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Old 07-03-2013, 09:05 PM   #1
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Just a Floating Apartment?

I would love to live aboard a big beautiful ocean bound vessel, but then reality sets in. I am committed to a real job and really can't afford said ocean bound vessel. But, I would LOVE to live on the water. Compared to buying and maintaining a fully functioning boat, how much less expensive would it be to buy a boat that can't leave the marina on its own but is otherwise a good looking floating home?

I know that might seem silly, but to be honest, I have plenty of outlets as far as being able to spend time on the water without having to live on a boat. That being said, I can't afford a house that sits on the water and a less than fully functional boat might be a viable option.

Go ahead. Laugh. Make fun of me. Call me funny names, but baby, just call me.
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Old 07-03-2013, 09:42 PM   #2
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Hey, that is pretty much what I bought my boat for. I call it my "floating beach house."
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Old 07-03-2013, 10:04 PM   #3
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I meant FLOATING APARTMENT!

Not floaring apartment. Dang typing.
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Old 07-03-2013, 10:29 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuffy View Post
I meant FLOATING APARTMENT!

Not floaring apartment. Dang typing.
Thought so, fixed it

It's not a new idea, the floating apartment that is. Live aboard slip in your local marina is the real wildcard. Best to visit the local marina and find out that situation right up front to be sure it is feasible.
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Old 07-03-2013, 10:31 PM   #5
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There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a floating condo. There are plenty of affordable boats that are made of wood. Those can usually be had pretty cheap . They are usually fairly large too. Quite a few here on the Texas coast. It'll be hard to buy a boat to that doesn't run at all. It usually will run a little bit. Not that you'd want to take it out. I wouldn't take one out. The bigger problem is there so many complex systems on board. Like air conditioning, ( aka life support system in Texas )electricity ,toilets things like that. It is doable. Check out yachtworld.com
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Old 07-03-2013, 10:38 PM   #6
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If you find a boat that's too beat up you'll have a tough time insuring it. That may become a problem with your marina, which is usually a requirement.
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Old 07-03-2013, 11:18 PM   #7
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So, what is the difference in cost if I buy a boat that can't go out? A little or a lot?
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Old 07-03-2013, 11:30 PM   #8
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A lot. But usually still less than the cost to make it seaworthy.
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Old 07-03-2013, 11:39 PM   #9
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Your Great Loop boat requirements and restrictions

Here is a link to a webpage that talks about cruising the inland waterways of America. It also has some of the best entry level information about picking boats in general and budget thoughts. Although this deals primarily with cruising and not marina living it is still very relevant.
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Old 07-03-2013, 11:42 PM   #10
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So, realistically, what is the difference in cost?
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Old 07-04-2013, 05:26 AM   #11
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Look at houseboats...usually the cheapest for the most interior room.

Many can be had in the $10,000-$20,000 range....inexpensive to keep as they are well suited for Home Depot style maintenance issues.

http://www.boattrader.com/browse/hou...ice.asc/Page-1

sort low to high on price
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Old 07-04-2013, 06:20 AM   #12
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A boat has lots of compromises to simply be a functioning vessel.

Just as its better to drive nails with a hammer than a microscope ,

its far better as suggested to get a houseboat to be a home afloat .

Easier to buy , sell and maintain.

Vastly more room for the size (slip cost) and bucks.

Welcome aboard!
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Old 07-04-2013, 07:38 AM   #13
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Wait till a good storm hits and there will be floating apartments all over the place. You will see them on the news, bobbing around and laying up against a bridge getting beat to peices. Sadly most of those run but the owners didn't even try to prep for the tide or wind. As for price a decent would be under 10k. Hell you can buy a good running floating apartment (ugly boat) for about 15k. Good luck
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Old 07-04-2013, 09:14 AM   #14
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Is a houseboat seaworthy enough for Corpus Christi Bay or the ICW? I never thought of that. I thought a trawler was the best option. I know that I can get a sailboat for a good deal, but a trawler would have so much more space. I guess a houseboat would have a lot of space, but thought they were only for lakes.
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Old 07-04-2013, 09:51 AM   #15
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Houseboats span a fairly wide spectrum of build quality and though I hate the term "seaworthy" as it's more a function of the captain than boat...they also span the spectrum in qualities that make them suitable for use on more open waters.

Many houseboats have survived just fine on intracoastal passages and many do the cruise up and down from the Mid- Atlantic states to Florida and back every year.

While never a great idea...I have seen some in pretty sloppy conditions, shipping water over the bow and right up to the sliding glass doors. They didn't sink but I'm sure the carpet may have gotten wet.

As I said...some have better rougher conditions features...just pick one you think will be suitable for your areas of cruising.
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Old 07-04-2013, 09:53 AM   #16
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Many marinas do not allow house boats, project boats so be aware. Most marines are zoned only to navigable vessels that can arrive and depart under its own power and meet the state requirements. Also marinas do like project run boats.

That being said we bought the Eagle to be a dock condo with no plans to live on it and or leave the dock. The cash flow between a boat ready to use live on and a fixer upper in the total turn around cost is about the same. The cost of owship, mooage insurance normal up keep is about the same and the month finance payments vs the month up grade maintain cost could be about the same.

So don't look at just the initial cost of the boat but also the cost of ownership and total turn around cost.
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Old 07-04-2013, 10:24 AM   #17
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To be honest, I wasn't looking for a boat to put a lot of time and money into. I wondered if it was possible to buy an inexpensive boat that was comfortable to live in but would never actually get underway. Not a fixer upper. A leave it as it is.
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Old 07-04-2013, 10:56 AM   #18
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Corpus Christi bay is almost always to windy to do many things.But there is the R dock where some boats go to die in some cases.There was even a couple of house boats there.One if them was occupied sometimes. You're going to have to set a budget and get out there look around.

Sent from my Galaxy SIII using speech to text.so some words may not be perfect.but it's easier.
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Old 07-04-2013, 10:59 AM   #19
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I meant to add that was the R dock at Corpus Christi city marina. If you live there you know you can't get on the docks themselves. But the afternoon and evening staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Sent from my Galaxy SIII using speech to text.so some words may not be perfect.but it's easier.
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Old 07-04-2013, 11:05 AM   #20
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I can easily see the first time cost. The big unknown is the cost of ownership.

If I bought a fully functioning vessel, the first time cost would obviously be higher. But, would the cost of ownership be higher, even if you don't count the cost of fuel, assuming that I don't go anywhere. If I bought a boat, fully functional or not, is it safe to say that the maintenance of the hull and interior would be the same? If I rarely, if ever, took the boat out, how much maintenance, in addition to the hull, would be required?
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