser vs. Gibson or MYacht houseboat. Used, under $100k. At least 50’.
Slips are $1,000 or less, depending on where.

Also, if you live aboard, I’ve heard some marinas almost double the slip fee.

53’ Chris Craft with 2 staterooms, 2 heads.

Sounds glamorous, but I think I personally would get tired of it

My wife and I want to do the Great Loop when we retire. Not exactly what you are planning on, but it takes a year to do it and would be a wonderful experience. Figure that's about as long as I could stay on a boat.

note to all, it is NOT cheaper to live aboard a boat. Slip fees are as much as your mortgage if you live near a city and the boat is as much as a house that breaks all the time. I used to have to deal with this pipe dream all the time and if you hear someone mentioning the "great loop" in a 35 ft cruiser, just STOP. Please spare me of the idiotic ramblings of how you are going to do the "Loop" in a $50K POS.

Well, I guess that settles that!

This would be a very well to do Okie.

suggestion, go rent one for a week, lake powell, texoma, anywhere. go live on one for a week or two then rethink your decision.

I lived in the travel trailer when on work comp, then a yr. at fork, single and my lifestyle it works, married and working would have been a major beetch.

Good idea Hop.

where does the doo-doo water go ?

I would rather do the RV. That way you can move around. Unless you are in an area with mild winters, I can't help but think winter would suck. Stuck inside, pipes freezing, that sort of thing. At least in an RV you can go south in the winter, north in the summer. Probably easier to get broken things fixed in an RV.

the do do water goes into the outside water. just turn the key.

I believe in the eary 1970's. there was a green two story houseboat on Lake Texoma. I only saw it once. I suspect one of the storms with high winds took it out and that type of houseboat was no longer allowed on the lake. It was rumored to have a baby grand piano in it.

My aunt and uncle live on a sailboat. It is a large vessel, but not sure if footage. The live in Seattle during the summers and Florida in the winters, they love it.

Do they sail from Seattle to Florida or pay to have it moved?
Seems like it would take a large amount of time and planning to sail thousands of miles.

Not for me, but I can see the appeal for some people. Interesting topic.

There is a "thing" called the Great Loop. Its done in all the ways you can imagine.
A little at a time to all the way around, going from Fl up the coast taking the intercostal waterway. Turn left at the St Lawrence, through the Great Lakes and into theTennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Down to Mobile then back to Florida.

If you are planning to live on the boat, I cannot see why sailing it from Seattle to Florida would be a problem. It is just the beginning leg of the long trip as you are planning to live on it anyway.

I could do it in the Keys

Mosquito's come to mind, storms, no central air or heat.

I don't think it would be as glamorous a lifestyle as we would want it to be.

I’ve toyed with the idea out here due to the cost of housing. Lots of interesting options for sale, but I can’t make a convincing enough argument to make it work for me.

I have been researching living on a houseboat on the Tennessee river. Probably would start with Lake Guntersville. Lots of people do it. Marina fees are much cheaper than RV park fees.

We have contemplated the cruise ship idea. You can take the same itinerary or change it up port to port or hemisphere to hemisphere.

I would spend a majority of time in the Greek islands.

Have a few nights here and there out on the town while in port.

Not having to clean or make beds is appealing.

Normally great food and service. Entertainment.

Cons

Norvo virus could be an issue.

Small cabin means close proximity to the spousal unit but at least the ship has other locations to venture to.

I sailed the seas aboard a 50 ft GulfStar many years ago. Two weeks on board and I have never spent another night on a sailboat. The AC units don't cool enough in the hot summer time at sea or at the dock. Had many friends that lived aboard sailboats. Not for me.

Bear trap did most of that loop in a johnboat.

Truth

the great loop is approx. 6000 miles and I've done 4674 miles in a jon boat including the lengths of the Mississippi,Missouri,Ohio,Tombigbee,Apalachicola and parts of the Tennessee and Flint rivers...
my trips have almost all been spent traveling down rivers in an open john boat and I've had to cross large open waters,but I've tried to keep those crossings to a minimum....
.jon boats have a flat bottom and are very uncomfortable crossing choppy water plus they are very susceptible to being swamped in large waves....
I'm sure someone could do the great loop in a john boat but it would involve not only crossing the great lakes but several long stretches of open ocean traveling up the east coast.....

I worked with a doc who took his family and traveled the intracoastal Texas to NY. Homeschooled the kids. Stopped and moonlighted differing ER's for cash when he wanted to replenish the cash.

Friend of mine in college set out in her canoe with her dog from Pittsburgh with the intent to make it to New Orleans. She made the confluence of the Missisippi. She hitched rides on a few barges along the way. Knowing her there were some smiling tug captains. When I worked in the truss business we had a plant accountant in Jacsonville that lived on a 53 footer with her husband. Went out with them one evening for a cruise on the St John's. I asked about taking down pics on the bar. She was no they are fine. I don't think the bow of that boat came up at all when they hit the throttle.

I could and would love to live on a boat! Here in SA we really only have two lakes that I could do it. Canyon would be just to far of a commute for me and Medina...still looking into that one. If I lived by the coast I would for sure. I am still considering an RV though. That too me would just offer more freedom than being confined to an inland lake.

unless you want to live like a dirty homeless person it is very expensive. Besides the amount of fuel you are talking about which is about 3.30 - 450 a gal. abd paying to slip your boat almost every night at transient marina spots. Most charge $50-80 a night. There aren't many places to just anchor up all night. Not safely. Again, you need a pretty nice boat to do it. If you break down in like MS how long before they pull your boat out and repair it? Month? and $$$$$.

This dude washes his clothes in a bucket... he has what it takes to live on a boat I feel.

my son has a good bit of experience dealing with large boats,marinas sailing and water travel.....told him about this post and several things he mentioned that might be of use to you.....check with marinas to see if they have any boats that are for sale either by the owner or have been abandoned....you might be able to get the boat at a really good price....the downside is that it may require some expensive repairs to make it seaworthy...unless you are handy at repairs,boat repairs are expensive....
mooring charges can be very expensive in areas of high demand or they can reasonable and similar to RV parks.....typically freshwater is much less expensive than saltwater mooring both in terms of mooring and repairs/maintenance....
good luck in whatever you choose to do...

My buddy left his Catalina 22 at Grandpappy unused for at least 20 years. It was green above and below the waterline. I cannot imagine what the bottom looked like. They don't use bottom paint on sailboats because of drag.

Good stuff. Still thinking on it.

plan b: buy a lot at texoma, build a dock, moor houseboat at dock, live on boat.

if it doesn't work out sell the boat and build a lake house. there, problem solved (told y'all I figured it out!).

Maybe in highly competitive sail racing they don't but I know lots of weekend sailors that have pulled their boat out of the water for a bottom job.

Good advice about the abandoned boats.

I crewed on races on Texoma and don't recall anyone that used bottom paint. Now they would clean the bottoms during the warmer months and pull them to inspect and repaint about every 4-5 years.

There aren’t barnacles in Texoma.

Join the Navy - live on a boat AND see the world!

I like the idea of buying a Dockominium at Lake Texoma and keeping your boat 10 steps off your front door.

I have seen marinas on Lake Guntersville that charge $4,000 to $5,000 per year for houseboat docking.