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I have several clients that live aboard their boats. ALL of them would agree....much more costly way of living than conventional methods. What you think you will save by not paying taxes, homeowners or renter's insurance, no lawn to mow, etc, etc, etc. will be eaten up the first time you have to pay just the annual insurance costs for the vessel. REQUIRED to keep boat in a marina. Spring a little fuel leak, that gets pumped out of the bilge into the water? expect the USCG to come down on you hard with massive fines and cleanup fees. Your fresh water pump breaks, big bucks to have the marine plumbing tech come out and fix it, same for air conditioning, divers to clean the bottom and change zincs, inspect propellers and shafts. And when almost anything breaks, it becomes an EMERGENCY that needs to be fixed, like pronto.
Definatly not a frugal method of getting by......You're better off in an RV, at least it can't sink
Well, from my days working on a GofM crewboat, I can tell you that divers want $300 just to hop in the water. I know that from the time working out of Aransas Pass where our boat just wasn't nimble...the starboard rudder had broken off a few inches up into the shaft opening.
Then, it's $10,000 just to lift your boat out of the water for drydocking and the rest of the payment is due to put your boat back in.
Powertrains--engines, generators, air compressors? About 3x more expensive just because it is for marine use.
Emptying the bilge? We did it waaaay offshore. I did not like that myself, but I suppose you'd not want to pay to get that pumped off for proper disposal, either. Hit a log and "bend a wheel"...see above bit about drydocking.
Red-dye diesel doesn't have the road taxes on it, though.
I might be going overboard (heh) because this crewboat was 70 tons dry and 100' long, but you get the point.
I don't think these would qualify as frugal.....but what a cool bunch of futuristic style houseboats. I could live in ANY of these and be totally happy.
There are a few more or less off the beaten path lakes in the states that have some houseboats on them that are relatively inexpensive, but anything that's going to be used in or around saltwater is very high maintenance, not even including the docking/moorage fees. In some areas, a permanent moorage that you can buy is a lot more expensive than buying a house. And if you live aboard a boat large enough to be safe on the ocean, even if you just travel around along the shores, you will end up needing repairs done at what is invariably the most expensive port to do them. The one thing about living on a boat that would make it cost-effective is the lack of space to put STUFF. No garage sales, no thrift shops, no getting anything just because it's a huge bargain.
I have several clients that live aboard their boats. ALL of them would agree....much more costly way of living than conventional methods. What you think you will save by not paying taxes, homeowners or renter's insurance, no lawn to mow, etc, etc, etc. will be eaten up the first time you have to pay just the annual insurance costs for the vessel. REQUIRED to keep boat in a marina. Spring a little fuel leak, that gets pumped out of the bilge into the water? expect the USCG to come down on you hard with massive fines and cleanup fees. Your fresh water pump breaks, big bucks to have the marine plumbing tech come out and fix it, same for air conditioning, divers to clean the bottom and change zincs, inspect propellers and shafts. And when almost anything breaks, it becomes an EMERGENCY that needs to be fixed, like pronto.
Definatly not a frugal method of getting by......You're better off in an RV, at least it can't sink
Oh well, there's always a lump of coal in every pot of gold.
Any frugal stories about living on a small boat and not paying for the cost of being a land-lubber?
Having spent every weekend of my pre-teen and teenage years on a 31-foot sailboat, I gotta wonder if you're truly prepared for the realities of living on a small boat.
Besides... Haven't you heard the saying? "A boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money."
I dunno, I lived aboard for several decades and did really well at living cheap but I was also living in an extremely high rent district so "cheap" may be relative. They were all small boats, too, from 24' to 32' and the first one was wooden to boot. She sure was pretty, though!
Living in a marina is a lot like living in a fishbowl, things are very tight and there's folks nearby almost all the time. However, when things get too crowded, you can always sail away for awhile. You do get a great community going on after awhile though since everyone is interested in boats or they wouldn't be there. I had a great time having barbecues and pot lucks with the neighbors, helping them sail to other islands, etc. We would swap work hours with each other and help each other with dry docks, too, to save on maintenance costs.
Living aboard a sailboat and going from harbor to harbor is fun but it has it's difficulties of where and how to work, etc.
You do save tons of money in not needing furniture, having room to put much stuff, not needing X,Y or Z since there's no place to put it, etc. Smaller boats have less expensive parts and most marinas charge you by the foot when it comes to slips or places to moor the boat. Haul out areas charge by the foot, too, so get the smallest boat you can possibly live on and it will be way less expensive. I found 28 feet to be a good compromise for one person and a dog. If there are two people, then the 32' boat would be better.
If you've got a chance to try it, go ahead, it's loads of fun!
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