# Want to buy a boat and live on it



## DGmotion (Apr 25, 2015)

*Help me ditch land.*

Hi all, my name is Denny. I live in Fort Lauderdale, I am 30yo male. I like long walks on the beach..uh.. wrong forum.

So I am tired of living on land with people and cars and shopping malls. I want to try living on a sail boat. I write for a living and figure seeing new pictures in front of me, and being solitary will bode well with creativity.

Besides working on a boat as deck hand a few times I know 0 about (sail) boats. There is a 27 Catalina I like. I want to go to the keys, then bahamas, and then down the chain to as far as I can go to Trinidad over 6 months to a year.

Starting from 0, what is the amount of knowledge I need before I buy. Already looked at sailing classes but it is 2 day course only. I am wondering if I can ask the owner to hang around for a week and teach me. I am basically cool with hanging out in the Bahamas for a month practicing.y in safe waters.

Are solar panels on the boat a big deal? If things run off a generator how often does one need to be recharged?

Can I run a laptop in a boat?

What % of money needs to be put aside and budgeted for repairs/dock fees/etc when you buy?

How does mooring work to save on those dock fees (especially in the Caribbean?)

Is it true everyone carries a gun on a boat. Would you recommend getting one here in the US and ???, or how do you protect yourself?

Thank you.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

bait seems just a little off, no one could hit all those "button" with their first try


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## DGmotion (Apr 25, 2015)

It's legit, trust me, I've made asking dumb questions on forums into art... Was a bit sauced last night but the general idea is there.


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## stardust (May 4, 2015)

I want to live on a boat too


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## ObsessionSTJ (May 4, 2015)

Hey Denny,
Just wanted to take a moment and answer a few of your questions. My husband and I have lived on three different boats in the Virgin Islands. We are currently on a 37' Hunter and have been for the last year and a half. I will go down the list and try to provide a little feedback to your questions.

First off, so you think you want to live on a boat.  

There are a couple of things to consider. It may be fun to follow a few blogs. I haven't posted enough for the Sailnet community to let me put down the links but there are some good ones. Look up Brittany Myers with Windtraveler. Swell Voyage, and I have one called mountains and seashore. You'll have to search but you'll find there are a few out there and many worth following. 

Also, in order to live on a boat you really have to be able to fix things on your own. You have to be good at trouble shooting and thinking on your feet a bit. Things will come up and you have to be a little proactive so that you can handle these crazy scenarios. 

You can learn to sail on your own. My husband used You Tube, asked frequent questions of other sailors and read books. He was a cowboy from Central Oregon but he wanted to sail, so he learned. We are still learning and while it doesn't hurt to take a class you can learn if you have the notion. Lots of research and hands on is what ya need. Again, a class doesn't hurt but we've talked to many so called "sailing instructors" and were surprised at how little they really knew. 

We bought our boat for about 20k. We've put a few thousand into her to bring her up to par and there's always more to do but having a boat survey done by a reputable surveyor will make sure that you get a boat that is structurally sound and in decent shape. You will find something is always breaking on a boat but at least structurally you'll be happy with the way she handles, sails and just even floats on the water. Do your research so you know what boats make the best liveaboards. Talk to lots of people! Walk the docks and ask lots of questions!

We have just solar panels though a lot of people like wind generators. If you have the dough a diesel generator is a nice way to go but it costs money and you also have to buy fuel and it's just one more engine to keep working. With the solar panels we run tv (just movies, no cable, we are on the hook) a small travel iron at times, a laptop, a blender, charge all our cell phones and ipads and still have plenty of juice. 

Repairs - you'll always have repairs. If you have a fairly sound boat though you can do most of the work yourself and will find it's a cheaper way to live. If you don't know how to make minor engine repairs or have the ability to figure things out - it's too expensive to have repairs done or next to impossible to even find someone to do the work, especially in the islands. 

Guns - Most countries don't allow weapons to be brought into their country. And you really never know when you're going to be searched. I am sure there are all kinds of thoughts on this one. We have bear spray.  (shoots 30 feet, just hope the winds blowing the right way. Mostly you just use common sense. We've never had any incidences. (Not that it can't happen) 
Hope that helps a bit. 

Happy sailing!
Camile


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## DGmotion (Apr 25, 2015)

Thank you for the reply Camile. I had been debating this since I wrote this post, a big part of me wants this adventure, and I believe I am capable of handling what's needed... the other part is thinking of 'how far deeper down the weird hole' this would get me...


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## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

You need ZERO knowledge of sailing or boating to buy a boat, happens all the time.

Guns are a personal issue, just know that the US is pretty clear on the rules, other countries not so much.

Moorings are not always free. Some are as expensive as the cheaper slippage.

You will spend just as much living on a boat, as you do living on shore. Perhaps more. Most experienced sailors set aside 15-25% of the boat cost for needed repairs the first year. But you have to have a sound boat to start and some priorities. After that - you will need $300-500 monthly for very basic slippage, water, fuel, beans and rice, etc. Costs go up quickly when you get to population centers and want amenities or elec/WiFi/pumpout/etc.


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