If someone lives on a sailboat, can it be a permanent residence?

Question

how do they get the mail? do they have a post office box?

Answer 1

Well... you give no indication as to where you are from - but I live on my boat (though it is not a sail boat), and my son lives on his boat (which is a sail boat). It doesn't matter what kind of boat it is... Here in the USA you can live on a boat and it can be your "permanent" residence.  In fact, I find there are many financial advantages to this... ie: all cost of living related.  Only problem with this is "when and if" you drop your lines and "take off into the sunset". Then, you will need a mail drop to keep drivers license, passport, and voters registration, current - and they all require a 'permanent' address.  Where I am at, the Marina takes care of all this for me... They have mail boxes for each slip in the Marina.  When I am "out" for a year or more - I give my slip up (so I don't have to pay for it - and they still keep and forward my mail (if necessary and only charge me a very small fee plus any forwarding postage).  So... if you are going to live on your boat, and stay put... no problems... All the Marinas I know of that take live a-boards will handle your mail... If you are going to "take off and chase new horizons" you will need to make some arrangement for your mail.  Over the past few years however, (because of the Internet, email, cell phone, etc.) I have found that actually I do not need a US Post Office box or address except for Passport, voter registration and drivers license.

Answer 2

http://www.svbellarose.com/captainsadmir...

Answer 3

Yes. But my mail went to my parents address. yet my friends who lived on their boats used post office boxes. Funny part was in New Zealand living on a boat was not a valid address, Yet in Australia it is

Answer 4

I lived on my 36 footer for just over a year. I used a P.O. Box for a mailing address. some places require you to have a permenant address. if so, I'd just use a friends address for that one item. If you are living on a boat and moving place to place, just give a friend a key to the box, stay in touch with them and tell them what port you are headed for. They can forward your mail to you at the post office by addressing it to you in care of postmaster (and the name of the post office.)

Answer 5

You can live on it permenantly but you would still need a recognised address,,you would either get this from British Waterways for inland waterways or the local river authority,,But they are few and far between,,

Answer 6

I did it for seven years.

It certainly can be a permanent residence but since the dockage is rented it doesn't appear on the tax rolls.

Unless the marina provides such a service, you'll have to have a PO box to get mail.

You'll also have to get insurance coverage for liveaboard.

It was very pleasant and I'm sorry I bought a house.

V