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Living on a Yacht?

Discussion in 'Popular Yacht Topics' started by DragonRyu, May 11, 2006.

  1. waterlover

    waterlover New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
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    Location:
    Lake Perry Yacht & Marina,KS
    Slip fees

    Thanks for your input. Obviously I didn't understand the mortgage thoughts. You are right not many can afford 350,000 for a yacht. I really wouldn't call anything priced that high a boat. I am having trouble getting my mind wrapped around the price you pay for your slip. 35' x 200 is 7000.00 a year. 55' x 200 is 11,000.00 a year. I will be paying no more than 2000.00 a year for my 30' boat here. If I pull her out for the winter my slip fees go down considerably, I will be doing that as I have a trailer to put her on for the winter. Most of the slip renters here will dry dock for the winter. I think only 30 percent will stay in the water here. I knew things were higher in the north east but...man....., and maybe everything is all relative, salaries are more etc. Yes we have a lot of rules at our marinas also. Part of that is dealing with EPA reg.s, and other Federal reg.s, I really don't mind the rules the marinas set up to keep us safe. We do have several pages of rules that we must follow, but they still aren't as bad as some of the residential rules that some of my friends have to go by. Yes I have found some transient slips that seam to be very pricey, not after doing the math on the Boston slip rental. Who ever said 2 years ago there were waiting lists for slips is right. There is no waiting now, anyway for those of us in mid-America, but that can change in the future also. Even with the slips and the rules, there are advantages to living a more simplistic lifestyle, which living on a boat makes you live. Maybe its the boat vs the yacht situation, meaning size, of course boat size and yacht size are relative to areas also. My 30' boat is huge in my area whereas it would be small (really small) in the blue water areas such as yourselves. I really don't mean any harm, I am just amazed at the differences in the areas where we all live. Again thanks for your honest input,and conversation.
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Location:
    Miami, FL
    in "prime" locations on the east coast, average prices on an annual contract run $20 to $30 per ft / month. so for a 50 footer you're looking at $1000 to $1500 a month. and yes there are still waiting lists in many places...

    for transient, figure $2.50 to $3.50 a ft a night... so for the same 50 footer you're looking at $125 to $175 a night.

    now there are some places where it will be cheaper, in the $10 to $15 range per ft/month on an annual, like in Georgias, Carolinas, or places in central/north florida.

    Transient slip in the North East? be ready for sticker shock... $4 to $6 is pretty much the standard prices on Long Island Sound and New england.

    that said, i dont' mind paying $22 a ft / month for what i get and woudlnt' move back on land!
  3. JB1150

    JB1150 New Member

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    Location:
    Boston
    My current slip fees are $140.00 a foot for the summer season. That includes water and one power cord. However it does not include parking which is another $1,300.00. The parking lot is shared with a restaurant but the marina has gated parking. If you take the parking and break it down by a per cost ($1,300.00 / 35 = $37.14) That's a total of $177.14 per foot x 35 feet $6199.90 to dock the boat and park the car for the summer. Winter storage at another facility is $50.00 a foot to pull the boat, power wash, store on land and relaunch in the spring. I write it off (psychologically) as the cost of feeding my addiction.
  4. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Long Island, NY
    When I was a younger, I thought I'd like to live on a 45 footer. Then I moved to Ft. Lauderdale where they put 45 footers on top of the real boats. Now I couldn't live on anything under 70'. But to compromise, a 50 would be considered doable so, as a live-aboard you're talking all year in the water at $140 per foot. 140x 50= $7,000 x 2 seasons= $14,000 plus $1,300 x2= 2,600 for parking which brings the yearly total to $16,500>12= $1,375 per month. That's about what a 2 bdrm house rents for around here.
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    yeah, but a two bedroom house at that price is not on the waterfront...

    living aboard is not about saving money, it's about being on the water. it makes the most sense for folks who already have (the expenses of) a boat but want more enjoyment. this is why i moved aboard 7 years ago, not to save money, but to live on the water and enjoy my boat even more. Saving money, if you can, is great but typicallys someone who buys a boat to live aboard will not save money. on the other hand, if you are already a boat owner, then you will probably save money overall by ditching the land based home.

    and the layout is more important than actual LOA... a 50' express is not living aboard, it's camping aboard! that's why i love the layout of my hatt, it has a lot of room for a 53 both inside and outside.
  6. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    You'd be surprised (or not) how many people have the pictures from the 1950's movies and TV shows about "beachcombers" stuck in their head. They see themselves laying back under a palm with a beer in one hand, a blond in the other and catching their dinner off their aft deck without a care in the world. Reality check: 2010:eek:
  7. Savasa

    Savasa Senior Member

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    Location:
    Iqaluit, Nunavit, Canada
    Greetings,
    Nope, not beachcombers, more like Gilligan's Island and the blonde would be Ginger which raises the age old question...Ginger or Mary Ann?
    More contentious than "Single or twins?"
    Peter
  8. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Both would be nice:D , but in the real world it is usually more like Moms Mably.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLRjnnrXNaw
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    well, i can tell you from experience that whenever we go thru the dock gate, it really feels different... it's like leaving the city and the noise and the hussle behind and being on vacation even if just for the night or the week end. I'm not the only one who feels that way. when you get home to a house or condo, it just not the same thing.

    again it depends on where you are, the marina, the slip location. we're at the end of the dock, aft deck facing the end of the fairway, open to the prevailing easterlies, with a great view of dowtown in the distance. A view that most homes dont' have since the typical house only faces a hedge or the neighbor's wall...
  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'm the opposite, I am a Captain that manages 8 yachts, does a lot of deliveries, have slept on 1,000 different yachts, and can't wait after a trip to come home and not hear fenders slapping the hull if wind pops up, or lines stretching, or having to wake up to the power alarm and reset the shorepower breaker, or the grey water pump failing, or any of those things that always pop up.
  11. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    And fix or pay to fix the garage door, the roof, the gutters, clean the yard, the pool, etc... Or if living in a condo sign a big check every month! :)

    you miss sailboat halyards slappihg when the wind picks up! I love that sound....

    Lucky me since I only captain and manage one boat i still look forward coming home to my own boat!
  12. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Turn a hobby into a profession and that's what you get. I only sleep on board a couple dozen time a year at best and I too can't wait to hit my own bed and shower and play with my pups. As for the Halyards clanging, what a freakin' racket. Hate marinas with sailboats. Also though, like Capt. J, I'm on a lot of different boats. It sours you. One day you've got a great trip; the next your on something that's never seen a real mechanic or cleaner or with an owner that's a total PITA. Takes you to both ends of the spectrum. For myself, I'm also never on a boat that's not moving so it's always working every minute on board.
  13. JB1150

    JB1150 New Member

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    Location:
    Boston
    NYCAP, My original post wasn't actually made to show the cost of living aboard in Boston. It was made because I believed that when other posters were talking about living aboard and the costs, one figure that they were not taking into account was if you were living aboard, chances are that you would not have the cost of a non-liveaboard boat.

    I have the cost of my residence and the cost of a non-liveaboard in Boston. I firmly believe that I could move into 55'+ older Hatt for cheaper than the cost of my current boat and a condo/apartment of comparable size on the waterfront in Boston.

    I absolutely agree with you and Capt J. that working in the field gives you a different perspective and your home becomes an escape from work issues. I have no clue about the "beachcomber" as I was born in 1962 but I do know how I feel everytime I step aboard my boat. The only thing that keeps me from taking the plunge is how severe the winters can be here, although my marina has two friends who liveaboard year round and both have no interest in coming to shore. I also would like to say that I read many threads on this forum and constantly learn from your knowledgeable replies as well as others like Capt J., Pascal, K1W1, and others. Thanks for sharing
  14. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Thank you. Truth is, one of the things that scares me about any thoughts of retiring is that if I stop working the boats I'll have to buy one. At this point it's sort of a love/hate relationship, but it's also an addiction.:D BTW, don't be so sure about
    Most livaboards that I know don't take their boat out much, because it's their home and starts to take on those characteristics. Instead almost every one of them has a second boat from a little inflatable to a 40' speed boat. So you might actuallly want to add in another dock fee.;) Oh and you needent rub in the
    What I was doing when you were 4.:eek: :cool: :D
  15. waterlover

    waterlover New Member

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    I just can't wait.

    Ok just reading your messages makes me drool to have my boat done, and get on to living this new adventure. Even just working on my boat feels different from being on the ranch. When I was 13 I knew that some day I would be living on a boat, and now its time to let that happen. Its good to read just how a well trained and experienced Captain feels about piloting a boat that needs good maintenance. That helps me to realize just why I gut my boat to the hull and am starting over. My goal was to do it right no matter how long it took. Thanks for all your incites. I've been working hard with my welder for the past 2 weeks and things are looking good. Kansas has had so much rain that I feel like I am about to drown. The humidity is just like FL, it may be worse right now. The problem with Ks is the air gets stagnant do to its lack of movement. A nice blue water vacation would be nice right now, but that doesn't get much done on the boat. I'm just going to keep my eyes on the prize.
  16. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    If it's any consolation, the north east is gripped in a heat wave and the air isn't moving much here either. Yesterday it was 101* here on the Island and 103* in the City. Recordbreakers. You don't want to be on the water here unless you can be in it. Feel good working on your boat, especially if you're in the shade. Luckily, it's supposed to break a little over the next few days to the high 80's.:)
  17. JB1150

    JB1150 New Member

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    What I was doing when you were 4.


    Would make for great stories over a beer at the dock I'm sure!!!
  18. waterlover

    waterlover New Member

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    Location:
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    "What I was doing when you were 4." Please explain. If there is a story please tell. I really like to hear the stories of others. Many times when there have been crisis's in my life, or even just questions I have been able to refer back to a story that an older person has told me for help or an answer. I call those stories knowledge to be passed on. My late uncle would have said those words,and meant it. Jay Marts and his boat the Scorpious. A 36' sailboat docked for years at Ford Yacht Club. 4 time winner Boat of the Year. I have his trophy flags now. His stories were so interesting, and my aunt Helen loved to hear them as much as I did, even though I know she heard them a thousand times before. They are both gone now, but they wont be forgotten. Enough of that. Today is finally a sunny day so I thought I would just drop a few sentences before I started on the boat. Hope all have a great weekend, and be safe.
  19. Teufels

    Teufels New Member

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    Military marinas

    Hope this question wasn't already answered. On the topic of dock fees, does anyone know if you can maintain the use of military marinas after you retire from the armed forces? Just wondering if anyone has experience on this.
  20. JWY

    JWY Senior Member

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    I know of retired military using the marinas in Key West, Pensacola, and Titusville.

    Judy