Making a living as a liveaboard

[r44bob]

Originally Posted by sailorsnook

Is anyone interested in discussing ways to make a few pennies whilst being a travelling liveaboard? I've tried a few things, with limited success so far, which experience I can share, but always open to new ideas!

Im interested in your ideas..I have been trading options for 5 yrs,,so as long as I have internet access,,Im good.

Bob d

[joelsanda]

Originally Posted by remetau

Computers have the best pay. If you have the skills or the ability to learn them, then your potential could be unlimited.

I have worked remotely as a programmer for over 7 years doing Lotus Notes, DataStage, Java, and Enovia. There is always work out there available.

This is also my plan, though I test. Recently I've started branching out into testing iOS software as that is a little smaller and lends itself to limited time spans that are best for contract-type work. That's also seems more enjoyable than the typical death marches for servers and web applications I seem to find myself on.

How do you find jobs for code work? Are you hitting up sites with contract jobs at a fixed price or time/materials? Are you using previous employers and making yourself available to them when you're in a place with suitable connectivity?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Harborless

my cruising is focused in the Bahamas. A few hours a day diving with a spear gun at some good reefs will net you enough fish to sell at the local docks toward late afternoon.
I would think to avoid confrontation you would need to either work with or for them, or limit your stays in any one place to three or four days before moving on to the next locale.

Unless you are a Bahamian citizen this will get you a lovely view from inside their jail in very short order.

[jamesorr]

We have not pulled the trigger as of yet but this is a real subject that we have discussed quite a bit. I know that if your willing to do just about anything and are somewhat handy you can survive. Like my wife is tiny, which is great for going up masts, $100 a trip. Or cleaning houses and painting the interiors because the owners don't want the locals in their homes. We plan on taking a sewing machine along and doing canvas work as well. We also build handmade dinghys that we sell and that will blow away anything you get at a big retailer. So we shall save a good egg and then go and try working it as we sail, to conserve the egg.... also I've heard HVAC repair is a great skill to take with you, and of course an electrical background would be in demand too. Buying one of those topside mini-air compressors for snorkling/diving would prob. net some income as well, cleaning props and such. Buy a tension gauge(s) for standing rigging and charge people to adjust their riggs. Many things to do, any more ideas out there?

[MarkofSeaLife]

Originally Posted by jamesorr

Like my wife is tiny, which is great for going up masts, $100 a trip.

Ummmmm as I get older I get more and more shy of heights. Now I am damn petrified of being more than 6 feet above the ground - the top of my hair wiggles in mortal fear. But for $100 me and any other bugger in the anchorage, ANY anchorage, would be up a mast like a coconut climber on cocaine.

Not trying to hit your idea over its head with a teaspoon, or discourage you, but the road to paradise may be a little more stony than first perceptions.

All the best

[MarioG]

I work at a boat yard for during the summer then go cruising for the winter months.

[Razcar]

Originally Posted by r44bob

Im interested in your ideas..I have been trading options for 5 yrs,,so as long as I have internet access,,Im good.

Bob d

Cool Bob - it might be interesting to start a thread about trading options...for us this has been a nice augmentation to our income...

[JiffyLube]

I know of a guy that got a part time job for an American boat watermaker company helping customers in his cruising area, sometimes trouble shooting and repairing their systems, sometimes coming to the states to pick up parts and systems to take back with him to use, and sometimes working a booth for this company at boat shows. I'm sure he doesn't make a lot of money, but he seems to enjoy what work he does. His wife and him live off savings they set aside for cruising, and when the money runs out so does the cruising. This little side line he fell into will keep their dream alive a little longer, and in time they might discover or fall into other ways of making money. His wife is a really good cook, so maybe she might try giving small classes on American style cuisine.

[denverd0n]

Once again I think it is good to remind people that any job that you take, or business you run, when in a foreign port is probably illegal without the proper work and/or business visas.

Yes, a lot of people do this sort of thing, and very few get caught. Here in the U.S. we call them "illegal aliens." It happens everywhere. If you want to do it, I won't judge. I only wish to remind you that there are risks.

Oh yeah, and if you get caught... I don't want to hear any whining!

[DougSabbag]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Once again I think it is good to remind people that any job that you take, or business you run, when in a foreign port is probably illegal without the proper work and/or business visas.

Yes, a lot of people do this sort of thing, and very few get caught. Here in the U.S. we call them "illegal aliens." It happens everywhere. If you want to do it, I won't judge. I only wish to remind you that there are risks.

Oh yeah, and if you get caught... I don't want to hear any whining!

Interestingly enough, there is a primary relationship between the sort of person(s) who would live onboard a (sail)boat, and the basic human freedom which would allow people to earn a living and co-exist anywhere, peacefully.

For those of us who have eschewed the landlubber anchor / rut in our lives, we would also be most comfortable with expecting the right and the freedom to go where we want and do what we want as long as nobody else is hurt by our actions.

Sailboats are emerging as the best path to that diminishing freedom. We are that which can slip through the cracks, globally, of the controlling "authorities", much to their dislike.

We can cast off our lines for anywhere in the world without having to be scanned, stripped, searched, licensed, certified, taxed, checked against any lists, we can carry whatever quantity of liquids we want, we can say words which would easily earn a free trip to Guantanemo, (without any actual "crime" being committed), wear what we do or don't want to, and generally thumb our noses at the uniforms.

"They" don't like this, but for now, they can't do a damn thing about it.

:-)
Fair winds.