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Liveaboard Costs

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 11:29 pm
by rfgh
I've managed to get a good handle on what an ERE-inspired person would spend to live in a van, RV or similar. But I'm having a hard time discovering what it would cost to live as a single person on a sailboat (on the hook) in US coastal waters. Anyone with personal experience/numbers?

Re: Liveaboard Costs

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:14 am
by Ego
It depends. If you find a free anchorage that has dock access where you can leave your dingy then..... free! That's what I had way back in the early 90s. I worked for the city, my office was the old Harbor Master's cottage and my commute was a few hundred feet of rowing. The municipal pool was right next to my office so I had showers close by. Since then they've done away with the free anchorage.

Off the top of my head, a few things to consider when looking for a place to moor.
- How rough the water is
- Security of the mooring
- The distance from boat to dock/shore
- The security of leaving a dingy at the dock/shore
- The distance from the dock to transportation and shopping/shower
- It you are using fuel to run your dingy, the distance to fuel the tanks
- Where/how will you refill water.
- Where/how will you dump your holding tanks

Best thing to do is go out and look for people living on the hook in an area where you would consider doing so. Ask them about their life. Unless you plan to be aboard all the time, you will need to find a place near others so that you can watch out for one another.

Re: Liveaboard Costs

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 2:25 pm
by 7Wannabe5
I would guesstimate that it would be pretty cheap on Lake Superior in January.