Getting the right size...

[AlanF]

I went from living on a small-ish wooden 27 footer to an "enormous" 32 footer 19 years ago, and still haven't filled it up. As some have said before, beam, and the length that it is carried, is significant, and I'll add that the storage space is critical. My Westsail has relatively little living area, since the lockers are so deep, but I'm glad all that stuff is secure and out of sight.

When it comes to size for cruising, as compared to living aboard, I think there are additional considerations, not the least of which is will she carry a dinghy on deck or davits? And for living in a marina, it's not the size of the boat - it's the size of the dock box that matters!

[DavidB.UK]

Originally Posted by wingNwing

One way to plan what you really need to move aboard, something we call "shopping at our house": take everything (EVERY THING) out of your kitchen cabinets and put it in the basement. Then, live your normal life. When you need something, go downstairs and get it. Sooner or later, a few weeks or a month into the project, you'll decide to use a chef's knife instead of going downstairs to get the super-special-tomato-slicer-gizmo that you discovered in an infomercial... at that point you'll have separated your posssessions - you'll have a kitchen full of things you really use, and a basement full of things to sell on ebay or donate or give away. Repeat the process with your clothing, tools, whatever, and you'll be well on your way to moving aboard!

Absolutely love this approach!

[DavidB.UK]

Originally Posted by Dean101

My visions are of a small boat swinging on her anchor off a pristine beach and me sipping cheap rum in my hammock swinging between 2 palm trees!

Fantastic!