Enter the dinghy chase. I’d bet that you've started your search the electronic way which landed you in this lost corner. I’d also bet that so far, you've probably located lots of different dinghy styles and, more importantly, pricing. So, let's trim that list by starting with beginner misgivings and the most common first-timer mistakes. Ultimately, let’s try to qualify what could work for your set up.
Breaking my own ridiculous advice, I’m presenting boat names for public consumption. One or two of the names runs contrary to my article regarding naming your boat. Hang with me though, this article is a bit of a self-indulgent mind dump.
How to evict on-board AC system squatters, plus preventative measures that can work to stop them from moving back in and protect your hull from tannin staining.
The air conditioning inside your boat is most likely going to stop working while you’re living aboard. And it always happens on the hottest of days.
In this 3 part article, I cover everything you'll need know to outfit for a dinghy, what dinghy works for you, and what you need to pilot it around without speaking to an officer.
Filing paperwork with the local government can be tricky. If you live on a boat, in an rv, or wander the wilderness what state would you say you live in? In this article I go over some of the "residency" options available to us nomads.
The majority of things can be downsized or replaced. Most having little emotional value and not being that hard to come by. Downsizing your pet isn't really something you can do. Pet supplies can be downsized by not purchasing in bulk anymore. But, your goofy floppy eared dog is what he is.
Continuing on from Part 1, We discuss what winter means to you and your safety on the dock. Our goal is to keep you from going swimming.
Nothing beats the excitement of spring and summer when living aboard. As fall throws it's first nips of cold weather, it's time to get serious about winter. So, if steaming south for the winter isn't going to be in the cards. Here's some ways to comfortably live aboard through the harsher months if your docked up north.
The search for the perfect liveaboard marina really should be done in parallel with your boat search. Reason being, what if you purchase your perfect liveaboard boat only to find that there's no slips available at a liveaboard friendly marina. You won't be completely screwed but it's not going to be a plus. Here's a list of things to look for.
What does living aboard really cost? Boat, insurance, and slip lease payments are the first glance biggies. What about, what it'll cost to say; deal with your holding (poop) tank, get fresh water, or keep ice from crushing your hull? Adding up all the little costs can surprise you. Fear not, it's still less expensive than a nice two bedroom apartment lease.
You've found your dream boat, negotiated an offer, put up your good faith money, and cleared your way passed financing. All of which you could back out of relatively unscathed. But, now it's time to commit. Not just money but time, effort and anxiety. The marine survey.
I'm not going to lie, I'm biased against and detest our current market system and will rant for hours about it. I'm going to try my best to not go David Icke vs Alex Jones nuthatch while writing this and explain how one can get down the financing road with as little discomfort as possible.
As you can imagine, dropping cash on boat surveys can get expensive. As the boat owner is under no obligation to refund you any of this should a serious problem be uncovered. So, I want to talk about ways you can "pre" survey. This is something to do before you even approach a lender about financing. It's a way to cut down on false starts and wasted efforts.
We wanted to do something a little more sexy than the regular transom name lettering for our boat. Something that would give her a theme.
So, you're thinking you could live the trawler trash way? Finding the right live-aboard boat really comes down to a personal choice. There are so many different styles of boat. Compound this with what you plan to do with it outside of living on it and the choice can get a little daunting. Here's some things to nail down before you get started:
Coast Guard and documentation. The CG offers a national registry for vessels over 25 feet. This is at it's basic level just a registration and tag service. Kinda like your car. What's different on your car is that you pay taxes so that the state will issue the tag and registration. With the CG you pay a "document fee" to get a registration and you make up your own tag (the name and hailing port of your boat).
How to not name your boat; ie KnotSea. Say that one out loud. See how bad that is. Other boaters will make assumptions about what kind of person you are based on the name of your boat. Nautical pun = smuck, most of the time.
Although new to us, she has had her history and changes. But, now she's our home, our pride and often, our pain in the ass. Her name is Coraline.
