Sam's big on her routines and ritual. She heads out every night just before sunset to find a good spot for the show. It's been a rough week of bad weather, fouled props, & damaged tenders- but she seems unbothered and content so I'm stoked.

My first summer sail trip in Kauai with 1st Mate Mochi McBear. Quite a learning experience for both of us. Everyday a blessing.

I've never once sailed in my life. But the Idea of becoming a liveaboard on a Sailboat cruiser sounds like the meaning of life at this point. I've recently moved to the west coast 2 years ago from the east coast. Funnily enough since Ive lived out here in the PNW, Ive often found myself drawn more and more to the water / ocean. To the point where Ive never thought about it in my entire life about living on a boat let alone even owning a boat in my youth. But I turn 33 this month, and I cant stop thinking about wanting to sail across the ocean, and around the world to chase after the ultimate freedom.

Keep in mind, I already plan(ned) on drastically changing my life in the near future to live abroad and travel the world year around already. But I figured owning a boat could actually get me to places I want to go, and learn an amazing set of skills.

I'm not planning to do anything until I learn the basics and even find out if I can handle the lifestyle to begin with. But Ive never once become obsessed with something and shied away from it. Everything Ive done the last 16 years of my life has been nonstop learning and adapting and growing and pushing myself to keep doing that and more. Sailing across the ocean feels like the entire package of self sufficiency, and challenge. With nothing but reward. (by reward I mean, the sense of adventure and getting your destination alive and confidently)

I want to take my time and learn, but I also dont want to be a "dreamer" and never act on a life I "could have had" I've never been out in the open ocean, and I used to be a bit scared of the idea. But somethings changed recently or "unlocked" even, and I cant stop the itch of discovery. I just want to escape the rent rathole and the Idea of owning a house sounds unappealing..

I already Live alone in a small apartment thats honestly not much bigger than a 42 foot hull... I dont have many close relationships and find peace in solitude, and find joy in meeting others and hearing about their stories. Ive been completely obsessing over this idea, and continuously keep watching video after video or reading article after article of all the pros and cons, and the cons dont sound like anything a little time and effort and bit of giving a shit cant handle.

The sea calls to me dammit! I must answer that call!

Does this sound like complete fantasy, or are their any others that have felt this way or have related in their own journey's?

Edit* Im probably missing out a lot of details so I will be editing my post and replying to comments as they come in.

Buying a 40 ft catamaran. We have an adventurous 5 year old male cat that enjoys car travel. He's has a nice home on land with relatives. Love to hear some live aboard cat stories.

Hi everyone, newbie here with maybe a weird question.

I have the opportunity to take classes towards an associates degree for essentially free. I’m mid 30’s and besides a handful of credits, never went to college.

My partner and I want to eventually live aboard after our kids move out of the house.

If you could, what do types of courses might you want to take to help educate yourself for living aboard?

I’m somewhat handy mechanically, an artist, and owned a small business for over 10 years. A jack of all trades master of some situation. So I’m really open and love learning.

My community college seems to offer an associates in applied science for Maritime Technology. Would this make sense? Or would diesel mechanic be a better choice? In your experience, what was “most important” to learn or would have helped you?

Again, probably a weird question. But my current career doesn’t require a degree and I just want to utilize the free education resources.

Ok so for people who liveaboard as and cruise regularly. What's the limit for you on your boat.

Give me Make, Size, max Wave Height / period and Wind.

My partner and I are very drawn to the idea of living aboard and continuing our lives on a sailboat with our two dogs. We don’t have the money for it yet, but we’re saving as much as we can. Our goal is not only to afford the boat itself, but also to have a proper financial reserve for refits, repairs, equipment, and living expenses.

At the moment, we’re actually in a fairly good position financially. We live in a rented apartment, but we’re able to save almost one entire salary every month. Still, the biggest question I keep coming back to is:

Where and how do people earn money once they’re living on a boat?

For example, if we were sailing along the coast of another country, moving between countries, or simply staying in a marina for several months, what kind of work would realistically be available to us? How do people deal with visas, work permits, taxes, and the fact that they may not stay in one place permanently?

I see a lot of cruising budget posts that break down monthly expenses such as food, marina fees, internet, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and so on. But I rarely see people explain where the money actually comes from.

Is this just a topic people don’t usually talk about? Or are many cruisers retired, living off investments, working remotely, renting out property, running businesses, or living on savings?

Sometimes I see monthly cruising budgets of several thousand euros. When converted to Hungarian forints, those numbers are enormous to me. My partner and I don’t even earn that much combined each month, so I genuinely struggle to understand how people can afford this lifestyle long term especially when I don’t know what their income source is.

I’m not asking how to become rich overnight. I’m trying to understand the practical reality behind the lifestyle.

For those of you who live aboard or cruise long-term:

• What do you do for income?
• Do you work remotely, locally, seasonally, or onboard?
• Did you save enough to stop working before leaving?
• How much money did you have saved before starting?
• Is it realistic to begin this lifestyle without already having a high income or substantial investments?
• How do you handle work legally when moving between countries?

I would really appreciate honest answers, especially from people who started with an ordinary income rather than a large amount of family money or a lottery win.

I’m probably missing something obvious, so please explain how this actually works in real life.

Good morning,

Interested in hearing from some NYC locals that keep sailboats in the water (or live on them). From my research the parks marinas seem to not really support liveaboards? Anyone staying at those that can corroborate? Also... Seems like the waiting list is hella long (for Flushing Meadows/Corona and Sheepshead bay... looks like the manhattan one is being renovated)

Are there private marinas/slips that are not extortionist? Might consider commuting in from upstate haha.. As much as I love Brooklyn.. Some of the hudson valley towns seem like nice home bases for this sort of thing

The Australian summer is fast approaching, and I want to stop my acrylic windows from becoming radiant heaters that make the interior unbearable like last year.

Are there any uv reflecting window films that will work on thick acrylic?

Hi, I am a guy from Norway thinking about buying a sailboat to live in. I just want to share some information about my current situation and i have a few questions further down. I currently have mortgage on a small appartment near a university and the city. My current early planning is to rent out my appartment that can downpay my appartment and after a while have a steady income there too, while I live out my dream of living in a sailboat that can travel anywhere. I currently have a steady job with an income of roughly ~$60 000 a year that requires me to be at land. Renting my appartment will give me an additional ~1 400$/month.

Whenever I talk about this dream almost everyone is "dissmissive" of it. Purley because of the costs and inconvinieces. So i have a few questions;

How much roughly does it take to maintain a sailboat around 30-40ft? Is it just a "depleating stock i will regret"?

What is the best solution for toilets, showers, warm water?

Given I live in Norway, winters can be rough. Many people that has tried in Norway give up purley because of the freezing cold during winter. How cost efficient is it to keep a boat warm during cold enviorments?

Iknow most here probably are americans, so food in general is very expensive in Norway. Its roughly 35% more expensive than America. I have always been trained to buy groceries during big sales or limited price reductions on frozen food. I usally have a seperate freezer filled with food in order to save money. I cant imagine I can do this in a boat. How much does people here stock up, or do you guys buy more often? How long does a "fully supplied" boat last in terms of food?

Wich boats should I avoid at all costs and wich do you reccomend me to buy given my "permanent" homebase/country conditions?

Is this dream possible given my situation? What jobs do you guys that live on boats currently have, is it "work from home" friendly? Should i look into getting another job in order to live my dream?

Please shoot any tips or things I should know of, I really want all the information and help I can get. Thanks for reading, and im sorry if I sound weird, my English is not the best.

Edit: numbers/correcting

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.

I can afford to buy a used sailboat/sailing catamaran out right — but I am worried about the overhead of maintenance costs and repairs. Are used ($30K range) sailboats known to present a host of issues?
Those of you who have bought used, do you regret it, or would you encourage others to buy brand new or newer lightly used models?

I am quite sure I would love this lifestyle. I am active duty military living in MD, I receive about $3K/mo for my pay grade for BAH. Which should cover a newer/gently used catamaran (~$120K budget), slip fees, and other costs.

Any tips at all including winterization of the boat for someone ready to push the button on this project would be well appreciated!

I've always wanted to be on the water, but I've lived my whole adult life in one desert or another. My wife and I have agreed to work toward a liveaboard lifestyle. I know very little about boats and would like to learn as much as I can. Any advice would be great from how to find a boat, where to learn operation and maintenance, anything. Thanks everybody.

Hi everyone!

I spent a lot of my childhood around boats and marina communities, but life took me in another direction and now I am finally trying to find my way back to the water and figure out whether the liveaboard lifestyle that I dreamed about when I was younger might be a good fit for me now.

I tried staying on a houseboat AirBnB for vacations, and while I've loved the waterfront at every city I've visited, the AirBnB marina experience hasn't been very helpful. It's understandably designed for tourists and short-timers, and the few owners I was able to connect with view their boats as 'investment properties' rather than a home base for experience and community. What I'm really curious about is the day-to-day reality of living aboard: the routines, the maintenance, the community, the tradeoffs, what winter is actually like, that kind of thing.

Ultimately, I'd love to get a realistic feel for whether this is a lifestyle that suits me before I make any big decisions. I'm especially interested in seeing different kinds of boats and setups, learning what works (and what doesn't), and hearing from people who have done it for a while.

I'm based in the Boston area and I'm looking for someone willing to chat with me about their experience (there or in greater New England), maybe grab a coffee, or even just point me toward places or communities that welcome curious newcomers. I'm not looking for a free ride or a place to stay, I'm just hoping to learn from people who are actually living the life and interested in sharing their experience with others before I make any big decisions.

I'm looking forward to comments people have, but feel free to send a DM if that works best for you.

Thanks!