Living on Aboard While Renovating

[captlloyd]

Here again not nearly enough information to render much help. Boat type and size, boat location, finances, on and on. Then there are simple renovations and complete rebuilds, what is the goal ?

[Siberian Sea]

Stayed on my boat while doing major work and I can tell you that it was not as nice as going away at night to escape the smell of fiberglass/paint drying, the dust in my foods, and just dealing with trying to keep your bedding clean each time you sand and grind. Much better to find a cheap room or camp in an RV.

[alansmith]

Napa Valley Marina in N cal will allow diy and live aboard for extra fees. I know a kid there that rescued a sinking catamaran. He has been living on board... on the hard for four years and has fallen off the scaffolding and broke bones ... ran out of money several times and still plodding along. Wish your friend luck.

I can’t imagine working on a boat in the water. In Bay Area there is no way they would allow that activity in a marina.

[Kokanee]

I've done major upgrades while on the water. Replaced fuel tanks, windlass, re-cored the foredeck, prepared for engine replacement. I just had to keep things neat and tidy.

Living aboard at the same time is asking too much (from the marina operator and your sanity).

[GILow]

Currently living aboard and renovating my boat. (42 footer). It is NOT fun. Fibreglass dust turns up in places you don’t want to know about.

Biggest problem for me has been trying to avoid getting dust on other boats. Despite doing all the major work either at anchor or tied up a few hundred meters from the marina and frequently vacuuming and generally excellent boat hygiene, the neighbouring boat directly down wind from me was finding fibreglass particles on his stanchions. He was very reasonable about it, but I clearly couldn’t keep doing things that way so have moved the boat around to a dedicated maintenance pontoon at a nearby yacht club. I still do the sanding and fairing at anchor with the vac connected to the sander but at least when I return in the evening there are no boats nearby to collect whatever dust I missed.

That dust usually turns up in my bed anyway.

I ruled out doing this work on a hard stand for many reasons, but the most I important to me was that on the hard stand my decks are 15 feet above the ground and that is a very long way to fall.

If I were the OP’s friend I’d be asking around after a maintenance berth with no neighbouring boats or at least boats in a similar state of rebuild that won’t object to any dust.

[ferrofan]

Originally Posted by JanetGroene

My friend wants to buy a boat to live on board during a massive renovation. Has anyone been denied dockage because the boat looks too shabby? It's hard enough to find places that allow living on board. I'm thinking there will be additional problems with (1) being allowed to work on board and (2) getting insurance. As the work proceeds, the boat's cost will increase greatly but can its insurance value keep pace? Advice? Warnings?

From personal experience of trying to live on a boat whilst doing a major refit I can strongly advise against it. Essentially, your friend will be living in a construction site. everything will take four or five times longer to complete than if no one was living aboard. You can't just down tools at the end of the day, you have to make room to live. I spent 7 years holed up on a single berth in the forepeak with just a microwave for company whilst doing a complete refit on my Hartley. You find all the unknowns (i ended up having to replace the entire deck so you can imagine the upheaval that caused. It's sole destroying. Far better to rent a place or at least convert a van to live in alongside the boat so you can retain some sanity. What you save by living aboard you spend many times over by the additional mooring fees you pay during the extended refit.
as many others have commented, most marina's will not allow anything other than routine running repairs. DIY friendly boatyards are the best bet. As for insurance, I'd recommend a third party only policy. It's much cheaper than fully comprehensive and if the refit is major, the boat is gouing to be worth considerably less than the purchase price as things get ripped out. It will only atain any real value when the refit is completed.