Have you ever wondered what it is like to live aboard a boat? It is one of the greatest things there is. I truly believe that. From the first time we even considered the fact that it may be possible, the seed was planted for Deb and I.
Benefits of Living Aboard
It is almost impossible to list all the things that make living aboard a great lifestyle choice. The type of cruising, traveling or stationary living aboard you do, will change these benefits for each person. Just a few of the things we have really enjoyed are below.
- Being closer to nature on a daily basis
- I love being rocked to sleep every night
- Having a reminder of conservation has been enlightening
- Conserving Water
- Conserving Power
- Conserving or minimizing waste or trash
- Seeing fish over the side of the boat
- Focusing more on experiences than things
- The satisfaction of fixing or maintaining the things you need to
Define Living Aboard
For Deb and I, we have found a method of “living aboard” or “cruising” that suits our family needs. It meets our current financial needs and provides a level of enjoyment that is sufficient right now. Would we rather be anchored off a sandy beach in the tropics? Yes, yes we would. That said I am still working, we are now raising our grandchildren and were dealing with those transitions. All of these things meant we needed to create a definition of living aboard that worked for us. That is in a marina with our cars in the parking lot. What works for us, may not work for others. Some will even be adamant that we are NOT “Cruisers” but rather live aboard. Sure, that is fine, whatever it is called, we have found what works for us.
Living Aboard a “camper”
When we decided to bring the boat to the yard for a major refit, we needed another place to live. Originally that was going to be our 43-foot Gulfstar. The problem was it proved inadequate for all of us. Size wise it was fine but we needed separate areas for the girls to go to sleep at different times. So we looked at campers. Years ago we talked about getting one and this seemed like a good time.
We never thought the boat would be in the yard for as long as it was when we first started the project. We also didn’t anticipate we would enjoy the camper as much as we did/do. We have really enjoyed having the choice between the camper and boat.
What will we Live Aboard in the future
That is a great question. We still expect it will be the boat, But, we are keeping the options open for the boat too. We are going to take the camper with us to Florida 2 times in the next 2 months to look at land and marina sites for us to consider. We may just do a split at some point between the boat and the camper. It is all still up in the air.
Honesty
We don’t know what we will choose in the end. We have really enjoyed the camper more than we thought we would. It has some of the same things that are listed as benefits for living on a boat but on terra firma instead. I would love to hear your comments and feedback. What do you love about the idea of living on a boat, or tiny land living?
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Tools and supplies
Check out the tools we regularly use here. You can purchase through these affiliate links to toss a stipend our way: Many of these tools were used as we were grinding new paint.
- Jet Band Saw
- Sanding Tape 120 Grit – 1 inch wide
- Sanding Tape for Spindles (220 Grit)
- Small Sanding Cord for Spindles (150 Grit)
- Screwdriver with nut ends
- Pry Bar Set
- Oscillating Multi-tool (about $35)
- The Best small wood cutting blades
- Great “plunge cutter”
- ABSOLUTE Best metal cutting blade (for cutting bolts, etc.)
- Safety Glasses
- xActo Blade Knife
- Ryobi Variable Speed Jigsaw
Video equipment
Below is a list of the most common tools we use for creating these videos.
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Our Boating Lifestyle
See how we go about living aboard and sailing with kids (Grandkids 4 and 12 years of age). We are in the middle of a huge sailboat refit. Our Boat is designed by Bill Garden and built in Taiwan. See how to become a liveaboard whether you stay in a marina or are a cruiser. #boatlife #saillife #SVDreamchaser
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