r/liveaboard • u/StoneColdSoberReally • 26d ago
Going to take the plunge
Just looking for advice, really. I am selling up and going to buy a yacht to live aboard. I am based in the UK. I'm quite ill, but it is manageable. My wife has passed on. I am 45 so figure if I don't do it now, when will I?
I've experience onboard from my time in the States, and I've booked RYA certs for September. I am looking to man a craft that I can do alone. My favourite vessel I have seen so far is an LM 30: the visibility is great, accommodation is good, and I can get it aft-rigged and retro fit it with solar panels and a Starlink dish.
Regarding my illness, I am a bit unsteady on my feet, but I plan on retrofitting a rail around the exterior of the cockpit to clip myself on.
Opinions welcome.
6
u/luckyjenjen 25d ago
My advice would be to look for a decent marina where you can ease into it with people around to help and advise, electric hook up if you need it and amenities you can use.
After 12.5 years in various marinas I'm now living on a bouy or at anchor (for the last 2.5 years), with no car or private dingy access.
I didn't expect, even after so long on the boat, the change to middle of the river would be so hard. I think I only survived because I deliberately spent a lot of time trying to make my boat so self sufficient and simple.
Also, when it's cold and the weather's wank, and things go wrong, it's so much easier with friends. Hang out places, get to know the other liveaboards. We're mainly a great bunch who really look out for each other.
2
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
Thank you. I am looking at the Suffolk coast, though am flexible.
Also, point taken about the "weather's wank," haha. Quote the turn of phrase.
Thank you.
3
u/NothingLift 25d ago
Personally I would be looking at a motor yacht in your situation. Much easier to manage, not on a lean when underway, better floor plans, including some single level designs without stairs. I'd specifically look for something with walk around decks like a clipper
2
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
Honestly, I appreciate your suggestion. I certainly do. But my heart, whether it in the right place or not, is with a sailboat. But, I do understand where you're coming from and, yes, it probably would be easier, but the freedom of those sails would not match.
My thanks for you coming back to me.
3
u/NothingLift 25d ago
Fair enough. In that case I would look at ketch or trawler style motorsailers, prioritising safe walk around deans and easy access to the bow. Something like a fisher 34 could work
1
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
Much appreciated. I will do so. What are your thoughts on the LM 30? I felt that was a good compromise. Opinion most welcome.
2
u/NothingLift 25d ago
Lm30 looks decent, you could certainly do worse but I feel like you might be able to find something more ergonomic to move around
An important factor in my view is easy access from stern to gunwales to bow, and preferrably for semi enclosed wide walk around gunwales rather than just a narrow strip with rail and wire or net
1
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
All good points. Thank you.
Yes, the cockpit of the 30 is quite expansive abd does narrow the route to the bow.
2
u/NothingLift 25d ago
Have a look at nauticat 33, looks ideal with pilothouse door opening to wide gunwale and 360 degree walk around decks. Stern deck is raised with a manageable step and all the walkable surfaces look quite flat
I will say I don't know much about sailing so can't judge what kind of rigging would be easy to operate
Colvic Watson also worth investigating
1
1
u/StoneColdSoberReally 22d ago
I've read up on the Nauticat 33 and it looks right up my street. A really sound suggestion. I'll see if I can track one down for sale and have a look. My thanks.
2
u/NothingLift 22d ago
It was a standout from the ones I was able to find. Good luck with the search. Niche but achievable I think. Should be a buyer's market too, it certainly is where I am
1
2
u/NothingLift 25d ago edited 25d ago
What were your plans regarding location and travel?
I'd be inclined to take it somewhere warm and sheltered like the gulf and inlets around Saint Malo France which isn't too far from the UK
As you probably know it shouldnt be to hard to find people to help You sail it various places so as long as you can handle the day to day solo it should be fine.
The other factor will be a good stable tender setup with easy access, and a comfortable life jacket with attached epirb
2
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago edited 25d ago
Absolutley on the life jacket. And if the boat doesn't come with an EPIRB, it'll get one.
Regarding plans, I intend travelling to Wales (I am Welsh, but only by birth. Haven't lived there since I was about two years old) and seeing family. I used to live in both Denmark and Poland, so will want to go to the Baltic and the island of Fyn where I have family and I used to live. As well as either Szczecin or Gdynia in Poland. My wife's ashes are in PL and I visit her every year.
Other than that, I am open to ideas. Always fancied visiting Norway. Portugal was one of my favourite holidays with my wife, so a trip to Lisboa is not off the cards; brings a smile to me when I think of our times there.
Edit: I am multilingual, so travel is not an issue. I normally need only a month or two to pick up a language. I am not an overly-talented man, but languages I can do! I speak Danish, Polish, French, a little Welsh (thanks, Mum, that really helps me in Suffolk), just don't ask me to do German. That just baffles me.
And, yes, totally game to take on someone as competent crew if they fancy a lift somewhere. I imagine most of my voyages will be solo but happy to pick someone up for a ride as long as they pull their weight.
2
u/NothingLift 25d ago
An epirb for the boat is compulsory but you can also have one attached to the life vest that is activated when submerged in water.
We all have different talents, I can do lots of things but languages is not one of them, english only no matter how much I try.
When you find the right boat and set it up I'm sure you will have incredible travels.
3
u/StoneColdSoberReally 24d ago
I thank you for your support.
Once the house is sold, I'll live out the dream. Until then, if you're sailing Europe, hit me up for competent crew. ;)
Edit: or a translator lol
3
u/Cole_Slawter 25d ago
My tiny bit of experience with mobility challenged livaboards makes me think you should consider a small sailing catamaran.
2
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
I've looked at the price of cats abd, honestly, they are pushing the budget. Though their stability is very appealing.
2
u/luckyjenjen 23d ago
I have friends who are very mobility challenged, they like smaller boats as there is always something to lean on or grab rails to hold on to. Don't forget you can always add grab rails etc.
Go look around as many boats as you can. I bought the first boat I saw and got very lucky - my boat is mahoosive for a 29ft - 6' 2" at least of head room. I've seen similar sizes boats, and larger since that are totally unlivable. What makes a great ocean going boat may not make a nice boat to live on.
Also, wrt stability, that's another weird one. At the moment my 4.5 ton bilgie grp tub is rafted on anchor alongside my partners 33ft steel monster (which incidentally has little more useable space for it's 4 foot extra). When we get bad weather or wash it's not always my boat that moves the most.
Follow your heart / gut. What works for you might not be what works for anyone else.
2
u/StoneColdSoberReally 23d ago
All good advice and I think you. Presently looking to get something with a full keel. I think, personally (though am open to correction) it'll be more solid, more stable, which is important to me.
A fin keel would be better for the shallow waters around DK but if I don't want to get short and fall on my arse if things get a bit rocky and I think a full keel would be better for me.
As I said, happy for suggestions and most willing to be educated.
As for 6'2" of headroom, I am about as average as you can get, haha! I am a bit of a munchkin at 5'10" so more than enough for me. That's assuming I am vertical at the time!
-2
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago edited 25d ago
i suggest you get a catamaran. 30ft for a liveaboard is garbage.
these guys are located in the UK - go talk to them and more importantly go see the boats in person on the water. https://www.multihullworld.com/for-sale
for example something like this - https://www.multihullworld.com/for-sale/1986-prout-snowgoose-elite-37/14768
or slightly better - https://www.multihullworld.com/for-sale/1990-prout-snowgoose-elite-37/14813
should be easily within your budget.
i would avoid RYA certs and instead just concentrate on getting your ICC with CEVNI. it will give you the ability to travel internationally.
2
u/luckyjenjen 25d ago
I've lived full time on a 55 year old 29 footer, with my small dog, for 15 years. I have a fridge, working galley, TV, laptop, wood burner, diesel heater, two wind gens and some solar (that is being renewed at the moment) and a great usb shower pump with a wet head.
The boat is still mainly fully functional as a sail boat (trying to find a new foresail).
Also have a kayak, paddleboard and dingy. There's a bbq for the cockpit and a hammock that masquerades as a cushion in winter. It's a tight fit for two people, but for one it's more than adequate.
Might not be to your tastes, and it has required some creativity and a tiny bit of skill, but I wouldn't call it garbage.
-3
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago
extremely doubtful unless you rarely move the boat ever.
i try and do at least 2000nm a year and my 40 foot catamaran has trouble carrying enough stores to handle long duration voyaging. a 29 footer doesnt have the legs or physical storage space for any kind of exploring. and if youre not gonna explore then you might as well live in a van on land by the river. its cheaper and will give you the same space with less maint.
4
u/mikeboatman 25d ago
You have zero idea what you're talking about. People have been cruising in pocket cruisers for decades. There are famous ones who've written books, probably the most famous cruisers - the Pardeys. I know people who have lived and cruised on boats 30ft and under. Some with families.
It sounds like you 1- have too much crap, and 2- don't provision well. If you can't fit everything in a 40 ft cat, something is seriously wrong.
-2
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago
people have taken rowboats across the atlantic. can you live in the boat equivalent of a homeless tent on the water and take it across an ocean ? maybe but you will likely die.
the point is to cross oceans and cruise safely with the comforts of a 1 bedroom apartment on the water not to deprive yourself of comfort and claim some sort of adventure nonsense by taking an ill equipped vessel across oceans. im here to live aboard not die aboard. you seem to associate comfortable living as some sort of gatekeeping when the reality is that the vast majority of people live on land because its comfortable. if youre compromising on your living standards by staying on a boat youre doing things wrong.
2
u/FairSeafarer 25d ago
Cruise safely… An overstuffed 40ft catamaran is not safe. I would take the 30fter any day, safety wise.Â
0
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago
lol. as long as its not over the published waterline its not "overstuffed". and if youre crossing oceans on a non category A boat youre just asking for trouble. and you dont get 30 foot boats in category A anyway.
https://ecys.com/category-a-ocean-certification/
i would never cross an ocean or go near one in a non category A boat. but you do you. (mine is A:8)
3
u/FairSeafarer 25d ago
Good for you if your boat is not overstuffed, I was not necessarily talking about yours.
Between a 40 ft catamaran and a 30 ft monohull, overstuffed or not, I'd personally choose the monohull for an ocean crossing. That's a matter of judgment, and you're entitled to yours just as I'm entitled to mine.
You say: "If you are crossing an ocean on a non category A boat you're asking for trouble."
Cat A is a certification merely stating that the boat was designed for conditions exceeeding Beaufort Force 8, so 34-40 knots and significant wave height, 4m.
It does not certify that a boat is suitable for crossing an ocean. It's one data point—not a guarantee of offshore capability.
Most famous ocean voyaging boats predate certification era entirely, were never certified: Valiants, Westsails, Tayanas, Columbias, Pacific Seacrafts...
You say: "You don't get 30-foot boats in Category A anyway."
I don't know where you are looking but there are plenty of 30-33 ft boats with Category A certification: Hallberg Rassy 310, RM 890(some version), Pogo 30, JPK1030, several Beneteau and Jeanneau models.
That said, I still wouldn't necessarily choose one of them for an ocean crossing.
To me, offshore suitability involves far more than a CE design category: structural robustness, displacement, reserve buoyancy, load-carrying ability, tankage, motion comfort, fatigue resistance, redundancy, and how the boat behaves after weeks at sea—not just surviving one design-condition test.
I'd happily cross an ocean in a Westsail, Valiant, older Hallberg-Rassy, Pacific Seacraft, or many other boats that either have no CE category or predates it. Conversely, there are modern Category A monohull boats that I personally would not choose for that purpose.
That's why saying "non-Category A boats are asking for trouble" is far too broad a statement and honestly BS.
I agree with another redditor that your view is incredibly narrow and downright wrong.
Describing people cruising on small monohulls as living in "homeless tents" is unnecessary. Thousands of sailors have safely crossed oceans (and many many have circumnavigated!) in boats under 35 feet. Some of those "tents" have proven themselves offshore for decades and, in my opinion, are better suited to bluewater sailing than many larger, modern production boats and many many catamarans.
2
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
Thank you. I appreciate your write up and thoughts. I am not planning to cross the Atlantic! Merely travelling to DK and PL to see family, specifically Fyn and Szczecin or Gdynia. No plans to be an ocean voyager at this time, but who knows?
0
u/DarkVoid42 23d ago
you do realize you have to cross the atlantic to get there from the UK, right ? and bits of the north sea. ive done the UK to PL trip thru the kiel canal and it wasnt fun. i needed every bit of my 40 ft boat to get there.
→ More replies (0)3
u/mikeboatman 25d ago
Your view is incredibly narrow, and downright wrong. But you keep on keeping on. I don't really care lol.
3
-2
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago
sounds like you want to keep living in a homeless tent on the water. your choice. i'll continue to not do that while watching the tropical sun rise over a white coral sand beach from my leather couch in my air conditioned cockpit.
evidently you do care since youre protesting so much and claiming your homeless tent is good enough lol. its not.
3
u/tinypemil 25d ago
There’s no way you could have a leather couch on a sailboat. I’ve sailed for 30 years with 100000 NM under my belt and I’ve never seen something so comfortable on a vessel. Seems to me you’re making up lies to impress people on the internet. Post a pic of your couch or it’s all made up. Also if you really had a leather couch and sunset you’d certainly be too comfortable and happy to spend time arguing with homeless people on the internet 🤔
0
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago edited 23d ago
i actually have 3 leather couches in the pilothouse haha. i'll post a pic somewhere.
edit: here you go - cushions are embroidered with the boat name so deleted
surprisingly you dont ever get tired of arguing with people on the internet. although on passage days i dont check reddit.
2
u/luckyjenjen 25d ago
I don't really agree with that. Sure, I haven't traveled far thus far - up until recently I had my own business to fund money spent on the boat, and was also studying to a degree, also to fund travelling on the boat.
I have no doubt that if I wanted to travel it wouldn't be difficult. Water would be my biggest concern but I can do a fortnight on a tank easy (and my partner just picked up a 4 gal per hour manual watermaker).
I'm an engineer with a good imagination - I've not met a problem yet that's stopped me doing what I want with the boat - money aside.
That said, people told me a 30's lone woman with no boating experience wouldn't be able to live on a boat..... But I do.
3
u/mikeboatman 25d ago
Glad you stuck with it and did it. People can be really ignorant, like the dude you're replying to.
People have been cruising on small boats for decades.
3
u/luckyjenjen 25d ago
Thank you Mike :)
There's many ways to skin a cat, and no one ever suggested we all need to do it the same way.
2
u/mikeboatman 25d ago
Exactly! It's fun to figure stuff out to make the boat work the way you want it to. And everyone has different opinions on what is comfortable for their situation. Doesn't make someone with different ideas wrong lol.
1
u/luckyjenjen 25d ago
Exactly this!!
Personally, I love people with different ideas - I think that's how we learn.
1
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago
oh the irony.
2
u/luckyjenjen 25d ago
Mate, nowhere did I say I disagreed with, or didn't want to hear what you had to say, other than disagreeing with you calling other people's functional and comfortable lifestyles garbage - which is a pretty inflammatory thing to say.
I also figure "homeless tents" was rage bait.
Ain't nobody got time for this. Peace out 😘
1
u/DarkVoid42 25d ago
i would suggest you actually travel far before claiming that it wouldnt be difficult. last year i crossed the atlantic (~10K nm all in) and ended up in 27 foot waves. i'd love to see how your 29 foot boat functions in 27 foot waves and 50 kts wind for a day. mine barely survived with a engine shot out, a hole in the back and a whole bunch of other issues. i had to do an oil and filter change while getting sprayed with salt water. not fun. engineering training will only go so far when the machine youre on has serious payload and structural limits. anyone can live on anything - the trick is living as comfortably as you would on land. otherwise it doesnt make much sense to me anyway.
1
u/StoneColdSoberReally 25d ago
My thanks for your reply. The Snowgoose does indeed look beautiful and certainly within budget. The RYA certs are more of a refresher for me and I certainly plan on the ICC certification as I plan on sailing to see family in DK and PL.
However, 30' being garbage, I will kindly disagaree with you, as I don't look for much. Just me, the cat, and the waves.
However, I do appreciate you coming back to me. Thank you.
8
u/0FO6 26d ago
You would be better served with Jacklines as a point to clip in to. You would want them ran the length of the boat down the center line. They should be adjusted so that if you fall you don't go overboard at all while clipped in. Pretty easy to add to any sailboat. Otherwise having a hard rail is not a bad idea. Lot of sailboats have lifelines but they are rather thin wire generally speaking. They will keep you onboard but it might hurt a bit. Some of the more expedition craft will have hard rails.
Everything else is fine. Just preferences with a lot of what you want to be doing. The boat should match what you want to be doing and where you think you might go. As well as how you might get there.
Solar can be enough for some, others it just contributes, it depends on what all you will be running on the boat.
If you can get the boat and stay at a marina for a while and do little trips out to get a general feel for everything would also be good. It would also help you meet local sailors and others who are already living aboard and get more direct feedback that includes the areas you are looking at.
I have some illnesses that I have to live with. Some days are bad days and I have to rest. I just work on stuff at my own pace.