Prospective, newbie used boat owner wants to speak with current and past boat live-aboarders in the SF Bay area. I live ( on land ) in the SF East bay, a few miles from the Berkeley Marina.
Hi. 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( body worker - aka massage therapist & qigong instructor ), 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.
Aaron (510) 435 - 1263
oceanseamail@yahoo.com