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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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New to liveaboard, 30' minimum

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/09/2013 : 05:20:26

Skip to paragraph 3 if you wanna give some help, initial story is just for thanks, I liked it.
Living in rural parts of the Gem State for 7 years does something to your friendly conversation skills when you return to what looks to you like a developing country. BTW, I'm not a rude person and love being quiet and just listening and enjoying company. I just rather not hold anything back and get it all out to find level ground. Well brainwashing goes two ways. I'm so right wing brain washed having started with Fox, then Glenn Beck and finally reading headlinesat the drudgereport. Know what the great combiner of all is, the sea!

What I'm trying to say is I'm going live-aboard very soon because the SHTF the day new management showed up at my beach apt. So far I've been insulted over permissions I'll never get confirmed by the awesome previous management (RIP) and WORST, was asked to take down my 60W solar panel while a Bob Marley flag hangs across the way. This pretty blue muli-crystalline sits behind two argon panes and collects 90 watts mainly just to float my batteries as Yachty sits on the hard. As this was just copied from my boat, It's a ABYC so I've even got a 300A $40 anti-arc fuse for the inverter (which powered the fridge 24H). Don't worry landlord, I also got a sat phone, portable VHF to use after a 5 min jog to the beach and some zombie rounds, (no fire extinguisher or GFCI anywhere [not even one in the breaker box] that was your job you failed at, looser).
The biggy might have had to do with those zombie cartridges. I addressed the aggressive rattling on my door to find drunk neighbors, not zombies (very clear on the box, nothing alive shall be shot, aslo with tips on how they drag feet so your faster and definitly aim for the brain). These drunks, or likely just the flash in my vision boyfriend, recollected and shared "OMG, there is a man who answers suspicious activity with is own abilities, ignoring 911. Probably spent time in Idaho." I saw the drunks, or just the curious girl who thought it was a double barreled shotgun, so I had to chamber the 1894 and do my best John Wayne doing kurCHING kurCHING kurCHING lever action tossing all those giant deer (ahem, Zombie rounds around my living room.

I have two harbors that have close to 50% vacancies and loads of live-aboard slips going half the rent I'm paying now at the Eagles Nest (newly named after the new management showed up). Since the marina managers are smarter than me, they have a 30' minimum deck space to live on your boat (deck space because Swordfish pulpit dont count.

Haven't been obsesive about the forum for a few months now, so I'll be getting some ideas on how to sell the best 1979 fin keel sitting on a trailer, never touched a drop of salt water.

Also recommendations on a non-hermit sized interior sailboat around 30', otherwise I may go trawler but I think they cost more (not just operation and in fun). Local Broker has an Oday 30 but if I'm giving up my dream boat, I have my heart set on something fast like an older C&C

Molly Brown: 1967 Grand Banks 32-#34. Bronze, mahogany, teak, oak, with 120hp diesel to push all 10 tons. Currently an abuser of the bilge pump. Also... The Tall Rig Spirit: 1978, #973, Cast Fe Fin Keel on a Trailer

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 05:31:20

Uh...Okay?

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 07:22:32

So the short story.
Don't like where you are at.
Can't liveaboard on a 25'er
Looking for Decent,roomy 30+'er.

Plenty them around, just check out Yachtworld. Wish you luck.

Paul

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 08:01:35

I live aboard during the summer, but not during the winter months. Marinas turn off the water to the docks in the winter. The walk to the showers on a bitter cold winter morning is not fun, especially with snow on the ground. A little electric space heater might be enough to keep the boat comfortable in moderate temps, but you'll be sleeping in a sleeping bag all winter. When you sleep in a sleeping bag, you alternate, through the night, between being too warm and perspiring, and being too cold. You might think you can just plug in two space heaters, but the electrical systems on most small boats only have one 10-15 amp circuit, and it won't support two electric space heaters. Boats are generally not insulated, so heat is lost through every surface. Every crevice must be sealed to prevent heat loss. When the boat is tightly sealed, your moist breath and perspiration condenses on the overhead and bulkheads and runs down them onto your clean, dry clothes and bed linens. Some people live aboard in cold areas all winter, but not many, and it requires determination and a high tolerance for discomfort. For practical reasons, your head might not be usable during the winter, requiring you to walk to the on shore bathroom whenever nature calls, night or day. Living aboard is very doable in a moderate climate, but it's not pleasant in the winter. When the nightime temps fall consistently into the low to mid 30s, I haul the boat, winterize it and head for home, where I can walk down a warm, carpeted hallway if I need to relieve myself in the wee hours of the morning.

Edited by - Steve Milby on 03/09/2013 08:04:08

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 09:40:20

Okay, so you want to live aboard full time and your marina requires a minimum of 30'.

The Catalina 30 is one of the roomiest 30 footers around and they're pretty inexpensive too.

However....for me to live full time, I need: AC, heat, shower, hot water, standing headroom, refrigeration, microwave, stove/oven, internet, satellite or cable TV, queen size bed, closet space. I also want a large cockpit with a top and dodger.

For me, I would not consider any vessel smaller than 38'......ideally I'm in the 46' to 52' range.....and my dream boat is a classic [url="http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/29331"]Formosa 51[/url].

YMMV.....depends on what you can accept comfort wise and how much money you have to spend. Good luck....and pop over to [url="http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/"]Cruisers Forum[/url]. Those folks live aboard full time and cruise the world.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 13:48:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 ...The walk to the showers on a bitter cold winter morning is not fun, especially with snow on the ground...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...probably not in Oxnard, CA.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5909 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 19:22:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Steve Milby
 ...The walk to the showers on a bitter cold winter morning is not fun, especially with snow on the ground...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...probably not in Oxnard, CA.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Prolly not. Early on he talked about the Gem State, which is Idaho, and known to get cold.

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 21:58:56

Sorry Cali lovers for my rant, I warned you. I do have to hand it to the state's well identified (yet recently charging for) open spaces vs most of Idaho's easy to trespass areas.
[/quote]...probably not in Oxnard, CA.

[/quote]Prolly not. Early on he talked about the Gem State, which is Idaho, and known to get cold.

[/quote]
There was ONE guy who did year'round live-aboard at the sailboat only marina in Bayview, ID. Nothing stopped anyone else. One restroom was turned unisex kept unlocked and heated, pay showers still took quarters, and self supplied firewood could warm the clubhouse... still hardcore, especially drudging up that STEEP icy plank from the docks as hydroelectric hungry customers drop lake levels so low the docks closest to shore are summer only. Maybe also the loneliness (probably not, the management lived on site and were friends to all).

My trailered 25's TRFK is all ready for a dip in the brine, with a brand new custom main from Yager with every bell and whistle (you know, to make me a better sailer), but I'm holding off on the $30 crane launch to maintain the selling point it was entirely freshwater boat; should the live-aboard workout. Otherwise, I want in!

Hate it, hate it! I toured a very nice 30' Oday with helm, perfect green water upgrade for my 25' but was still too small to fit my life. What did turn me on, after at first laughing, was a trawler, Grand Banks no less.

I'm accepting I need more acclimation to assimilate to cali folks and this 32' might just be what I need. Noted: engine was kept together with mostly NAPA auto parts, and I don't even know why even this much effort was put in her as I still have a splinter under my nail from checking for bottom paint inches below the waterline (hope I didn't sink her later :) What it did have was a SUNNY living room, an upper bridge to look down on sailboaters (at least while docked, fuel cost and large stinky diesel will definitely reverse that roll. All around teak decking missing just 1/8" from the last time it was sealed. Oh, the most important: a swim deck for the ladies or landing pacific sized fish, both prizes!

Well the focus now is will the harbor continue to grandfather a slip as I'm not going to immediately re-plank, will a surveyor need to take a bribe, or do I want to own a boat that looked like this just seven years ago? I know my friends wont miss my love to sail, but will I?!?!

Edited by - rrick on 04/10/2013 21:30:25

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2013 : 22:03:22

Hey, that mast and boom thingy at the end of Trawlers can accept canvas right?

Edited by - on

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