What would be your "apocalypse boat"?

What would be your "apocalypse boat"?

Just for fun [emoji16], let's say we had some sort of apocalyptic-type event (zombie, geo political, whatever) that required drastic action. For boaters like us, it seems like leaving land and trying to survive at sea could be a reasonable (but still difficult) way of attempting to survive such an event, if we had the right boat.

But what would make a good zombie boat? Most of our current boats would not make it obviously since most are coastal cruisers without the range or heavy construction, water makers or robust solar, etc. Some here have blue water boats with huge fuel tanks, but they are diesel-only powered which would eventually be a problem if fuel is scarce.

I think would pick a motorsailer-type boat, with a simple non-electronic main, huge tanks for diesel and water, and a big enough sail plan to move it well enough without the engine. No fancy stabilizers needed that would be hard to repair in zombie land. Mainly use the diesel fuel for making water and charging batteries when needed. Probably a steel boat that could be worked on in all countries, and have a welding machine on board. Bilge keels would be nice so I could do repairs at low tide when in the right spot.


Disclaimer-- I watched World War Z last night [emoji41]

Greetings,
Mr. 01. Probably a clipper...

Forget the boat. Get a submarine. See the 1959 film "On the Beach".

I like the way y'all think!

The bottle of whiskey is probably the best bet. [emoji23]

Motor sailor, lots of batteries, solar and wind charging, big tanks, built proof (literally) construction, short wave radio, very large wine storage, water makers, dive compressor, hookah rig, large holding plate freezers, large hard drive movie/TV storage, built in gasoline storage tank, security cameras, ability to ground the boat on its own keels for service, Vulcan mini gun, flame thrower, jacuzzi, stripper pole, etc., etc.

Ok Bill, I'm calling you when the crap hits the fan.

cardude01 said:

Ok Bill, I'm calling you when the crap hits the fan.

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Just bring the strippers!

Wifey B: Home with friends and family. Best if you think one is coming, become a farmer. I don't want to be safely out to sea while others are back in our home area suffering. I really don't think about those things as if it really goes that bad, there are no winners. It's like bomb shelters. Do you spend the rest of your life in one? Do you emerge to see all the death and destruction? There's no good in any of it. If everyone else on the planet is wiped out, I don't have any great desire to be the one survivor.

For me it would be this:



or this in case no more diesel



Seaworthy, spacious, I would be able to add a machine gun turret on the bow just in case.

And yes I love Nordhavn, I lov'em I lov'em I lov'em

If the bomb is coming, drop it on me so I can stand outside and watch it.

I don't want to limp away from this mess.

Just something to push pole across my pond and check the trot line, maybe gig a couple frogs with.

The tale of Chicken Little isn't well enough known today. (Henny Penny in some parts of the world).

My father use to talk of times in the early 60's when everyone thought the end was near. From building bomb shelters in their basements to hoarding. He had one client who decided the banking system would collapse again and we'd have another great depression so kept all he had in the form of silver in his large safe in his home. He was convinced when it happened, that would somehow save him. My father told him it would take him a wheelbarrow load of silver to go buy some food, that if he really thought the collapse was coming, then he should become a farmer as they'd be the only ones prepared.

There are businesses that operated on those beliefs. Sewell Avery of Montgomery Ward believed the collapse was coming so he stopped opening new stores. He wouldn't even pay for painting the existing ones. His fantasy was that when the depression came, he'd have cash and buy all the others, especially Sears. Needless to say that didn't work out and it was several years and litigation and government involvement before he was removed from running the company.

People can get so focused on preparing for the worst, that they lose sight of the present and reality. It's so easy today, looking around the world, to fear collapse or doom or terrorism or war worldwide. While i do believe in prudent planning, I don't plan for the worst. I realized long ago, being a pessimist was a losing cause. My wife, the eternal optimist, sure helps there.

If I was going to obsess over hurricanes, I couldn't live where I do. The same way, I'm careful not to obsess over the possible worst outcomes for the world.

What would be your "apocalypse boat"?

It's just a silly thought experiment. Sheesh.

But I agree, it's obviously not a good idea to always plan for the worst. That's a terrible way to live.

Now for those who have ocean capable boats, wouldn't you hop on that sucker and take off if things got weird? And if so, where would you go?

I've heard suicide is painless.

I submit this "poor man's" apocalypse escape vessel. Big enough to live on. Steel so can be repaired anywhere. Big water tanks. Decent size fuel tank. Big enough to live on. Plenty of room on the bow for Captain Bill's Vulcan Mini gun. Mizzenmast can be used for the stripper pole.

Has an engine I've never heard of however...

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1985/De-Vries-Motorsailer-50-2964153/FL/United-States#.WEAnHoZOKEc

markpierce said:

I've heard suicide is painless.

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But it brings on many changes...

cardude01 said:

It's just a silly thought experiment. Sheesh.

But I agree, it's obviously not a good idea to always plan for the worst. That's a terrible way to live.

Now for those who have ocean capable boats, wouldn't you hop on that sucker and take off if things got weird? And if so, where would you go?

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I wouldn't. We have too many people on land we're too close to. We'd all get together and party as long as we could. I just couldn't sail off and leave them. If I had a boat capable of taking them all, it might be different. Just something about it seems like running and I have no problem with running for myself, but running from my friends, I couldn't.

It's the same thing that keeps us from moving to an island off Panama or Belize or in the Bahamas. Maybe it's a bit like the captain going down with the ship kind of feeling.

Now if for some reason, I was forced to leave the country, where would I go, I'll try to answer that, since that's a consideration many are currently tossing around. I think probably an island in the Bahamas. Or somewhere in the Caribbean would be fine. Perhaps St. Maarten as surely whatever it is I'm safe with the Dutch.

Greetings,
Mr. 01. Hold it now, I thought this was a zombie thread. Bombs, totally different circumstances....

Sail power with electric drive, wind and solar out the wazoo. hand pumped water maker with a go-zillion spare membranes. LOTS of fishing gear. Diesel and gas go bad pretty quickly. then you just have an extra mooring block.

Maybe re-fit a lightship? they were made to just sit out there in the snot for long periods. if there's nowhere to go, why not just anchor up or drift around the sargasso sea?

high test booze is a must, as well as dive gear.

and dirt and paper for trading

Gabe n Em said:

and dirt and paper for trading

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Dry land is a myth

This one would be nice:



But this one would be better

In California, earthquakes have the potential to force the need for alternate shelter. In that case, I would be on my boat, where we can be self-sufficient for several weeks.

Since EMP is at least a conceivable threat, I have considered buying extra ECM's for my gensets and main engines.

If things got to where we didn't feel secure in our slip, I think we would head out to an island for a while, but I can't imagine just roaming the open ocean.

What would be your "apocalypse boat"?

BandB said:

I wouldn't. We have too many people on land we're too close to. We'd all get together and party as long as we could. I just couldn't sail off and leave them. If I had a boat capable of taking them all, it might be different. Just something about it seems like running and I have no problem with running for myself, but running from my friends, I couldn't.



It's the same thing that keeps us from moving to an island off Panama or Belize or in the Bahamas. Maybe it's a bit like the captain going down with the ship kind of feeling.



Now if for some reason, I was forced to leave the country, where would I go, I'll try to answer that, since that's a consideration many are currently tossing around. I think probably an island in the Bahamas. Or somewhere in the Caribbean would be fine. Perhaps St. Maarten as surely whatever it is I'm safe with the Dutch.

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Many are considering leaving the US?

Why are the Dutch safe? I've been to St Martin, but I don't know much the Dutch.

MYTraveler said:

In California, earthquakes have the potential to force the need for alternate shelter. In that case, I would be on my boat, where we can be self-sufficient for several weeks.

Since EMP is at least a conceivable threat, I have considered buying extra ECM's for my gensets and main engines.

If things got to where we didn't feel secure in our slip, I think we would head out to an island for a while, but I can't imagine just roaming the open ocean.

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That's more my thought if there was something forcing me to leave, to a nice island. Relax and follow the news. Close enough to return when safe. There are hundreds of uninhabited islands in the Bahamas. Many for sale, but spending some time on one in an emergency would be no problem.

Los Angeles class sub. Bring it on.

cardude01 said:

Many are considering leaving the US?

Why are the Dutch safe? I've been to St Martin, but I don't know much the Dutch.

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St marteen sucks, go to Saba, Statia or Bonaire, these are not islands, these are just paradises! Great peoples, great islands and the dive is just exceptional!

Wharram Pahi 63 and I'd follow the Arctic Terns from S.E. Alaska to the Straits of Magellan and back every year. Zombie pirates would ooze excitedly at passing Nordhavn's...not so much a scruffy Pahi with crazy naked people aboard

https://www.wharram.com/site/gallery/pahi-designs/pahi63/views

MurrayM said:

Wharram Pahi 63 and I'd follow the Arctic Terns from S.E. Alaska to the Straits of Magellan and back every year. Zombie pirates would ooze excitedly at passing Nordhavn's...not so much a scruffy Pahi with crazy naked people aboard

https://www.wharram.com/site/gallery/pahi-designs/pahi63/views

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I totally agree! Zombies would think everybody'dead onboard this boat
Joke apart I was not even knowing this type of boat

Capt.Bill11 said:

Motor sailor, lots of batteries, solar and wind charging, big tanks, built proof (literally) construction, short wave radio, very large wine storage, water makers, dive compressor, hookah rig, large holding plate freezers, large hard drive movie/TV storage, built in gasoline storage tank, security cameras, ability to ground the boat on its own keels for service, Vulcan mini gun, flame thrower, jacuzzi, stripper pole, etc., etc.

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I don't think you can draw the waterline high enough! :lol: