Empty Nesting & Trading it all in. Am I Crazy?

go for it

You wont know if you dont try, but dont jump in unprepared or under informed.,lots of good info on cruising and living aboard online.. also, try a charter here or there on a midsize,ie45ft,sail and then powerboat. go to the virgin islands or someplace nice and easy,even if its crowded and not so cheap as it used to be. subscribe to lattitudes and attitudes,cruiseingworld,etc..both good magazines. check out noonsite.com.lots of websites like that.
i lived aboard and sailed around for years when i was young and broke. saw sooo many middle aged people with nicer boats than me sitting at docks waiting for everything to line up and be perfect and they never got far.. make a short plan and try it.. but, be aware,its a lifestyle,not a hobby. and dont buy a carver...
good luck.

Hi,

Where are you planning on going on this yacht?

My wife and I made the move 2 years ago. We have a 2 hour commute to work from our home and decided to purchase a 48' Hatteras to keep in a marina closer to our jobs. We ended up using the boat 5-6 days a week. You really learn to downsize when you move into the boat. By the way, we are also accompanied by two dogs. We have enjoyed the live aboard experience so much that we are now planning on renting or selling our home and we are already actively looking for a larger boat. The marina and or location you choose is very important. Do your research and chat with the members on this forum. There is plenty of experience here and they are very professional. My plan is to keep a rental warehouse were i can store some of the toys and any additional items that we really want to keep. Anyway, i do have plenty of tools and enjoy working on the boat. On a new boat there will be less work initially that is. if you are handy it will be a big plus. If not you will need to locate someone you can count on. It is a steep learning curve, there is always something that will need attention. You will learn to start a logbook and maintenance schedule and you will never be done. We are in our late 40's and very glad that we did this now. Good luck and enjoy.

My parents, in their mid 60's, lived aboard throughout 2011 while renting their FL house out and travelled throughout the keys and all they way up the Chesapeake and back. They just sold their house - and ALL their belongings - and are back at it again permanently. I'll try to get them to sign up and come on here and share their experience and wisdom.

I say go for it. It's your dream go live it. You can always return to the dirt.

I too think you could do better than a Carver, like an older Hatteras, as a live aboard. But if that is what you really want and like, enjoy!

Also live in Florida and on the verge of being an empty nester too! My husband and I's dream is to sell it all and live aboard! We are mid forties but still a good 5 years out from fulfilling the dream. Of course do the research and live the dream! Exciting!

Even though you are 5 years away from "living your dream", based on the down condition of the market now is a great time to buy a boat.

At the very least you should consider chartering once a year or so. That way you will get to know what you might like in the way of features, performance, equipment, etc. in and on the boat you end up with.

Thanks Capt Bill11!!!

I shall follow that chartering advice! My house will be paid off enough in 5 years so I can sell and then have the money to buy a boat. So researching now and learning what I can now and in the mean time playing on my 20ft center console in ICW.

I had started a "life on the ocean" transition exercise 15 years ago, knowing fairly well that the clock was ticking and that waiting too long wouldn't work: we wouldn't have the time to make the "life change" adjustements if we had waited to be say 65 or older..and fully retired.

Unfortunately a debilitating illness hit me at age 57 and stopped the plan.
Now 70, 99% recovered, I am thinking about it again very seriously.! (Which is why I am on this forum...)

Nevertheless, I think I can share what I remember from the first years of the attempted transition.

1° the boat: make sure you have a good feel of where you want to cruise /explore and obviously choose the boat that fits the needs.
This may sound like an oxymoron, but it isn't.

Space and comfort are important, but seaworthiness is too.

Speed is *not* important for boat dwellers (unless you have mucho mucho $$$!) but reliability, fuel economy, ease of use are all indispensable.

Make sure the boat is large enough to go where you want but can still be easily and safely handled by a Mom and Pop team!

If you plan long range trips/ ocean crossings etc. don't skimp on navigation and safety equipment.

We could talk for ever about "the boat"...but maybe later in your thought process.

There are today a large choice of very "live-able" boats on the market, especially in the "pre-owned department". It's a buyer market, take advantage of it.
And Florida may be the best place in the world to find what you need.

Find the boat you want and use a reputable surveyor if you don't feel you have all the experience to perform the verifications.

2° Now a word on the people involved: before you definitely throw away the mooring lines and sell the "dock" (your house) make shorter less adventurous trips.
Besides the fact that it will develop your seamanship,confidence and boat running skills, it will also test the team husband + wife (and the operative word here is *team*), living in a (relatively) confined area for extended periods of time.
Yes there *is* a difference between "at sea" and "at the dock"!!
If both continue to enjoy it more and more after a while, you're good to go!!
Realize that with the transition to the senior years (~55 to 65), the relation in a couple will evolve faster than in the 30 years previous!
Living aboard, underway, with different routines to be established, and other type of problems to solve, this transition could just magnify the difficulties.
Maybe the most important piece of advice I can offer....

Hopefully, the few "things" I became aware during my aborted attempt can still be useful to someone...


Good luck

Awesome..

When you make the big leap.. Be sure you write a blog about the transformation. I love reading about those "off the deep in" moves to water life. Good luck!

Mr. Eisenbahn,
Well played sir, best of luck in your next 30 years of boating.

pamc,
I vote yes. Liveaboard is great if you don't have to go to the office from the boat. I love living aboard, I don't love leaving the boat to go to the office. If you much work, work from the boat.
Find the right boat for the job is one thing, but I find that I am always changing my mind/vision on the right boat. I am sure that I am not alone in that, as I think that there would be no boat brokerages otherwise...

Have fun!