Potential used boat owner wants to speak with liveaboarders

[oceansea]

Prospective, newbie used boat owner wants to speak with current and past boat live-aboarders.

I have recently become attracted to & curious about owning & living aboard what would be my first, very affordable boat. Given my very small budget as a student, & being self-employed in a financially unpredictable field, I am looking at very affordable boats under $5000, at least for now, which could be relatively comfortable for living aboard. Am open to even paying monthly fees up to this amount toward purchase of a boat and slip as well.

A couple requirements would be running water ( including hot for stand up showers which do not flow water all over the inside of the boat, dish & hand washing ), indoor toilet, standing room at least in some areas for a bit more than just a pirouette, electricity ( to run a notebook computer, basic lights for reading / seeing, clock,), ability to cook basic, small meals like oatmeal, steamed veggies, toaster oven for small baking, and shelving for the many books i have & enjoy reading, studying.

Am considering living on a boat in part to save money ( if possible to pay under $350 / month total for boat situation compatible with my needs & interests ) while in school and building my business, in addition to loving the feel of being around water. ( All communications with me, boaters situations & identities will be treated as private & confidential communications - of course. )

Reading related on-line publications, website and blogs, has been a bit useful so far. And it will likely be a while before i can save even $500o. But it feels like what could really help in feeling out whether this is what I really want to do & potential used boats that could work for my needs, is to relate in person with individual boat owners who would be open to sharing their experiences, suggestions & physically seeing & feeling various boats insides as well as exterior, meeting & relating in person with people already doing what I am curious about.

[sailingdog]

Aaron-

Given your very limited budget, it is very unlikely that you will find a boat that meets all of your requirements. Most boats with standing headroom and a shower are going to be newer and larger than you can afford.

Not many boats in your price range are going to be capable of being a liveaboard boat. A Cape Dory 28, Alberg 30, and a few others are going to be available, in somewhat rough shape, for your price. Most will not have a pressure water system, none will have a shower, most will have some basic electrical capacity and galley for meal preparation, but I doubt any will have a toaster oven or much in the way of shelving. Books tend to have a relatively short lifespan on an older, smaller sailboat, unless the boat is maintained impeccably.

Any boat can be a liveaboard, but a boat smaller than 26' or so, will be a very primitive existence... more like camping on the water than anything else. There are exceptions to this of course, a Flicka 20 can make a nice liveaboard, but they are rather expensive little boats.

Also, I don't believe you've budgeted sufficient funds for maintenance, upkeep, dock and marina costs. And most marinas charge an additional fee for liveaboard boats and require a minimum of $300,000 in liability insurance.

However, you may not need to have a shower on-board the boat, since if you're living at a marina, you will generally want to use the shower and toilet facilities ashore. Using the head on the boat, while at a dock, requires that you have the holding tank pumped out occassionally.... and that can be a problem.