I haven't read this entire thread so my apologies if I'm repeating anything that's already been said. You've gotten some great input. Pay particular attention to what Pau Hana wrote.
I'll give you a few other things to consider coming from someone who has lived aboard full time at different times in his life. With an eye towards your original post and you wanting to live away from the dock as much as possible.
Think about endurance.
- How long do you want to be away from the dock, especially away from resupply and re-provision.
- Think about food storage. Especially if you want better than processed, packaged and frozen.
- Water capacity. How much will you use? How big will be the tank(s)? Will you need / want a water maker. Water makers are a good solution to extend potable water range. But not necessarily an easy one, they require maintenance and repair.
- Fuel.
- Sewage. This is often the weak point in endurance of recreational boats. If you want to be a responsible boater you will need to go to a pump out facility.
- Think about electrical needs and your desire not run a gen set. Do a winter time estimate of heating, refrigeration, lighting, electronics (to manage your work) load. You'll need to run the gen in winter. There is just no way around it. Other than be plugged in.
Think about comfort. You say you will be working aboard.
- Do you need a separate living and working space?
- Do you desire a lot of natural light?
- Heating. For Columbia River and north year round nothing, absolutely nothing beats hydronic.
Think about safety. Your OP implies away from the maddening crowd. Remote-ish areas.
- Ground tackle. Typical recreational boat ground tackle is woefully weak for wintering over in the remote areas where it will be all too common to experience winds of 30, 40, 50 and occasionally 60 kts. It takes a helluva an anchor and the rode and winch to handle it. Fussing about with a typical 12 volt electric windlass and an anchor bridle is not the way to ride out winter storm after storm after storm.
- Communications. What to you do when you need help. The boat isn't capable of moving. You're in a remote area. Cell and VHF may not work. Starlink hasn't been around long enough to prove itself.
- Dingy. You're gonna need a hellforstout dingy to get to shore and back in winter. Best on davits so launch and recovery is not too difficult.
- Boat handling. I don't normally recommend thrusters. For you, your goals and your experience I recommend bow and stern thrusters with remote controls. You need to be able to get it to the dock and keep it there while you safely handle lines during winter winds.
Consider bureaucratic obstacles
- A dirt address. You're gonna need one and they get harder to fake each year.
- Insurance. You want to be north for the winter? Better be sure insurance will cover it.
- Live aboard. Dock or on the hook. Many if not most marinas have limits on live aboards and looooong waiting lists. You're a Wash State resident? If you want to keep that and stay mostly to Wa State be aware that in my opinion the Dept of Ecology seems to be out to cancel all liveaboards. They're limiting so many things and have a new tool in their arsenal. Property tax for the land over which you live even though it is under water.
None of these considerations are unsolvable. But your time line of "in a month or so" is not realistic. The days of being able to buy a boat, step aboard, call it home and figure it out on the fly are if not long gone dying fast. And that's too bad. I learned a helluva lot that way.
Good luck! I envy your enthusiasm, energy and go-ahead attitude. And I assume youth. You're in for the adventure of a life time whether you succeed or not in your dreams.
One last word. Beware old boats. They will be project boats no matter how good they look. Living aboard a project boat, especially at anchor, is not something I care to repeat in this lifetime.