to live on the water of dirt? That is the question?

[Phil Fill]

So if you had the choice to be able to live on a ugly slow trawler with plenty of creature comforts or live on the dirt?* We just got our condo back 1st of September and thinking about moving off the boat.* I have been there 3 times, my wife goes there once a week to take a bath which the boat does not have and friends/family have used 9 nights compared to our 0.* *After 10+ years living on the boat it seems really strange living back on the dirt.
*


So if you had the choice what would you do and why?

 

[Baker]

I lived on my last boat for 5 years and then lil chickadee came along(Surf Widow)*and she lived on it with me for the last 2 of those 5(it was a Prairie 29 by the way). I/we then bought a house. I can't really tell you why other than I had never owned a house and figgered I needed to check that box and get the T-shirt. Well it's checked and we have the T-shirt and she would happily move back aboard. It would also be easier on the finances. The list of bills associated with a house Vs. a boat is alarming as you know. Anyway, we keep mumbling and grumbling about it. Also, your neighbors at a marina are generally a known quantity....at the very least you have a common interest with them. Boat people are generally good folks and a lot of fun. My land neighbors are generally weirdos with a few good folks sprinked in there. So we do miss the social aspect of living aboard where you see someone coming down the dock and you usually enjoy visiting with that person.....versus your land neighbor when you see them coming you are running in the house to shut and lock the doors and drop the blinds!!!!!!

We used our boat alot as liveaboards(which could be considered uncommon). Another advantage was that when you went on boat trips, you were already packed!!! You knew exactly what clothes were on board and you knew exactly your food inventory. Many times, to go away for aweek, all you had to do was untie the boat. If you live in a house and are going away for a week, it is serious inventory management with many trps to the grocer store followed by trips up and down the dock with buggies and buggies full of crap and WAY too much food.

Just a few thoughts....I could go on....

Trawler on,
John

-- Edited by Baker at 13:04, 2007-10-16

 

[El Sea]

Hey Phil/Fill,

Here in St Pete we had to vacate the marina due to 'new development'. One of the senior live-aboards became a dirt dweller, after approximately ten years of living alone on a 32 Pacemaker. Now he is one of the most bored, lonely persons you can set your eyes on. Well maybe not that bad but you can see the difference.*

So does the need to be on shore out weight the desire to be on the water? That has to be very difficult much like the*last few weeks. My father passed away and while dealing with the greiving family I tried to cheer them up by telling them that dealing with the*passing of a love one would not be the hardest thing they will ever have to deal with. The hardest thing to do was to put a For Sale sign on your boat.*

Good Luck in the family affairs,

El Sea/L.C.
t/t Suite 44

 

[Surf Widow]

Well, as the co-liveaboard (Prairie 29) and then building a house... I definitely have builders remorse. If it weren't for a large dog I*would move back aboard in a minute-

 

[Baker]

Surf Widow wrote:

Well, as the co-liveaboard (Prairie 29) and then building a house... I definitely have builders remorse. If it weren't for a large dog I*would move back aboard in a minute-

There you have it folks.* I am a lucky man.* And she's*purdy darned*pretty to boot!!!!!* In due time my dear!

 

[Brent Hodges]

Jphn wrote:

There you have it folks. I am a lucky man. And she's purdy darned pretty to boot!!!!!(endsnip)

Yes she is! Disproportionately so, I might add! )

 

[Baker]

I guess I deserved that one.....lol.

 

[Doc]

Why is this thread blank where it has the posters and time? It may not be now that I have posted.

 

[Doc]

Fixed

 

[Gene]

That has happened to me twice since I signed up on this board... I click on the thread, it's blank, so I reply asking what happenned to the thread. Suddenly, it's all there. So I have to edit/delete my stupid looking reply.

Why are the threads sometimes blank?

 

[Baker]

I have honestly no idea. I have not encountered that yet. I think what may be happening is that the threads don't load...somehwat of a glitch. Maybe try refreshing and see if that helps or go back to the main page and start all over.

 

[Phil Fill]

Hey! What are you guys talking tech stuff on my topic?* I mean I am having a traumatic/emotional/life change discussion here!* (-;

*
We have decided when we pull the boast in the spring since for insurance purposed needs to be inspected/surveyed and valued we may/will put the Eagle on the market and see what happens. For me its not just the price but also a person that will maintain and take care of it.* The Eagle is higher maintenance with the teak decks and trim than most boats which make it not quite so ugly.* I mean if it was all white it would really really be ugly.* It would look like a bleach bottle, and there are enough of those around. *)-;

*
If we sell the boat we will also sell our present condo as its not quite big enough for us to be dirt dwellers.* We/I need a lot of closet/shoe space.* (0;* I have been to the condo 4 times since Sept 1, only to take stuff off the boat that we do not use that often.* I also have feelers out for moored back on LakeUnion as we really like living on the lake and Seattle.* Also the weather is much better in Seattle than Everett.* Everett is just so boring, rainy, gloomy, and quiet.* (-; *In Seattle people at all hours of the day/night where out and about.* Ok, so maybe some of them want to take your money, watch and stuff. But still. *(-;* *
** ****.

 

[Marin]

The problem with Seattle moorage is that it tends to cost more than the boat's worth. That's why we keep our boat in Bellingham. We can drive to Bellingham from Sammamish in 90 minutes at 30 mpg, get on the boat and be out in the*San*Juans*in two hours. If we kept the boat in the Tacoma-Seattle-Everett area we'd never get out of the south sound on a weekend at 8 knots. Since we have no interest in cruising the south sound, Bellingham (or Anacortes) moorage is great. We can use the boat year round to go to the places we actually want to go. Plus moorage is a hell of a lot less than down south.

And with the perpetual taffic snarls in the Seattle area, it probably doesn't take us that much longer to drive to Bellingham than would to drive in from the eastside to a marina in Seattle.

I would agree with Phil that Everett does not seem the most interesting place to live aboard a boat. Seattle certainly has more to offer. Bellingham is a neat town, too, we've learned over the past nine years of keeping our boat there. This is partly because it's a university town, and partly because it's a relatively small town. The only downside from a liveaboard's perspective is that the marina is a bit of a hike from the downtown core.

-- Edited by Marin at 20:21, 2007-10-26

-- Edited by Marin at 20:22, 2007-10-26

 

[Gene]

Sorry PF,

* I started a spin off thread in the "Technical Help" section.

* BTW: I think you will miss the boat if you sell it.