Boat ,Home and Work

How do you get the best out of all of this ?.If you work, have a home and love your boat.

I live aboard.

My workboat is 3 slips away.

I get 4 months off in the winter to cruise south.

We generally take the boat our every other weekend. I'll spend the "at home" weekend taking care of the yard, cars, and house so nothing gets neglected. Unfortunately and as a professional, I'm always bringing home work but never work on Saturday--I leave Sunday afternoon/evening for reports/paperwork that need to get done. Ah to be retired!

It's always a balancing act.

I work on a 4 weeks overseas, 4 weeks off rotation; so the work part is fixed. Here at work I am 1000 miles from the ocean and limited to surfing TF and looking at boat porn.
After travel time, I have 3 1/2 weeks to divide between home and boat, and I can completely forget about work. Easier than than trying to balance all three.

I've done equal time rotation work for over 30 years now. For me, its the only way.
Two day weekends are far too short.

Although we work long hours in professional jobs, fortunately for us, the boat is only 25 mins. from home. Generally, we leave the city on Friday evening after rush hour and come home Sunday evening. Any work that needs to be addressed on the weekends comes with us to the boat. My stuff gets done early in the morning as I tend to get up a couple hours before my wife. She addresses any work projects while we are underway. One thing that makes this possible is that we live in a condo in the city, so no yard mainenance. Everything is a trade off.

Life is a constant balance, give and take, and so a conviction/plan has to be put in place. What is more important in your present live, and that should be your driving factor. Mine is not boating and/or being a live aboard. The boat and being a live aboard is a tool/means to meet my primary goal and live style. Once you live on a boat you are consider a little odd/strange by most dirt people, so being consider a little more odd/strange is not a big deal.

Originally the Eagle was bought as a Seattle dock condo, we still lived in a house between Seattle and Everett, with children, and we both worked. My wife worked in Seattle and I worked in Everett, but many nights I/we went to Seattle for a number of reason, mainly transition/dinner/dance/drinks/shows/theaters so we decided rather than diving home it would be nice to have a place to crash and what we did in Seattle stayed in Seattle.

As it turns out we bought to big of a boat, worked and stayed on it to much to a point the marina charged us a LAB fee. I asked what is the LAB fee? It’s a Live A board fee. So we became a live a board with out realizing it. The children left home so we sold the house, and bought a condo. However we never moved into the condo. So for 16 years we been a live aboard and use the boat every day. Being a live aboard we have almost dropped off the grid.

It ain't easy! I'm retired so don't have work to contend with, but have the boat, home, and a fishing camp in Cocodrie south of Houma, La. Lately I have been neglecting the camp for the boat and now I find I have a huge list of things I need to do down there. Fortunately the boat is in Houma, on the way from home, so I can keep an eye on it without too much trouble.
There are a couple of other elements which need lots of time and attention, growing Grandkids and ageing Parents

Add kids into this and it gets even harder. Not sure how we do it, or that we do it very well a lot of times. As I was driving home from a work road trip yesterday at 9:45 pm, after I worked until 11:00 pm the night before, I asked myself, I am a workaholic?

Today I took half the day off to go out to a summer day camp where our younger son is an attendee and our older is a counselor. I spent half of Wednesday working on the boat, which is why I worked at my job half the night.

We leave for three weeks in the Bahamas on Wednesday. I'll spend some of our time there working remotely.

Sundays we go to Mass. I try to get a run in every other day or so.

My younger son is a soccer freak, he plays almost every day and has games most Saturdays. My older son (8th Grade) is the 5th ranked 1500 Meter runner in the US. He runs or has practice or a meet every day.

I used to be a fishing guide, but I haven't used my flats boat in four months.

Balanced? God only knows, we just try to get as much of life as we can.

We are an hour away from the boat. I work 5 days a week most of the year and 4 days a week in the summer months. Sometimes I take a day off work and go out like I did Wednesday. Some days we go for a day trip like last Saturday. Sundays are church days with some exceptions.

My kids have somewhat active social lives like most but we made a decision 15 years ago that they choose 1 activity at a time. None of this driving all over the place 5-7 days a week for kid activities for us. We tend to take family time seriously and pick activities we can all participate in.

The decision to own a boat was merely an extension of that attitude for us. Before this there was copious amounts of camping, hiking, beach trips, off road vehicles etc... Finding ways to enjoy these activities debt free has really been key for our strategy. Debt always has a way of dividing our loyalties between work and family time far more than most are willing to admit. When we had debt and I had a choice between working long hours or hanging out with the family I'm now sorry to say work won out every time. Now that debt is a distant memory in our lives, family time will not be traded for any amount of money.

Decide what's important and focus your efforts is our course of action.

Retired. what was the question again?

Yes, debt sucks, but one never seems free of property tax, homeowner assessments, rent, or maintenance. Nevertheless, no debt is a relief.

We live about 20 minutes from the boat.I'm still working and my wife is retired. We go to boat almost every afternoon and hang out for a couple hrs . Sometimes we stay on the boat a week night or two just to break up the work week .I really like that . We spend most weekends on the boat .My wife takes care of everything at home . I'm very fortunate for that . We work on the house projects during the winter and squeeze in some boat projects also . The boat , house and work and grand kids keep us busy but we love it .

Like AusCan, I work away. Week in, week out. Unlike AusCan, I've only done this for a little while. When I am at work, I am at work. When I am at home, I am not at work. This is the greatest and most stress relieving aspect of the arrangement.

I find my family time and boating time are higher quality when I am home. If I take a week off of work, I am away for three weeks. I do this a couple of times a year. I feel semi-retired.

Our boat is only a few minutes away from our house, so we do spend quite a bit of time on it.

But technically my boat sits for nearly 6 months (cummulative) out of the year...

In about a month, my Admiral will be retired from Diplomatic life, and we'll be moving to our canal front home in Longboat Key (Sarasota), FL, where our boat will be in the slip behind our residence (100 ft. from rear door), and once organized, I'll likely be doing my writing and photo work aboard the boat and in the home, depending on what strikes me that day. We'll be 5 min. from the Gulf Coast ICW and 20 minutes from the open Gulf. That's about as good as we could plan it and now that I'm saying it, what more could I ask for besides the health to enjoy it.

I am supposed to be semi-retired and I am semi-actively looking for a boat, but still have kids 5 years from starting college, so DW and I are still doing the work/kid/house/life shuffle and I do wonder where the boat will fit in and how it will upset our current "balance".

I say "supposed to be semi-retired" because I have a small business I am in the process of transferring/selling to a key employee, but the process is going slower and is requiring more of my time than I thought it would.

The most prudent thing for us to do would be to wait until the kids are off to college (and the biz transfer done) and THEN get the boat, but I want to enjoy a little quality kid time away from wifi on a boat before they leave. Plus, I'm not good at waiting.

This boat/work/life balance is always on my mind so this topic is very interesting to me....

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler

We are ditching the house. Work- Travel now anyhow.

For us it was making a decision that quality of life was more important than daily routine.

We also have kids to add to equation.

cardude01 said:

I am supposed to be semi-retired...

The most prudent thing for us to do would be to wait until the kids are off to college (and the biz transfer done) and THEN get the boat, but I want to enjoy a little quality kid time away from wifi on a boat before they leave. Plus, I'm not good at waiting.

This boat/work/life balance is always on my mind so this topic is very interesting to me....

Click to expand...

Don`t wait any longer than you have to.
My thought:if within reason, you can afford the time and money for what you want, do it. Now.
I`ve been talking to a friend. He survived prostate cancer 2 years ago. His father just died, four weeks post cancer diagnosis.
What`s around the corner for any of us? If you can make it work, go get the boat, for you and your family, and enjoy.

Life gets complicated. Lou is retired. I am semi-retired as my son runs the day to day of our company. I still sit on several boards and commissions. We have a town house in Chattanooga, a home in Cartersville, and a mountain cabin. We were both widowed. She after 40 years and me after 44. We each have disabled sons that we have bought condos for. They live independently, but do take a lot of attention. Because of that we will never be foot loose and live aboards.

We also have 4 grand children between us that are joys in our lives. We are fortunate that her two grand daughters and my two grand sons just love getting together and going with us on trips. They keep us busy going to their plays, football games, and any other thing they are involved in. We are so fortunate to have them.

I have found that life is what you make of it. "Things don't always turn out for the best, but life is best for those who make the best of the way things turn out". I think that is a paraphrase of John Wooden, and I believe it to be so true.

I am passed three score and ten, and slowing down in work a little. It was like a slap in the face when I had to take mandatory IRA withdrawals. But I'm not retired I said. Doesn't matter the accountant said.

I'm still busy, and it keeps me out of trouble. Although, you guys may not see it that way.

We feel blessed to have our lives. It's been a good ride.

cardude01 said:

The most prudent thing for us to do would be to wait until the kids are off to college (and the biz transfer done) and THEN get the boat, but I want to enjoy a little quality kid time away from wifi on a boat before they leave. Plus, I'm not good at waiting.

Click to expand...

1. Valuation Theorem: Time>Money

You're going to die and so am I. I don't know when and neither do you. Using this thinking we got our boat "early" or earlier than expected.

2. Car Payment Theorem: Car payment analogy - is it equivalent to a nice car (payment)? Then it can be done.

3. Learning Theorem : Boat is a lab to build your skills on. You get better, know more, waste less $.

4. Worst Case Scenario Theorem: If you had to sell right after you bought - would any money lost be manageable?

For me personally, my story is this - my dad died when I was 14. Suddenly and without warning. He taught me the love of the water and cruising. Whenever I am scared to make the big decision, I remember this, and on the day I die, there will be nothing I can do about it. If I can give a few useful, loving memories to my kids, it's worth it. I don't need the largest boat in the marina to do that.

Good luck with whatever you do.

I doubt very much that any of us will be in the twilight of our lives and have the thought - " I wish I had spent more time at work"

As far as trawler owners go I think I may be at the younger end of the spectrum. I had a very senior union job in the film industry which I nervously left behind to start my own business. Believe me I'm not complaining, but business has been fantastic, so much so that I haven't been out on our GB for a year now except for our yact club sail-past.
I'm sitting on the fence about deciding if I should keep our baby and hope that I eventually get on top of the business or to put her up for sale. It's breaking my heart but as I'm learning, running your own business takes total commitment. I thought I had the whole work/live balance thing worked out...apparently I was wrong.

Boydster, I can relate to that.

I took a "break" from my normal line of work (oil & gas) and started my own business a few years back. I loved it, but I worked far too many hours and had little time for anything else. In the end I decided that my goals wer't going to be achieved down that road.

I now have a manager & extra staff running that business. It is just breaking even with the extra costs, but I am back at my old gig making decent money. My oil & gas job isn't as rewarding, but the free time certainly is.
Everyone has different circumstances as they progress through life. Occasionally stopping to define your priorities certainly helps.

High octane work can be as much fun or more so than low octane cruising. Total retirement and having the ability to just cruise isn't for everyone. It may surprise even some here that are dreaming of that day.

If a nice balance can be struck...the best of both worlds is great.

You see a lot of boats for sale by widows.

Having a boat not the best financial decision, but time more valuable than money. My dad died at 51. I think another 5 years would have been pretty valuable.

Our house is a condo so little maintenance. Neither of us is much for bringing work home, it's always still there on Monday! The boat is about 100 miles away and usually we leave Friday right after work, even though there'd be less traffic if we waited. Once we're there it's like another world. More often than not we head off to anchor out. No kids or pets so that makes it simpler to take off. Can't imagine not having that weekend retreat.

I think everyone knows the answer to that question. You can't have everything you want. Even if your a rich man, you have to give something up at some point. Unless you dont have to work, and even then , something has to give. My advice is do the best you can. As someone here mentioned, we all die. At some point your going to regret waiting to do the things that you love. I have friends that are always waiting,putting things off, as if they are going to live forever. My father is 80 years old and he still puts things off, as if he will be around 100 years from now. I just dont get it , or understand that type of thinking. I know I am very impulsive. In fact I recently purchased a Trawler project that most men would cringe over. I dont see it that way. Even if I never get it right, or make it look the way most people should think it should look, I always see the inner beauty of what it is, and what I can do with it. For me its therapy, nothing more nothing less.II also have the added luxury to have my boat in my back yard, that goes a long way, and Im also self employed. So I planned my life for this, and will NEVER work for someone else again, EVER!!! good luck

I felt like I was basically "retired" at age 12 - i.e. 6th grade.

That's when I established my first for profit business... Many friends in grade school delivered daily news papers on LI, NY... at $6 +/- per week income. I am naturally mechanically inclined (learned a lot of it on boats with dad when I was very young - cutten me teeth!) and quickly understood that my friends delivery bicycles needed repairs and maintenance. So, I set up shop! My weekly income was 3 X theirs - working in our home's garage on my own hours! From that point I've always created my own businesses and do not plan to stop doing so till day I die! Seeing as I'm laser focused to hit 110 means I've decades of biz-fun to come. "Retirement", per say, is neither what I seek nor what will I accept - next business success thrill is what I want! Only debt we carry is for write off purposes. My admiral works 4 days a week and confabs with me on my agendas. Yeah we've had more money previously than right at this moment, and, we plan to have much more again. It’s the chase of creation and the success it can bring that keeps us young! That success is not always counted only in dollars. "Give and ye shall receive!"

We like our boats, home, beach house, classic car/truck as well as other toys, and, we love our 4 grand kids, our own kids, Nana Ruth and other family members. We also enjoy the heck out of our friends!

If I die tomorrow I'm very satisfied with the ride I've experienced... if I make it to 110 (or anywhere near) - - > All I Can Say Is - WOW - Just think what could happen in life by then!!

I wish all people great/rewarding lives!

Get It On! Forgive, Build, Enjoy!

Get rid of all the excess stuff, define needs vs. wants, rent the house and live on your boat. You get the income from the home and the expenses become a write-off. You always have a place to move back to. The key is to redefining what you need.

This is a tough one, the old time Vs money, Vs family life equation.

It appears that I'm like a couple of others here. I work in the oil industry at a remote facility on Alaska's North Slope (Prudhoe bay)

The great thing about this is the schedule. I work a two week on two week off shift 12 hours a day. When I'm off shift I do not even think about work. This provides a fair wage, plus if you think about it, with vacation time I get 10 two week vacvations, and 1 six week vacation a year.

During my off shift I run a wholesale electrical parts business that I started about 10 years ago. While I am at work the admrial answers the phone and takes care of many of the business functions.

Running the business requires time, something I wish I had more of. I sometimes envy my co-workers that go home and lounge around during their off shifts. They on the other hand look at the photo of my boat (on my computers wallpaper) and in turn wish they had the finances to buy things like a 50' boat.

It is a trade off, time vs money. I have chosen the money side of that equation and pay for it with my time. I do not know if I'm happier but it is my chosen path. I have two good incomes and all that comes from that. Right now, on a beautiful sunny day, sitting at my desk at home, taking care of business I wish I had more time.

But Alas, wages at my craft are good, but not good enough to buy the things I want out of life, so the quandry continues.