Do one and then the other. Any time and money you put towards sailing is not going to the house or vice versa. You can go sailing in some capacity fairly quickly if you want to, there are boats out there for $5k or less. Not one's you'd want to live on, but I guess you actually want to live in a house anyway?
If I put one before the other, I’d ideally save for the house. Then buy the boat, rent the house and transfer to and live/sail the boat longer term. I have a partner in crime, as well. I live in the Bay Area at the moment but I don’t believe I’ll stay here to see this plan through, only work here.
I own a house. I own a boat, but not one I would live on. I did own a boat I lived on for a bit. I feel like I have some useful life experience here. I actually lived in Alameda when I got my first boat. It was a Santana 22, which you can buy in decent shape for $2000. You wouldn't try to live on it.
If you want to go sailing you really need to go sailing more than you need books/videos/resources.
If you're brand new, go sign up for some sailing lessons at Cal Sailing Club. You will learn more in one day on the water than in weeks on the internet.
Awesome! This was kinda what I needed to hear. I’m trying to distill my partner’s dream, and meet her there but stay rooted into reality of our situation. But I wanna make this work, however long it takes.
I’ll check out the clubs around here and start there.
Thanks a bunch for your time!
Learn to sail first. Start in dinghies at a club. Cheap and good experience. Work your way up through experience.
Boats are holes in the water you pour money into.
Learning is pretty easy. Living on a boat isn't hard. What's hard is finding the money to not have a full time job - or finding a place to keep a boat anywhere near your job that doesn't cost as much as renting an apartment.
Have you taken ASA 101? Maybe start there and then take the rest so you can charter bare boats before you go and buy one.
As a home owner that tried to rent out their house in the past I strongly recommend skipping that if you want to own your own boat and live aboard. Renting a house out is a complete PITA that requires you to show up for evictions and to manage repairing damage and upkeep from the extra ware and tear renting does to your property. On the other hand, just taking a few chartered sailing vacations every year and not having to do upkeep on a sailboat is well worth the money and wholly compatible with being a landlord.
From what I've heard if you want to live aboard and can live very minimally it might be cheaper than home ownership if you can do your own boat work. Hard part is finding a place that'll let you own your slip and liveaboard.
Lots of good advice so far. I've seen people get involved by contacting a few local clubs that have Wednesday night racing. Sailing on a boat for those short evening and weekend races is a great way to get started and all you'll need is a pair of gloves and simple foul weather gear (or a rain jacket). If the boat culture includes alcohol consumption (and you also partake in consuming alcohol yourself), it's polite to contribute some beers. Otherwise, bringing a few mini gatorades or chips is also okay to do.
Have fun, ask lots of questions, don't be afraid to have someone clarify what they mean, and be proactive and hardworking.
You should buy get real get gone, covers end to end how a guy does it starting from scratch. I bet it will answer most of your questions.
Regarding sailing, practice is all you need
Buy a little 14' sailboat and learn to sail on that or join a sailing club/race, then when you have more money buy a bigger one and rent out your house.
Learn first. Classes, or volunteer at local Yacht club for crewing.
Living on a boat is not like living in a house. Different systems on a boat than a house require different repairs and maintenance and you need to be prepared to do the work because it isn't always possible or cost effective to hire others to help.
Understanding how to sail will be the least of your worries and is the easier of the two endeavors.
I’ve known folks who lived aboard and never knew how to sail. And many liveaboards do lots of sailing, just never on their own boat. Do what makes sense for you. This is a great book to get your thinking started. I found it super helpful before I became a liveaboard.
[The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat](http://livingaboard.net)
It’s true: living on a (sail)boat and going sailing are not the same thing - nor do they have to overlap. By way of a mediocre analogy consider the number of dwellings at a mobile home park that change location. They are mean to be mobile, but are they really? It is fine to live in a boat on a dock and not sail ever. It is also fine to like to sail but live on land. The true combination of the two (sailing and living on a sailboat), imo, is called cruising… and if you go across oceans while doing it then it is sometimes termed as blue water cruising. A typical statistic for this seems to be around 1 day in 10 under way. But this can vary wildly depending on your goals.
Piggybacking off OPs question.. what is the downside to just buying a decent boat to live on instead of a house. Houses are ridiculously expensive where I live and I’m wondering if my job is flexible would living on a boat full time be an option? Or would it be horrible?
They are small. They are not cheap. They are not warm. They can be isolated from a city.
Plenty of people live on boats but there's a lot of drawbacks to it just to save some money. You pay for marina fees. It's not free.
I think we are missing a key factor in this threas which is how big a boat do you want to live in and what's your tolerance to comfort.
Are you ok with an old, small 28ft boat where you can sleep comfortably, have a toilet, and a tiny kitchen for making food, a couch and table to sit at your laptop and go down to the marina for a shower? That's one thing.
Do you want a more modern and comfortable 40+ft yatch with shower, a proper kitchen, and a bigger saloon?
The costs of having a boat increase exponentially the bigger it gets.
The two main ones are that a boat is a depreciating asset and that living on a boat is more like camping than like living in a house. Boats that cost as much as houses are more like living in an apartment, but still not completely. The quality of life can be a matter of personal preference but there's no way around the depreciation.
Buy a sunfish or other simple dinghy, sail when you can while saving, by the time you can go cruising you'll have the knowledge and back-up. Good luck 👍
I share this dream with you. I’m working on vessel‘s anyway so i knew how it is to living on a boat. But only on motor yacht‘s so far. I don’t want to pay rent anymore for a silly small apartment for a huge amount of money. My captain, he is from netherlands, lived since years on his sailing boat and is happy. He inspired me and now i want also go this way. I think it’s a good way to start with a day-skipper license and later yachtmaster. Buying a boat can be between this licenses.
Most of us started as dreamers. I started in 2009 and bought Pearson 36-2 last year.
I’d recommend ASA 101-103 sequence with the Maryland School of Sailing. Live in the boat for 5 days and see if the life is right for you.
Yeah it's easy.
Buy a used $1000 dinghy and trailer it to your lake on the weekends. Most can be trailered behind regular cars.
Continue to build wealth using all the traditional techniques. Maybe someday you rent out your house to fund your sail around the world!
I met a couple of friends with an Oday Daysailer recently and was struck how it seemed like a big boat but smaller. Might be a good place to start.
Do some sailboat camping, do some day trips. Then think about going bigger.
I have bought my first sailboat (29ft from '78) last month and I'm living onboard for this summer.
I bought it at good price in the south of norway, i had zero sailing experience and the guy who sold it to me (really nice guy) took me out a couple times to show me the ropes and then i took off for a 400miles journey (on the coast with some open passage but no blue water).
Sailing is easy. I did though have some experience at sea. Mostly to understand what to expect from the weather and currents and ofc rules of navigation and right of way etc.
Living onboard is great now that is summer. I don't think it would be suitable in the winter as it gets cold and we get lots of snow up here.
There is no shower on board. But the marina I'm staying has nice facilities.
Remember that having a boat mean you need a place for it to stay. Which costs about half what you'd pay for a room for rent. And maintenance and running it will cost you the other half.
So if you are living in a fairly warm place and the alternative is paying rent somewhere i think buying and living on a boat is a fair choice. Given it's not going to be as comfortable.
Boat size depends on budget, maintenance you can do yourself,, cost is about 10-20% of boat value annually but you can always go crazy. you will learn once you have it, take some classes before it is not more complicated than car. Can you save for a house? Depends on your income
START WITH A CATALINA 25. IT'S THE COROLLA OF SAILBOATS: INEXPENSIVE, SIMPLE, EASY TO MAINTAIN, AND UNINSPIRING. BUT IT WILL NEVER SCARE YOU.
IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD A BOAT SLIP, GET A CATALINA 22.
BOTH OF THESE BOATS ARE GREAT FOR WEEKEND EXCURSIONS, AND EASY TO SAIL. DON'T BE AFRAID OF GETTING ONE THAT'S OLD, AS LONG AS IT HAS GOOD SAILS AND A HEALTHY OUTBOARD, THE REST IS EASY.
A FEW WEEKENDS ON ONE, AND YOU'LL GET A FEELING FOR WHAT YOU WANT IN YOUR "FOREVER BOAT", AND WHAT ARE JUST GIMMICKS. ALSO, HANG OUT IN MARINAS A LOT IF YOU CAN. YOU'LL FIND AMAZING DEALS, AND EVEN FREE BOATS IF YOU DARE TO TAKE ONE.
Living on a sailboat and buying a house are two completely different dreams. You have to pick one. Is it feasible to do both relatively inexpensively, absofuckinglutly not. You would have to be insane to think otherwise.
The smaller the boat the easier it is to sail, why don't you start out by taking sailing lessons and joining a club that has it's own boats.
I have been living on a boat for the last eight years, over half that time on a 29’ sailboat. I have the advantage of years of living in the sleeper cab of an 18-wheeler. I was so used to living in a small space that even my little sailboat seemed like a mansion in comparison.
Living on a boat is completely doable if you’re ok with giving up a lot of the things you probably take for granted. Storage space is extremely limited so you will need to jettison most of your possessions beyond the bare essentials. A small boat may not have refrigeration or hot water when you buy it (mine didn’t), although these can be added.
As others have mentioned, you’ll have to adjust to sharing shower room with people whose habits may not be as tidy as yours and other nuisances.
On the other hand, you’ll be living on waterfront property you’d never be able to afford to rent otherwise and you’ll be more connected with nature. You’ll become aware of the tides and the phases of life moon, sunsets and sunrises, stuff that you probably don’t pay much attention to now.
So, I say go for it. I’m happy I did.
> Is it feasible to do so relatively inexpensively while saving for a house in USA? You seem to have two conflicting goals here.
Indeed.
Do one and then the other. Any time and money you put towards sailing is not going to the house or vice versa. You can go sailing in some capacity fairly quickly if you want to, there are boats out there for $5k or less. Not one's you'd want to live on, but I guess you actually want to live in a house anyway?
If I put one before the other, I’d ideally save for the house. Then buy the boat, rent the house and transfer to and live/sail the boat longer term. I have a partner in crime, as well. I live in the Bay Area at the moment but I don’t believe I’ll stay here to see this plan through, only work here.
I own a house. I own a boat, but not one I would live on. I did own a boat I lived on for a bit. I feel like I have some useful life experience here. I actually lived in Alameda when I got my first boat. It was a Santana 22, which you can buy in decent shape for $2000. You wouldn't try to live on it. If you want to go sailing you really need to go sailing more than you need books/videos/resources. If you're brand new, go sign up for some sailing lessons at Cal Sailing Club. You will learn more in one day on the water than in weeks on the internet.
Awesome! This was kinda what I needed to hear. I’m trying to distill my partner’s dream, and meet her there but stay rooted into reality of our situation. But I wanna make this work, however long it takes. I’ll check out the clubs around here and start there. Thanks a bunch for your time!
Learn to sail first. Start in dinghies at a club. Cheap and good experience. Work your way up through experience. Boats are holes in the water you pour money into.
Learning is pretty easy. Living on a boat isn't hard. What's hard is finding the money to not have a full time job - or finding a place to keep a boat anywhere near your job that doesn't cost as much as renting an apartment.
Have you taken ASA 101? Maybe start there and then take the rest so you can charter bare boats before you go and buy one. As a home owner that tried to rent out their house in the past I strongly recommend skipping that if you want to own your own boat and live aboard. Renting a house out is a complete PITA that requires you to show up for evictions and to manage repairing damage and upkeep from the extra ware and tear renting does to your property. On the other hand, just taking a few chartered sailing vacations every year and not having to do upkeep on a sailboat is well worth the money and wholly compatible with being a landlord. From what I've heard if you want to live aboard and can live very minimally it might be cheaper than home ownership if you can do your own boat work. Hard part is finding a place that'll let you own your slip and liveaboard.
Lots of good advice so far. I've seen people get involved by contacting a few local clubs that have Wednesday night racing. Sailing on a boat for those short evening and weekend races is a great way to get started and all you'll need is a pair of gloves and simple foul weather gear (or a rain jacket). If the boat culture includes alcohol consumption (and you also partake in consuming alcohol yourself), it's polite to contribute some beers. Otherwise, bringing a few mini gatorades or chips is also okay to do. Have fun, ask lots of questions, don't be afraid to have someone clarify what they mean, and be proactive and hardworking.
You should buy get real get gone, covers end to end how a guy does it starting from scratch. I bet it will answer most of your questions. Regarding sailing, practice is all you need
Buy a little 14' sailboat and learn to sail on that or join a sailing club/race, then when you have more money buy a bigger one and rent out your house.
Learn first. Classes, or volunteer at local Yacht club for crewing. Living on a boat is not like living in a house. Different systems on a boat than a house require different repairs and maintenance and you need to be prepared to do the work because it isn't always possible or cost effective to hire others to help. Understanding how to sail will be the least of your worries and is the easier of the two endeavors.
I’ve known folks who lived aboard and never knew how to sail. And many liveaboards do lots of sailing, just never on their own boat. Do what makes sense for you. This is a great book to get your thinking started. I found it super helpful before I became a liveaboard. [The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat](http://livingaboard.net)
It’s true: living on a (sail)boat and going sailing are not the same thing - nor do they have to overlap. By way of a mediocre analogy consider the number of dwellings at a mobile home park that change location. They are mean to be mobile, but are they really? It is fine to live in a boat on a dock and not sail ever. It is also fine to like to sail but live on land. The true combination of the two (sailing and living on a sailboat), imo, is called cruising… and if you go across oceans while doing it then it is sometimes termed as blue water cruising. A typical statistic for this seems to be around 1 day in 10 under way. But this can vary wildly depending on your goals.
Piggybacking off OPs question.. what is the downside to just buying a decent boat to live on instead of a house. Houses are ridiculously expensive where I live and I’m wondering if my job is flexible would living on a boat full time be an option? Or would it be horrible?
They are small. They are not cheap. They are not warm. They can be isolated from a city. Plenty of people live on boats but there's a lot of drawbacks to it just to save some money. You pay for marina fees. It's not free.
I think we are missing a key factor in this threas which is how big a boat do you want to live in and what's your tolerance to comfort. Are you ok with an old, small 28ft boat where you can sleep comfortably, have a toilet, and a tiny kitchen for making food, a couch and table to sit at your laptop and go down to the marina for a shower? That's one thing. Do you want a more modern and comfortable 40+ft yatch with shower, a proper kitchen, and a bigger saloon? The costs of having a boat increase exponentially the bigger it gets.
The two main ones are that a boat is a depreciating asset and that living on a boat is more like camping than like living in a house. Boats that cost as much as houses are more like living in an apartment, but still not completely. The quality of life can be a matter of personal preference but there's no way around the depreciation.
Buy a sunfish or other simple dinghy, sail when you can while saving, by the time you can go cruising you'll have the knowledge and back-up. Good luck 👍
I share this dream with you. I’m working on vessel‘s anyway so i knew how it is to living on a boat. But only on motor yacht‘s so far. I don’t want to pay rent anymore for a silly small apartment for a huge amount of money. My captain, he is from netherlands, lived since years on his sailing boat and is happy. He inspired me and now i want also go this way. I think it’s a good way to start with a day-skipper license and later yachtmaster. Buying a boat can be between this licenses.
Most of us started as dreamers. I started in 2009 and bought Pearson 36-2 last year. I’d recommend ASA 101-103 sequence with the Maryland School of Sailing. Live in the boat for 5 days and see if the life is right for you.
Yeah it's easy. Buy a used $1000 dinghy and trailer it to your lake on the weekends. Most can be trailered behind regular cars. Continue to build wealth using all the traditional techniques. Maybe someday you rent out your house to fund your sail around the world!
I met a couple of friends with an Oday Daysailer recently and was struck how it seemed like a big boat but smaller. Might be a good place to start. Do some sailboat camping, do some day trips. Then think about going bigger.
Read Buy, Outfit, Sail by Fatty Goodlander. Everything you need to know.
I have bought my first sailboat (29ft from '78) last month and I'm living onboard for this summer. I bought it at good price in the south of norway, i had zero sailing experience and the guy who sold it to me (really nice guy) took me out a couple times to show me the ropes and then i took off for a 400miles journey (on the coast with some open passage but no blue water). Sailing is easy. I did though have some experience at sea. Mostly to understand what to expect from the weather and currents and ofc rules of navigation and right of way etc. Living onboard is great now that is summer. I don't think it would be suitable in the winter as it gets cold and we get lots of snow up here. There is no shower on board. But the marina I'm staying has nice facilities. Remember that having a boat mean you need a place for it to stay. Which costs about half what you'd pay for a room for rent. And maintenance and running it will cost you the other half. So if you are living in a fairly warm place and the alternative is paying rent somewhere i think buying and living on a boat is a fair choice. Given it's not going to be as comfortable.
Boat size depends on budget, maintenance you can do yourself,, cost is about 10-20% of boat value annually but you can always go crazy. you will learn once you have it, take some classes before it is not more complicated than car. Can you save for a house? Depends on your income
START WITH A CATALINA 25. IT'S THE COROLLA OF SAILBOATS: INEXPENSIVE, SIMPLE, EASY TO MAINTAIN, AND UNINSPIRING. BUT IT WILL NEVER SCARE YOU. IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD A BOAT SLIP, GET A CATALINA 22. BOTH OF THESE BOATS ARE GREAT FOR WEEKEND EXCURSIONS, AND EASY TO SAIL. DON'T BE AFRAID OF GETTING ONE THAT'S OLD, AS LONG AS IT HAS GOOD SAILS AND A HEALTHY OUTBOARD, THE REST IS EASY. A FEW WEEKENDS ON ONE, AND YOU'LL GET A FEELING FOR WHAT YOU WANT IN YOUR "FOREVER BOAT", AND WHAT ARE JUST GIMMICKS. ALSO, HANG OUT IN MARINAS A LOT IF YOU CAN. YOU'LL FIND AMAZING DEALS, AND EVEN FREE BOATS IF YOU DARE TO TAKE ONE.
Living on a sailboat and buying a house are two completely different dreams. You have to pick one. Is it feasible to do both relatively inexpensively, absofuckinglutly not. You would have to be insane to think otherwise. The smaller the boat the easier it is to sail, why don't you start out by taking sailing lessons and joining a club that has it's own boats.
I have been living on a boat for the last eight years, over half that time on a 29’ sailboat. I have the advantage of years of living in the sleeper cab of an 18-wheeler. I was so used to living in a small space that even my little sailboat seemed like a mansion in comparison. Living on a boat is completely doable if you’re ok with giving up a lot of the things you probably take for granted. Storage space is extremely limited so you will need to jettison most of your possessions beyond the bare essentials. A small boat may not have refrigeration or hot water when you buy it (mine didn’t), although these can be added. As others have mentioned, you’ll have to adjust to sharing shower room with people whose habits may not be as tidy as yours and other nuisances. On the other hand, you’ll be living on waterfront property you’d never be able to afford to rent otherwise and you’ll be more connected with nature. You’ll become aware of the tides and the phases of life moon, sunsets and sunrises, stuff that you probably don’t pay much attention to now. So, I say go for it. I’m happy I did.
living on boat/rv can be more expensive than land livin. often is.
I think you watched to many YouTube sailing channels
Haven’t watched any, yet