The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat - Part 3a - Choosing a Boat

[sethterry33]

I have a question. Like the above man i am also only 18 years of age, and me and my closest friend in the entire world and his girlfriend have always wanted to travel the world on a sailboat. How much do you think it would cost monthly for three teenagers to maintain a lifestyle upon a boat on the ocean. And what kind of job would you need to maintain to be able to live on one but be away from my country for half of the year?

[bluesman64]

@sethterry33 you have some tough questions. be sure to visit the other video in the series on costs - it's not perfect since it focuses on dockside, rather than cruising, but it's a start. cost is very lifestyle dependent, but cruising can be expensive if the unexpected happens. as to jobs, that depends on what you want to do. many areas prohibit foreigners from working, etc. contact me directly and i'll send you some e-materials i put together on this.

[sethterry33]

@bluesman64 That would save me and make everything I am wanting to accomplish on this life long dream of mine. My e-mail is Sethterry33@yahoo.com that might aid in the speedening of our conversations.

Thank you,

-Seth Terry

[TailsBit]

I have a question if someone can answer it, ive been looking around at some sailing classes and what not, i am only 18 and my parents want me out on my own etc etc I am considering learning sailing and living aboard a sailboat of my own am I too young to do this? I really dont want to live an apartment because it just seems to dull and boring. Ive always wanted to live out life navigating the ocean and fishing, am I old enough for this or is there an age limit, since most of them are adults?

[bluesman64]

@TailsBit If you want to live life on the water, you could do that. there is no age limit. My suggestion is to take a job as crew on a cruising vessel - whether a private vessel or a commercial one (you'll learn that way). It is easy to learn to sail, just drop by any marina, but living on your own boat and cruising is expensive to do safely. I wrote the book Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat for the common liveaboard - one tied mostly to the dock.

[TailsBit]

@bluesman64 i think ill be fine i only asked one question.

[zerordie95]

what size boat would you recommend for 2 people? 

[theprofster]

@zerordie95 as you can tell from this video, the liveaboard lifestyle is not one-size-fits-all.and it's not just the length to consider, but just as, or more importantly, the beam-and whether the boat carries its width forward and aft. a 40' sailboat space might be less comfortable than a 30' trawler. Mostly, this preference is resolved by looking at tons of boats before making your decision.

[Madwand1]

Who keeps 17 pairs of skis on a sailboat??? You don't need ONE pair of skis on a sailboat. You can't ski at 6 knots. Who is that idiot?

[MHNBooks]

@Madwand1 - If you walk the piers where there are liveaboards, you'll find many examples of tremendous clutter - including bikes that don't work, pots and pans on deck, etc, etc. Chris was exaggerating a little bit, but clutter and carrying unnecessary items on board is common.

[MrIpodcollector]

what do you do with mail everyone gets mail how do liveaboards get mail.

[arabeea]

@MrIpodcollector They have PO Box's for mail on land. Packages can be picked up at the post office.

[TheLiveaboards]

good thing I already sold everything 3 years ago!

[Charles2337]

I would live on a boat but still have a small apartment... you never know.

[LibertaerUeberAlles]

Not going too big is good advice. But at the very least, you need a storage trailer in the marina...or two, perhaps, because you need a workshop.

[plstrom]

So basicly you need to have a house translates like "base land" and than you can have a boat... :S