Should I rent a flat, or buy a boat to live on?

Question

If I rent a flat, I will be paying a substantial amount to live somewhere. This money would probably be equivalent to financing a boat purchase, and mooring fees. I'd probably keep more of my money if I did this (bought a boat). The question is, how much harder is it to live on a boat? What are the pitfalls? What would you do?

Answer 1

Living on a boat is not for everyone.  It is a lifestyle that can be great fun and very relaxed, but you have to work a little harder to be comfortable.  Can you try it for a little while without having to make a committment?

You have to make arrangements for water and to have your holding tank pumped out.  Most people go ashore for water - sometimes to a marina dock.  In a very few places there is water delivery to boats, but in my experience that is not the norm.  I have never seen that happen.  When we anchored for longer periods my husband and I often dinghied 5 gallon jugs of water back to our boat on a regular basis - every time we went ashore.

What about power?  Do you want to have electricity?  If so,  you need to think about wind generators or solar panels, depending on where you live.  How about refrigeration?  That is the biggest consumer of energy on a boat.  There are options that use less power, but they tend to be more expensive.  Do you want to be able to have a hot water shower on the boat?  Is it hot enough where you live to use a solar bag/sun shower to heat your shower water each day or will  you need a water heater?  

How about cooking?  If you have a propane stove, especially a Force 10, two burner with oven, that will be great, and many people also have a BBQ in the cockpit.  With propane you should have a propane detector in your cabin and bilge as propane sinks if it is leaking, and could collect in the bottom of your boat and cause an explosion.  

If you anchor, you have to dinghy ashore everyday.  You may need to lock your dinghy when you go ashore, depending on where you are anchored.   Will you have a vehicle on shore?  If so, that will make life easier, as you will not have to backpack laundry, groceries, etc.  If you are depending on getting ashore by dinghy to get to a job, what about the days when it might be too rough to get the dinghy ashore?

Do you want to have TV and Internet on your boat?  We used a cell phone to have Internet access when we were anchored.  Sometimes we were fortunate enough to be able to receive an unsecured wireless signal.  For TV, you might be able to receive the free channels from you boat if you put an antenna high enough.  The reception will of course vary with the movement of the boat.

Depending on your location, you may need to protect all you clothing from humidity and mildew.  We rolled all of ours and packaged everything in airtight ziploc bags to keep the moisture out.

Some people who live on boats choose to rent a slip at a marina and then they can have most of the conveniences of a land based home while living on a boat.  Not all marinas allow live aboards.

I would live on a boat again in a flash if the opportunity presented itself with the right person.  My husband and I enjoyed it immensely and had wonderful adventures.  We were happy vagabonds.  We were both retired though, so we did not have to worry about getting ashore for work, etc.

So I hope I have given you some food for thought.  Most people I know who live on boats and work ashore actually live in a slip at a marina, but I also know a few who anchor and dinghy ashore everyday to a job.  Best of luck with you plans.  I would do it.  Feel free to ask about anything else you think I could help with.

Answer 2

buy a boat to live on  cheaper and the girls love it  look you want to come back too my boat and hang out ill even cook a fresh fish dinner with a class of wine you can't lose good luckyou get a boat your diffrent thats what you want ont harder at all you call the watter guy every haber has one now or fill up on water when you go to dock  tack laudry to dock get it done cooking mostley lp gas now   make sure you lock it up good have budys watch when you not in