First of all, this is something that has crossed our minds over the years. We have researched, talked to people who live aboard, visited marinas, looked at boatloads of boats, talked to our insurance company, watched youtube videos, gathered information in any way we possibly can to figure out if this is feasible and if it's worth it. We have researched apartments in the area and put together spreadsheets comparing costs and pro and cons. We really, truly, have done some serious soul searching on the subject and some serious research.
So here's why I want to live on a boat:
1. It's affordable
This is housing that we would own and be able to afford on my income alone. It would be cheaper than what we were paying in Sacramento! Considering the higher cost of living in San Diego, that's pretty phenomenal.
2. It's close to the beach
Need I say more? Being actually in the ocean?
3. It's quiet
Most marinas have a very low liveaboard capacity. So 90% of our neighbors would only be there on the weekends. Not to mention any time we wanted to get away we could literally drive our home to the middle of nowhere. No noisy neighbors with whom we share walls. . . need I say more?
4. It's minimalist
Over the years and through my various trials I have thought extensively about what is important to me in life.
What I've realized is I have cultivated an appreciation for the earth and nature. I love the sunshine and I love the ocean.
When you own a home you have to take care of it, the lawn, replace things every so many years... And it's a lot of work to maintain. I don't want to spend my days and time with my family mowing the lawn or replacing windows or spring cleaning. I want to be OUTDOORS enjoying nature... I want to read books, I want to engage in lively discussions with my family and spend time together.
All I need? Is a place to sleep and eat. Some privacy for the kids and for us. Access to the GREAT OUTDOORS where the kids can play.
Here's some pics of our (potential) future home:
Here's some pics of our (potential) future home:
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| Here she is! |
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| Kitchen table |
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| Kitchen area, plenty of storage. The bathroom is also located in this area, but not pictured. |
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| 3 burner stove top, mini oven with plenty of room to bake- pretty much anything except a full sized turkey! Nice big sink and 2 mini fridges with separate freezer compartments. |
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| 2 steps up to the "master bedroom" which is quite roomy, includes a huge closet, lots of drawers. This would double as a "living room" during day hours. |
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| We can even put our sleep number bed in this queen size nook! |
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| Couch and more storage. . . |
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| Helm and more storage |
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| 2 steps down to the V-Berth- plenty of storage, bunk beds. . . at the bottom of the steps there's a room with a full mirror/vanity/sink and a separate shower. Cozy but plenty of room!
So yes, maybe we are crazy, but we are seriously considering making this our home. The marina would provide:
Parking
Laundry
Fitness center
Self Storage
Mail box rental
Swimming pool
Play Park
Picnic areas
Free wifi
Bathrooms/Showers
(and much much more, all of our needs would be well taken care of).
Considering that right now we are sharing a room with the kids, this would provide a luxurious amount of privacy for us and the kids.
Compared to the price of purchasing a house or condo, this is about 1/3 the monthly cost (perhaps less!!!).
We would have full comprehensive insurance as this would be our HOME. It costs about $75/mo.
Our "house payment" would be around $200/mo for 10 years. That's right, this beautiful home is only $20,000 to own outright.
I realize the kids won't have tons of room to play. What I like about this is that it will FORCE us to go outside and play in NATURE.
I realize I won't have lots of room for my clothing/accessory addiction. What I like about this is it will FORCE me to reduce the amount of things I have and stop me from buying more (or at least, make me get rid of stuff when I do want something new). Do I really need 10 pairs of shorts? No. 1 is enough. Really. I may have to do laundry more frequently but I will have FAR LESS of it to contend with.
I realize the kitchen isn't as spacious as what we consider "normal". What I like about this is it will force us to downsize to bare minimals. 4 plates, 4 cups, 4 sets of cutlery. Do we REALLY need more than that? If (big if) anyone comes to visit us, we will keep a stash of paper and plastic. This will also cut down on the amount of dishes needing washing since we won't have a dishwasher :-)
When we moved our of our last apartment, I realized just how much crap we don't even USE. It's just THERE. Taking up space- space we pay for! And what a headache it was getting it all moved out! What I realized it how little I used my "stuff" and that it was a waste of my money, my time, and my space. I really thought about WHAT DO I REALLY "need" to live?
Do I want to spend my time off catching up on chores? Washing the 10 loads of clothes I have? Washing all the excess dishes I have? cleaning up and organizing all my useless things?
No. I want to go out for a bike ride, a hike, lay on the beach. . . spend time alone, or with my family. Enjoy the earth. Enjoy life.
So, now you know why I want to live on a boat.
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I actually really agree with all those points. My only concerns are what happens during a storm? Or an earthquake? Where do you go? Also wouldn't it be difficult sleeping if waters are choppy? Especially if you have the flu or something?
ReplyDeleteWe would be keeping the boat in a marina in an area that has very few bad weather days. If there was a rare storm (this isn't the midwest, what's considered a storm out here is some moderate rain) we have family members we could stay with, or we could seek shelter at the Marina office building.
DeleteBeing a boat during an earthquake would keep us substantially safer.
The marinas have cement docks in-between each boat. There's very little movement (when we've been out there, you honestly can't even tell that you're on a boat when it's tied down to the dock). They are also located in a protected bay. The only time we would have to deal with choppy waters while sleeping is if we took the boat out of the bay, to the middle of the ocean, anchored it and decided to stay there overnight.
If any of us get sick we would walk down the dock to the parking lot, get into the car, and go to the doctor.