# Chasing my dream



## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

For the past several months I've been redoing my captiva 240 that was given to me free of charge from my father as he upgraded to a Pearson 36. I've spent countless hours making the boat as live aboard friendly as possible. I know it's a small boat however the amount of time and effort placed into it has made me more and more eager to live aboard. I've been reading alot of live aboard post but haven't seen anyone with a boat as small as mine. I'll be living n south Carolina primarily at a marina except for day sails....any encouraging advice for life aboard would be great


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## PaulinVictoria (Aug 23, 2009)

Can't offer any of that, but welcome, and 36 isn't small.


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## DonScribner (Jan 9, 2011)

Brad,
Welcome to the asylum and congrats on inheriting a dream. Your 24 is a small boat to live aboard for any length of time. I haven't done it but I'll say that a week on a 25 footer gets cramped. Probably the best thing you can do is upgrade from an icebox to a fridge and install shore power. I'm assuming that you have a slip with power. The next thing would be to install a bimini with screen sides and some exterior lighting. This would add 30% to your living area and give a place to entertain in when it rains. Be sure to consult a qualified electrician on this one. One wrong ground and we're reading about you on Darwin Awards.

Don


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## Lake Superior Sailor (Aug 23, 2011)

Check out Drake Paragon film on You Tube, SV Swallow Non Such 26 it's a live aboard!...Dale


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## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks for the advice! Don't know where to get a Bimini that will fit my boat though?


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

CptBradford said:


> For the past several months I've been redoing my captiva 240 that was given to me free of charge from my father as he upgraded to a Pearson 36. I've spent countless hours making the boat as live aboard friendly as possible. I know it's a small boat however the amount of time and effort placed into it has made me more and more eager to live aboard. I've been reading alot of live aboard post but haven't seen anyone with a boat as small as mine. I'll be living n south Carolina primarily at a marina except for day sails....any encouraging advice for life aboard would be great


My wife and I and our dawgs live aboard our 23 footer from mid may to the end of october. You've gotten some good advice so far.
Regarding biminis, looking at the design of your boat, you may be able to use an off-the-shelf setup like one of these:
Defender.com Search Results: bimini: Bimini Tops

As far as making the life more livable, I disagree with Don about installing shore power. I feel that on small boats shorepwoer is more of a hindrance than a help. It means having to devote already minimal storage to a shorepower cable, another ppower panel, and all the appliances you feel you can't live without, like a toaster, coffee maker, microwave, etc., etc., which makes a small interior feel more cramped. Instead, install a couple of 40-50 watt solar panels and install LED bulbs to reduce your electrical consumption, increase the insulation around your icebox to make it more efficient.

Go to a nearby furniture store, shoe store, electronics store and ask the stock clerks for any silica gel packs they have lying around- toss them in all of your lockers and toolboxes to fight condensation. Your clothes and tools will thank you.


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## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks for the Bimini site! Yea I think I'm going to run shore power only for the fact that I want a carry on type ac unit as it gets hot here in south Carolina during the summer...other than that I don't have an existing ice box so I'll have to use a cooler if not a mini fridge. As far as other appliances go idk what I'll get if anything I have no sink or stove...ideas?? I do plan to move aboard and will prob by may


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## ltgoshen (Jan 5, 2009)

CptBradford said:


> it gets hot here in south Carolina


What part of South Carolina? 
hellow From Beaufort. Good luck with the project. I will begin to live some spring and fall weeks on the East Coast Lady 30 ft C&C. I have shore power now and its nice. 
S/V East Coast Lady


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

I live on a 20 foot boat for a week or two at a time so I'm used to being cramped. Living on a 24 foot boat all the time is a good way to simplify your life. My advice: keep it simple and only buy quality stuff. Eventually I'm planning to live on a small boat as well, but no on my 20ft Mirage...


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## 34crealock (Dec 30, 2012)

I met 2 folks living on a 21 footer in Culebra. They even had a pair of dogs. Seems like they were doing fine. To me a boat is like a garage or a purse, you just fill it up and most of the stuff you don't "need".


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## Loriprov (Mar 17, 2013)

We had a 24 foot Newport Neptune for 10 years before moving up to a 34' Irwin sloop. Longest living aboard - 2 weeks. Suggestions: use a two burner coleman stove - if you have alchohol, ditch it. You can take the bottle of propane and unscrew it outside of the cabin - I always did to make sure no gas (which sinks) escaped in the cabin. Then store bottle and stove in separate lazarettes. We took the space of the alchohol stove and the void below and made a wood counter top to put the Coleman on, and a work surface, and used the interior space for pots and pans. Only had an icebox so we also used a small cooler for beverages so we didn't have to open the icebox all the time. Block in the cooler; best thing the new boat has is a cold plate, but it draws power, and we are still minimalists. You can get by without a sink (sort of) if you have a plastic tub, and can fill it with water either from a foot pump, or from a tea kettle of hot water, with foot pump cold added.

Let us know how you fare - I have known several livaboard couples on 26 footers - one year round and two couples for 5 months at a time - and we met a couple and their 12 year old living on a 23 foot Aquarius two years ago.

Lori Prov
Irwin Citation 34
"Salish Mists"


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## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

hello!! im from the middle part of the state...columbia sc...plan to live on lake murray at a marina for now would love to move to beaufort however need a job first...anyone hiring??? my dads boat is in beaufort as well as my uncles...would love to check my boat into the marina down there.


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## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

i stand fare right now boat is paid for so no expense there totally rebuilt interior and some exterior wood has been refinished...as far as it goes so far the only thing on my list for essentials to live is a mini dorm like fridge that i would use when only connected to shore power...as far as the sink goes i know that there is hose on dock for running water thought bout a sing mounted to some sort of stand that i can use on deck and break down just for washing dishes and such anyone ever done this or have an idea that would make a hose into a usable sink....as far as amenities go i have installed a radio and plan to mount a tiny flat screen tv in the v-birth for entertainment at night as the marina i plan to live on provides cable...for me this is a chance to restart i have spent many years and thousands of dollars to waste away my college career but still havent graduated i am now 24 plan to live alone...maybe a dog or cat for company but other than that id love some more import on living on this small boat...or other possible places/marinas in sc as long as the job market there is decent as i am beyond broke haha thank you all for responding to my post i appreciate it and have gained alot of advice from you all


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## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

so the space in my cabin is very small so that ive come to notice...i have a coleman stove that im using for cooking however i cant find a small enough fridge to fit into the cabin the only one i could find was a mini wine cooler does anyone know if these will cool down enough to keep food fresh?? its only like 4 dollars more than a min fridge and i kinda like the glass door any info would be great...as well anyone got an idea of where to store or mount a microwave or should i scratch the idea....???


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

CptBradford said:


> .as far as the sink goes i know that there is hose on dock for running water thought bout a sing mounted to some sort of stand that i can use on deck and break down just for washing dishes and such anyone ever done this or have an idea that would make a hose into a usable sink.


okay, here's some BTDT advice, given to me by another marina rat, back when I was between wives and living on a ChrisCraft Seaskiff. Don't confuse your needs with your wants and end up living ghetto fabulous, cuz that ain't living- it's barely surviving, and you'll end up feeling like sh1t.

real live onboard amenities are more long-term important than a flat-screen tv.

besides, you're living in a marina, which, next to a trailer park, is the best damn real life reality tv you can find.

Forget dorm fridges and winecoolers and any other dirt-designed half-assed solutions. combine your flat-screen fund with your fridge fund and buy one of these:
Norcold NRF30 AC / DC Portable Refrigerator / Freezer

post some pics of your cabin- you may have space you can utilize and don't even realize it, for example building in a sliding sink that slides into the quarterberth for example, or one that folds up in the head. Some omnboard water storage will also make you less dock-dependent- it's a sailboat, not a houseboat, dammit!


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## katsailor (Jan 6, 2013)

Campmor.com is a great site for camping equipment, check out the jetboil stove, I used one on my motorcycle cross country camping trips. That and a bottle of water was all I needed, you have the luxury of living in a Marina which will give you access to hot showers, toilet that flush, etc. You could even put a grill on the dock if your marina will allow it.


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## CptBradford (Mar 28, 2013)

haha i agree i may be over doing it i just want to be comfortable and be able to spend my mind with out going crazy just starring at the walls of my cabin on rainy days....i will post some pics of the cabin tomorrow and let yall take a look and see if anyone has any ideas....there is alot of space where a kitchenette used to be but i dont intend to put it back in the boat...but the slide out sink it had may be convenient....


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