Tossing the 9to5 for a life on the water.Ideas/exeperiences?

[drydocked]

Hello,
I''m a former liveaboard from Oceanside Ca. Now living in Denver. Came to Denver for marriage.. now divorced. I owned/lived aboard a Hans Christian 34 for a couple of years. My intention was to live my life on the water and explore the world. Marriage required compromise to that idea which was fine at the time. I''m now 40 and single and want to do something truly exceptional. Life is short and I''m committed to make the most of it. I''m currently in business insurance sales and looking to free myself from this. I would like to be cruising within 3 years. The plan is to live the life I love and find ways to make money while doing it. Anybody out there have the experience of tossing it all in at a relatively young age for a life on the water ? Any ideas on creating income? I can fix or build anything, especially on a boat, including engine and sewing work. I''m a carpenter by nature but would love to find other ways to create income. Photography? diving? boat delivery? Charter Captain? What have any of you done or witnessed as an opportunity while cruising the world? Would love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

[JohnDrake]

Well... I might suggest you join the Navy. Are you under 30?

Lots of adventure, travel, great people and rewarding work. Pays better than most jobs on the water. Aboard ship (if you are an O) you get your meals made for you, your cabin cleaned, clothes washed and some really great coffee (if you like it really strong). The big benefit is that you can go to sea for months at a time and never have to deal with girlfriends/wives/etc.

:O)))))) (a little tongue in cheek, but still a good suggestion)

But if you are over 30...

Hmmmmmm...

Boat captain - does not pay well
Boat delivery - really does not pay well
Diving/salvage - lots of people doing this

Best bets:

Charter a large sport fisher in FLA - you will need to invest at least a couple hundred grand in a good boat

Work a charter fleet somewhere- tons of people wanting to do this so...

Start your own charter fleet with a few older but nice looking sailboats - you will need to find a niche marker area that is not saturated.

Use your skills as a carpinter etc to do boat refinishing - this may be your best bet - lots of jobs and relatively well paying. Most yacht yards charge about $65/hr for labor, you get some % of that or a salary. You can also do this freelance and work anywhere.

Hope this helps.

[wolftoy]

we bought q boat with no plan in mind. did some charter,a little dive instruction, and some maintenance. If you wait for a perfect plan you will be landlocked.....just go, it will all work out . At 50 years we are back from the first fling with the ocean and getting ready to go again.