# Why Don't You Liveaboard?



## SailingWebGuy (May 5, 2010)

There are a lot of threads about living aboard and why people do it.

What are some of the reasons why ex-liveaboards have gone back to land?


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## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

We found that most move back ashore due to "un-realistic" expectations.

When you expect warm, sunny days - it still rains 

Many people can not handle sitting, reading, learning, watching as an activity

When you expect the marina to put down ice-melt, or change light bulbs - and doesn't

You don't realize that the "motion and noise" of the boat NEVER stops

Cramped space or uncomfortable spaces are unforgiving and don't get better.

Life still goes on, and the boat can be an asset or a liability, all depends on your point of view. 

However, we love the motion. We are fixing the heating systems, water systems, and have 4 hatches to seal this spring. The view is awesome. We really like each other but still respect the need for privacy or alone time. All the rest is just - life!

Expectations - plain and simple. That being said, there is nothing more miserable than not enjoying your life, ashore or aboard...so make the change!


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## MikeinLA (Jul 25, 2006)

What a great question, and one that I've been asking myself lately. I lived aboard for a few years 20 years ago and absolutely LOVED it. My Catalina 36 was a palace for one and not bad when my future ex-wife and dog came aboard. We moved off and started a family on land. It just seemed easier since we were marina bound, not cruising. Twenty years go by, my son's off at college, ex-wife is long gone and I sit here sometimes wondering if I really need all this [email protected] I seem to have collected. For me, it comes down to things like where would I put my 2 cars & 2 motorcycles, how much I'd miss my workshop, where would I put my 6 guitars (moisture is bad for them), my guns, my books, my kid's room when he graces me with a visit, and on & on. Fact is, I'm just used to comfort now. I'm 58, not 35 and comfort is a good thing. I like my 70" TV and my big comfy bed. Fortunately, I don't have financial issues as my house and boat are paid for. So, I keep the house and visit the boat several times a week. I never had the dream of sailing away, there are too many other things that I enjoy doing. So, although I do think about it from time to time, I imagine I'll end up keeping both.

Mike


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## DavidD. (Apr 9, 2005)

MikeinLA summed it up pretty good. I feel the same way about not wanting to loose my workshop and 50' TV at this point in life. We lived aboard in False creek marina (Vancouver) for several years on our C&C 32 until they moved us off the EXPO 86 fairground site, relocating us down the creek and evenentualy up the Fraser river.
We loved the summers, casting off every Friday night at 5:00, heading over to one of the local islands for the weekend. Loved being free of material possessions like furniture and tons of collected stuff. The winters were harsh at times, but still liked being on the water, with the soothing motion and the visiting ducks, etc.
I really miss the sailing tremendously, I still crew on a couple of races a year. I'm restoring a 20' twin keeler to cruise the coast after retirement in 4 or 5 years (hopefully), but I couldn't give up our 70' manufactured home to go back to the water full time.
I wouldn't trade our live aboard years for a land based home at that time when we were younger, and had a great time with many great memories.
I only regret the many years between then and now not sailing, and really look forward to being on the water again soon.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

If you are going to live on your boat, the rest of your life needs to take place near water. (ie, job, kids, grandkids, lifelong friends, community activity, other hobbies, etc.) While sailing may be ones most important personal activity, it is rarely the only important thing in their life. The others may be way inland.

These are among the reasons we don't live aboard now and only expect to do so for approx six months out of each year in the future.


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## crazyfish (Apr 24, 2000)

I have lived on Crazy Fish for many years off/on and currently off. 

A few benefits for being off the boat.

Garage - Work Area
Storage for my collection of scuba equipment
Workplace/storage of tools.
Place to varnish pieces off the boat.

Home office
Multiple computer screens, high speed internet connection make working
from home feasible.

Boat location
Although I live in San Diego and the boat currently is here, planning 
on moving the boat up to Long Beach or Ventura/Oxnard this summer
and spending long weekends at Catalina or Channel Islands. 

Boat projects
Easier to do interior boat projects when not living on the boat. 
I recently replaced the head and all sanitation hoses which took a
few days and it was nice just to close up the boat and head home at
the end of the day. Have some interior varnishing projects currently
and may replace the cabin sole in the near future. 

Marc


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## montenido (May 14, 2008)

I have not lived on board, but my best friend did when I was a teenager. He lived on a 36' catamaran with his aunt and uncle. I thought it was so cool, and spent a lot of time on board with them.

Like many others, I have way too much stuff to leave shore for good, although I fantasize about it.

Crazy Fish, I recommend Channel Islands Marina for your move. Plenty of slips at reasonable prices, and the islands are just off shore. Beautiful up here.

Cheers, Bill


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

Really? Your big screen TVs? If I ever mention a big screen TV as a reason for doing anything, then just shoot me ;-). I do miss my workshop but that is what friends are for. We have a wonderful life aboard and see no change in the future. That being said, we are keeping our options open. We have some land in Maine that we may eventually build on but that is many years down the road.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

treilley said:


> Really? Your big screen TVs? If I ever mention a big screen TV as a reason for doing anything, then just shoot me ;-).


I've never even bothered watching sports on the boat (of course, I can't even get my antenna to work with these new digital airwaves, even after buying a digital TV). Could you imagine a superbowl party aboard? There is a reason for everything. Admittedly, there are sports bars.


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## degreeoff (Oct 25, 2009)

Tools, shop and a wife that gets seasick..........


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## CapnBilll (Sep 9, 2006)

If I could get a job closer to the boat I would.


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## belliegirl2 (Sep 9, 2004)

*Spouse has no interest.*

Sad really.

People that have not lived on a boat only can see the things that sound bad on paper.

Lack of space
Lack of appliances
Fears of ocean, sea sickness etc.

I was raised as a liveaboard child and those are the greatest memories of my life. Wonderful way to raise kids, very close relationships.

Ahh the good old days.


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## DavidD. (Apr 9, 2005)

I'm new to this big screen TV thing. No matter how big the screen is, the content is mostly crap. We have one because we can, we have the room, and watching movies is cool. We never have to go to a movie theater again.
When we lived aboard, I think our TV was 9 or 12 inches, it really was a minor priority for us. We had no hot water for years, but we never even thought about it. Want to wash up, put the kettle on, no big deal, showers up the dock. 
Today, if I lived aboard, I'd be happy with a good sized laptop screen and no TV. I read books on my iphone, which is a good space and weight saver. 
We're in our 60s now and like comfort and warmth, and a little gardening as well. I would encourage people to forget about buying houses and put their money into a boat and move onto the water while they are still fairly young. Life will change and when you move ashore eventually you won't be looking back wishing you had spent more time sailing.


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## MikeinLA (Jul 25, 2006)

treilley said:


> Really? Your big screen TVs? If I ever mention a big screen TV as a reason for doing anything, then just shoot me ;-).


Don't worry, Tim, we haven't all lost our minds. I (and I think others) just use the Big Screen as a symbol of ALL the [email protected] we've collected and have gotten used to that wouldn't fit on the boat. Like the washer & dryer. I'm curious how you like the nav station on your Caliber. I just love that boat.

Mike


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## theoceanaire (Sep 20, 2010)

*Have it both ways*

We have lived aboard for 3 years after selling off everything, including a couple of houses, cars, business etc, including a few 60" televsions. We replaced it with this: 
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/latitudes-attitudes/68363-irwin-52-video-you-gotta-see.html
The posters here really tried to pick us apart at first, but after we explained things they came around. You really can have it both ways if you work at it. Honest!


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

I fully expect to move off the boat when heath demands or maybe we can find an assisted living marina. We've been aboard for most of our lives, but I won't hesitate to leave it when it's not fun! Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

crazyfish said:


> I have lived on Crazy Fish for many years off/on and currently off.
> 
> A few benefits for being off the boat.
> 
> ...


Yep, this sort of nails it for me. Our boat is great to live on. And it has enough space to do small jobs on. But to do the jobs in the place where you live is not sensible and not for me. I have several large projects on my boat over the next two years and I simply could not survive without my workshop at home.

And then there's the matter of our favourite marina not allowing our cat (Abysinian, not multi-hull  ) on board in the marina.


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## tomperanteau (Jun 4, 2009)

Any screen is a big screen if you sit close enough to it. Everything is relative.

We've spent the last four years down-sizing and getting rid of many years of accumulation. We just now emptied our large storage that we had rented for about six years, and are in the process of selling off the antique and classic radio equipment that I had collected, although a bit of that will make its way aboard.

Cashed out the 401k and reinvested in commodities that are more tangible than the stock market. We also paid off all of our creditors and prefer to live without that encumbrance.

At 53 I am more than ready to move aboard. We have some loose ends to tie up at the office (wife and I are in business together). That may take another year or two, but mean time I have worked on pruning my life down to what will fit the boat. I don't buy things unless they will fit my life there and I plan everything around that end.

I can fully understand why some prefer the comfort of living on land, as I have, but now is the time for adventure for me. I guess we all need an adventurous time and some have it when they are younger.


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## joethecobbler (Apr 10, 2007)

I just re-read this entire thread and it made me wonder how the posters plans aligned with history.
It's been 10 years.
I know my reality is quite different than my expectations a decade ago.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

joethecobbler said:


> I know my reality is quite different than my expectations a decade ago.


Tell us how and why 😊


In the early replies I see 3 things: spouses/kids/junk. 

After 13 years I'm still out cruising. I would never let any of those 3 things to make me swallow the hook. 
Maybe I'm selfish... But if you wanna be in my life you better love my boat.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

I did it, I loved it and I realized that there were things I loved which were not compatible living aboard. When I realized I moved to dirt and became a part time sailor / local cruiser and spent lots of time on board. Now I have decided it's too much work, my bones are too old... so I will be selling the boat. I had a great 36 yrs. You have to know when to fold.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

We lived aboard until after my son was born. Then when he was a baby, we temporarily rented an apartment for a few months to make things less complicated. Things didn't get any less complicated! Eventually sold the boat.

I would live aboard again, at least on a seasonal basis, but probably not on a monohull sailboat. My pick would probably be a light trawler or power cat. Something where I could step off the dock and onto the level I would be living on, no below decks for me if I could help it.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

I live aboard (during non-pandemic times) for about 1/2 the year. We don't currently live aboard all-year due to this thing called a Canadian winter. If/when we head south, we will likely be on board year-round. That said, I am enjoying the variety of the 1/2-year pattern.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

When the suck to fun ratio gets all too much wrong I am moving back to dirt. Currently this looks to depend on covid.


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## LostBiker (Nov 8, 2021)

We had to buy a home in Alaska as my daughter and Oz son in law and our son, his wife and children were trapped along with us in Alaska (came to visit for 2 weeks - stayed a long time). Everyone lost their jobs/homes when the borders closed last year. The Beneteau 35 wasnt big enough for 8. After the borders reopened in Oz and Alaska, we shipped the kids back to Oz and sold the Alaska house and the boat and moved to Montana. Our son stayed in Alaska and loves it. We have lots of friends here. We also upgraded to a nice new big to us Lagoon 42. 

We're planning a European cruise right now to visit family and friends. The new boat is in Kennewick about 300 miles west. We spend as much time on the cat as we can. Its a fast drive as Montana has no speed limit during the day.

John


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## 4arch (Jul 7, 2009)

I just don't want to. I've been on around boats since infancy and have done all sorts of cruising, gunkholing, and passage making on power and sail but have never felt a strong desire to live aboard full time. There's really not a more complicated reason than that. 

However, there are some cruising bucket list experiences I'm planning to accomplish that probably necessitate living aboard for an extended period, but I see the living aboard as more a means to an end than as its own end goal.


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

I've been researching this question as part of my retirement planning, and it does seem like after a few years the bloom is off the rose for many people, as the fantasy of life on the water begins to collide with the reality of endless boat projects. But for everyone I know personally who cruised for at least a year and came home, the pull was a job that wasn't going to let them have a sabbatical forever, and an unwillingness to take the income hit that would come with leaving that job for something more compatible with cruising full time.


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## teejayevans (Jul 10, 2005)

Did it for 10 years, can be like camping, time to do something else. I don’t miss extreme temperatures, lightning storms, hurricanes, etc.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

My boating/sailing evolved.
New boat was a period of intense learning and fitting out.
Then a period of leaving home in NYC and cruising/living aboard in the Tropics... not dirt dwelling. More learning and new lifestyle
Next return to my origin and continue weekend live aboard and mini cruising
Now as a senior and have ticked off a bunch of goals... time to say good bye... and let someone else go for it.


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## GlanRock (Feb 26, 2013)

My better-half and I talk about moving aboard and sailing away frequently. Our plan is to begin working-from-boat as soon as possible, and not fully retiring, as we meander up and down the US East Coast. If we love what it brings us as a couple, then we perhaps expand our range. Primary concerns are child in college still, for 2.5 more years, and payments on the home. We're not ready to sell the home, its location provides a dock for us and a rendezvous for family events. We recently started working with a financial advisor who is helping us make the dreams reality. So we need to be able to keep our health insurance, keep socking away for full retirement, keep up the payments on house and boat (maybe we bought too much boat), and unwilling to sell the home on the dirt. OUR DREAM IS TO BE RETIRED, and full time cruisers. We always wonder how folks live aboard full time, unfunded it seems. Not counting the assorted YouTube people who literally get paid to make videos.


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