What You Have Learned After Becoming a Liveaboard

[thesnort]

I'm interested in learning what things you soon figured out were necessary and about the things you thought would be necessary, but learned were not all that important or useful, once you started living aboard.
In a broader sense the question is also interesting in learning what other things you never expected before you moved on board.

[krozet]

Not a live aboard yet but looking forward to it in the next 9 months.

Things I am not looking forward to loosing?
My Stove, or most of my electric kitchen gear...
Laundry machines...
Computers... (I have 4 systems now, a server, a HTPC, my gaming rig and my laptop)
Having the cat litter box in an out of the way place...

Things I am looking forward to gaining?
More freedom.
Rocking to sleep.
Nature.
Living a more minimalist life style...

Do I need a 56" Plasma TV in the living room and a 40" LCD in the bedroom? No. Do I need 4 computers? No. Do I need cupboards full of kitchen gadgets? No. Do I need all this 'stuff' littering my life? No. But having closet's makes it pretty easy to accumulate more of it.

Robert

[fjon]

thesnort, that is a great question. I am looking to buy and move aboard in the next 6-12 months, and am beginning to think about living aboard. I've lived a minimalist existence several past cycles, 6 years in the military and building a cabin in the woods as a retreat and homestead. I remember most fondly the timeless seasons I spent alone (half the time) each year clearing forest, building a cabin and growing my food. I imagine cruising much like that in terms of pacing, with less hump work but still demanding a constant attention to adjustment and maintaining systems, with diving, fishing and touring thrown in. And all this without a watch on my wrist.

I hope to find some fine thoughtful wisdom in the thread to put me ahead of my game.

[thesnort]

I hope to be a liveaboard in a question of months, but there are things I'll need to do to make life comfortable, i.e. adding a shower, adjusting to a smaller fridge and freezer, etc...It's going to be a fairly steep learning curve.

[lshick]

For what it's worth, our thoughts (my wife and I) on this subject are at Five Things I Wish I'd Known....

[eryka]

After living aboard for 7 years, looking back on what we THOUGHT we'd need when we moved here from Michigan in 2002:

*half as many clothes as I initially brought. Everything in the same group of colors so you only need one or two sets of accessories, rather than 3 sets of shoes/socks/belts etc in black, brown, and navy (for example). Almost everything I own now is black, beige, white, or medium blue - everything goes with everything else, making getting dressed easy. Seek out, and pay extra if necessary, for clothes that are wrinkle-free and don't need to be dry cleaned - there are even washable wools now. And until a couple of weeks ago, I had one of *those* kind of dressup desk jobs.

*twice as many tools. Its a boat, after all. Things break. And if you're living aboard, using stuff every day, its going to break more often. I have one friend whose idea of a "toolkit" is a cellphone and a checkbook. For the rest of us (a) sometimes things break when you're in a pretty primitive place; (b) sometimes things break and need to be fixed NOW because water's coming in; (c) money's not infinite.

*a quarter as many kitchen thingeys. A good sharp knife is more reliable than an electric food processor, and takes less space too! Take nothing that serves only one purpose (hand-cranked pasta machine? heart-shaped cake pan?) Our galley has some good-quality stacking pots and pans; the aforementioned good knives, whisks, spatulas; an eggbeater; lemon zester; corkscrew; can opener; Melitta-type coffee filter; soup ladle; and that's about it. Oh yeah, and a grill <*winking at CD*> You're likely to be spending a lot more time socializing, so a few serving trays or break-resistant wineglasses/beer mugs/whatever you drink are in order too.

*you don't really need every gadget they hawk at the boat shows ...

*think space-saving. We put all our CDs on an iPod and all my cookbooks on computer files, for example. I'm thinking about getting a Kindle for the same reason, but there's always book exchanges at marinas.

[thesnort]

eryka- very helpful!
lshick- I plan on reading all your logs!
krozet- I hope to share what I learn with you, as I'll probably be moving on board a bit before you.
fjon- You've already done much more than myself. I've only dreamt about doing what you've done with your cabin construction.

[krozet]

Originally Posted by thesnort

eryka- very helpful!
lshick- I plan on reading all your logs!
krozet- I hope to share what I learn with you, as I'll probably be moving on board a bit before you.
fjon- You've already done much more than myself. I've only dreamt about doing what you've done with your cabin construction.

Looking forward to it.

[MikeinLA]

I was making such a list just last night. I lived aboard for 2 years in a marina about 20 years ago and with my boy off to college now and me an empty-nester, I've thought about living aboard again. For reference, I was 37 then, 57 now. My boat was & is a Catalina 36 (great liveaboard boat) & I own a 2,000 sq ft townhouse. I decided that the things I'd miss (in no particular order) are my 70" TV with DVR, piano, the garage for my cars & motorcycles & workshop (I like to build & fix stuff), a dry place for my guitars, a dry place for my guns and insane ammo supply, desktop computer with high-speed internet, the kitchen & appliances, long hot showers, king size bed, central air when it's hot, central heat when it's cold and space to keep all the clothes, books & "stuff" that I've accumulated. I loved living aboard, but my life was much simpler then. I haven't decided whether I'm willing to give up the foregoing, I may well just stay living on land and go sailing when I want. The thought of keeping a boat on the east coast & cruising the Bahamas in the winters is also a consideration. Oh, and for the record, had I NOT gotten married, moved off my boat, had a child and bought the house and stuff, I'm sure that I would have been as happy as a clam still living on my boat. It really is a great way to live, but it may have passed me by at this point.

Mike

[SeaOatMan]

Anyone out there living on a 28? I am thinking about buying one and need a little support...... all ideas considered. Thanks SOM