# Working from my office...on a sailboat? Yeah!! (I want-to and need advice)...



## Jonnie101 (Sep 28, 2009)

Hi everyone! I've been reading as much as possible so I don't post a newbie question that everyone rolls there eyes at saying "why didn't he just read the THOUSAND posts about this before posting again?" - and I think I've got a some-what unique situation I'm hoping some of you can help out with:

I work from my place (yup - one of the few, the lucky - and the CHAINED TO MY #@$%#$% DESK EVERY MOMENT - WHO ALSO GETS TO WAKE UP WITH MY BOSS IN MY LIVING ROOM EVERY DAY!!!) (yeah folks - be careful what you wish for) ...

..anyway- here's the scphiel and quick run-down: 

- been looking into the boat/live-aboard thing for a few years

-can pick anywhere I want to live - but...

- a couple of catches: it has to be Central or Eastern time zones (this is due to my work - hard to explain - but I need to be online earlier than the Mountain or Pacific time ...so East coast is optimal... and what else are my choices but New Orleans or Corpus Christi for Central? If folks can think of some neat "semi-urban" Central time zone places then let me know!) ...

- I MUST have reliable internet connectivity - need to have something more than dial-up (I need broadband - but it doesn't have to be gigantic pipes - I mean - 1.5 g or even 700mbps is okay - and do people use Direct TV on their boats? Or is the rocking of the boat not feasible for it? Also - are most Marina's simply going to have WIFI so this shouldn't be an issue(?) - this one's critical - so please let me know.)

- need to be near a large enough metro area (even Charleston, SC would be cool if the following can apply...)

- I need to be able to walk from the Marina to all the things I need (such as a good supermarket, eats, and some form of rail transport to get to anywhere in the urban area (one can see why certain marinas around NY would be great - but I imagine $$$$ - but i hear there are some bargains to be found - I'm all ears to anyone who knows) ..and again - gotta' be rail or access to zipcars (and bottom line - an easy way to get to the airport so i can fly to the home office every so often - or where I need to fly to).

- I'm looking to buy an older (say 70's to early 80's -but maintained) starter type 25-30' sail like a Catalina (they seem really reasonable these days - I see 'em - especially at this time of year - for anywhere from $2000 to about $10K or so...which is around the amount I want to spend - which leads me into the next bullet):

-budget for boat - around $5K or $6K (would like to go around th $2-3K really)

- would like to find a neat place around New York (yeah - right - I know) that's cheap enough on slippage etc...

- would also like to know about South Beach and Miami, or West Coast of Florida like Tampa (heard it's a really cool atmosphere) (I'm hoping that South Beach Gal who posts a lot will chime in on this ... I'll send ya' some Chicago deep-dish as a favor! ;-)

Okay - sorry for all the bullets guys - I posted something similar to a different website forum and didn't specify enough - but reading up on all your experiences - I figured I should be very detailed.

Any and all info you guys can throw in - cool places, - cheap places - high-end (but expensive) or even better - High end (but inexpensive) would be GREAT to hear about! 

Note: Folks - don't take this one last thing wrong - but, I understand there are lots of opinions on what one should and shouldn't do ...but it seems like that can lead to fights ...so I'd love to hear your knowledge about all of this - but don't get into name calling - I'm just askin' for some good old fashioned advice from your experience ...if someone begs to differ - hey COOL ... I'll "triangulate" and figure out what works best for me ...and if I end up in "Davy Jones Locker" then so be it - (it's better than dying of cardiac arrest at my desk on land)... bottom line I'd like to hear as much as possible 

So thanks to one and all in advance!

J.


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## MikeinLA (Jul 25, 2006)

Well, I can help a little with your techno issues, I think. I'm a self-employed real estate appraiser working out of my house for the past 17 years. My work involves inspecting homes and then ALOT of computer time writing reports and accessing the internet for data, MLS & email. I frequently work at the "Southern Command Center", my Catalina 36 and I am fully functional when working on the boat. 

Internet - I use a cellular air card for my laptop which is fast enough for general web surfing, downloading and watching TV from network websites or Hulu without any lag. Most marinas still offer hardline phone lines, so you can also get DSL over the phone line. If you're lucky, your marina will have free WIFI, but don't count on it. You can also piggy-back off a dock neighbor's DSL with a wireless modem. Just make a deal & kick in some money so it's a win-win.

TV - Yes, dish TV works fine on a boat which is tied down, it doesn't move that much. Think about the distance to the satellite and you can see why. Many of my neighbors have a dish. Since I have a house, I use Slingbox to watch my home TV from the laptop, also without lag. Lately, the phone companies have come out with services like FIOS which gives you cable TV through your phone line, so that may be an option as well. I think they offer deals if you get the TV & DSL in a package. BTW, since the digital switch, I'm getting GREAT network reception form my rabbit ears.

FAX - You didn't mention it, but I love Efax. About $ 150/year and they turn your faxes into emails which you can retrieve from anywhere.

as an aside....

Location - Think warm, why kill yourself if you don't have to. A 27-30 ft boat gets awfully small when you are snowed in for weeks at a time. Why do that?

Boat Budget - Sounds low to me, even for a Catalina. Consider the total cost after all repairs & deferred maintenance are covered. If you can swing the payments, consider a later model/better condition boat. Catalinas hold their value well if well-maintained. Example: I paid $ 75,000 for my 1991 36 in 1999 and was recently offered $ 65,000. Not bad after 10 years. Just a thought, and the loan is deductible as a primary residence.

Working on the boat is completely doable....and FUN! Enjoy,

Mike


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## Jonnie101 (Sep 28, 2009)

Mike - thanks for all the GREAT info! This is like, 90% of what i needed to know - the entire feasibility of literally getting work done when it MUST be done, connectivity, etc. Yup - agree Efax is great (generally I figured i could get one form of fax online or another - but hinged on how good my net connection was).

Re: location: true about the cold ...but I live in Chicago so I'm fairly used to that stuff! lol ...but yeah - I get what you mean: here's my issue with researching a lot of the southern, more "spread out" cities/locations: You still seem to need a car. What I like about the northeast is, you can get to most place by walking or by some form of rail (be it a light rail, a commuter rail - or connection via one of these to a subway).... 'see, if I were to take on a boat payment (or just dealing with all the fees and such) I don't want to deal with a car payment also. (and insurance and taxes and tags and yadda', yadda' yadda) ...it's not that I couldn't afford it - I probably could - but it's the idea of leading a simple, control-able lifestyle with your main (and really, only) possession being your boat.

Re: Budget too low: Hmmm... this is definitely not good - I just don't like the idea of (again) payments... I really woudln't mind getting a 30+ to 40-something' boat - but I'm still brand new to this - and I've heard, time-and-again that one should by a good smaller boat to get the hang of it -so I'm thinking the smallest that I could by to live-aboard - and then maybe saving up for something a year or so down the road. Also - looking on Craigslist - I've seen a ton of older Catalina's in the range I was thinking of (usually 1970's) ...but with lots of updates. 'Course, it could all be b.s. - but I figure a survey should take care of most of my questions.

Either way - thanks again for all the great info!

J.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Jacksonville, Fl, Vero Beach, St Augustine, Stuart would seem like good places to look. Oriental, NC., Savannah, Ga. Annapolis, Md. Most of these places have some sort of transportation system. many marinas also have a courtesy car of some kind.

Verizon has very good internet access. you can buy an external antenna if you are in a fringe area. Most marinas have wifi, some include it with slip fee and some charge extra. Some charge a 'livaboard' fee. Some charge extra for electricity.
If you are in Florida in the summer you will need A/C for sure.

I'd bump up the boat budget some.


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## CrazyRu (May 10, 2007)

Clear Lake/Houston TX will fit a bill as well. Very nice marinas with pools, WiFi, near all. Occasional hurricane and insufferable heat and humidity are a downside.

There are plenty of cheap boats, it seems like the place absorbs old boats. Most marinas run auctions of abounded boats once or twice a year where you can get older 27-30 footer for a song.


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## emagin (Jun 8, 2007)

Just make sure you can stand up in the boat.
Get a dehumidifier into boat to keep your bedsheets and laptop dry.
There are sometimes boats with keel damage that make them unsafe to sail any distance - these are perfect liveaboards, so ask the docks for those.


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## HerbDB (Sep 30, 2000)

Check out Baltimore. All of the inner harbor marinas meet your criteria for central location and transportation. Reasonable air transportation from BWI to most anywhere. Inner Harbor :: Baltimore.org


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## lancelot9898 (Dec 30, 2008)

I lived aboard for close to 20 years at a marina in Solomons, MD which met most of if not all of your requirements. Plus it was a lot cheaper than Annapolis. I had Dish networks with the dish installed on a piling, access to cable if needed, a hard line phone line which gave access to internet. I usually travelled out of BWI which was an hour and a half drive. One way car rental was available with pick up at boat to get to airport. I think now there is a shuttle available from some of the local motels, but the client paid for transportation so cost was not an issue in getting to the airport. I could walk to post office, grocery store and laundry even though there was a machine at the marina. Miss living aboard now, but the boat is close by and I do go out sailing every week. Most liveaboards just stayed put at the dock, but I always had the boat ready to sail with everything put away so I actually sailed more while living aboard than I do now. One other benefit of living aboard is the world cruisers that you get to know.


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## Jonnie101 (Sep 28, 2009)

> Jacksonville, Fl, Vero Beach, St Augustine, Stuart would seem like good places to look. Oriental, NC., Savannah, Ga. Annapolis, Md. Most of these places have some sort of transportation system. many marinas also have a courtesy car of some kind.


Good stuff Xort...lots to choose from - (didn't know Jacksonville was that hoppin - I've heard some negatives about it) ... had no idea about the courtesy car (neat stuff - I bet some are doing this zip car thing too since it's taken off)...



> Clear Lake/Houston TX will fit a bill as well. Very nice marinas with pools, WiFi, near all. Occasional hurricane and insufferable heat and humidity are a downside.
> 
> There are plenty of cheap boats, it seems like the place absorbs old boats. Most marinas run auctions of abounded boats once or twice a year where you can get older 27-30 footer for a song.


Interesting - and I didn't know about auctions (it's so hard to know what auctions are legit and what are scams these days ...imagine calling a bunch of marinas would probably be the best bet)



> Just make sure you can stand up in the boat.
> Get a dehumidifier into boat to keep your bedsheets and laptop dry.
> There are sometimes boats with keel damage that make them unsafe to sail any distance - these are perfect liveaboards, so ask the docks for those.


That's going to be a tough one for me Emagin - I'm 6'2 ... I don't think there are going to be ANY sailboats that work for me (no matter what the price) ..so I already figured I'd be knockin' my head about here and there ... the thing with the unsafe to sail variety is - I actually WANT to sail  (that's another reason I'm thinking gulf or east coast - I want to do the Carribean someday) ...thanks though...



> Check out Baltimore. All of the inner harbor marinas meet your criteria for central location and transportation. Reasonable air transportation from BWI to most anywhere. Inner Harbor :: Baltimore.org





> I lived aboard for close to 20 years at a marina in Solomons, MD which met most of if not all of your requirements. Plus it was a lot cheaper than Annapolis. I actually sailed more while living aboard than I do now. One other benefit of living aboard is the world cruisers that you get to know.


Baltimore/MD guys - I actually lived there for a few years! (that's what got me turned onto all this) ...another long story - but have to focus on North of MD and South of Virginia (in other words - can't do Mid-Atlantic) ...Baltimore is pretty ideal though in terms of the basics I listed... agreed though Lance - I want to sail - not JUST live aboard. To me this isn't just a form of housing - but it's killing 2 birds with one stone - my love of anything "marine" and also - a nice way of NOT having to deal with being tied down to one location for a year or more.

Hey thanks to all ...lotsa' great stuff here....

J.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Jonnie,
I work from the boat a couple of days a week. I'm in the process of switching marinas right now and had to evaluate marinas around DC last year as part of looking at a contract. Here's what I've learned (sometimes the hard way).

WiFi - don't assume the marina will have it. If they do don't assume you'll be able to access it. What a lot of marinas around here call "free WiFi" is a cheapie wireless router in the club house -- and a weak or non-existant signal on your boat. In my current marina I built a wireless repeater using DD-WRT and a cheap wireless router. It takes a signal too weak for my laptop to even see and boosts it to five bars with no external antenna to reg/de-rig when you sail. Good solution, but only if you're a bit of a geek.

A simpler solution, and what I'll be using in my new marina, which has no WiFi, is the Nokia E71x. It's Nokia's version of the Black Berry with one important exception - it has a wireless router built in. With a Black Berry I'd have to buy a $65/month tethering option, with the Nokia I only have to buy a $15/month data option + a one time $89 fee for a phone upgrade.

Other options are FIOS or a Cable modem. Just about every marina has a cable hookup for their slips. They may not let Verizon run FIOS out on their dock, especially if they no longer have phone hookups at the slips, and many don't. With cell phones why bother?

You've already discovered eFax so you're covered there.

As for boat size. If you're 6'2 a Catalina 30 would be preferable to a 27. Nothing is worse than always hitting your head, not to mention bunk and v-berth sizes.

Now everyone's different, but I would find it hard to be a liveaboard on my Catalina 30. In a boat you're VERY limited for storage space, and you'll need a workable galley, room to stretch out and watch TV, have friends over etc. If you want to sail everything that isn't strapped down needs to be stowed in a locker. Weigh that against the fact that everything about boats is priced by the foot. Bigger = more expensive.

An alternative might be a storage bin on shore for things you don't use every day.

Now I know you said you're from Chicago, but I stop spending weekends on my boat when the temperature drops below 50 degrees at night. Boats have no insulation. You can see daylight between hatchboards. One, even two electric space heaters will only keep a boat so warm when it's sitting in 40 degree water and the air temp is in the 20's. And remember, when you crawl out from under that comforter you still have to walk down that cold, windy dock to the showers.

If you're going to do this I'd think southern climates, but as someone else mentioned you'll have to deal with humidity.

Also check with the marina as to their policies on live aboards. Many marinas forbid it.

Get any boat surveyed before you buy, and be careful of auctions. That bargain boat may not be a bargain after you add up what you needed to make it liveable. To see what I mean check out "Chip Ahoy" - The cost for my own hole in the ocean. This is one man's cost to fully restore a Catalina 22. I bought a later model of the same boat that was complete and needed little work for $7,000. Fixer-uppers are not always bargains, even if you're doing the work yourself.

All that said, good luck and welcome! Just curious, what kind of work do you do?

Jim


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## emagin (Jun 8, 2007)

Jonnie101 said:


> That's going to be a tough one for me Emagin - I'm 6'2 ... I don't think there are going to be ANY sailboats that work for me (no matter what the price)


What was your price range again?
There are some 35' boats a 6'2" guy can stand in and I can verify this personally.


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## dieselboy (Aug 29, 2009)

CrazyRu said:


> Clear Lake/Houston TX will fit a bill as well. Very nice marinas with pools, WiFi, near all. Occasional hurricane and insufferable heat and humidity are a downside.
> 
> There are plenty of cheap boats, it seems like the place absorbs old boats. Most marinas run auctions of abounded boats once or twice a year where you can get older 27-30 footer for a song.


.

Well he has the heat and humidity thing dead on. Boat prices are quite cheep down here. The clear lake dumps in to the Galveston bay which then dumps in to the gulf of Mexico all in short order.

The up side..
1) you are 20 min from the 4th largest city in the US.

2) So, high tech .. well your covered there is a fry's the size of three super walmart's just down the street.

3)A cat 4 hurricane hit and most every one was back on line and in business with in the week. 
4) internet/power all have mutable carries down here so if you not happy, you have options.

5) Your in Texas, and every one is you new best friend.. 
6) your boat sleeps in fresh water but can sail in salt in very short order.
7)Maint, supply's, repairs can be made to your dock.. Hell there are even people who will go do your grocery shopping for you and deliver it to the boat.....cheep!
8)Houston has had little effect from the economy, we seem to be insulated from the worst of it. 
9) Damn near all docks keep live aboard's separate from weekenders like me.
And power boats tend to stick to together and away from us sail people.

10) there really is no winter here 10 months its hot two months cold " to us" freezing on occasion but it does not stay very long " few days -a week or two". Just to be honest its the days when its 38 degrees and there is still humidity in the air that suck because it cuts right through you.

All in all not a bad place.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

I would recommend asking a lot more questions about heat and humidity if you are thinking about New York. Unless you insulate your boat, a big job, It can practically rain inside your boat. I have heard stories of water just running down the hull on the inside just from sweating. Can you imagine how unhealthy and uncomfortable that would be.

Yes people do live on boats in the northeast in the winter but:

Docks can be full of Ice, one slip and you are over your head in ice water.
Many docks have ramps, slippery when icy.
If you have a bad winter you have to maintain a bubbler.
Humidity inside the boat.
Heating inside the boat.
Will the Marina have the water turned on. If so how does it get to your boat without freezing. The water is all outside above ground.
What is going to keep your head system from freezing when you are out. IOW any heater left on when you are not on the boat is a significant risk of fire. If you turn it off when you leave you freeze your water systems. If you leave it on you start a fire. If you leave it on and a breaker trips you freeze your water systems.
Yes there are solutions for all of these issues but they are marine systems (read expensive). This is the reason most marina's do not allow liveaboards. It is not easy to live aboard in the north east in the winter safely. A 4,000 Catalina 25 with a couple of Wall-Mart electric heaters probably will not work out.

Please don't take the next statement as insulting. I don't know you or your resources, experience, luck or tolerance for pain . You may have abilities and wisdom not obvious based on your question.

In general the chances are that someone with a $4,000 boat and no experience is very likely to do something fatal if they attempt to live on that boat in the winter in New York. Snow and weeks of near zero temperature changes everything.

Looks like you are looking more seriously a little south so please ignore my rant but you did mention New York.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

Jonnie101 said:


> - I'm looking to buy an older (say 70's to early 80's -but maintained) starter type 25-30' sail like a Catalina (they seem really reasonable these days - I see 'em - especially at this time of year - for anywhere from $2000 to about $10K or so...which is around the amount I want to spend - which leads me into the next bullet):


OK first thing you have to do is actually look at a Catalina 25 and a Catalina 30, as in call a broker and tell him you want to get inside both of these boats. 
The 30 is twice the size of the 25 and feels even bigger.
The captain I sail with bought his C30 and paid about 15,000. It is not in very good shape.

I'm with you Jonnie. My wife and I lived aboard an O'day 22 for about two months but that was in the Keys when I was young and skinny.

Whatever you spend on the boat plan on spending at least 30% more in the next year in excess of the items you see you have to fix. The 30% is just for surprises not for sures.


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## Jonnie101 (Sep 28, 2009)

Jim - Great info - let me address some of your points...



> A simpler solution, and what I'll be using in my new marina, which has no WiFi, is the Nokia E71x. It's Nokia's version of the Black Berry with one important exception - it has a wireless router built in. With a Black Berry I'd have to buy a $65/month tethering option, with the Nokia I only have to buy a $15/month data option + a one time $89 fee for a phone upgrade.


What's the monthly - or is this unlocked and depending on your carrier?



> With cell phones why bother?


Depends on the carrier Jim - since I work from my place a reliable landline is helpful - but if I make the leap, I'll need an equally reliable cell carrier - but I'm looking at this separately (cell carriers can be great in some cities - terrible in others - all depends)



> In a boat you're VERY limited for storage space,
> 
> An alternative might be a storage bin on shore for things you don't use every day.


True - that's why I'm looking at storage and such ... just the basics - laptop, cell, tv ...clothes ...not much else...



> Now I know you said you're from Chicago, but I stop spending weekends on my boat when the temperature drops below 50 degrees at night. Boats have no insulation. You can see daylight between hatchboards. One, even two electric space heaters will only keep a boat so warm when it's sitting in 40 degree water and the air temp is in the 20's. And remember, when you crawl out from under that comforter you still have to walk down that cold, windy dock to the showers.


Good points - all - but if I get a decent enough boat - don't they have workable showers?



> If you're going to do this I'd think southern climates, but as someone else mentioned you'll have to deal with humidity.


Yup - I'm open to a lot - again, NY/Northeast was a preference - but not a must...



> Get any boat surveyed before you buy, and be careful of auctions. That bargain boat may not be a bargain after you add up what you needed to make it liveable. To see what I mean check out "Chip Ahoy"


MAN - that Chip Ahoy was a REAL EYE-OPENER... I urge anyone reading this in my same situation to read it asap... thanks much.



> All that said, good luck and welcome! Just curious, what kind of work do you do?


Thanks Jim - and I'm in web-development/internet (long story but that's the gist of it)



> What was your price range again?
> There are some 35' boats a 6'2" guy can stand in and I can verify this personally.


Emag - again, I was looking at around 5-6K ...I see a lot of stuff around 25-27' in this range ...I'd like to go 30'+ but it seems once you go over that big 3-0 boats go up in price exponentially... (I'm weight this though ...might put things off perhaps a bit and save more money)



> Well he has the heat and humidity thing dead on. Boat prices are quite cheep down here. The clear lake dumps in to the Galveston bay which then dumps in to the gulf of Mexico all in short order.
> 
> All in all not a bad place.


LOL ..Diesel I could hear your Ten-Gallon hat accent in every word of your post!

Actually I've heard pretty good things about Houston (most of which you've mentioned) ...except - the humidity ... but it seems that big H is going to be anywhere the worthwhile places are... i like the idea of getting bargains there ...but I tend to wonder - seems like with the economy the place to find bargains might be in the "rich" areas around the "resort" type places in Florida (Palm Beach, Miami etc.etc.) ...I've heard this also - but who knows...

Hey thanks everyone ...

J.


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## Jonnie101 (Sep 28, 2009)

David - 

Just caught both your posts as I was signing of - not insulted at all ... "fatal" is pretty permanent - and I take all comments (especially by long time members) under advisement and with respect. Great info about the Cataline (nope haven't been in either sizes - but I had no idea 5 feet more was TWICE as big ...that's impressive) ... 15K for a 30' seems like something I would consider ...but the whole maintenance issue is full of knowns for me ... (will answer more tomorrow ...)

Thanks again...

J.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Jonnie:

Don't forget you can buy a boat in any one place on the eastern side of Mexico and without too much trouble move or get it moved to your chosen marina. So, you can plan on/intend to live in Houston (for instance) and still buy your boat from Miami (another example). Just something else to keep in mind. 

My husband and I are in the same situation you are. Planning/hoping to move aboard within the next few years. I have REALLY enjoyed reading this whole thread, it was packed with so much wonderful info! I think Houston sounds very much like it holds almost everything we would want. We are thinking more seriously about that destination. 

We are also planning on being "snow birds". You say you live in Chicago now. I think the Intercoastal waterway goes up to Chicago from the Gulf of Mexico. I know I have read about folks sailing up there to get away from some of the heat and humidity and also from the hurricanes...all those H's (LOL)! So, you don't have to choose just one place to live, you can have a home base in one location and then move around as you see fit from there. We plan to head north in the spring and not head south again until after hurricane season is over. At that point, we might be heading south to the Bahamas or something. 

Those were the only things I could think of to add to the discussion. Best of luck and hope to see you out there!!

Missy of BrightWolf


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## dieselboy (Aug 29, 2009)

BrightWolf said:


> Jonnie:
> 
> Don't forget you can buy a boat in any one place on the eastern side of Mexico and without too much trouble move or get it moved to your chosen marina. So, you can plan on/intend to live in Houston (for instance) and still buy your boat from Miami (another example). Just something else to keep in mind.
> 
> ...


I offer myself to go to places for any of you and shoot pics or get information on the Houston /clear lake area. Im in the area and i am down there more than i am home so.. I also need to pay back the the big debt i have to this site for all the help every on here has given to me.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

dieselboy said:


> I offer myself to go to places for any of you and shoot pics or get information on the Houston /clear lake area. Im in the area and i am down there more than i am home so.. I also need to pay back the the big debt i have to this site for all the help every on here has given to me.


COOL!! I will let my husband know and will get back to you!

Missy of Brightwolf


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## mccary (Feb 24, 2002)

I would add some points... first, my disclosure. I do not live aboard and with the exception of my in-laws now at my house the thought of living aboard hasn't entered my equation. My points relate life style and work requirements. I would ask what you do computer wise? Do you have lots of uploads (as in gigabytes of files to upload)? Do you require more computer than a laptop? Aircards (and the new WiFi cards from cell companies that allow several computers to connect to the cellular Internet), but ALL of these cards have limits on bandwidth. Those limits are pretty high for normal users but not sufficient for high volume users (I am a photographer and uploads several gigabytes a month). Also, do you have needs beyond simple computer/printer setup? I wonder about the space required for all the items for an office. As to FAX, I use a fax service that you can send and receive via email. It is as quick and very reliable.

And lastly, how much sailing do you anticipate? It seems that the people I know who live/work aboard seem to sail less.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

J,

Few thoughts.

First, I know this is complete heresy to the "connected", but I encourage you to really think critically about your "need" for high speed Internet access and all the rest. I know you are used to having it, and I know you think you need it because most cruisers used to think they needed it, but I believe that if you really think through the things that you do everyday you might find that it is much less of a need than it is a desire. Yes, I know you like to sit and browse the web at high speed, see your email come in the instant it was sent to you, and all the rest, and it is very easy to justify in your own mind because you're used to it, it is an easy thing to get used to, anyone who is online thinks they need high speed access 24/7 who has had it for any length of time, the same as they think they need a cellular telephone after having one for any length of time. But do you need that, really ?

The reason I mention this is because you may not be aware of it but there are ways to live very far afield if you can think critically about what it is you are doing and trying to do. It is easy (and lazy) to just assume that you need bazillabits of speed, when what you might really need is a server run by someone else attached to a high speed link, access to your email a few times a day instead of constantly, fax access a few times a month instead of every minute of the day like you imagine, snail mail delivered weekly instead of daily, etc. Most people don't really want to take the time to think critically about it, it is easier to just say you need high speed access all the time, just like saying you need your own washer/drier is easier than planning trips to the laundromat, or saying you need your own [insert tool] instead of just renting or borrowing it occasionally. If you can think in more detail about what it is you actually need access for you might find you suddenly have a whole lot more options available to you.

One example is email. You are probably used to having your email light up in an instant whenever something comes in, and you probably think you need that to happen to be responsive in a reasonable amount of time, but do you, really ? Yes, there are very rare occasions in most people's lives when a few minutes might make a difference, but how often does that really happen ? Most people can actually read their email a few times a day, or even just twice a day, or once a day, and if you can get down to reading your email once a day suddenly all kinds of options open up for you that you may not have thought about. If you can read and respond to email just once a day with periods of higher activity at times when you are in a marina, for example, then you can start using HF radio and commercial service providers and Pactor modems to send receive emails most of the time, and that means you can essentially be anywhere on the earth because the range of those communications mechanisms are very far, much further than any kind of cellular style access or even satellite based access which sometimes has dark spots around the globe. Suddenly, just by changing your own mind about what you "need", you have opened up a lot more possibilities.

The same thing is true of almost everything you are considering. Another simple example would be a printer, a laser printer, you probably assume you need that all the time, that it always has to be up so that you can print just by clicking a button. But is that really true ? If so then you need constant A/C power and need to be hooked to a dock, probably, because laser printers use a lot of electricity even when they are not printing. But what if you could just reach over and turn the printer on and allow it to warm up whenever you needed to use it, then suddenly you don't need to be connected to A/C power all the time, you can use solar panels, wind generators, etc, because the load isn't constant it is only when you need it. What if you take that one step further and realize that the only time you usually need to print something on a laser is when you are sending it via snail mail, etc, and then you might realize that you don't need a laser printer on your boat at all, what you need is access to a laser printer at the physical location where you typically mail things, or that you need a laser printer on shore somewhere, etc. Maybe you eventually realize you don't even need that, that you can turn things into PDF's and email them instead of printing them, doing away with the laser printer altogether.

Everything on a boat can be improved by this process, by being critical, by constantly re-evaluating what it is you are doing, how you are doing it, what your real needs are vs. what is just convenient, etc. You may assume you need a high speed desktop computer so that it is really fast, but do you ? When do you actually need that speed, are you just writing Word documents ? Maybe what you really need is a very slow small computer that can run off of a few watts of power to do your work on a day-to-day basis and then have the desktop sitting around turned off and use it only when you absolutely have to have the speed for working on video editing or something similar. Maybe you don't actually need a fast computer at all.

This all probably sounds very annoying, because when you are used to being online with lots of bandwidth, lots of processing power, etc, you just start to assume it is non-negotiable. But if you can make it negotiable and start opening your mind up to the possibilities you can greatly increase the amount of freedom you have by letting go of just a few of the things that may have solidified themselves into techno-dogma in your mind.

I am writing all of this because you seem open to examining your own motivations about technology and convenience as evidenced by your approach to transportation in your original post, many cruisers can't give up the car, but you seem open to the idea. This all assumes you are even interested in cruising instead of simply living aboard at a marina. I just throw all of this out there as something to think about, maybe you don't need high speed connections and all the other stuff as much as you think you do!


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

Wind Majic, Thanks for you timely wisdom. We currently receive our "snail" mail once a month; walk or bicycle to the laundromat and anchor out most nights. We go to a library when we need a printer..... I was considering taking on an additional monthly bill with the purchase of an air card for my laptop. Your post cleared my head,- what was I thinking! I'll make a one time purchase of a better wifi antennae and that will do. Thanks, Aythya crew


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

(Preface: Yes, I know this is an old thread - like I give a damn.)

I have a related question for you corporate tax dudes out there...what are the implications of having a boat owned by a corporation and using it as a primary satellite office for that business?

It looks like I might have a long-term project coming in that will require a good deal of time in the LA area. If that happens, I might seriously consider buying a boat and using that as our "West Coast Office". Then, if I want to use it for personal fun, I'd just personally pay a charter fee to the corporation. Win/Win.

Sounds pretty simple - but I'm sure there are all kinds of IRS flags on this kind of thing. What do you guys think?


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