Starting the Journey

Hi,



We are currently a small family looking at a possible liveaboard situation. We are both in our mid 20's and looking for a lifestyle change. We love to travel and spend about a month + every year in Florida, we love the water and everything to do with the beach. We recently went to cape coral/ft myers to look at investment homes and spent some time looking at where we would live if we decided to liveaboard. We seem to have settle on the mooring field in ft myers.



Our next step is to test out living aboard, we are currently in central ohio but all the charters for 2+ nights seem crazy expensive, over $3000.00 for 3 nights? If you have any suggestions on a great lake charter let us know.



My boating experience has always been with smaller fishing boats, we are currently looking at a smaller fixer upper trawler. I would like to be 40' + but after lots of research it seems we should go with the smallest boat we can deal with before moving up to a huge boat. Good or bad idea? My only concern with upgrading in the future is having a hard time selling the boat, it seems like right now it is a buyers market.



I personally flip homes, am a welder by trade and do 99% of the work on our own cars. Boats are new to me but I do think after some more reading/hands on experience I will be able to handle a large amount of the issues that come up.



Our plan is to find a boat, fix it up near sandusky/Cleveland and take it down to florida.



List of questions:

#1
We are "currently" planning on spending all our time in florida/Bahamas, what does everyone do during hurricane season? I assume you would try to avoid this as much as possible but what do you do if your "stuck" on your boat.

#2

we are only looking at non wooden boats, any years/manufactuers to stay away from? Seems like a Carver 3607 is what we have been looking at a lot. Good or bad choice? We need a minimum of 2 rooms/berths. We are tall people and like our own space, not to mention the smaller of the two would turn into an office. Guest can sleep on a pull out,

#3

Any suggestions on marinas around sandusky/cleveland that would allow us to pull the boat out and do work in there yard?

#4

what are we missing?

We have figured out our income stream as we are not retired so working is a must for the time being. We are looking into classes/trying to find a charter to test the waters out. We are trying to get out and touch/see as many boats as we can. I live a pretty minimalist life style the only thing I wont be able to get rid of are all the tools needed for flipping/maintaining our properties. solution to this is a storage locker.



Other then this I feel like there is a lot of info that I am missing out on, any suggestions on what to read?



Also if anyone in the ohio area would need a hand with anything please let me know I would gladly lend a helping hand in exchange for experience.



-P

Lots of good questions but unfortunately there are no cookie cutter answers. Experience and knowledge are your friend. You have come to the right place though. My wife and I are year round live aboards in southern Ct. This is our fifth boat and I am a DIY'r.
Study up on all of the systems, electrical, hydraulic, plumbing etc.... Things that you can do on a house are not up to ABYC code (twist nuts for wire connections are a huge NO NO).
As far as what boats ?? Look on Yachtworld and see what you can afford with lots of left over money, just in case.
We have small Ford Lehman diesels in our 41' President. We travel 8 kts and burn 3 GPH in each. Real efficient and bullet proof engines but SLOW ? Speed costs $$

Welcome to the forum! I can't answer your questions, but I'm impressed by your ambition and the thought you've put into realizing your dream.

Most young people seem to start with sailboats. Did you consider that option? I'm not trying to talk you out of power or suggesting sail would be better, just wondering.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Greg.

GregBrannon said:

Welcome to the forum! I can't answer your questions, but I'm impressed by your ambition and the thought you've put into realizing your dream.

Most young people seem to start with sailboats. Did you consider that option? I'm not trying to talk you out of power or suggesting sail would be better, just wondering.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Greg.

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I originally wanted a cat but after looking around I am not ready to drop over 100k into a boat on something that in a year i might realize I hate. Not to mention I am almost 6'4 and it seems a trawler would give me more room. Its been something I've been researching on and off for about 2 years and we are finally to the point we need some change and if we can find a boat to live on and pay cash or take a very small loan out we could actually end up saving more money and free up loans to let us get more properties. Also it seems like I can get a fixer upper for 20k.. with a low ball offer im sure I can get under that... If anyone is selling there boat and I throw you a low ball offer, don't take it personally. Bartering is one of my favorite things to do lol thats how we got our current house

TJM said:

Lots of good questions but unfortunately there are no cookie cutter answers. Experience and knowledge are your friend. You have come to the right place though. My wife and I are year round live aboards in southern Ct. This is our fifth boat and I am a DIY'r.
Study up on all of the systems, electrical, hydraulic, plumbing etc.... Things that you can do on a house are not up to ABYC code (twist nuts for wire connections are a huge NO NO).
As far as what boats ?? Look on Yachtworld and see what you can afford with lots of left over money, just in case.
We have small Ford Lehman diesels in our 41' President. We travel 8 kts and burn 3 GPH in each. Real efficient and bullet proof engines but SLOW ? Speed costs $$

Click to expand...

Yeah yachtworld and facebook market place seem to be a decent place to find some deals. Any recommendations on codes/system to follow?

Wait, What? In your 20's and looking for a lifestyle change? Thats all fine and good but have you earned a lifestyle change? In fact, do you even have a lifestyle which needs changing?

Honestly I think it is too soon to be considering a live aboard, vagabond lifestyle. We need more information on you to properly assist you. Kids? pets? are you independently wealthy?
You don't mention what the Admiral does for a living but you being a welder means you have to report for work somewhere every day you want to make some money. That means a dingy ride or a swim from the mooring field to your car.

Living aboard in a mooring field is not a good solution. There is no power, bathroom and shower facilities on a boat are limited to a quick rinse in semi cold water and the need to empty a holding tank twice a week. Some areas, Florida may be one of them, do not even allow grey water discharge.

If the idea of a $3,000 three day charter concerns you I think your starting point should be more of a R.V. lifestyle. Get the feel of small quarters, lack of storage and all the limitations of living in about 500 sq feet. Rent or buy a motorhome or a trailer and see if you can make it work.

sorry,

pete

Wifey B:



While I admire a dreamer, there must be some realism too. You talk about y ou and your family. Can you please elaborate as to family?

You mention an income plan but you seem astonished by $3000 for the charter and you want to spend less than $20k for a boat for a family to live on and to cruise on.

I don't understand how you intend to pull this off but I would not live with 4 people, two of them kids on a $20k boat. What about school? And making a living? You can't weld remotely.

Then, do you have any idea the cost of dockage in FL or in the Bahamas? The cost for boat repairs in either?

I don't think you've researched this of filled in all the blanks and I feel like by encouraging you, I'd be really leading you down a dangerous path.

Are you related to Galaxy Girl?

Pete Meisinger said:

Wait, What? In your 20's and looking for a lifestyle change? Thats all fine and good but have you earned a lifestyle change? In fact, do you even have a lifestyle which needs changing?

Honestly I think it is too soon to be considering a live aboard, vagabond lifestyle. We need more information on you to properly assist you. Kids? pets? are you independently wealthy?
You don't mention what the Admiral does for a living but you being a welder means you have to report for work somewhere every day you want to make some money. That means a dingy ride or a swim from the mooring field to your car.

Living aboard in a mooring field is not a good solution. There is no power, bathroom and shower facilities on a boat are limited to a quick rinse in semi cold water and the need to empty a holding tank twice a week. Some areas, Florida may be one of them, do not even allow grey water discharge.

If the idea of a $3,000 three day charter concerns you I think your starting point should be more of a R.V. lifestyle. Get the feel of small quarters, lack of storage and all the limitations of living in about 500 sq feet. Rent or buy a motorhome or a trailer and see if you can make it work.

sorry,

pete

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Wifey B: Answer some of Pete's questions and I might reconsider your preparation.

Pete Meisinger said:

Wait, What? In your 20's and looking for a lifestyle change? Thats all fine and good but have you earned a lifestyle change? In fact, do you even have a lifestyle which needs changing?

Honestly I think it is too soon to be considering a live aboard, vagabond lifestyle. We need more information on you to properly assist you. Kids? pets? are you independently wealthy?
You don't mention what the Admiral does for a living but you being a welder means you have to report for work somewhere every day you want to make some money. That means a dingy ride or a swim from the mooring field to your car.

Living aboard in a mooring field is not a good solution. There is no power, bathroom and shower facilities on a boat are limited to a quick rinse in semi cold water and the need to empty a holding tank twice a week. Some areas, Florida may be one of them, do not even allow grey water discharge.

If the idea of a $3,000 three day charter concerns you I think your starting point should be more of a R.V. lifestyle. Get the feel of small quarters, lack of storage and all the limitations of living in about 500 sq feet. Rent or buy a motorhome or a trailer and see if you can make it work.

sorry,

pete

Click to expand...

all good points let me fill you in.

#1 have i earned a life style change? that's a little bold but ill bite, been working full time for since 18 successfully started multiple business and run them to this day ( all something I can do online/ a boat). Welding is simply a trade as i think all people should have one, if all my business fail and I lose all my investment properties then I can always weld.. and yes I keep my skills up.



#2 no kids one smaller dog about 40 lbs on a good day, 42 if shes wet. The mooring field is something to simply come back to when the other half needs to work on land, currently she is working on only needing to be in the/an office 2 days a week so she will be able to ride the dinghy/small center console to the shore.



#3 never understood why people make a big deal when someone says something is expensive, I didnt work my ass off and save to blow $3000 on 48 hours of riding in a boat, just because i said something sounds expensive dont assume I dont have the money to back it up. Thats a little bold of you.



#4 our house is 900 sq, downsizing to around 400-500 wouldnt be that big of a deal we are use to living small and have already started the down sizing process to be ready when this day comes.



we have also talked about investing in solar, this is one of the reasons we are looking for hard tops, if not I am sure I can weld a frame up.



we are looking at a 20k boat to keep things cheap, i low ball the sh*t out of people and buy things cheap always have and always will if you would like to spend 50k on a boat that has nice carpet when I can buy the same exact thing that needs a little TLC then be my guess. The reason I am able to make this jump is because I am frugal and spend my money wisely. I/we are not your average young adults,



thanks for the input/thought

BandB said:

Wifey B:



While I admire a dreamer, there must be some realism too. You talk about y ou and your family. Can you please elaborate as to family?

You mention an income plan but you seem astonished by $3000 for the charter and you want to spend less than $20k for a boat for a family to live on and to cruise on.

I don't understand how you intend to pull this off but I would not live with 4 people, two of them kids on a $20k boat. What about school? And making a living? You can't weld remotely.

Then, do you have any idea the cost of dockage in FL or in the Bahamas? The cost for boat repairs in either?

I don't think you've researched this of filled in all the blanks and I feel like by encouraging you, I'd be really leading you down a dangerous path.

Are you related to Galaxy Girl?

Click to expand...

I am a dreamer 100%, you should start



no kids one small dog,

currently have about 3 years of income in the bank for a rainy day, we have rentals/investment properties and acquire more very year. This is all back up money. I am a full time futures trader and run all my business online. I do not need to be in an office/drive to a 9-5 everyday. I do not go to school all done with that.. waste of money.. one of the reason why I quit and learned a trade. Welding is simply a fall back if I ever lose it all.



We have looked at dockage in FL and the goal would be to be off the dock as much as possible but there will obviously been time spent on a dock and it seems this is about 900-1300 a month from the areas ive looked.



repairs will obviously be a constant issue and that's one of the reasons for the rainy day fund. Like I said in my first post I am trying to learn all I can and am a little more handy then your average young adult.. do i know it all ? HELL NO but I am learning as I go.. personally that is my favorite way to learn. when your F*ck up costs you money you usually end up learning from that lesson and don't repeat it again lol.. I know from experience haha.



as regards to the $3000 look above this, why blow money when I could spend it on something else?



Thanks, let me know if you would like to start dangerously encouraging me



who the hell is galaxy girl? x lover you could never hold down?



remember if your gonna dish it out you have to be able to take it when its thrown back.. no hard feelings

Psquared said:

we are looking at a 20k boat to keep things cheap, i low ball the sh*t out of people and buy things cheap always have and always will if you would like to spend 50k on a boat that has nice carpet when I can buy the same exact thing that needs a little TLC then be my guess. The reason I am able to make this jump is because I am frugal and spend my money wisely. I/we are not your average young adults,


thanks for the input/thought

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Wifey B: No you most certainly aren't. Fortunately, although a lot of people accuse young people of thinking they know it all, there are only a small percentage of you who do. Best of luck to you.

BandB said:

Wifey B: No you most certainly aren't. Fortunately, although a lot of people accuse young people of thinking they know it all, there are only a small percentage of you who do. Best of luck to you.

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thank you, I didnt mean to be rude/a dick my intentions are not to burn any bridges.



Im sure you guys/gals get tons of these post on here. I am simply looking for any advice I can get.



Thanks

Psquared said:

thank you, I didnt mean to be rude/a dick my intentions are not to burn any bridges.



Im sure you guys/gals get tons of these post on here. I am simply looking for any advice I can get.



Thanks

Click to expand...

Wifey B: I'll try to be constructive here this post.

I'd suggest perhaps you act a bit more like an adult. This isn't a gathering in a bar, it's a forum of adults. I can get young and silly sometimes, but generally it's a good idea not to sprinkle in H and F and D and act like you're so superior to other young people your age. I do know some who have achieved incredible success younger. Talking about how you've beaten so many with your incredible negotiating skills may impress in the bar, but it's not going to impress a group of largely very successful individuals. In fact, some of us wouldn't approve of such a business approach and aren't impressed with lowballing the h out of people.

A little humility as you move into something about which you know nothing might just be wise.

Galaxy Girl was a former woman here who wouldn't listen to anyone and knew it all. She bought a boat for her, her five kids, and her mother to live aboard. She was also a property rehabber and thought she knew it all. Had a falling out with the captain she hired on the way home and he left at the first port. She kept the boat one winter and then sold it and switched to an RV.

I'm not saying either GG or you are bad people. I am saying your approach won't lead you to the information you so desperately need or lead you to use it wisely when you're afforded it.

+1

BandB said:

Wifey B: I'll try to be constructive here this post.

I'd suggest perhaps you act a bit more like an adult. This isn't a gathering in a bar, it's a forum of adults. I can get young and silly sometimes, but generally it's a good idea not to sprinkle in H and F and D and act like you're so superior to other young people your age. I do know some who have achieved incredible success younger. Talking about how you've beaten so many with your incredible negotiating skills may impress in the bar, but it's not going to impress a group of largely very successful individuals. In fact, some of us wouldn't approve of such a business approach and aren't impressed with lowballing the h out of people.

A little humility as you move into something about which you know nothing might just be wise.

Galaxy Girl was a former woman here who wouldn't listen to anyone and knew it all. She bought a boat for her, her five kids, and her mother to live aboard. She was also a property rehabber and thought she knew it all. Had a falling out with the captain she hired on the way home and he left at the first port. She kept the boat one winter and then sold it and switched to an RV.

I'm not saying either GG or you are bad people. I am saying your approach won't lead you to the information you so desperately need or lead you to use it wisely when you're afforded it.

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alright lets start this all over, not trying to be rude/or immature and not trying to "impress" anyone 99% of what I said in the previous post would have never come out if I didn't feel like I was being pushed into a corner. If I did offended anyone I apologize and hope we can all move past this as I have a lot to learn and think this is a very valuable resource and don't want to burn any bridges. Thank you all for your input and taking the time to make sure this isn't just a wild goose chase and that I/we are being smart/responsible about this.



Dinghy: It seems that the width of most of these boats is right around 12', a dinghy is going to be a must as it will be our water taxi/ how to explore some areas. I have seen some people with smaller Boston whalers and other seem to go the rib boat way. I would assume the rib would obviously weigh much less which would making load/unloading much easier and I would assume it would save on fuel consumption. But on the other hand it seems like a 13-16 ft whaler would be a little bigger. If this extended 2' from either side of the boat would this make dock/ finding a place to dock the boat hard? I have seen a handful of people who simply tow the boat about 100 yards behind them once they get to sea. to try and keep the boat out of the wake. During rough seas I would assume this would be an issue? Don't really want to sink my water taxi? We are taller then you average person as I am almost 6'4 and she is 6'1. I would like to find something that I can fit in and wouldn't mind taking an hour plus ride in.



I have seen some extremely cheap deep v aluminum center consoles and I know this would need to be protected to prevent the any fouling, but you don't see a lot ( I haven't) of these being used as a dinghy. Any rhyme or reason as to why this is?



Also has anyone added there own extended swim platform, I would assume labor alone would be a few thousand at least.



also I don't understand the whole wifey B thing, two people one account?



Thank you,

Hi Psquared,
Here's a thread discussing the pros & cons of towing a dinghy. You might find some useful thoughts on the subject here.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/having-exclusively-towed-tender-51319.html


There's also this thread, if you haven't already seen it:https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s6/shopping-new-dinghy-outboard-what-would-you-get-52130.html


As far as the "wifey..." thing - yes, two people on one account. You'll see this occasionally on this forum.

Does anyone have any experience with a Whaly?

https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2020-whaly-500-7394196/



Looks like it could be light and durable.



Thanks

BandB said:

Wifey B:

I don't think you've researched this or filled in all the blanks and I feel like by encouraging you, I'd be really leading you down a dangerous path.

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I couldn't agree more!

Codger2 said:

I couldn't agree more!

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I think I've said this multiple times I don't know everything and have a lot to learn.. kinda the whole reason I am asking questions and stated that multiple times, If I knew it all I wouldn't be on here.



any suggestions?



Thanks,

I would give you lots of suggestions however typing from an iPad I’d tough on my fingers and to many mistakes.

You really need to start out by looking at a lot of boats. Shop on the net and then go look. Save screen shots of boats that have interest for comparison later. You have a lot to learn and by going to look at a lot of boats you will learn. Go hang out around marinas. You will find a lot of folks willing to answer lots of questions and help you out.

Lastly do not let others discourage you from your dreams and ideas. Most if not all of the folks on this board learned from their mistakes. You will hurt your wallet when you make them.

When after a while you decide to dive in (so to speak) then remember to hire professional help with your purchase. Nothing like a good survey to open your eyes to things you may not know or even thought about. Worth every $$$$!

Good luck with your dream! Never let anyone discourage that!

whats the consensus of pop yachts? seem like there are cheaper boats on there but have read a decent amount of bad reviews. Anyone use them to actually purchase a boat?



Thanks,

Psquared said:

I think I've said this multiple times I don't know everything and have a lot to learn.. kinda the whole reason I am asking questions and stated that multiple times, If I knew it all I wouldn't be on here.



any suggestions?



Thanks,

Click to expand...

Mr. Ps,

Lots, some take money and some take time: charters, boat shows/Trawlerfests, seminars, forums. etc

Never is the adage more true than with boats: you get what you pay for. Taking the time to understand what suits your purpose is key. You have listed numerous parameters some of which are boat size, purchase price, floating office, your heights which lead me to conclude you need to spend some time on different boats and understand what you are getting for the size and money, how practical each one is for living and working, how difficult or easy are they to maintain?

For the latter as an aspiring DIY, you need to be a mechanic, plumber, electrician, general handy man, etc. With your size can you fit in the required engine spaces, bilge areas, nooks and crannies and change impellers, filters, hoses, repair plumbing and electrics, replace failed equipment, etc.
Regarding specific questions

#1You do not want to be "stuck" on your boat in a hurricane. You need to plan for hurricanes. Nowadays the weather forecasting for hurricanes is excellent and gives lots of advance notice to execute plans.

#2 For the ballpark purchase price you have tabled, far more important than the brand or year is how has the boat been treated over time. While boats generally add a level of complexity for living/working afloat an area that will require special attention and setup is likely appropriate internet access.

#3 Can't provide any input on this.

#4 The answers to this will evolve on your learning curve.

Recb said:

Mr. Ps,

Lots, some take money and some take time: charters, boat shows/Trawlerfests, seminars, forums. etc

Never is the adage more true than with boats: you get what you pay for. Taking the time to understand what suits your purpose is key. You have listed numerous parameters some of which are boat size, purchase price, floating office, your heights which lead me to conclude you need to spend some time on different boats and understand what you are getting for the size and money, how practical each one is for living and working, how difficult or easy are they to maintain?

For the latter as an aspiring DIY, you need to be a mechanic, plumber, electrician, general handy man, etc. With your size can you fit in the required engine spaces, bilge areas, nooks and crannies and change impellers, filters, hoses, repair plumbing and electrics, replace failed equipment, etc.
Regarding specific questions

#1You do not want to be "stuck" on your boat in a hurricane. You need to plan for hurricanes. Nowadays the weather forecasting for hurricanes is excellent and gives lots of advance notice to execute plans.

#2 For the ballpark purchase price you have tabled, far more important than the brand or year is how has the boat been treated over time. While boats generally add a level of complexity for living/working afloat an area that will require special attention and setup is likely appropriate internet access.

#3 Can't provide any input on this.

#4 The answers to this will evolve on your learning curve.

Click to expand...

agree 100%, thanks!

Currently making a list of boats within a few hours and hopefully start looking at them and getting that hands on feel.



With regards to internet, I am assuming we will need to be someone close to shore to use. Wouldn't expect to get great service 30 miles off. I've looked at signal boosters and we already have a back up hotspot that we use when we travel just in case.



One of the items we were talking about last night was safety equipment, something that we kinda over looked at first until we started trying to break this whole thing down ever farther.



current list is:

1 EPRIB

2 PLB

vhf radio

possibly HF radio

emergency life raft these seem to be a little pricey with the cheapest one I could find was right around 1200

grab and go jacket pack

2 type 1 PFD's



looking at boats that already come with radios/electronics but some will defiantly need to be upgraded.



Do you need to be a member for a certain amount of time before posting links? Tried to post some links and was told the post needed to be approved first. Would really like to post some links for the boats we are looking at and kinda keep a running journal of things.



Thanks

Good thing you're thinking about safety equipment, Psquared!
Add Fire extinguishers and emergency alert devices (flares and the like) to your list.
About the life raft. Not sure this is the place where you necessarily want to buy the cheapest one you can find. Take time to compare your requirements (# of passengers, cruising areas, etc) to the rafts on offer. Furthermore, inflatable life rafts typically should be serviced by an authorized agent every three years. This is not cheap. Could be 15-25% of the price of the life raft every three years. So, you might want to start with which brands have service centers reasonably close to you...and what they charge for routine service. Could be that a better quality and initially more expensive life raft turns out to be cheaper in the long term, given the right service pricing!


As for posting links...when I started, I think I had to get up around 25 posts or so...and then all of a sudden, I was allowed to post links.

Psquared said:

I think I've said this multiple times I don't know everything and have a lot to learn.. kinda the whole reason I am asking questions and stated that multiple times, If I knew it all I wouldn't be on here.

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Welcome and good luck as you explore options.


You have noticed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for your idea. It has nothing to do with your or the idea of living aboard. This, and every other boating community I've been involved with for years, have seen a lot of folks who thought living on a boat would be great. Very very few actually make it and it usually ends badly. However, there are a few that do really well. For the most part they are folks that have had extensive experience with boating and cruising, but not always. I hope are are successful.


I'm in the opposite corner of the continental US so don't have any experience with Florida boating so can't offer much in the way of advice. I will say that there are few bargains in large boats. Inexpensive boats are inexpensive for a reason. However, even newer, more expensive boats are also much more expensive to maintain than most of us would like to admit.

Ps,
Welcome and here's a few comments. For two tall people and a dog; yes 40-ish ft is a nice LOA especially if you're going to liveaboard. One risk in this venture if for example you get a boat that is too cramped and/or needs too much work, what can happen is the two of you get turned off to the whole boat-thing and it could leave a bad taste that lingers for many years...
To be honest, that price range is going to be pretty limiting but i agree if you could go to trawlerfest or boat shows and crawl around on a lot of boats, it will help you narrow your priorities and there are many tradeoffs.
In my experience I've been through a boat survey that revealed enough problems that we had to walk away from the deal. After that, we ended up significantly increasing our budget. We had to come up with more money initially but it worked well, as we landed in a boat where we could immediately spend more time cruising rather than down in the bilge
Trawlers in Florida use AC, so plan to have good AC like multiple reverse cycle units and they will need to be maintained.
Hurricanes: You'll simply learn hurricane-prep and if you're in a marina, they typically will help marina residents with a hurricane plan, like how to tie off, how many bow, stern, spring lines, whether to tie to your neighbor boat, etc...
Note you will need to get boat insurance that will allow you to stay in Florida year-round. It can be had but there are fewer companies insuring these days after various storms over the past several years. You'll have to budget for the insurance and they might require you get XX hours with a training captain when you get the boat.
EPIRBS/PLBs: Many folks opt for one or the other as they do sort of the same thing and they are expensive. a PLB can be attached to a flotation vest, whereas an EPIRB is larger and registered to the vessel, sometimes physically attached to the vessel.
Emergency Life Raft; well... these are more common for boaters that go at least several miles offshore so it depends on how your going to use the boat.

In general; Going directly to liveaboard is a big step. another option is to get a boat and start out by spending weekends on it to make sure it works for you.
That's enough rambling and probably more than you wanted to hear...

good luck with your adventure. But if you plan to be in FL on a boat you will need AC as was mentioned above. If you are in a mooring field that means running the generator full time. Compare that fuel burn/cost with a monthly slip fee and you may not be paying much more for the slip. Just food for thought. And few $20-25k 40' boats have running generators .

At your age I was too busy with my military career to even think of what you are contemplating, but as the career wound down, I felt I was in a position at age 42 to buy a trawler. I had no preconceived ideas about what I was going to do with it, but within a year, wife and I were living aboard it at a mooring. I envy you your apparent flexibility and willingness to jump into this idea. House flipping is not for either the faint of heart nor the lazy, and you sound like you are neither. Hopefully, this forum will help you with suggestions as you post links for possible purchases - the moderators look at these things to be they are on the up and up before letting them through for us to see. I think after you have been "messing about" in a boat you want to live aboard, you will agree that boat maintenance is a different animal than the kind of work necessary to rehab a house. Don't end up with a boat you have to spend so much time and money fixing up that it detracts from your other money-making activities. Soft-sided dinghy is the way to go so you don't get it banging into the mother ship and for possibly hoisting it aboard or at least into the air to prevent marine growth and theft. For a Florida boat, I would recommend a boat with at least two air conditioners providing you the ability to shift bunks to get a good night's sleep when the one in your regular sleeping quarters quits - it WILL. Lastly, get a boat with two heads for those times when the inevitable clog or other breakdown happens and puts one head down for a day or three. I will watch your progress with great interest and provide all the free advice I can to help.

We bought a trawler 3 years ago and fixed it up. Now we’re 31, so pretty much in the same situation as you. $20k is much too low. In the 40-foot range, $50k will get you a boat you can fix up. $20k will get you a boat that cannot be restored for any reasonable sum of money. We paid $80k and put $70ish k into it plus a couple years of hard labor. Did all the work ourselves. The result was good, but I’d never do it again: https://westinmhill.wixsite.com/rose-mary.

If you find a boat that you think is a good deal, also look for the most expensive boats of that same year/length/model. The boat you buy will never be worth more than that. Each make and model has a maximum price you could ever sell for. It’s MUCH different than flipping houses, because houses appreciate.

Hope that helps!

Thank you all for the wisdom and thoughts/suggestions. One of the main reason we are looking at a smaller cheaper boat is this is obsviously new to us. If we end up hating it after living aboard for 6 months it wont hurt the pocket book as much (hopefully) if we ended up buying a boat that is much more expensive. I was raised that you start out with the bottom of line equipment that will get you back and give you a chance to experience whatever you are doing after that you can then move up to something better. I could see why you wouldn't want to start off with the worst boat possible and try to make it work, 100% get that. If we have to bump our budget up then we will that 20k is simply just a starting point. Like many of you have said, we need to get out and touch and feel and see if it is something that we can actually live with. We do plan on spending some time in the great lakes doing weekend/week long shake downs once we actually get a boat, we aren't planning to simply buy and start living on it right away.



thanks again for all the suggestions and please don't hold back if there is something we are over looking and Im sure there is a ton of stuff we are please let us know more suggestions the better!