Any Regrets?

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Baker said:
Houses, are but badly built boats so firmly aground that you cannot think of moving them. They are definitely inferior things, belonging to the vegetable not the animal world, rooted and stationary, incapable of transition. I admit, doubtfully, as exceptions, snail-shells and caravans. The desire to build a house is the tired wish of a man content thenceforward with a single anchorage. The desire to build a boat is the desire of youth, unwilling yet to accept the idea of a final resting-place.
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Dang Baker, that's deep. Perfectly true though! :thumb:
 
Living aboard...perfect!

I retired on July 17 and we moved aboard Aug 3. Donated or sold furniture, sold cars, turned keys to downtown condo back to landlord (all part of the we set into motion over 5 years ago after selling the large house). All or earthly possessions are on the boat or in a 5x10' climate controlled storage unit (pictures, family heirloom furniture, etc.) Have not missed one thing. As others have said, the boating community is so welcoming and helpful everywhere we go.
We left the Great Lakes in late August and plan to take two years doing the Great Loop and then ????. Not sure of next chapter. We are confident that the places we see and the people we meet will help us sort this out.
After a few minor repairs are completed, we will start down the Tenn Tom early next week.
Good luck to you on the boat search. Then the fun of refitting to your specifications starts and you will again have a full time job! :)
 
Dear Sum Escape
Your posts and the others have brought the excitement and focus back to moving on our future boat. Your comment about the welcoming of the boating community has already been proved to me (and sustained me!) just since reviving this thread. I love your story: best luck in the next chapters!
 
Mainetrawler said:
Dear Sum Escape
Your posts and the others have brought the excitement and focus back to moving on our future boat. Your comment about the welcoming of the boating community has already been proved to me (and sustained me!) just since reviving this thread. I love your story: best luck in the next chapters!
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Glad that you are now excited and enthused about it. Just remember what one lady said, when asked how she like the cruising life. She said: "Well, it is a lot like my wedding night. Ninety-nine percent boredom, and one-percent sheer terror."
 
We are down to last couple of boxes, all contain pictures. The Admiral is going through all the pictures and sending most of them to our family and friends as for the pictures that are left probably end up trashing them and we are finding that this is the hardest job of anything to do
 
Alaskan Sea-Duction said:
We are down to last couple of boxes, all contain pictures. The Admiral is going through all the pictures and sending most of them to our family and friends as for the pictures that are left probably end up trashing them and we are finding that this is the hardest job of anything to do
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Digitallize them, then have them on a hard drive so they are not gone forever. Also, have you seen the picture frames that flip though digital photos? They are nifty. I'd considered one for Seaweed but it simply seemed extraneous.

Just an idea.
 
Arch said:
Regrets? Not a single one. I sold everything that didn't need to be on the boat, downsized big time. I've been living and traveling full time for the last sixteen months, 9,000 miles plus, and I am enjoying every day. I have more friends now than at any time in my life. I meet new people almost every day.

This is not "camping out". It is living in a small two bedroom, two bath house with a great and constantly changing view. If you want upscale, there are marinas for that. Like camping, stay at a state dock attached to a campground. The "live aboard" life can be anything you want it to be.

Even if it all ended tomorrow, and I truly hope that it doesn't. I would not regret a minute.

Arch
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I salute you man! You know what is important in your life and you had the guts to go for it. Like many of those on here, I admire you greatly.

Before retiring, I prepared a 1989 43' Marine Trader for coastal cruising and cruised between Boston and Florida every moment that I could and many moments I shouldn't have. I enjoyed it so much, but was limited by "real life" so that there were times I was going south and I should have been going north, but I didn't care. I was going cruising! I was self employed and made it work out for about six years. When I couldn't get my wife or family to cruise with me because they had a "real life", I figured out how to single-hand and continued to live the dream.

I concluded that the finances did not work with retirement (I am 68) and I am now land-locked in the middle of the country, a thousand miles and way too many months away from the ocean. Each and every afternoon, after the day's cruise, I would make a point to stand on the sun deck, look around, and ask myself out-loud: "What is this worth?"
 
bligh said:
For the record, I am all for being a livaboard if it fits your lifestyle.

But , property ownership is a far better financial investment than a boat. If you own any sort of decent piece of real estate such as a home or commercial parcel, you can rent it out, use the income to pay for all the costs related to owning property you described while it appreciates in value. Even better, you can use the leftover income to support your live-aboard costs. So, while a boat 'always' depreciates in value, an adequately maintained rental property property generally appreciates in value and produces income during your ownership.
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Just before that last twinkle of light is extinguished from your eyes on that last day in hospice, which thoughts will you most cherish:
1.) I have enough memories from one thousand days and nights aboard to last an eternity. or
2.) Wow! What a great investment I made in that property from which my kids will now get to sell and split.
 
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henryj2 said:
If you feel uneasy about your decision when you wake up at 3 a.m. and all sorts of goblins lurk -- no problem, you'll be fine. If you're having serious doubts at 6 p.m. after a cocktail or two . . . well, that's a more serious matter.
Best of luck and I'll bet you'll not only be fine but love it!
Jim H.
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Never take council of your fears.: General Stonewall Jackson
 
My wife and I have been a live aboard for 18+ years, so we seen hundreds of live aboards come and go over the years. Most last a couple of years. The biggest factors are, the boat was not live a board ready, the slip/ marina, and they were not live a board ready or committed. It takes all three. Also being a live a board is expensive and requires reasonable health and physical capable. Most dirt people see the good life but not what it takes and is required.

We have been mostly dock queens as we both worked. A live aboard boat, dock or cruise is not about the engines electronics that 90% are focused on. Its more about creature comforts of the boat and marina, heat, water, refrigerator, sanitation, AC/DC electric, AC, marina facility, the distance to get to from the boat, and MOST important getting on, off into and out of the boat. I tell people if you can't get on of the boat with one hand and their legs movement restricted is not a live aboard boat. Better if with no hands. Females have a better sense of requirements for being a live aboard than males, and its the females 90+% of the time that move off first.

So make sure you walk and talk to the live aboard in the marinas in the area. No regrets so far.
 
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Phil Fill said:
My wife and I have been a live aboard for 18+ years, so we seen hundreds of live aboards come and go over the years. Most last a couple of years. The biggest factors are, the boat was not live a board ready, the slip/ marina, and they were not live a board ready or committed. It takes all three. Also being a live a board is expensive and requires reasonable health and physical capable. Most dirt people see the good life but not what it takes and is required.

We have been mostly dock queens as we both worked. A live aboard boat, dock or cruise is not about the engines electronics that 90% are focused on. Its more about creature comforts of the boat and marina, heat, water, refrigerator, sanitation, AC/DC electric, AC, marina facility, the distance to get to from the boat, and MOST important getting on, off into and out of the boat. I tell people if you can't get on of the boat with one hand and their legs movement restricted is not a live aboard boat. Better if with no hands. Females have a better sense of requirements for being a live aboard than males, and its the females 90+% of the time that move off first.

So make sure you walk and talk to the live aboard in the marinas in the area. No regrets so far.
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This belongs in the Post Hall of Fame.
 
We all know that we'll die one day. The rest of the days of our life, we have to live...
...So, let's do it
 
I love the contributions to this discussion. So many things and view points and ideas I would never had considered.
 
Phil Fill said:
My wife and I have been a live aboard for 18+ years, so we seen hundreds of live aboards come and go over the years. Most last a couple of years. The biggest factors are, the boat was not live a board ready, the slip/ marina, and they were not live a board ready or committed. It takes all three. Also being a live a board is expensive and requires reasonable health and physical capable. Most dirt people see the good life but not what it takes and is required.

We have been mostly dock queens as we both worked. A live aboard boat, dock or cruise is not about the engines electronics that 90% are focused on. Its more about creature comforts of the boat and marina, heat, water, refrigerator, sanitation, AC/DC electric, AC, marina facility, the distance to get to from the boat, and MOST important getting on, off into and out of the boat. I tell people if you can't get on of the boat with one hand and their legs movement restricted is not a live aboard boat. Better if with no hands. Females have a better sense of requirements for being a live aboard than males, and its the females 90+% of the time that move off first.

So make sure you walk and talk to the live aboard in the marinas in the area. No regrets so far.
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Your entire statement is so right! We've only been living on our boat for a year, but it didn't take long at all to realize exactly what you're talking about. For instance in our case, because we have a smaller boat, it was more important to lose the bottom guest berth and gain storage and room for a freezer. We changed out the old manual AC/reverse heat units to new energy efficient digital thermostat controlled new ones. The marina that we stay at is also an RV park with many more amenities than other marinas in our area, and the owners really value the liveaboards that reside here.
You are absolutely correct about the boat's accessibility. One of our area's biggest boat shows had quite a few trawlers, cruisers, sedan bridges, and sports fishing boats. There were only a few that were easy to get off and on, and of all the trawlers, there was only one that would have worked with our stationary docks. We always thought we would like an aft cabin, but the ones we saw just had too many awkward steps. We could have bought a boat that was six feet longer than ours at a very reasonable price, but we would have had a very difficult time carrying our small dog or groceries on and off the boat.
And as for maintenance, just ask my husband how much fun it is to go underwater - under your boat - to clear the jellyfish away from AC through hulls, when we were in the middle of a jellyfish bloom. The jellyfish so thick I was scooping them out of the water with a swimming pool net to try to keep my husband from getting stung. He ended up with welts all over him, and he had to do it all over again in about 8 hours. The temp outside was in the 90's so going without AC wasn't an option. We changed out the sea strainer to one three times the size to allow more water flow even if the strainer was getting clogged, and that helped.
I don't mind keeping the few dishes and cooking utensils washed, but I have to have something to cook on or an oven. My counter is roomy enough for a countertop oven, so that along with an electric skillet, crockpot, and two burner range top works for us. I also have one of the larger magma grills. I've made everything from homemade chicken soup, freshly made veal parmesan, to grilled turkey with stuffing and everything to go with it.
Would I like a bigger boat? Of course, but staying on this one works for us, and it's not a deal breaker if we don't.
 
It is the same dream! Except, I never dream about Jellyfish!
 
Regrets? I wish I would have done it sooner! Also, I wish i would have bought a bigger boat to start with :thumb:

But, better late then never. . .and by starting with the small boat I've gotten a good feel for just how little I need to live.
 
Great thread
-No regrets. No worries.
-Get out there!
-We only have so many good days to enjoy life. Don't waste them.
Remember, we can change our boat if needed. We can rent a condo if needed. We are not stuck with any situation. Enjoy the boat every day possible.
 
I lived aboard a 30' boat for three years and then I met my future wife. She moved aboard with me on that boat and we made many trips on it. One Christmas dinner the owner of the company I worked at asked the wife's and girlfriends of us what they wanted for Christmas. Mine said "a bigger closet'. With that I set out to find a bigger boat. I found our GB42 which has a King bed in the aft, a corner up galley, two heads with showers, a comfortable V berth and many more creature comforts plus it had come from Boston through the panama Canal to California so I knew it was a seaworthy boat. It boards from the dock mid ship right to a salon door and has doors port and starboard. I couldn't find a more practical boat. The closet in the V Berth is huge and just what my wife asked for. I took possession on Valentines day '91. We lived aboard until 2010 Thanksgiving Day. We had to move off due to the deteriorating decks and the need to replace them. Doing that and living aboard wasn't a possibility.
We love the boat and loved the time we spent living aboard her. The trek to the parking lot from and to the boat is a 1/4 mile each way and I know that and the steps inside the boat kept us healthy with activity we don't see living in this house. We are going to cruise on the boat and use it for at least another 10-15 years. I'm still in great health and I love boating.
Pick a good liveaboard. I've seen many boats people lived on and most were single men on smaller boats. The couples always have at least 40' and above with a few exceptions. Having good heat and AC is also a must and a good refrigerator freezer. We have a propane stove and oven which means no generator to cook. That I think is an important plus. I've seen boats that have to run the gen just to cook even at the dock.

Looking for warmer weather and cruising again. :):socool:
 
healhustler said:
Agree with Autumn Dream (also love the boat).

Over the last three years, I've probably lived aboard half of that time, working on many projects both in and out of the water, at marinas, yards, and in our slip in back of our main residence. Most of the reason I want to be aboard is to be rid of the material that one tends to collect on land. I got rid of everything I owned in '97 and then married to a woman who is now going through the same process with an overwhelming collection of stuff. She doesn't know what it's like to be free of all that stuff, and there's no way to tell her about it. When you're aboard and you wake up one morning....maybe six months later and you just had a dream about saving, protecting, insuring, storing, displaying, polishing, mowing, trimming, giving, receiving, scratching, denting, repairing, collecting, calling somebody about or getting a call about, or the plethora of other concerns that come up when possessing "stuff", you will shake your head to clear it before saying, "Oh yeah, I don't have to worry about that anymore". Surrounded by the tranquility of the world you chose only a short time before, you'll smile and lie back to enjoy this strangest of moments,,,,one filled with absence and gratification.
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Well said. The quip: "Getting rid of stuff is liberating." rings true, but your reminders of all the intrusions that are brought into our lives by "stuff" says it best.
 
Regrets

Took the plunge in 1999 and cruised for 5 years. No regrets, but the ones we met that did regret it put it off until they were on the down side of spry. Cruising and living aboard is easier when things work well without groaning, but harder to take up later. Met many octogenarians who had been cruising for years and no problems, but starting out late seemed to be a big hurdle.

We have since down sized and bought a house until grandkids are a little older to spend time with them outside of vacations, but still spend as much time aboard as possible in Michigan.

If you do it and hate it, you can always go back, no shame in that.
 
Landfall said:
Took the plunge in 1999 and cruised for 5 years. No regrets, but the ones we met that did regret it put it off until they were on the down side of spry. Cruising and living aboard is easier when things work well without groaning, but harder to take up later. Met many octogenarians who had been cruising for years and no problems, but starting out late seemed to be a big hurdle.

We have since down sized and bought a house until grandkids are a little older to spend time with them outside of vacations, but still spend as much time aboard as possible in Michigan.

If you do it and hate it, you can always go back, no shame in that.
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I am curious...what would you and others consider on "the down side of spry"? My wife and I want to move aboard after retirement but don't want to wait too late.
 
I think that is something that has a different point for everyone, and you know it even though you may not want to admit it. I am 60 and have been crawling around boats for 50+ years so it is no problem. It does not take someone being in great shape to live aboard, but you have to be able to navigate more confined spaces, that sometimes are not level, that may be slippery and may require the ability to lift anchors, throw lines etc. It is a more physical lifestyle than life on the hard. Simple things like getting groceries can sometimes include a long walk or bike ride to a store. Maintenance, getting in and out of the dinghy, the engine room and even showering can all have challenges you do not find ashore. Many have it well into their 80's and beyond, some are ill suited at 25. We found that it was easier to make the transition for younger folks than those who waited until they had some of the challenges we all face as we age. A lot of it has to do with attitude also. I am sure that training for a marathon has many wondering if it is worth it. The rewards far outweigh any discomfort or extra needed effort we encounter.
 
Change is constant

There is no right answer. There is only the right answer for you. And that right answer can change.

My husband and I are planning to do the Great Loop in a couple of years after he retires. We have no plans or desire to do anything but coastal cruising. BUT, we don't know that for sure, do we? We might love it so much we never come back to land. We may hate it halfway around the loop and never go back to the boat. That's just the chance we're willing to take. :)

In regards to real estate appreciating? My husband bought a condo in Houston in 1980. He moved cities a few years later and rented it out for the next 15+ years. The rent NEVER covered the mortgage, insurance, taxes plus HOA fees. We sold it 20 years later and wrote a check for half the purchase price. Extreme example? Sure. But, true.

In 1997, we bought our first townhouse together. We sold it 5 years later and brought a check to closing to pay off the difference.

We may be the worst real estate buyers in the history of the world. :) But, don't tell me real estate 'always' appreciates. Luckily, we have actually made money on other homes.

And here's a quote worth thinking about "We avoid risks in life in order to make it safely to death."
 
No Regrets Yet

I am planning on living aboard in about a year and a half, sooner if I can.
I have a nice 1800 sq ft house on a large lake in Florida. My Home Value (EQUITY) Lost 35% over the last 5 years. Yea I'm Ready to get rid of that anchor.

Watch out for submerged objects or crafts.
 
rpeterson said:
Interesting comparison, in this thread about the $$ comparing living on land and in a boat. My two cents, I have lived on land, had a career, owned houses, made money lost money. I have recently retired and am able to buy a boat which I have done, move aboard and cruise. So why wouldn't I?? Because I will loose equity in a house if I sell it?? I will loose money in depreciation on a boat?? If money is your motivation, stay on the hard in your house. And then at that magical age move into a rest home and play bingo. If you want a new life style and an adventure while you are able that most only dream of then forget about the $$, buy a boat move on it, pull up anchor and move on with your life and don't look back. It probably doesn't make sense, but what adventure does in life? Forget about trying to make $$ sense of it. It will drive you crazy and the bottom line is it probably doesn't make $$ sense. But do something crazy, you have worked hard for it and the opportunity to act crazy. You will regret it if you don't when you are setting at that bingo table...........
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Great post!
 
Hi,we second that.
You can either call it SKI-ing, 'Spending the Kids Inheritance', or, 'Adventure before Dementia' but who needs an excuse anyway ?
It's exactly what we did and you can follow us as we're 'Living Your Dreams'.
For our 2015 journey take a look on 'Boaters and voyagers on the go', 'Ireland to the Mediterranean Part 1',
For this years adventure look at 'Windmills and Wine' which I'll update over the next few days.
The reason I point it out is not to be smug or a smart a*se but simply to give you encouragement and inspiration.
The very best of Irish luck for your future.
 
Couples Comment -

rpeterson said:
Interesting comparison, in this thread about the $$ comparing living on land and in a boat. My two cents, I have lived on land, had a career, owned houses, made money lost money. I have recently retired and am able to buy a boat which I have done, move aboard and cruise. So why wouldn't I?? Because I will loose equity in a house if I sell it?? I will loose money in depreciation on a boat?? If money is your motivation, stay on the hard in your house. And then at that magical age move into a rest home and play bingo. If you want a new life style and an adventure while you are able that most only dream of then forget about the $$, buy a boat move on it, pull up anchor and move on with your life and don't look back. It probably doesn't make sense, but what adventure does in life? Forget about trying to make $$ sense of it. It will drive you crazy and the bottom line is it probably doesn't make $$ sense. But do something crazy, you have worked hard for it and the opportunity to act crazy. You will regret it if you don't when you are setting at that bingo table...........
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Excellent point. We are now wrapping up our first four months living aboard. Yes, we sold it all and made the Big Move with no dirt home attachments. Although the $$ is certainly something to consider - I agree with rpeterson. The lifestyle is not that much different in total cost of ownership. It is impossible to explain how rewarding it is in personal satisfaction.

One thing touched on in this thread is the partnership, marriage or not it doesn't seem to matter. What is dramatically different among the couples we've met is their relationship. We have been emotionally overwhelmed visiting with couples who truly treasure each other. One word, respect. We see a sense of partnership, equality and profound respect for each other you just don't witness at the local yearly Christmas party.

And - this is what we are discovering. This commitment, this adventure is a passion. It's more than painting the shutters together. We've already been in some hairy situations - thank God we held it together. And yes, at the end of the day, a cocktail on the bridge with Shangri-La safely in her slip is indeed, priceless.

Eat Life -
 
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