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Old 02-08-2017, 12:48 PM   #8
psneeld
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City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,149
3rd liveaboard....11 years total.
1st 30 foot sailboat in Ft Lauderdale.
2nd 37 foot sportfish, Chesapeake and NJ.
3rd 40 foot Albin, NJ summers, FL winters, passing 12,000 miles this year.

Liveaboards I have met are generally 2 kinds. Been doing it while young and still working and older, retired folk. The younger ones have a fairly high rate of continued liveaboard for decades. Often, less fortunate, sailor types, but love life. The older couples I would say do it for less than a decade on average, often medical or family pulls them back , or after a couple years cruising or a loop plus.....they realize it was more dream than lifestyle.

The more hobbies you have, the bigger the boat. My 40 is too small for me (and I am pretty minamalist) with a companion. Just the fishing and dive gear takes up a lot of storage as does the dingy pieces and parts. Add a couple bikes, grill, personal momentos, linens for 4 (guests), long term food and then the increase for guests......and you run out of storage quickly.

Definitely a second storage area...whether ever used as a stateroom or not, if you have guests bunk in the saloon. We call the vee berth the garage till guests come...then it is a scramble to find nooks to re-stow everything up there.

Second head...well can be a PIA if the only one breaks. Plus with guests...really cuts anxiety down. Many get by with one....till they have a boat with 2 and generally they become converts. Can be used for other things when guests aren't on board.

Stand up engine room to me is less important than a well laid out one and everything is accessible. In one year, good chance you are gonna have to get to many if not all the items. My engine is so low everything in the engine room is below knee level so I cleared all around everything so I wind up laying down for much of the maintenance anyhow. Or the whole deck comes up if need be and I can stand anyway.

The smallest boat that you can make work isn't necessarily dirt free live aboard advice. It has its place, but not for people like me.

There are 2 kinds of liveaboards. Those with a dirt addresses and those without. Make sure you talk to those that are closer to your desires for many things.

But most of all...after reading as much as you can....go spend a good bit of time with someone living on a boat similar to your circumstances and in your financial situation.

2 liveaboards can be lightyears apart in so many ways...but will have an appreciation for the other type. You will also learn more in a couple hours or days than you will from books, posts, training, etc.....
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