You might want to consider these issues before selling everything off and heading off into the world on a small boat. First, there's the issue of income...your need to eat, drink and repair the boat and yourself may require some sort of "nest egg". Of course, there are some folks out there who dumpster dive for food and other things, but I'm not one of them...at least not for food, anyway. Then there's the level of experience...both mechanical and seamanship. You can figure a pretty steep learning curve on both if there isn't any, because this lifestyle isn't very AFFORDABLE if you need/want someone else to do all the repairs. Added to the level of maintenance is the cost of repair parts...MUCH MORE, than you'd expect.
But the most important issue you will face:
SPACE
(actually, the lack of it!)
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| Welcome to the galley...yep, this is where Karen does her magic...imagine yourself cooking, cleaning, baking and storing food in less space than most folks have in their guest bathroom...as you can see, there's enough room for only one galley slave! Did you notice the refrigerator? It is behind the little door on the sidewall underneath the counter. I have to get on my knees to look inside. The freezer is top-loaded from that same counter area... |
...and there's not much more room here than in the refrigerator!
Let's talk about your accommodations...now, not all boats have the luxury of this much space. Our cabin has a berth large enough you could almost call it "king-sized"...if you don't have to sit up, walk around, etc. There is enough room to make the bed, if you first crawl on your knees, then spread out flat to reach the back corner. Karen didn't think it was very funny that I took a picture of her making the bed, so I posted this one instead. This is clearly a "pink job" as I am way too big to make it back to the back corner. I've also discovered that this is the "pink" side of the bed to sleep on! If you buy a boat with a center cockpit, you may find the aft (owner's) cabin to be a tad more roomy.
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| Now, if you are fortunate to have visitors to your boat, this could be their cabin size. Ours includes all of the towels we all use, some of the fishing and dive gear, as well as the dirty laundry bag. No, we don't make you sleep with everyone's dirty laundry...we'll put it out into the salon until daybreak. |
If they have some claustrophobia issues, might I suggest these sleeping/resting/relaxation areas:
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| Some of the cockpit areas are nice, provided there's enough cushion for them... |
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| Or, there's the foredeck, if it isn't raining... |
Now, let's talk about the fun subject of working on the boat...
Space available to make repairs, such as around the engine, in the bilges, or behind the cabinetry is at a minimum. I have had to pull wires through areas that a mouse couldn't fit. This is where real experience "hits the road", so to speak...
I wanted to push the job, below, off as a "pink job", but Karen said "no way". Here I am in a tiny cockpit locker (storage space) tightening bolts that attach the swim ladder to the boat...about 4 feet lower than where I can reach without turning into Houdini. On boats, everything has to have more than one use, so this locker provides space to store some of my tools and equipment. Of course, it all needs to be removed every time I need to get in here. Every storage place on the boat is usually stuffed with gear, tools, supplies, food, sewing machine, cushions, dive equipment, etc. It always seems that whatever you are looking for is below the stuff on top. I have been on boats where some of the canned foods are stored in the bilge areas, right next to the motor oil and fuel tanks. You use what you have.
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Karen was planning on locking me in here until I
swore this would always be a "blue job" |
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| The same locker with all of the stuff back in it. |
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Did you know the most common way to change the oil in a marine engine is to suck it back out through the dipstick tube? I had a long, somewhat testy, conversation about this subject with a Yanmar Engine salesman. I have to wonder what committee of"dipsticks" came up with this kind of design...every other engine I have worked on (heavy construction, personal automobiles, etc) have a drain plug on the bottom of the engine, where it is easy and mess-free to do an oil change. I'm jus' sayin'!
Hopefully, if you get your own boat, it won't have this issue. I would ask, if I were you. I don't think it's a deal-breaker, it just goes with the territory! |
Let's just agree that working on a boat can be a challenge, due to space and location. For example, last month we were motoring out of Trellis Bay and just past the reef when the alternator belt broke. Alarms were going off and the engine started overheating, so we had to raise the sails immediately to avoid drifting into the reef when we shut the engine down. Then, I got into the tool locker. Yep, the one above. And, yes, everything had to come out so I could get at the new belt and the tools to replace it. Half an hour later, we were in sailing bliss with a repaired engine.
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The pencil does two functions: First, it shows the
scale of how little space there is on a marine
toilet. Second, it points to the area where
only things that pass through a human go.
Let that be a lesson for those that put stuff here
that don't belong...you plug it, you fix it!
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One last item to consider is seamanship...or, in our case, the lack of it in the beginning...neither of us knew anything about boats, especially sailboats. I can attest that spending 1 week with someone, teaching you sailing, is only enough information to keep you off of the reef and somewhat safe. The rest of your training in seamanship, which is the "art" of operating a boat, comes with time and experience. Just as important is reading a lot on the subject as well as seeking answers for your questions from others that have the experience!
So, if all of the above doesn't scare you away, I believe that you will find the liveaboard lifestyle to be the best!
