Workaboards

[katsailing]

I did this for about a year and a half of our full time cruising days. Though I can't say it was anything near full time work, and not as an employee. I was doing some consulting and helping put some small mergers together. We set up for it with a ready to assemble desk that fit and matched almost perfectly, had a couple file drawers and accommodated an iMac and an HP all-in-one. (Old pic, that iMac bit the dust and was replaced with a new one a couple years ago)

I could also use my laptop at the dinette or on the aft deck, each of which afforded more surface to spread out papers, etc.

I remember being moored out in Boot Key Harbor, I was on a conference call with a couple of business owners and an investment banker. Heard some knocks on the side of the boat and it was a small dinghy flotilla of my buddy bums armed with their afternoon's beer and thermoses. I waved them off, pointing to my cell phone, the spent the rest of the time circling the boat and making faces at me. Talk about when world's collide!

All in all I personally found it very difficult to do real work and cruise, and made the decision early in the first few months to focus on cruising full time. That's what I quit my "real job" to do for a couple years and we wanted to make the most of it. But as we began to stretch that two year plan out a bit, I had to start getting back into it more seriously, partly because the recession hit and I had to get sucked in to help some ventures I had a hand in. I finally had to just dock the boat in Hollywood, FL for three months or so, skipped the islands altogether and just went to the Keys for a two week-ish vacation. I told Ann there was no way I could be a productive member of society while on Island or Conch time.

Angus, if you own the boat outright, the only way you can get a tax deduction is if you charter it. Perhaps you can try to set it up as a business address but everyone I know who has tried to deduct it's expenses like a home office has failed. If you have a note on it, you can quite easily take the mortgage and property tax deduction as a first or second home, it just has to have a galley, heads and sleeping quarters.

So like many things in boating it is a personal thing as to how doable it is, and it is also dependent on what kind of work you do. We had the perfect boat for it, and when we swallowed the anchor, so to speak, lived and worked from it full time quite easily.

The picture of your cabin is beautiful. My husband and I are looking at boats for live aboard.
We started with sailboats, but found Trawlers have more room inside.
Any advice you can give would be most helpful. We are new at this and are currently looking now.
Thanks,
katsailing

 

[Magnawake]

My wife and I work up and down the East Coast at Nuclear power plants. Our 43 MY is the perfect size. Not too big and not too small. We love the sundeck and the outside furniture that we can chill out even when its raining. We work 12 hrs/day mostly night shift so the Hatt is thick and very quite during the day while sleeping at the marina. I did stay in one place for 3 years in NC and was glad I bought a MY. MY's have more room inside room than trawlers, but if I could do long range traveling I would have a single engine trawler. Living in marinas has been great. Deep point marina in Southport, NC has a pool and free laundry. We used to have outdoor jam sessions with local musicians (boaters). Its a great life. Hopefully you can find a livaboard friendly marina and find many other livaboards and have a great time. Most people in our marinas always met on various boats at 5:00pm. Cocktail hour !!