Hello, I Might Get a Trawler

[indy]

Please heed the advice that you have received from these experienced boaters! It is good counsel and may save you from a potential disaster.

Their advice saved me from buying an 'inexpensive project' boat - a beautiful, teak-deck, wood-hull Grand Banks - a few years ago. Just to get the 'hotel' services operational and to get the propeller to rotate properly would have cost me ~ 8 times the purchase price. My time and treasure would have been lost on a non-reality-based dream. Thanks Forum folks!

Now, back to your resource-limited venture... The overarching reason why you are probably DOOMED is found in this simple statement:

"I definitely won't be fixing anything myself."

BUT, if you can a find a work-around on the not-working thing...

Your best plan of action should begin with the marina that you mentioned earlier. Talk to experienced boaters, mechanics, and the Dock/Harbor Master, then maybe visit a local trawler broker. Then, keep us posted...

 

[rcsomany]

Have you considered a float home?

I don't know what the waterfront environment (marinas, etc) is like where you are (or want to be) located but I can see some advantages to a float home rather than an actual seagoing vessel: no engine(s) or generator to maintain; maintenance more like a house than a boat; easier to get around as we get into our 70s and 80s and beyond cuz it's more like a house; probably more spacious than a boat as its "footprint" is rectangular - no pointy end or tapering toward the stern, no machinery spaces, wheelhouse, flying bridge using up space; no need to learn shiphandling and navigation; a neighbourhood of like-minded people; and so on.
Some links in my neck of the woods that may provide food for thought,..
https://www.facebook.com/gvicharbour/photos/a.206029786106118/7194817733893920/
https://gvha.ca/marinas-facilities/float-homes/
https://realestatecoalharbour.com/victoria-float-homes-for-sale/
I expect there are forums, Facebook groups, or other online resources related to this topic. Good luck with your upcoming sea change of lifestyle.

 

[Action]

Please heed the advice that you have received from these experienced boaters! It is good counsel and may save you from a potential disaster.

.... Then, keep us posted...

OP has not been here in almost a week.
Lives in the Sacramento CA area based on Avatar data. (no hurricanes, ever)
I believe post #19 was his/her farewell speech. After posting for two days.
I am thinking there isn't going to be an update post.

 

[PhilPB]

OP has not been here in almost a week.
I believe post #19 was his/her farewell speech.
I am thinking there isn't going to be an update post.

I was thinking the same thing

 

[rcsomany]

Oops. I didn't read the date of OP's last post.

 

[Andiamo2018]

I'm 50 and while not mechanically inclined, don't intend to leave the marina. It's basically this or the streets�� My half of the equity in our house is not enough for a mobile home. I love the marina though and will do what it takes.

You have lots of options and you will have to balance what you need vs what you can find and afford. A sailboat is probably cheaper for a place to live.

Without liveaboard status you can only stay something like three days a week. Some people get two cheaper boats and go between them. I'd say to google cheap living on a boat in the bay area and see what you find.

 

[Nick14]

OP has not been here in almost a week.
Lives in the Sacramento CA area based on Avatar data. (no hurricanes, ever)
I believe post #19 was his/her farewell speech. After posting for two days.
I am thinking there isn't going to be an update post.

As the Bob Dylan song goes, “A man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.”

 

[BluewaterN47]

You're right, Water Rabbit. This this is NOT the place for you.


Most of us here love our boats because they make us dream of the places they'll take us. Or have taken us.


If you're looking at buying a boat to keep in a marina and never go anywhere, most of us would tell you that's a mistake that will cost you more money than you can possibly imagine. Especially if you are not mechanically inclined and don't know what to do when the water in the bilge starts rising or the windows start leaking or your docklines are chafing in a storm and threatening to set you adrift. Someone like you has no business living aboard a boat!



If what you want is cheap place to live, buying a boat is the worst choice you can make.


If you absolutely MUST have a boat to live on, look for a houseboat on a small lake. But even that is probably more than you want to take on.


Owning of boat of any kind and having zero do-it-yourself skills is a recipe for disaster.


My $.02 worth,


Milt Baker
Former owner of a dozen boats over 50+ years

Still owner of one.
And every one of them has made my heart sing,
Whether crossing the Atlantic to the Mediterranean,

Watching a sunset at anchor in the Caribbean,
Or bashing my way to weather the Molokai Channel in Hawaii.

 

[mdresdner]

Insurance

As a new boat owner with no previous experience, one of the many things you should checkout is insurance. In my quest to buy a trawler 3 years ago, even with some solid boating experience, I had to prepare a boating resume and get some initial professional training to pass muster.

Good luck in your quest.

Michael

 

[Iggy]

We scared White Rabbit off. Oh well...........

 

[PierreR]

We scared White Rabbit off. Oh well...........

I don't think we scared him off as much as seemed far less than helpful to him. By his last response, he felt he was uncovering the path better on his own.

We were taking him down the wrong rabbit hole. I gathered that he came here because he was running into hurtles and was wondering if we could guide him to an easier cheaper path to acquiring a future liveaboard derelict at a good solid marina. In that regard, he felt he was doing better on his own.

I suspect many of them come into existence following similar paths and skill sets.

 

[Action]

He/she has been back here. As recently as today. Just has not posted.

 

[PNK]

Hello I might get a trawler

As the Bob Dylan song goes, “A man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.”

Nick,
Those sentiments are so true, but the lyrics are actually from Paul Simon's song "The Boxer".

Peter

 

[Nick14]

Nick,
Those sentiments are so true, but the lyrics are actually from Paul Simon's song "The Boxer".

Peter

Yes, I remembered that after it was too late to edit my post! The hard drive of what’s left of my brain doesn’t work as well as it used to (maybe it never worked too well…).

 

[PhilPB]

Well, the thread started with "I might get a trawler". I'm just throwing out there that he "Might Not"

 

[Solstice1981]

Keep in mind as you shop. Its all about the maintenance! The cheapest part of owning a boat is the original purchase. Most of us work on our own boats and even with skill take any project and double the time estimate and costs and never try and cut corners on sub par materials buy the best quality possible especially in the stainless department.

Cheers,

Wade Cordy M/V Synergy
Currently cruising the Exhumas

 

[AlaskaProf]

Water Rabbit,
You don't tell us where you're located.

Seems to be in Rohnert Park, an outer suburb north of San Francisco.

 

[Goody]

And don't forget insurance, the boat has to be insurable . This involves something called a survey that is required before the insurance can underwrite your boat. Good luck.

This is excellent advice for you to know. A survey is a 'normal' part of the boating purchase process (it is not required but highly advised) and an upfront cost to you. When we shopped around for our insurance coverage every single underwriter wanted to view a copy of our survey before they would consider a policy. This isn't like buying a car so you can't just call around for a policy of your choosing. The insurers decide if they want to insure you based on the content of the survey and a copy of your license. I have read that some are now requiring a survey every five years.
You might also find getting a live aboard slip a challenge. More and more marina's are doing away with those (our marina has stated as much to us).

 

[Mambo42]

Pity OP left, because I would have almost advised him to go to one of the bi annual boat auctions in his area and buy a sailing vessel for a low price. Since he won't take the boat out to sea no need for sails and maintenance on a sailing vessel is a lot easier (and less) than on a trawler.

 

[dfrischer]

If you have unlimited funds, no problem. Just point and say "fix that". You're done. If not, read on:

When I bought my first boat 40 years ago, someone told me to buy a cheap boat to determine if I like, no love, working on boats. You will have a massively complex machine sitting in the absolutely worst environment and you will spend twice as much time working on the boat as you spend cruising the boat. You'll still need a thick wallet too. I proved to myself that working on my boat was a great source of pleasure so I bought a series of much more expensive boats as this love affair was to continue. I just replaced the raw water pump and heat exchanger on my Grand Banks 36 Classic. It cost over 3K in parts and 3 full days of labor...that's just this month's project. Every bit of maintenance will uncover six other issues needing remediation. You must love it.