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Thinking of living aboad a 27' sailboat in Florida…?
We have two young kids and are planning on living aboard a 27' in Florida. Does anyone have experience with this or have idea of costs involved? We do have sailing experience.
I have lived on a 31 foot boat for the past 2 1/2 years. It presents its own set of problems and solutions. I would equate it to a different way of thinking about things, similar to the difference between living in an apartment and a house. In an apartment, you have to think about getting groceries up six flights of steps and trash down six flights of steps (assuming you're living on the 6th floor). Furniture going up the steps or elevator presents a different set of challenges.
In a house, you need to worry about maintence issues like roof shingles getting blown off in a storm, leaking windows, lawn maintenance, landscaping, etc.
On a boat, we think about things like drinking water, electricity, etc. We keep the power plugged in, but when we go out for a sail, overnight trip, we try to make sure we're topped off on water and not use more than we need. etc. Personally, I like to use the water in my tanks. I know its fresh because we use it all of the time. Keeping pressure water from the dock hooked up is a bad idea in my book. besides not using the water in the tanks, if you're not on board and there is a problem, you're filling the boat up with water.
As far as costs. Its usually whatever it costs to keep your boat in a marina. You need to find out if the community will allow liveaboards first. Some marinas dont like liveaboards. They dont want a bunch of junk boats with people living on them. There are some that also limit the amount of liveaboards for various reasons. One of them is gray water and the how much fresh water flows into the marina. They dont want the marina to be stinky if there isnt a lot of tidal ebb and flow to wash the dirty water away.
Usually marinas will charge you an additional 75-100 dollars per month as a live aboard. Besides discouraging you with the added cost, liveaboards usually use the marina's facilities to avoid frequent pump outs, and shower on land (I know that I do!)
As far as boat size…It really depends on the boat. Our boat is 31 feet on deck and is larger than some 36-38 foot boats we've been on. Lin and Larry Pardey sailed a 23 foot boat around the world sold it and built a bigger boat. Their big boat is 29 feet. Its about beam and headroom and what you are comfortable with. We have neighbors with one or two kids living aboard sailboats and one couple with a school aged child living on a sailboat smaller than ours. They seem to get along just fine.
Another thing to look at is if there are sheds or storage near the marina. If you ask my wife what problems we have living on a sailboat…she'll tell you that its not a problem of space living on a boat, but a problem of space living on a boat and having a job. You need clothes for work and usually bring work home with you at night. I know that we both do.
You also have to think about buying things and bringing them on board. We think of what we want to get rid of when we want to buy something new. Magazines, books, etc tend to pile up quickly and need to be thrown away. Our marina has a place where we can bring stuff we dont want and others can scavange through them and take what they want.
I hope this helps you with your decision.
3 Responses to “Thinking of living aboad a 27' sailboat in Florida…?”
Leave a Reply
October 21st, 2008 at 8:06 am
By living, I assume you mean permanantly. 27' may be a bit cramped. Also, if the little ones don't swim, they won't be able to go out, and play in the yard.
References :
October 21st, 2008 at 8:30 am
I have lived on a 31 foot boat for the past 2 1/2 years. It presents its own set of problems and solutions. I would equate it to a different way of thinking about things, similar to the difference between living in an apartment and a house. In an apartment, you have to think about getting groceries up six flights of steps and trash down six flights of steps (assuming you're living on the 6th floor). Furniture going up the steps or elevator presents a different set of challenges.
In a house, you need to worry about maintence issues like roof shingles getting blown off in a storm, leaking windows, lawn maintenance, landscaping, etc.
On a boat, we think about things like drinking water, electricity, etc. We keep the power plugged in, but when we go out for a sail, overnight trip, we try to make sure we're topped off on water and not use more than we need. etc. Personally, I like to use the water in my tanks. I know its fresh because we use it all of the time. Keeping pressure water from the dock hooked up is a bad idea in my book. besides not using the water in the tanks, if you're not on board and there is a problem, you're filling the boat up with water.
As far as costs. Its usually whatever it costs to keep your boat in a marina. You need to find out if the community will allow liveaboards first. Some marinas dont like liveaboards. They dont want a bunch of junk boats with people living on them. There are some that also limit the amount of liveaboards for various reasons. One of them is gray water and the how much fresh water flows into the marina. They dont want the marina to be stinky if there isnt a lot of tidal ebb and flow to wash the dirty water away.
Usually marinas will charge you an additional 75-100 dollars per month as a live aboard. Besides discouraging you with the added cost, liveaboards usually use the marina's facilities to avoid frequent pump outs, and shower on land (I know that I do!)
As far as boat size…It really depends on the boat. Our boat is 31 feet on deck and is larger than some 36-38 foot boats we've been on. Lin and Larry Pardey sailed a 23 foot boat around the world sold it and built a bigger boat. Their big boat is 29 feet. Its about beam and headroom and what you are comfortable with. We have neighbors with one or two kids living aboard sailboats and one couple with a school aged child living on a sailboat smaller than ours. They seem to get along just fine.
Another thing to look at is if there are sheds or storage near the marina. If you ask my wife what problems we have living on a sailboat…she'll tell you that its not a problem of space living on a boat, but a problem of space living on a boat and having a job. You need clothes for work and usually bring work home with you at night. I know that we both do.
You also have to think about buying things and bringing them on board. We think of what we want to get rid of when we want to buy something new. Magazines, books, etc tend to pile up quickly and need to be thrown away. Our marina has a place where we can bring stuff we dont want and others can scavange through them and take what they want.
I hope this helps you with your decision.
References :
I Liveaboard a 31 foot sailboat for almost 3 years now with my wife and a dog.
October 21st, 2008 at 8:56 am
We have a 1982, 27 foot Hunter that we live aboard 3 days a week and spend 10 consecutive days 3 times during the season. Our boat is barely adequate for the two of us and our springer spaniel for those relatively short periods. You would find boats in the low 30 foot range (this is where we are looking) to have many more options for some minimal privacy. I have been told that larger boats, over 40 feet, although even more comfortable, tend to make you not want to sail as it is often a chore to stow things to sail and then rearrange it all when you return. I would advise you to try a couple of long weekends at least before making a commitment. As for costs, there are so many variables that you would have to do some detailed research to find that answer.
References :
http://cruisingresources.com/Living_Aboard