What do I do?? Looking to move to a boat!

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by cranberryboss

Think of me as someone who has about zero knowledge about living on a boat. I am also in Maryland and will probably need to be commuting to DC or the DMV area for work etc...

Originally Posted by ranger58sb

You can do it around here, but it takes work.

Need to solve issues like fresh water, hot water, heat, waste (sanitation system, and trash/garbage), resupply (possibly including fuel)... maybe dockage... et cetera. Read through the several bazillion threads in this section on the topic... maybe include Annapolis as part of your keyword search.

Note that sanitation requirements means periodic holding tank pump-out --- if you use the head on the boat over winter -- or frequent trips to shore facilities.

I thought a bit more about your newbie-hood-ness (?), and suspect maybe some of my response seems like near-gibberish since you may not know enough to understand what I'm talking about.

Sanitation systems on boats rely on holding tanks to temporarily hold human waste. Tanks get full, need to be emptied. Not legal to dump overboard around here (need to be in the ocean to do that), so you have to get the tank pumped out... by either moving the boat to a pump-out station... or by being at a place (marina?) that offers in-slip pump-out capabilities. They exist, but neither of these are in abundance during Maryland winters.

Freshwater needs -- cooking, showers, cleanup, etc. -- also rely on a dockside water hookup (hose connection) and/or an onboard tank filled with freshwater. Easy in Summer, but many marinas winterize their systems... so aren't equipped to supply freshwater over Winter. Those that do may have a protected bib somewhere, and you might be able to occasionally hookup 250-300' of hose to get from there to your slip... to fill up your tank.

Or... you could use shore-side head/shower facilities. Imagine your first early morning walk in 20F weather... with ice on the dock... and a few more of those walks per day... Or maybe consider a gym membership near "home" or near where you work...

Et cetera.

Doable, but if you're considering the idea, good to have eyes wide open.

-Chris

[JPA Cate]

Just fyi, there are also dessicating toilets for boats. Some CF members call them composting toilets. You can search the threads about them. Use the CF Custom Google Search under the Search button.

As to boat size, I would think a Catalina 30 Would offer you plenty of space if you're not a packrat. However, you are going to have to figure out a raincoat for the bicycle. [I sewed one up out of a cheap plastic tarp for mine.] Mostly bikes can turn into rust heaps in the salt air environment, and they are a pita to put up on the boat and take off every time you want to ride it. I sold mine after a year of it. We were living at anchor at the time, and it was a drag having to load it into the dinghy to take it ashore and bring it back. My sense of this for you is that you are comfortably familiar with camping and backpacking, and imo, this is good preparation for living aboard.

What can be difficult for people is that liveaboard mode and ready to sail mode are hard to keep to being the same thing, so "conveniences" tend to litter.

I am basing this on the fact that Jim (my husband) had a 30 footer when I met him, and we took a 6-1/2 week trip to HI from SF Bay, so I know about spending time on a 30 footer, and one can do all the same things one does in a shared accommodation on a 30 footer. However, a 36 footer is much larger in interior volume, especially if you have a suit and tie sort of job. [We lived aboard a 36 footer and worked before we left to go cruising.]

The cold: as mentioned above, it is penetrating on a sailboat. Like when waking up snow camping. You'll have to work out warmth enough for comfort, and deal with condensation. Kind of depends on your clothing requirements for your employment how you solve these issues, but there are things you can do to reduce condensation, and increase comfort.

Ann

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by cranberryboss

I have also grown in an out doorsie family, well my Dad. We camped in the snow, knew how to prepare and gear up for the weather / climate. I also live simply, I have about 2 weeks of clothes, a guitar, bike and a laptop. That is all I really own, no furniture or anything like that. I have backpacked, cannoed and cycled for weeks at a time so I am familiar with living light!
I am extreemly mechanicly inclined and insist on fixing my own stuff to save money.

What area are you in? Every area has it's idiosyncrasies around living aboard and finding appropriate slips etc.
It sounds like you will do well at it. One option is to look for a boat that comes with a grandfathered slip which goes with the new owner. Otherwise, in some areas "liveaboard" slips are tough to find.
Marinas are trending more and more away from having liveaboard people. But people still find a way. Sometimes things are best not discussed. It just depends.

If you look hard enough there are often some bargain boats around that still have "good bones". No hull or engine problems. DO NOT buy too much of a fixer, all boats are fixer enough even if pretty good.
I would get at least 30 feet and find one with a shower stall/head combo or separate is even better but hard to find in a small boat.
Financing boats requires a solid fiberglass (usually) boat that will pass a survey and not be too old. Marinas require liability insurance.

[Kingfisher9000]

Originally Posted by cranberryboss

Hello! I have been living in shared housing since I was 20, I am now 37 and changing careers and would really like to live alone. Ive always wanted to live on a sailboat and learn how to sail it. My question is where do I even begin? My budget is low so I will have to take out a loan I would assume. Do I buy or rent a slip than a boat? Insurance? General costs? Can I finnance a used boat? size for 1 person? Things of that nature, I would probably like to use the boat mostly as a home untill its warms up and have someone teach me how to sail it? Or is that the best way to go about it? I have sailed a couple times before, once lived on a boat for a week in Bahamas.

Think of me as someone who has about zero knowledge about living on a boat. I am also in Maryland and will probably need to be commuting to DC or the DMV area for work etc...

As others have said, you'll want to do extensive research before buying a boat in this area. My girlfriend and I recently moved to the area after buying a Catalina 30 and every single marina we've talked to has given us the no-go on liveaboards except for one in Kent Island which is too far of a commute for us. Most marinas here are full-up on liveaboards and they also have a 35' minimum requirement anyway which we don't meet. I have been told that re-ups happen in December so some marinas may see availability open but honestly we're not holding our breath.

[TomM]

Anybody ever lived aboard while on the hard?

[sinnerman]

Go to the site www.theboatgalley.com

It is a great site for liveaboards.

If you sign up for emails you will receive articles that are not on the website.

They recently sent out an (email) article about how to step into the life of living on a boat.

cheers

[David Mathis]

A couple bought a sailboat, maybe 32-35', to live aboard in the north. They gutted it and had foam insulation sprayed on the entire inside down to a few inches below the waterline. I don't recall the foam thickness but it might have been an inch. They seemed knowledgeable as they had done quite a bit of research and had lived aboard in warmer climates. Their research indicated that they would need considerably less energy to heat it to a comfortable temperature (not just barely tolerable) and the condensation would be greatly reduced. They were well along with the project when employment called them to a place where it wasn't practical to take the boat so it was sold. It's too bad they had to leave, it would have been interesting to know how well the spray foam worked and to see how they coped during the northern winter.

[sinnerman]

I spend every weekend on my Catalina 30 in the marina.

Although I like being in the marina (on the water, tons of sea birds etc.) I would find it a hard life to live aboard a boat of this size full time. It would be like living in a tiny one room efficiency apartment in NYC...

If you are cruising, it is a different story as the boat is your portable house, transporting you to new locations. So it is easy to justify "roughing it" (think camping)..

Unless you have a powerful heating system, living on an uninsulated boat in the cold can be a recipe for health issues as the humidity in the boat condenses on the outer bulkheads leading to mold.. (again think camping..)

Others have already noted the issues, of water, showers, toilet, groceries , laundry(?), etc. and the difficulties of even finding a marina who will accept you living aboard..

My two cents

cheers

[Wolfhound]

Here's a link to what may be an excellent design for your purposes --

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f47/allied-seabreeze-with-cb-16501-3.html

[winjamerk]

Basics -

Buy a Chesapeake Bay Chartbook, (does not have to be new). Chartboats would list all marinas and have phone #'s.

Visit all the marinas between Solomons and the York River inquiring of the marina owner/mgr about any current boat owners who commute to the DC area and ask if any are relocating and selling their boat? asking this way gets you a connection with the mgr/marina as an individual with highly paid skills who would make a nice addition to the membership.(and could perhaps be bringing more boatowners to that marina. Am assuming you will be land-based initially and commuting until you find your vessel. You need to drive the distances during commuting rush hours to see if the drive-time is even within your tolerance & feasible while also trying alternate routes.


I Do not recommend that you initially inqiure if the marina allows liveaboards as they do not know you! And you'll get 99% 'No's' even though many have people commuting daily to the DC area. (They Don't Know You)



Your driving times will determine for you the area and whether you need to narrow your focus.


Visit many boats for sale during your excursions to determine what you like / dislike about each and do a written assessment each. When you know which boats can be simply insulated and you know of a reliable heating system to install you're close to your goal. Will this particular boat make a nice water-home in an area you feel welcomed and it shows so much potential.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by cranberryboss

Hello! I have been living in shared housing since I was 20, I am now 37 and changing careers and would really like to live alone. Ive always wanted to live on a sailboat and learn how to sail it. My question is where do I even begin? My budget is low so I will have to take out a loan I would assume. Do I buy or rent a slip than a boat? Insurance? General costs? Can I finnance a used boat? size for 1 person? Things of that nature, I would probably like to use the boat mostly as a home untill its warms up and have someone teach me how to sail it? Or is that the best way to go about it? I have sailed a couple times before, once lived on a boat for a week in Bahamas.

Think of me as someone who has about zero knowledge about living on a boat. I am also in Maryland and will probably need to be commuting to DC or the DMV area for work etc...

Nearly all marinas will require you to have liability and salvage & removal insurance coverage. Most good marinas with low rates have waiting lists for slips. The best way to buy your first "stays in the water all the time" boat is to buy one that is already in a transferrable slip that the previous owner does not want to keep and fill with another boat. But again, you will need insurance. Depending on size and age of the boat, and your level of experience, licensing, certification, and training, you may have a hard time getting insurance unless you hire a professional skipper. There are a lot of catch 22's involved, for the first time boat owner.

You should start right now by taking the USCG Power Squadron Basic Boating course. It is called something else now, I forget. Google it. Also any other courses offered that you can afford. The more documentation you have, the better. Not only that, but you might accidentally learn stuff. Win/win.

Narrow your search to the smallest boat that your chosen marina will allow you to live aboard. Many have limits. A single person can live aboard easily enough if the boat is at least 25' LOA and has standing headroom for you in at least part of the cabin. There will likely be marina requirements to meet regarding your sanitary situation. They may require a survey of your head and tank. You may be required to have an engine and ability to motor to a pump-out facility. You may have to sign an affidavit swearing to never pee or poop on your boat. You will likely be required to lock or disable your overboard discharge valve. You might be denied if you don't have a proper shower. There may be requirements for your cooking facilities, particularly things like shutoff solenoids on your gas stove, and particular requirements for your gas tanks. You may have to demonstrate that you can get underway and the boat is not derelict. You may be required to get a full survey, which can be rather expensive depending on the area and if a haulout is required. This also for your insurance. You will, as a first time buyer, want a survey before signing the check or contract, anyway.

So that is most of the hurdles. Now if you get a 70's built Catalina or Cal sloop in the 27' range, you might find yourself paying as little as a couple thou for a boat that you "can" live aboard and "can" sail. Maybe even less. If you get a cheap slip, and your diesel runs good and needs no major work, and nothing major needs replacing any time soon, good sails, good rigging, and you learn to do yoru own maintenance, you can live fairly cheap afloat. Otherwise you might be better off renting an apartment or swallowing the anchor and buying a house or condo.

Whatever you do, as a beginner with a limited budget, don't even think about a boat over about 35'. Everything starts costing a LOT more, including the slip and insurance. Your target range is 25' to 35' long, and if possible, stick to the lower middle of that range.

If you can hold off for a couple of years and spend the time learning to sail a dinghy, or crewing for someone on race days, you will develop contacts that will be of great help as you plan your move to living aboard.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by TomM

Anybody ever lived aboard while on the hard?

Yep. For months on end when fixing our boat in the summers, some years ago. There are people around here (E. Ontario) who live on their boats in the yard in the winter. Not for the faint of heart. There are also people who live on their boats in the water in the winter, a somewhat warmer option.

Your marina may not allow it, though.

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[Sailor Sailor]

Originally Posted by cranberryboss

Hello! I have been living in shared housing since I was 20, I am now 37 and changing careers and would really like to live alone. Ive always wanted to live on a sailboat and learn how to sail it...

Think of me as someone who has about zero knowledge about living on a boat. I am also in Maryland and will probably need to be commuting to DC or the DMV area for work etc...

As someone who grew up in the D.C. area, I would not consider going farther south than Fredericksburg or Solomons Island if you intend to commute. The closer you get to D.C., and the closer you are to the waterfront, the more expensive housing is. Slips are also more expensive in the more populated areas near Annapolis, Baltimore, and D.C. In general, Virginia is less expensive than Maryland for boating.

Before you jump into boat ownership, you should first learn to sail. The Sailing Club of Washington (SCOW) is a good place to start. It is a social club that sails and teaches sailing to its members, both in class and on the water. The club meets monthly and sails every week in season in Flying Scots and small cruising boats out of a sailing marina in Alexandria. (I met my first wife at a meeting there.) You can also go on group cruises with owners who own larger boats. You will likely meet some local sailors who will know more about your options and the best course of action there.

You might want to relocate to Virginia from Maryland. I would guess the Fredericksburg area is your least expensive housing option, with a commuter train into D.C. If you decide to buy a boat, Solomons is a good place to start.