Reality Check: Is the Liveaboard Lifestyle Possible for Us?

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by azhootie

Thank you to both of you! We do not have a/c in our apt here in SA and normally its very cool (even cold) at night but when there is no breeze, I have to have the fan on. The liveaboard dive boats we've been on all had a/c so I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that we'd need one.

See, Beverley, I did not know that....I thought the motoryachts were able to go the places we wanted to go. Guess I need to cross them off my list...sad, because some of them are so luxurious but I'd rather have the ability to go where we want to go than luxury. And trust me, classes will be taken!! Would not go off on an adventure like this unprepared. That would just be setting ourselves up for failure and we want to make this work.

Slightly different opinion here regarding powered vessels, perhaps because my current vessel has a 6,500 mile range and is capable of going anywhere in the world safely and comfortably. She burns around 2.8 gallons of diesel per hour at a little over 7 knots. Having sailed on a 36' sailboat for well over 20,000 miles I think I can compare the two options and each has its advantages and disadvantages, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to those who assert that an engine powered trawler isn't a world cruising vessel with a number of very endearing features. For a classic on the subject, you might enjoy Robert Beebee's "Voyaging Under Power" and for the extreme approach to thrifty sailboat cruising, any book by Lin and Larry Pardey are worth a read.

If your budget is $3,500 per month, yes you can live on that and people live happily on board for much less. Sailboats, in my experience, have slightly less maintenance and cost involved than a trawler, but a lot less room. Some people can live comfortably in the small spaces of a sailboat, and some cannot, so my advice would be to charter a 40' sailboat for a couple of weeks and see how you get on.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Suijin

....... I know a couple at the tail end of a circumnavigation and they always joke that they sail into beautiful, exotic parts and then spend all their time fixing the stuff that broke on the last leg of the voyage. That's an exaggeration, but it puts a fine point on the fact that the sea is a harsh environment and takes its toll on a boat's systems.

Those of us that live on sailboats would not have it any other way, in part because we love to sail but also because...well, just because.

No it's NOT!
I used to think it was just a humorous saying because it seemed like it, but it's true. The sea and wind are unbelievably harsh at times. Their power is brutal and most cruisers find they spend time and money after each leg on repairs. We have a 30 year old boat but it was the case with the 5 year old boats to.

Between April and December last year we sailed from Chesapeake to Bermuda, St Martin, Panama, Ecuador, Marquesas, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, New Caledonia and Australia. We had stuff to repair every time. Davits, shrouds, ripped sails, generator, transmission, roller furling, spreaders, windlass, watermaker, refrigerator, bobstay... and that's just what I can remember off the top of my head. And it's not like we set off with any of it looking dodgy.
Everywhere we stopped we were in company with other budget cruisers who were waiting for bits to come from overseas, or working away on their boats.
I guess we were pushing it a bit so we put a lot of miles under the keel in a short time. If we were only covering 1500 miles per year a lot of those repairs would have been spread out and not felt so constant.

Based on our experience so far I would suggest around $130k for the purchase, $20-30k for getting it cruise ready and 'tailored' to your needs, maybe a watermaker, antifoul, generator, new batteries, solar panels or whatever... and have $40-50k as a contingency fund. It gives peace of mind and if an engine goes, you're not stranded amongst head hunters in Borneo someplace.

I would also suggest investing in a few charters, mono and cat, but do the mono first! It will clarify your thinking.
With your budget and travel plans it's certainly achievable sailing, but I can't see it working with a trawler.

Vic

[Land an]

Delancey - that was a classic post. All the time I was laughing I realized I was really crying. I dont live aboard (yet) but i suspect you hit all nails on the head.

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by azhootie

please pardon my ignorance but when I think of trawlers, stinky fishy boats come to mind. There obviously must be liveaboard types because this is not the first time I've seen them mentioned. What brands and age might you suggest? and are they suitable to visit places like fiji? thank you!!

If your budget is 200k, you will not find a trawler that will take you to the places you want to go for that price, IMO. However, for 200k you will find a sailboat that will be quite capable. Start trolling www.yachtworld.com to get a sense of what is available at what price.

Regarding how old you can be to cruise, that is a tough question. A sailboat can be set up with furling to make it pretty easy for us geezers (not you) to manage, but in all honesty that is why we decided on a trawler. You can cross an ocean in your bedroom slippers.....

[VirtualVagabond]

I've just re-read my last post and it sounds like we had an awful time so I want to correct that impression.
We're having a wonderful time and would do it again. There are the days of setting the sails and not touching them for a week. Good fishing, playful dolphins, flying fish littering the deck and magnificent sunsets.
The camaraderie in the cruising community is great and restores our faith in humanity, at least the cruising bits. The helping hand today may be the receiving hand tomorrow, and we all know that. It's a nice way to live.

But forget about an easy retirement. It's unpaid work, but so worth it.
We must be enjoying it because in spite of having a list of repairs and maintenance we're working through, in April we'll be heading north, eventually working through the Great Barrier Reef and across the top to Darwin.

Vic

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

Motor boats are not so great at anchor and have a very small range, usually 150-300nm max, you tend to get more space inside for hull length, cats are great at anchor and have lots of space. Aircon you wont really need much at anchor , mainly in stuffy marinas with no wind and higher water temps, bear in mind at anchor it is always much cooler than on shore!

My little 37' motorboat (see avatar) has a 1,600mile range (to empty) and have been very comfortable in anchorages from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico and Bahamas.

Why not split the difference and look at a PDQ 34 power cat.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

I've just re-read that post and it sounds like we had an awful time so I want to correct that impression.
We're having a wonderful time and would do it again. There are the days of setting the sails and not touching them for a week. Good fishing, playful dolphins, flying fish littering the deck and magnificent sunsets.
The camaraderie in the cruising community is great and restores our faith in humanity, at least the cruising bits. The helping hand today may be the receiving hand tomorrow, and we all know that. It's a nice way to live.

But forget about an easy retirement. It's unpaid work, but so worth it.
We must be enjoying it because in spite of having a list of repairs and maintenance we're working through, in April we'll be heading north, eventually working through the Great Barrier Reef and across the top to Darwin.

Vic

Told ya to buy a Beneteau..

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Told ya to buy a Beneteau..

So Mark Js been bending your ear again! But didn't you own one too, in your reckless, foolhardy days?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

So Mark Js been bending your ear again! But didn't you own one too, in your reckless, foolhardy days?

So good I bought them twice...

[Goosebumps]

i read your intro for this topic and think that maybe we should communicate indepth via email. I say this because i had similar questions, expectations, ....
about how to go about yachting, liveaboard. i am liveaboard in north moz on small old catamaran, in the Quirimbas archipelago and enjoying this incredible
environment of tropical islands and crystal clear sea water. i bought this little 34 foot cat in Cape Town worked a year to get it right and sailed it to Mozambique.
I had to overcome many obstacles to get where I am and realize that my liveaboard experience can help very much to answer those questions. Lets email and see if we can assist in clearing these clouds of liveaboard doubt.

Originally Posted by azhootie

Hello all,

I am going to try to be as thorough as I can in my initial post because that seems to be what is appreciated from what I've read but forgive me if I leave out important information. ***DISCLAIMER*** I do NOT know the correct terminology for things nor do I have any experience or real knowledge in this area so pretty please be kind!

Background about us and why I think this could be a reality for us:

My husband (age 60) and I (age 48) and our precious chocolate lab (not open for debate. we would bring him regardless of any difficulties in retraining him, etc) are extremely interested in and excited about a liveaboard life beginning in the fall of 2016. We are currently living in Cape Town, South Africa on a 3 yr employment contract but we're from the US. When we left the US, we sold everything we owned (minus some sentimental stuff) from our 3200 sq ft home and now live in a tiny little two bdrm apartment (for instance our shower is only about 33 x 33 inches) right on the ocean just outside of Cape Town. We were given a very nice moving allowance to get here and all of the other Americans that are here used that money to ship a bunch of their belongings over....we, on the other hand, used that money to go the LONG way around, stopping in Hawaii, Fiji and Australia and doing some scuba diving (our passion) on liveaboard dive boats. We arrived in South Africa with 2 suitcases and 2 carry ons. One of those suitcases contained all of our dive gear so really just 1 suitcase and 2 carry ons of actual clothes/stuff. The takeaway here is we are not attached to "stuff" and we're not only willing to downsize but obviously know how to do so.

I have no doubt in my mind that we could commit to this mentally and physically...my concern is whether we could do this financially and that's where I would love some help from this community, pretty please.

Budget/Finances
Our plan is to sell our home (currently being rented) in the US and use the proceeds to pay cash for a boat. Our estimate is we would have about $200K for that purchase. Our monthly income, once my husband retires, will be right around $3500 per month. I am pretty sure we can find a nice boat for that price (more questions about that in a moment) but is $3500 enough to sustain this type of life?

Definition of "this type of life"
Our hope is to use marinas at a minimum. I would much rather bounce around from place to place and see, do, and experience new things. He is former Navy...nuclear submarines...and I grew up moving about every 2 years including living in the jungles of Indonesia around age 12 so it's kind of in our blood to be on the move. We have it in our hearts and minds that we would like to visit the Caribbean, South and Central America, Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, NW and Australia. May add more to the list as time goes on. Which brings me to my next question......

What type of boat?
I've shared with you our budget, monthly income, and the type of life we'd like to lead. I was pretty sure I wanted a 38' to 44' motoryacht when I first started. Not sure why I am not keen on a sailboat, but for whatever reason, I'm just not. Different strokes for different folks. So I was focusing my searches on SeaRays and various other brands. However after reading this forum I am now leaning towards a catamaran (more open and airy, smoother ride on rougher seas according to the things I've read). I know there are catamarans in that price range but I'm not sure how old is "too old" ... obviously it depends on how much it was used and how well it was taken care of but is there a ball park year range I should be considering? Based on what we want to do is a catamaran a better choice than a motoryacht?

I have in my head (and I guess now typing it out) a list of what I *think* are "must haves" for me to be happy/comfortable. Maybe some of these are no-brainers and all boats have them nowadays and if so, please forgive my ignorance and remember my disclaimer from above!!! I'm sure I'm missing some big important ones so feel free to point out what I'm not considering.

Must Haves on our boat:

2 bdrms (berths?). In the one year we have been here in cape town, we've welcomed 7 visitors and #8 and #9 arrive on Feb 23rd. Some of the Americans have been here 10 - 20 years and haven't had that many visitors. I'm guessing if we're down in the Caribbean for any length of time (which we should be) we'll have at least that many. I'm a crazy social butterfly and LOVE entertaining (hence the 3200 sq ft home we had) so I welcome the visits from family and friends.

2 bathrooms (heads?) with a separate stand up shower in at least our bathroom that has at least warm water. I've done the whole combo/shower in the same space as your sink/toilet thing and whilst I didn't mind it for a week or so, I don't think I could do it permanently.

Washer. Don't need or want a dryer. We have a dryer now but I've used it maybe 3 times in a year. I like hanging my clothes outside in the fresh air. I do not, however, like hand washing clothes. I guess if I'm being honest, if we found the boat of our dreams and it didn't have a washer, I don't think it would prevent us from buying it.

Air Conditioning ... at least in the bedrooms. I don't mind being toasty all day outside but I cannot sleep when it's unbearably hot. Stayed in a little place in Fiji before hopping on our dive boat and it was truly THE WORST night of sleep I'd ever had. In fact, not even sure you could call it sleep.

Whew! I think that's it for now.....

Plan of Attack going forward

1. Join this website. Check!
2. Research as much as I can online.
3. Order recommended books
4. Check out boat shows (the next one close to here is in Durban in July and then Cape Town in September)
5. Do a couple of charter vacations to narrow down the type of boat we should purchase.
6. TAKE CLASSES!!!

If you've read this far, THANK YOU! I know it's long but in reading this forum, it seems being thorough upfront helps people respond easier. If you feel inclined, please share your honest thoughts, opinions, advice, etc. on whether or not you think we're on the right track. It would be GREATLY appreciated!

[ericoh88]

Originally Posted by azhootie

Background about us and why I think this could be a reality for us:

Budget/Finances

Definition of "this type of life"


What type of boat?


Must Haves on our boat:

2 bdrms (berths?).
2 bathrooms (heads?)
Washer.
Air Conditioning

Plan of Attack going forward

Being here in Langkawi, I had the chance to meet many yachties coming thru.

Some common observations I hear from others are:

1. they should have started sailing/cruising earlier. One very good friend left the US at 51, spend many years in Fiji. He look forward to going back to Fiji.

2. Many just live on the hook and avoid marinas. USD$3,500 is plenty of money to buy food. Engine and boat stuff are expensive. USD$1k is lot of money to feed 2 person. A meal here is SEA on the food court will be about USD $2 for bowl of fried rice.

3. I like it. Diving, sailing and checking new grounds. My Admiral shy away from the sun . Everything is a compromise - something I learnt early. Diving is great in Indonesia, Sipadan, west Thailand, Manado. Very rich coral growth.

4. I choosed monohull. A friend who lived on a 38 for the last 20 years, recently changed his mind and said if he would do it again, he would pick a catamaran because over here in Kuah, Langkawi when the rolly waves comes in, the monohull would pitch so badly even his real cats get sea sick while the catamaran were rocking gently.

Consider getting a boat here in Phuket/Langakwi. You fly here and start your cruising and if you don't like it, go to another place or sell the boat. Prices are great. You will probably be looking at USD 120k for all the nice things you need ie genset, water maker, washing machine space.

5. 2 heads? I crewed for a month on a 52' double ender. The owner told if he had to do it again he would just go with one head. Others say the Admiral would NOT want to share the "private cabin" with anyone else so they won't take in crew.

Washer? Some washer is now quite compact for 2 kg . That would require a genset so your boat monohull (assuming it is a mono) would have to be big enough. I met one cruiser from Australia - steel boat, a washing machine with a Onan genset. Yes, a big watermaker too.

Air Cond. It is really hot here in Thailand, Malaysia Singapore. Running air cond for an hour or two just to cool down helps . I rather shower with cold water and do it again if it gets sticky.

6. You are doing all the right thing. Keep us posted on your progress. Finding your dream boat is where the fun begins.

[satdiver]

Originally Posted by azhootie

Hello all,

I am going to try to be as thorough as I can in my initial post because that seems to be what is appreciated from what I've read but forgive me if I leave out important information. ***DISCLAIMER*** I do NOT know the correct terminology for things nor do I have any experience or real knowledge in this area so pretty please be kind!

Background about us and why I think this could be a reality for us:

My husband (age 60) and I (age 48) and our precious chocolate lab (not open for debate. we would bring him regardless of any difficulties in retraining him, etc) are extremely interested in and excited about a liveaboard life beginning in the fall of 2016. We are currently living in Cape Town, South Africa on a 3 yr employment contract but we're from the US. When we left the US, we sold everything we owned (minus some sentimental stuff) from our 3200 sq ft home and now live in a tiny little two bdrm apartment (for instance our shower is only about 33 x 33 inches) right on the ocean just outside of Cape Town. We were given a very nice moving allowance to get here and all of the other Americans that are here used that money to ship a bunch of their belongings over....we, on the other hand, used that money to go the LONG way around, stopping in Hawaii, Fiji and Australia and doing some scuba diving (our passion) on liveaboard dive boats. We arrived in South Africa with 2 suitcases and 2 carry ons. One of those suitcases contained all of our dive gear so really just 1 suitcase and 2 carry ons of actual clothes/stuff. The takeaway here is we are not attached to "stuff" and we're not only willing to downsize but obviously know how to do so.

I have no doubt in my mind that we could commit to this mentally and physically...my concern is whether we could do this financially and that's where I would love some help from this community, pretty please.

Budget/Finances
Our plan is to sell our home (currently being rented) in the US and use the proceeds to pay cash for a boat. Our estimate is we would have about $200K for that purchase. Our monthly income, once my husband retires, will be right around $3500 per month. I am pretty sure we can find a nice boat for that price (more questions about that in a moment) but is $3500 enough to sustain this type of life?

Definition of "this type of life"
Our hope is to use marinas at a minimum. I would much rather bounce around from place to place and see, do, and experience new things. He is former Navy...nuclear submarines...and I grew up moving about every 2 years including living in the jungles of Indonesia around age 12 so it's kind of in our blood to be on the move. We have it in our hearts and minds that we would like to visit the Caribbean, South and Central America, Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, NW and Australia. May add more to the list as time goes on. Which brings me to my next question......

What type of boat?
I've shared with you our budget, monthly income, and the type of life we'd like to lead. I was pretty sure I wanted a 38' to 44' motoryacht when I first started. Not sure why I am not keen on a sailboat, but for whatever reason, I'm just not. Different strokes for different folks. So I was focusing my searches on SeaRays and various other brands. However after reading this forum I am now leaning towards a catamaran (more open and airy, smoother ride on rougher seas according to the things I've read). I know there are catamarans in that price range but I'm not sure how old is "too old" ... obviously it depends on how much it was used and how well it was taken care of but is there a ball park year range I should be considering? Based on what we want to do is a catamaran a better choice than a motoryacht?

I have in my head (and I guess now typing it out) a list of what I *think* are "must haves" for me to be happy/comfortable. Maybe some of these are no-brainers and all boats have them nowadays and if so, please forgive my ignorance and remember my disclaimer from above!!! I'm sure I'm missing some big important ones so feel free to point out what I'm not considering.

Must Haves on our boat:

2 bdrms (berths?). In the one year we have been here in cape town, we've welcomed 7 visitors and #8 and #9 arrive on Feb 23rd. Some of the Americans have been here 10 - 20 years and haven't had that many visitors. I'm guessing if we're down in the Caribbean for any length of time (which we should be) we'll have at least that many. I'm a crazy social butterfly and LOVE entertaining (hence the 3200 sq ft home we had) so I welcome the visits from family and friends.

2 bathrooms (heads?) with a separate stand up shower in at least our bathroom that has at least warm water. I've done the whole combo/shower in the same space as your sink/toilet thing and whilst I didn't mind it for a week or so, I don't think I could do it permanently.

Washer. Don't need or want a dryer. We have a dryer now but I've used it maybe 3 times in a year. I like hanging my clothes outside in the fresh air. I do not, however, like hand washing clothes. I guess if I'm being honest, if we found the boat of our dreams and it didn't have a washer, I don't think it would prevent us from buying it.

Air Conditioning ... at least in the bedrooms. I don't mind being toasty all day outside but I cannot sleep when it's unbearably hot. Stayed in a little place in Fiji before hopping on our dive boat and it was truly THE WORST night of sleep I'd ever had. In fact, not even sure you could call it sleep.

Whew! I think that's it for now.....

Plan of Attack going forward

1. Join this website. Check!
2. Research as much as I can online.
3. Order recommended books
4. Check out boat shows (the next one close to here is in Durban in July and then Cape Town in September)
5. Do a couple of charter vacations to narrow down the type of boat we should purchase.
6. TAKE CLASSES!!!

If you've read this far, THANK YOU! I know it's long but in reading this forum, it seems being thorough upfront helps people respond easier. If you feel inclined, please share your honest thoughts, opinions, advice, etc. on whether or not you think we're on the right track. It would be GREATLY appreciated!

Your Background

Nothing hindering you based on your bio IMO I was born into a liveaboard family. And I started living aboard on my own in my late teens while in the Navy. I left the community for 4 years total in my life to try out dirt dwelling.

Finances

I am financially secure now but I have been through periods of being flat broke with multiple negative bank accounts while living aboard when I was younger and it did not threaten my lifestyle.

I currently own an apartment in NYC which I almost own free and clear and keep rented and own 4 slips which I lease out when I'm not using them. As for selling the home I went from boat ownership to owning an apartment and would not sell the apartment. It's better to use your home as leverage for a loan rather than liquidating it for a boat purchase. You can rent out the home to pay if not all but a portion of your equity based loan. Owning property makes getting loans easier. You can write the interest rate off your equity line like a regular home mortgage if you signal that you're using it as a primary residence. Talk to a tax attorney about this option. Specifically look for an attorney that has admiralty law experience.

3500 a month is fine for a liveaboard budget as long as you get the right boat and you and your husband pick up trade skills easily. Even better if one of the two of you had a few years in transit living where you used the trades to survive for a bit. i.e. construction or mechanics.

Definition of "this type of life"

Like your husband I served and still serve in US Navy. I am a USN Master Diver, 7 years NEDU in Panama City enlisted active duty. 4 years as an active duty officer now currently an officer in the reserves and work as a commercial saturation diver in oil fields.

I do a 6 months on 6 months off or 3 months on 3 months off in a commercial rotation and use my off time to cruise. If overseas I'll fly home to do my weekend for the reserves but as former active duty I have tremendous flexibility since the USN downsized its diving program.

My only formal education was A-B and C school, the USNA and commercial dive school. None gave me any skills useful for living aboard or boating in general other than how to keep myself organized and deal with personalities. Living aboard by definition IMHO is no different money wise than living on land. My neighbours on the other hand share my interest in travel, boating (of any kind) and are typically minimalist like myself. We also share a compassion for helping each other for the most part and are typically social people.

You will get bad neighbours living aboard like any other neighbourhood. It's a lot like RV touring. In the slip to my left is a Doctor in his 2nd year of residency and two slips over is a guy that I'm not quite sure how he makes his living but he is a nice guy to chat with.

For cruising I think it's nice you have goals for locations and most boats will get you where you need to go.

As for funding those journeys you should factor in keeping the boat operational.

It does not need to be as complex as some will make it out to be.

My parents basically started out with a floating trash can and sailed us all over the place. Neither of them ever took a formal sailing lesson although my dads dad was a liveaboard.

Both my parents were horrible sailors, I now know this as a experienced one. But they always stayed optimistic and gave us a good life. Also none of my siblings are not dead.

What type of boat?

I'm not going to give you the "this is how long a piece of rope is question" Which I know I'm going to get smoked for because I just posted a thread on looking for types of boats with my lady friend.

With your budget get an older heavier boat that is not super fast and responsive so you have a chance to learn how to handle weather without complete panic under sail. I would suggest Hans Christians, Baba's, Westsail or any typical Bob Perry traditional sailboat designs. You'll be essentially living in a sailing bouy that will take a beating. You'll leave first and arrive last in most cases. But you'll get there safely.

I'm personally a monohull guy so I'm biased to monohulls. For multihull or Motor I'd seek Multihull and motor yacht owners advice. They will also be biased so I advise looking at each perspective in depth. And trying out each type of boat to see what suits your needs. I can safely say though that with your buying budget and monthly budget there is not a motor yacht that will meet those requirements for the type of travel you're wanting to do. Multihull and Monohull people can unit on this fact.

I'm sure you could listen to the all types of sail characteristics and one boat is better than another as far as build quality comments but when you're buying a surveyor will hint to you what your getting yourself into (most of the time). Plus as newer sailors it's going to take a boat or two or three to find the sail characteristics you prefer.

Some people say charter a bunch of boats first. I say show up at your local marina and tell people you'd like to crew with them. Tell owners in the marina what you want to do and most people will take you sailing. If a couple or individual showed up and knocked on my hull wanting to go sailing I'd be happy to set up a time to take them out for a few hours free of charge. As would most of my neighbours. If you want to hook up for over night cruises go ask people in your local marina if they would like to do a cruise for a weekend. I've taken lots of people out over the years that just wanted to try my boat out in exchange for bringing the food and paying for fuel.

Must Haves on our boat: It all varies and after decades of doing this I'm weighing out options with a new spouse.

My final word of advice I give to all my friends new to sailing.

Before you start this journey I would get into a local dingy racing program to start to develop basic sailing skills in responsive boat handling. Racing fast smaller boats is a great way to learn the fundamentals of sailing. As you get more comfortable jumping in and crewing on bigger racing boats during your local race evenings is a good step as well. If you don't have those evenings where you are go down to your best marina and find a sailor that wants to teach. There are plenty of us out there willing to take people out.

This forum is full of people who would help you hook up with the right people to learn.
Even now living on a big Bermuda racer/cruiser I still love racing J22's, Melges 24's and 32's etc.... and I'll rarely pass up an opportunity to try out a new boat.
Once tacking and jibing becomes 2nd nature your on your well on your well on your way to becoming highly capable sailors.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

i read your intro for this topic and think that maybe we should communicate indepth via email. I say this because i had similar questions, expectations, ....
about how to go about yachting, liveaboard. i am liveaboard in north moz on small old catamaran, in the Quirimbas archipelago and enjoying this incredible
environment of tropical islands and crystal clear sea water. i bought this little 34 foot cat in Cape Town worked a year to get it right and sailed it to Mozambique.
I had to overcome many obstacles to get where I am and realize that my liveaboard experience can help very much to answer those questions. Lets email and see if we can assist in clearing these clouds of liveaboard doubt.

Hi Goosebumps,
We'll be coming down through the Indian ocean later this year. Our current plan is to go from Cocos Keeling to Rodrigues, Mauritius, Reunion, Richards Bay. My preference would be Seychelles, Comores etc Any local knowledge regarding pirate activity in the Seychelles? You're the nearest to it I've come across in a while.
Vic

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

.................... I guess we were pushing it a bit so we put a lot of miles under the keel in a short time. If we were only covering 1500 miles per year a lot of those repairs would have been spread out and not felt so constant. .........
Vic

This statement from Vic trumps everything else that has been said about expense, repairs, and miles per gallon. If you want to cut your fuel costs in half, simply spend a little more time enjoying the port your in before cruising to the next destination. If you want to lessen your repair costs, wait for the best of weather and take the route with shorter hops while.
I'll be the first to admit that we are lazy "cockpit potatoes"! We usually take a slip near family for the holidays from Thanksgiving to the New Year and then we might take a month to cruise from North Florida to the Bahamas or Keys. I'll turn around for a northbound cruise this comming saturday and I'll likely arrive in Maine sometime in mid-july. That will be five months for us to get from Florida to Maine. I'm not propossing this style of travel for all, but I'll be quick to point out that it is vastly cheaper to complete a potential two week voyage in five months! We're not choosing this manner of cruising in order to conserve funds. It's just a beneficial outcome of what we enjoy.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

Lets email and see if we can assist in clearing these clouds of liveaboard doubt.

No, let's not! The whole value of a forum like this one comes from people sharing information and opinions. When you take it to e-mail, or PMs, then we all lose out. I simply do not understand why so many people come to a public forum like this one, and then want to take all of the really GOOD exchange of information private!