Minimalist Live Aboard Brainstorming

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

That's the real problem with all the smaller boats: lack of room. I don't care how spartan you can eat and sleep, to actually liveaboard comfortably for the long haul, you need a lot of gear and tools that casual cruisers wouldn't consider having aboard the boat. Most of their tools are at home in the garage with the scuba tanks and spare anchors.

+1

[ALAIN97133]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

That's the real problem with all the smaller boats: lack of room. I don't care how spartan you can eat and sleep, to actually liveaboard comfortably for the long haul, you need a lot of gear and tools that casual cruisers wouldn't consider having aboard the boat. Most of their tools are at home in the garage with the scuba tanks and spare anchors.

Doing the kind of cruising we all say we do requires a lot of stuff. Weekenders are camping out comparatively. Sure, bring the kayaks along this week! The long-distant cruiser has the kayak on deck, next to the SUP, and dinghy trailing along behind.

By the time you get all that stuff secured along with the diesel and water jugs, toss in some solar mounted hither, and the windgen yon, rain catcher, radio, long-range wifi antenna, sunshade, propane tanks, Magma, outboard on the pushpit, and maybe some clothing drying on the lifelines ... welcome to liveaboard cruising on the small boat.

And I suspect the more cluttered, less shipshape the vessel (and captain) appear, the more likely one is to be approached by water cops. Not my favorite thing. Oh yeah, I left out radar and the watermaker and the weatherfax, etc. Had to ... no room to install them, and not enough power to run 'em, and likely not enough $ to buy 'em.

I suspect the OP would be fine with a smallish good sailing boat for a year or so in the keys and Bahamas but inevitably, as one collects gear and tools of the trade you begin to cramp your own style. And OP, learn to deal with 4' or so of draft in the shallows because it really matters out in the ocean. From the keys eastward is called the Thorny Path for a reason.

You DON'T need sitting for 6 people amid-ship! You can have a dinette for 4**, move the OPEN front double berth slightly backward & have the head at the foot of the companionway on port & the galley on starboard. Trismus, a "French" sailboat designed by a Belgium guy who got that layout idea in Tahiti (!) from a West coast American is VERY well adapted to offshore & anchorage life for two: It has a forward double berth open unto the main cabin with the galley & head on port & starboard of the companionway. Another great idea he got from the same American do-it-yourself-guy, was the double centerboards: A main to go upwind & a smaller one aft to go downwind; with the main up & the aft down, he could sail under spinnaker without straining his wind-vane. You find 19th century big US schooners with that layout ! **My Nicholson 31' had 5 foot seats with the extra foot under the chart table & galley