A New Legacy for My Family

[Zionbound]

Hello All,

I am approaching my 31st birthday and along with and my wife of 5yrs, one of which included the birth of our beautiful baby girl, Amiah, the discussion of the transition into the live-aboard lifestyle is in full swing. We are both born and bred out of the Pacific Northwest and are very familiar with the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, both by boat and light aircraft. We are looking to providing our young and growing family with the opportunities and challenges that come with living aboard a vessel. We currently reside in Portland, Or and are looking to secure a slip somewhere on the Columbia River, giving us access to our favorite coastal line in the world. This will be our first ever vessel, other than a 14ft Bayliner that lives on a lake near Eatonville, WA at the base of Mt. Rainier. We realize that this decision will institute and incredible life change that cannot be quantified, however, we are eager to start a legacy that will hopefully be passed down for generations. I look forward to any and all advice and help that may be given and received through joining this amazing forum.

Let the education begin,
Zac

[Peter B]

Welcome - lot's to think about. I suggest you trawl, literally, through as many cruising orientated threads as possible using the search function. Many of the questions you just asked there have been discussed in great detail in the past. Some it wil be daunting, most of it very interesting. Live-aboard is not for everyone. Consider carefully.

[Alemao]

Greetings, welcome aboard, here you'll find a lot of friends


Sergio "Alemao" Sztancsa
Sent from my iPhone, using Trawler Forum

[6-Pack]

Welcome and awesome! Good luck!

[siestakey]

Welcome aboard

[Bohans]

my wife and i live with our 9 and 7 year old girls on our 53ft motor boat. We all love it and life close to nature.

One of the key aspects to kids on boats is the closeness of the family which is great and they learn to live closely with others and be respectful of space and how you impact it. As well, our kids spend time doing activities other than watch big screen tv and play computer games all day. We have a tv (several on board) and kids have tablets and technology, it is just the environment they are in means they appreciate doing more active things instead of passive.

we also get off the boat a lot. We live near a surf beach and parks so spend hours in those spots. The boat is small compared to houses but is big enough. More importantly the kids learn to clean up after themselves, put things away and are even starting to help hand me tools when i am fixing things. So door us, boat life creates an environment where we are close as a family and the kids learn important life lessons that many other kids today miss out on.

we have lived aboard for almost 5 years...more to come.

hope you enjoy it to.

[Electro]

Welcome Zac

[Pau Hana]

Welcome, Zac!

Peter B shares some wise words- "Some it will be daunting, most of it very interesting. Live-aboard is not for everyone. Consider carefully." The dream of living aboard is something that many think about, for sure; the realities can either crush or enhance that dream.

We have live aboard for 5 years, and absolutely love the lifestyle. It IS a lifestyle choice, just as is choosing to live in a McMansion or a mid-city apartment. I sized down from a 3000 sq ft house into a 38' Bayliner, and have never felt cramped because of stuff. I've since become engaged, as we moved up into a 52' yachtfisher.

The most important piece of advice I can offer is this- learn to live more with less. Don't be addicted to stuff. Keeping up with the Joneses doesn't matter, because the Joneses don't care.

On the boating side, you're moving into a different class of vessel from the 14' runabout you currently have. Take the time to get some professional skippered training on the vessel you purchase, so you become intimately familiar with the nuances of that vessel. Most insuring companies will want to see either a solid ownership/operational history of the owner (in a like sized vessel) or some skippered training.

The 2nd piece of advice- don't look back years from now and regret things you should have done......

[pilothouse king]

Your at the perfect age to jump in for sure. I recommend to start spending time over on Hayden Island, meeting people who are boaters. Walk the docks, give people a helping hand when you see them unloading cars, etc., around the boathouses. Kayak around, strike up conversations. As long as you don't have a cigarette in your hands, you'll find people very generous with their time, who will invite you on board, and probably take you out for cruises. Us old people like sharing info with the young, especially if accompanied by a cute wife. Your going to have a blast.

[Capt.Bill11]

Start chartering to learn what you really need and want in a boat.

[bayview]

A great time to start and take Bill's suggestion to charter and get lessons.

One word of caution is that the Columbia river bar is well known for extreme conditions so coastal cruising for anyone is something that needs careful evaluation. Hopefully others with more local knowledge will chime in.
A web search for <Columbia river bar> will give some idea what conditions may be like.

The United stated power squadron has a lot of classes and knowledgeable people to learn from

Look here for a local squadron Untitled Document