Hunter Live aboard

[Cwake]

Hi all, I'm looking at a 1986 34.5ft. Hunter as a live aboard. I have limited sailing experience but will have plenty of time to work on the learning curve. I will be starting on Lake Champlain in VT. and moving boat and me to the greater Massachusetts area in the fall and living at a year round marina. Thoughts and advice about boat choice....keeping to 35ft. Eventually want to upgrade to water sailing">blue water sailing but am willing to keep to coastal cruising for now.Thoughts, advice and insight on any of this would be appreciated.

[WebWench]

Hope you have a heater and that boat is well insulated.....most boats are not. Make sure that whatever marina you keep it at to live on over the winter will still have pump out, water and electricity turned on. Will the showers be available all winter?

[gonesail]

the problem with fiberglass boats is that they usually are the same temperature inside as outside. this is compounded by interior condensation in cold weather. it will be a challenge to keep warm in a Massachusetts winter for sure.

[shorebird]

Hunters are generally roomy, well laid out interiors, but living aboard any small boat has challenges. Risking a reprimand from some on the board, I will say the boat is not a good choice for blue water cruising, but could be a great choice for coastal cruising and learning sailboat management, which includes reading weather, sail handling, anchoring, navigation, emergencies, and much more. I sail a Hunter, and we love our boat, but make no mistake, its an RV with sails, not an ocean passage-maker. Good luck, your plan sounds very doable.

[Ryan H]

Hi cwake,

You'll be fine! Honestly, with limited sailing experience a 35 ft is about as large as you'd want to go. I'm living aboard in the Boston area year round on a Grampian 26 year round. If I can do it anybody can :-). Insulate, maximize the space you've got, make sure you have more than one way to heat the boat, and do whatever you need to make the boat so comfortable you don't want to leave it. When moving into the boat make sure everything has it's own dedicated spot and can be either strapped or bolted down. Nothing like going for an afternoon sail, or getting hit by a wake and having your laptop or TV, or worse your cello go flying across the room.

You might want to do a quick Google search for the Boston liveaboards mailing group. It's centered around the liveaboard community in Constitution Marina but there's a bunch of people from all over the area included (including myself).

Good luck, look me up when you get here!

[shorebird]

Its a universally recognized sailing hazard: the FOBC, or "the flying onboard cello."
I hate when that happens.

[Ryan H]

Yeah, after the insurance company heard me play a bit they said it was a merciful act of God and not only refused to replace it, but forbid me to buy one . :-P