Live aboard @ middle-age

Hi everyone!

I wanted some feedback , reality check, or any advice.

My story is simple. I'm 47 and my fiance is 51. We are getting married in April. We only have one grown child between us. We have a new house, pets etc. But we're tired of the "rat race" . We had been looking at tiny houses for the last 2 yeas, but a few weeks ago we both discovered we have dreamed of living on a boat full- time, but were always told it wasn't realistic . So two crazy people have started putting a plan together.

So are we crazy at our age taking a chance no matter what people say?

We are looking at 44ft Trawlers under $60,000...is this reasonable?

Anyone in there 40's / 50's that are still working and took the leap? Any regrets?

Thanks in advance for the response!

No, it's not reasonable. There are boats you could have in that price range, but they would be immensely labor intensive and it doesn't sound like you have the experience you would need to take on that kind of a project.

By the time you could live aboard you would have easily doubled your purchase price in repairs, upgrades, and renovations. This is assuming that you want to live aboard a boat that can actually be used as a boat rather than a floating house...

Not wanting to rain on your parade, but...

What's the goal with living aboard? Will you be using the boat as a condo, or actually going boating? What kind of boating...cruising for months or years, or weekend hops to nearby harbors? Will either of you be working?

At your ages living aboard is not the issue. I have good friends (both in their late 50s) that purchased a 53 Hatteras last year and live aboard and are thrilled with their decision. That being said, I think you'll probably need to triple your budget to find a 44' seaworthy boat in reasonable condition that you would want to live aboard. I wish you success in following the dream.

AKDoug is right. Living aboard sounds very romantic, but the reality can be quite different than what you imagined. After the boat, you must determine where it will be kept and under what conditions. For example, at my marina we have several live aboards. The walking distance out to the boats is considerable and you get the full experience of hot Summers and cold Winters along with rain and snow. Taking out groceries when its cold and rainy ain't fun. Where will you take showers? If on the boat the marina may shut off the water in the winter. What about pump-outs? In cold weather many boats have considerable condensation and that can be unpleasant. How will you heat the boat? At some marinas electricity can go out frequently. Are the docks floating or fixed? Fixed docks can sometimes make it tough to board your boat depending on the state of tide.

All of these thoughts are things to consider. There are many great experiences to be had living aboard, you just need to know it isn't always all roses. I have cruised aboard a boat for almost a year - but down in the Caribbean. And it was great. But I did not have put up with a cold winter.

Go visit marinas and find live aboards to talk to and then you can have some factual information to think about.

Good luck.

There are quite a few people who are live boards on here, and heavy cruisers, so you are getting good info. We don't, but spend about 100 nights per year aboard. Personally, that is plenty for me, and after a few nights on the boat I am ready to go home. Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean, but I also like getting off the boat. You may want to spend some time on a boat, rent one, etc. There is always a honeymoon period, but longer term can be a different story.

I see nothing about boating in your post, only you want to live aboard a boat. To me, you do that if you love the water, want to boat, and don't want the double expense of a house/apartment and a boat. The cheapest apartment in town is nicer to live in than the boat you'd buy in your price range.

Living aboard thinking you are going to have this Jimmy Buffet life and it will be relaxing and cheap.....is up to you.


The vast majority of people I know that have talked about it...then actually dug deeper and saw what most of us liveaboards really live like...they change their minds.


If you don't know anyone that actually has done it in a similar circumstance that you see yourself in...then all the advice in the world still has to be fine toothed by someone familiar with what your plan/goal is.


Generic liveaboard advice is just that....unless it applies in your case...it is valuable but not necessarily gospel.


Heck there are people that come on here thinking it will be great, then find out they cant liveaboard anywhere close to their chosen place and give the higher priority to location than lifestyle.


So prioritizing many important things to you comes first...then the matching up of where, when, what boat, finances, etc..etc...


Without knowing a lot of this....its hard to even start for me...I am better at answering specific questions.


Boat size can be pretty wide open depending on where you will spend most of the time geographically. The boat can be much smaller if you live where it is mild temperatures as you can spend more time outside.


You can get a pretty decent houseboat in the 40 foot range for around $60,000...but decent trawlers over 40 feet and around $60,000 are going to be pretty rare. If you hold out, you can be happily surprised...but a lot of time, travel and frustration will happen looking for the bargains. If you are willing to be a slave working on her and have the skills...different story.

Greetings,
Well, it needs to be said....Welcome aboard!

Living aboard at midle age, yes of course you can do it. Several prople I know are middle aged and live aboard.

Living aboard with a $60,000 budget is going to be problematic.

The boats going to be a problem.
Finding a liveaboard slip for a budget boat might be a problem.

Well, I mostly agree with the foregoing, but let me relate my buddy's story:

At the age of 65, seven years ago he bought a rather neglected but sound CHB 45 for 2/3 of the budget the OP is looking at. He has cruised and lived aboard full time ever since. In the last seven years he has probably cruised 5-10,000 miles and only stayed at a marina during the 4 winter months.

When he isn't at a marina which is 2/3 the time, his boating expenses (ex maintenance) are very low- maybe a few hundred a month for fuel, and no docking expense. When he is at a marina he pays $300-400 per month in addition. He stays at family run marinas in out of the way places during the winter.

Maintenance cost is up and down. Unfortunately his idea is if a system fails, then do without it. This means that the genset doesn't work, one of the two reverse cycle A/C units is junk, etc., etc. So he has had no large maintenance expenses as a result. I am guessing that his yearly outlay for maintenance and minor upgrades is $2,000 dollars a year.

If he had kept the systems in good shape and replaced those that had failed, his maintanance cost would be $3,000 per year more.

So, extrapolating these figures to what I suspect is the OP's situation: full time living aboard at a marina near a big city, this is what I get.

Maintenance- $5,000 per year
Marina (big city), $15/ft/mo- $8,000
Insurance- $2,000
Property tax (if required)- $500-1,000
Opportunity cost and depreciation of $60,000 purchase cost- $5,000

So the total costs would be near $20,000 a year. You can buy a decent house and live for that much. And houses don't (usually) depreciate like boats.

But I must disagree with some of the lifestyle observations above. Living aboard, even at a marina full time is nice. A 45' trawler is big enough not to feel constrained. You probably have a swimming pool close by. The view can be gorgeous. Your neighbors are usually really nice people. You live in a unique community. Sit out in your cockpit or fly bridge with a beer/rum punch or whatever in hand and forget about the world. It can be a Jimmy Buffet experience. I have done it myself.

David

When my wife and I started searching for a Trawler a few years ago, we were both still working full time and thought that we were ready to buy. We found a boat that I thought was a deal and was very excited at the prospect of getting her "ship-shape". We asked a friend who owns a 30+-year-old Hatteras to come and look her over before we made a deposit and asked for a surveyor to do their thing. Our friend looked over the boat and smiled and asked many questions and eventually sat in the galley with us and said (I'll never forget this), "you need just two things to make a dream come true," "time and money," "and plenty of both." My wife and I took that advice and waited a few more years before we took the plunge. It took us a few years longer to start our adventure, but the advice was sound and realistic. That is a long way around to answering the $60,000 question.

Welcome to the forum! There are lots of things to consider when living aboard. To help with suggestions, tell us where (approximately), the comfort level you need, and describe how large your place is now. Size matters!

Ted

We been a live aboard for 21 years, we boat the boat in 1995, at 47 years old. My advise is to let her have a majority say and the final say. The marine, slip/dock and the area/climate are more important than the boat. Also made sure your child and spouse can get on/off the boat with one hand and every day clothing. Living aboard usually is more expensive and difficult. Most boats are not live aboard ready, but a lot depends on the above mention.

Additional information would be helpful. Bottom line is yes it can be done, but don't force it.

Age has little to do with it...

At our marina, most of the live aboard boaters work full time jobs. Most of the couples both work. Not any different than the rest of society. There is little cost difference for us to living aboard as opposed to living on land. Both a house and boat need to be fixed up. And most of your other expenses are the same as they are now now.

There are a lot of people that say your have to have this kind of boat or that kind of boat. It is nonsense. There are live aboard couples at my marina in a Westsail 32 foot sailboat. Been living on that boat for over 10 years (3 different Westsail 32 live aboards). There is also a live aboard couple in a 57 foot trawler. AND everything in between.

We live in a wet cool climate here in W. Washington. This week I got my first gripe from my wife about how wet the 150 yard walk to the boat was from her car after work, in the dark, while blowing a steady 30 knots of horizontal rain... I think the gripe was mostly because it trashed her second umbrella this winter from the wind...

We bought a fixer upper that was in overall great shape. It took me about a year to get it all put together in order for my wife and I (middle aged couple with a dog) to move aboard full time. We spent around 115K all fixed up for a 1986 41 foot sundeck trawler. That includes all the purchase, taxes and fixing up. All the work done by me... So, sure you can purchase a less than perfect boat and do the work yourself. Here in the PNW, a 40 ft, fixer upper will run you about 80-100K. Then, you will have to do your own sweat equity to bring the boat up to being a nice live aboard. OR you could purchase the same vessel already in great shape and pay 135K-200K. your choice. But the more expense vessel will still need to be maintained the same as the one that was less money..

As has been said here already, make sure your spouse is where she wants to be (marina, distance to the boat, kind of boat, comfortable walking with groceries in the rain). In a boat with the amenities she wants (shower, large fridge, etc). With the power available to run a hair dryer and heater (or air conditioner), battery charger and hot water heater at the same time...

Best thing I could suggest is to start walking marinas and going to boat shows to get an idea of what you like and don't like. Then rent that type of boat for a weekend or a week. Worst case is you have a nice vacation and choose to not get a boat. Best case (in my mind) is that you end up with a nice boat and the adventure starts..

djmarchand said:

Well, I mostly agree with the foregoing, but let me relate my buddy's story:

At the age of 65, seven years ago he bought a rather neglected but sound CHB 45 for 2/3 of the budget the OP is looking at. He has cruised and lived aboard full time ever since. In the last seven years he has probably cruised 5-10,000 miles and only stayed at a marina during the 4 winter months.

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The difference is that the OP and his wife are going to be working. That is a huge difference! It limits where you can practically keep your boat. It usually means needing to be tied to land in some way. It also means less flexibility. Regardless of weather you still have to leave the dock and get to work.

Living aboard as a worker bee and cruising full-time as a retired person seem to me to be two entirely different things. Of course there are always those fortunate few who can work WHILE cruising full time but that is entirely different.

My $0.02 starting with a lower budget without having done it before is a hell of a lot better idea than plunking down a buck twenty five and not liking it.

Plan for 50% purchase price in maintenance first year tho :O

Our house is worth at least 4 times our boat value. The boat easily costs 3 times as much to own on an annual basis. Both are paid for. The house is appreciating, the boat depreciating.

I'll leave the rationale to you seashar

kev_rm said:

My $0.02 starting with a lower budget without having done it before is a hell of a lot better idea than plunking down a buck twenty five and not liking it.Plan :O

Click to expand...

Agree, that may be a good plan.

It is common to hear about people who get in to boating, whether its for the weekend, or to live aboard, and end up not liking it and pull the rip cord within a year or two.

I think most people who are all in, have some type of water background dating back to when they were younger whether its on boats, a kayak, surfing, whatever. I know, there are plenty of exceptions, its just a generalization based on my observations.

But, you don't know until you try.

OP, I am not trying to dissuade you - keep doing your due diligence, and if makes sense economically, logistically, etc., then go for it!

Thread is 6 hours old and 20 replies.

Welcome to the OP and goodonya for having the good sense to start a thread like this in January! The rest of you need to take your boat out and have some fun

Thank you for your advice!

You should try and come to Ft Pierce City Marina in Ft Pierce, FL .....

Feb 2-5 to a regional gathering of trawler forum members.

Learn more in a day than you will in months of Internet or dock surfing.

Check out this thread,....before you get worried....some members may be medicated and in straight jackets for the duration of the event by request of the locals.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s27/tf-southeast-florida-gathering-27622-11.html

Middle age is not the problem. I moved aboard full time at 64 still working full time. Well, more than full time. Attitude and expectations are the problem.

I agree with the others that $60K is on the low end and you are likely to be buying a project. You will be living in 200 - 300 sq ft. Much of it taken up by tools and materials. It's what I'm doing as a single old guy. I can't imagine a couple living in this chaos. I think the end will be worth the journey. Living aboard is not for everyone. But when it fits it really fits. I"m happier on the water, even a dock queen, than on land. I just can't get away from boats and water.

You did say you are tired of the rat race. There is more than one way to beat that, downsizing and simplifying is one.

You don't say where you are located. In my area, Seattle, finding liveaboard moorage is much more of a challenge than finding the right boat.

We've been aboard full time almost 2 years now. We're both 27. We paid 23,000 for our boat but have poured our souls into her. And many a paycheck. We do all the work. It is very different to the houses we used to rent. However, watching the sun rise and set every day over the water, anchoring out, and all the fishing and diving trips make it great. I think Davids post on page 1 was well rounded.

Go boating, spend an overnight or two with friends, understand that this is not a financially smart decision, and take your time on your way down this rabbit hole. We took a year to find our boat.

Good luck

Welcome onboard!
Lot of comments on this, few are encouraging maybe to be realistic I do not know.
One question for you. Would you be able to do almost anything on your boat by yourself? I mean, if you are capable, the most important, cost wise, is a good engine and a good hull, everything else, if done by yourself, will not incur dramatic cost. On the other hand if your are not, and need to pay for everything to be done forget about it. After my first boating year I can say that a boat is the same as taking a house, put an engine in it and all this on the water. So you will have same maintenance as a house, plus a car, plus the water effect. Not that it is not doable, but if you need to pay someone to do every maintenance it will cost you a lot. If you are able to do it by yourself (in the right way), fine.
So in summary, if you are able to learn, manage mechanic, plumbing, electricity, fiberglass, paint, wood working, problem solving and anything else you are fine, but do not imagine it will just be the good life. Some wonderful moment, but sometime you will be desperate, just need to know your limit and what you like to do.

djmarchand said:

Well, I mostly agree with the foregoing, but let me relate my buddy's story:

At the age of 65, seven years ago he bought a rather neglected but sound CHB 45 for 2/3 of the budget the OP is looking at. He has cruised and lived aboard full time ever since. In the last seven years he has probably cruised 5-10,000 miles and only stayed at a marina during the 4 winter months.

When he isn't at a marina which is 2/3 the time, his boating expenses (ex maintenance) are very low- maybe a few hundred a month for fuel, and no docking expense. When he is at a marina he pays $300-400 per month in addition. He stays at family run marinas in out of the way places during the winter.

Maintenance cost is up and down. Unfortunately his idea is if a system fails, then do without it. This means that the genset doesn't work, one of the two reverse cycle A/C units is junk, etc., etc. So he has had no large maintenance expenses as a result. I am guessing that his yearly outlay for maintenance and minor upgrades is $2,000 dollars a year.

If he had kept the systems in good shape and replaced those that had failed, his maintanance cost would be $3,000 per year more.

So, extrapolating these figures to what I suspect is the OP's situation: full time living aboard at a marina near a big city, this is what I get.

Maintenance- $5,000 per year
Marina (big city), $15/ft/mo- $8,000
Insurance- $2,000
Property tax (if required)- $500-1,000
Opportunity cost and depreciation of $60,000 purchase cost- $5,000

So the total costs would be near $20,000 a year. You can buy a decent house and live for that much. And houses don't (usually) depreciate like boats.

But I must disagree with some of the lifestyle observations above. Living aboard, even at a marina full time is nice. A 45' trawler is big enough not to feel constrained. You probably have a swimming pool close by. The view can be gorgeous. Your neighbors are usually really nice people. You live in a unique community. Sit out in your cockpit or fly bridge with a beer/rum punch or whatever in hand and forget about the world. It can be a Jimmy Buffet experience. I have done it myself.

David

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David,

Good post about the costs. But if you look at a modest waterfront house instead, the numbers really aren't much different.

Maintenance $2000
Taxes $6000
Insurance $2500
Utilities $2400
Opportunity $15000 (3% on $500K modest waterfront house)

The opportunity cost or depreciation is a personal thing and one can throw any dollar amount in there..... could be the interest paid on a loan.

Now, house will appreciate, boat unlikely.

So, costs really aren't much different, perhaps cheaper on the boat. Now one could live off the water and cut the cost about in half, but being on the water is what it's about.

The huge advantage of life on the boat is that it's mobile.... and you can change the scenery. The huge disadvantage is that is a much smaller space to live, so takes some getting use to.

I have a number of friends that are live a boards, some single, some married. Some work from their boat, but most don't and the majority are retired. One guy works from his boat and travels, but has a house to come back to for about 4 months a year. A few have small houses or condos.

Lots of choices. Full time on a boat is not for me. Too limiting, but like the idea of extended travel with a boat, even park it along the path (like the loop) and come home for some time.

Now, when you have both the house and the boat, the cost does go up a bit.

As for maintenance, you pay for maintenance no matter what. If you do it yourself, you pay in time, or you pay the mechanic. I could argue to get good at the regular service items and little things and hire the major stuff out. One can probably do the little things faster than hiring it out once you've done it over and over again.

Overall, all my live aboard friends like it. Hear very few complaints.

For the OP, I say go for it, and take the advise from folks here that are currently doing it for ideals on how to make it work great.

My 35-foot boat's expenses (professionally maintained) are more than my two-bedroom condo's (also professionally maintained) despite being in an extremely high-housing-cost area. Also, the condo has much more living and storage space.

First Things First

You've gotten a lot of good advice, but to find out if living aboard is even a realistic option for you, I suggest you charter a boat for a week in the size range you're considering. It won't give you all the answers, but you'll know a lot more than you do now. Lots of people start by dreaming about boating and gloss over the realities. We're not full-time live-aboards and probably never will be, but we do plan to spend extended periods cruising. For us, no amount of reading about others' experience or talking to folks about trawler-style boats could substitute for the reality of being on one for several days. At the end of our charter, we knew that the boat that looked so good on paper--and in our dreams--was not what we wanted and we totally redirected our search.

My girlfriend and I are doing exactly what your plan is. We found a 41' Trawler under $60K, modified it for year round living with better storage in empty locations, insulation, diesel fireplace, hardtop, etc... The boat location and Marina are key to a success story. We have a great full service marina and live in a quaint seaside town in southern CT. We both work and love coming home every night on the water.


As others have said, where are you living and what is your boating experience and comfort zone ? In the spring, summer and fall we go out every weekend, xmas parades are great family fun in the winter.
Water supply , pump outs, snow are all details that can be worked out.
Never regret doing it.

Just remember...much like small businesses.....only a small percentage succeed.

The people who thought about it and forgot about it or tried and gave it up quickly....aren't here to tell you about it.

It takes a certain personality that is tempered by climate, finances and adventuresome spirit...and don't think the spirit thing conquers all for everyone....

Not saying that it isn't great...on my 3rd liveaboard in my travels....but remember there is at least one thorn for every rose petal and that balance can change fast.