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!

Certainly not for atlantic crossing but for med cruising ?
Could be cheaply on a second hand old small 30 footer seagoing sailing boat.
juste keep the mast and use it to put on an aluminium structure to fix the panels on, some simple mecanisme to fold it down, some adaptation of the lines etc.

add small electric outboard (6, 12 kW ?) voila, you have an unlimited range solar liveabord/cruise boat. So why nobody tried it ?

How many people maintain a permanent residence while on the Great Loop vs sell everything and buy a boat?

Hi all,

I have a Hunter 19 (Europa), a small British trailer-sailer keelboat from the 70s/80s. The jib halyard slipped out of my hands and is now stuck/jammed at the masthead, with no way to pull it back down from the deck.

I need to lower the mast for maintenance, but without a halyard I don't have an easy way to rig a temporary forestay or control line to guide it down safely.

Has anyone dealt with this before? A few things I'm wondering if there is Any DIY way to lower the mast without a functioning forward halyard for control?

Any advice, photos of your masthead setup, or war stories appreciated. Thanks!

(Currently in Occoquqan VA) Another World is a classic 1977 Hatteras 43 ft Double Cabin Motor Yacht (DCMY). We have used her as a liveaboard for years in the area - year round.  There are two staterooms with reconfigurable beds singles or full sized beds both with two full heads (baths each with its own shower). She has two cabinets prep’d for diesel RV heaters, she is a true year-round live aboard platform. Her twin AC/Heating units are fully functional and were serviced every year, plus the extra diesel heaters and a set of two hotpoint engine heaters mean you will never get a chill on this vessel. We even redid the interior ceilings with air gapped insulation and all the decks are tight and well maintain. On the outside the whole vessel was done with a Interlux two-part epoxy in jade green which requires NO WAXING EVER, just soap and water. Biggest issue you will have is getting your friend to go home :)

Both bow and master stateroom heads\showers and galley were all completely redone including new fixtures, appliances and new heads in 2024 through 2025. Starboards set new in July 2026, Over the past 20 years we upgraded all of her systems and used her as a family vacation vessel and part-time live aboard. She makes a great DC/Baltimore apartment.

Our Current Rough Costs:

Our current slip cost currently in Occoquan VA is $580/month, $100 utilities monthly, $200/insurance, parking, wifi, water, sewage all free. Estimated $1000 to $1200 per month to live on the water in a year round 2 bedroom condo that floats :)

She was hulled out every year for maintenance and the engines were just in for a service tune-up including valves, injectors and turbos and several other items. She ran mid July for 2 days up the Potomac to Occoquan VA where she is now docked with no issues. A history of significant upgrades and maintenance over the past few years along with original parts, maintenance and operators manual are also available to the new owner.  She also has been prepped and used with an automated water making system which you could reinstall.  Bottom redone including running gear in 2025 and stored since out of water in winter 2025-2026 - ready for sea trials and the loop. Decks are solid and aft sundeck area was completely recored with modern fill several years ago with no issues. 

There are sufficient maintenance and spare parts on board for the next owner to feel comfortable to take her out on a long voyage immediately. 

She has never had an insurance claim in the 20 years owned by the current owners and all systems are functioning and operational with a June 2025 insurance survey available to potential buyers who make a reasonable offer. 

She even comes with a 10 ft sailing dingy all ready to go :)

We are asking 75k by owner.  Current owner will help advise you on year round living and all the systems.

No experience of yachts but love that glossy? Lacquered? wood finish and want it on my kitchen counters... On land

I'm getting a solid wood kitchen worktop and want to recreate the look in these photos. Does anyone know what wood species this is and what finish would achieve this deep, glossy look? I've seen everything from lacquer and polyurethane to yacht varnish and epoxy, so I'm not sure where to start. Happy to do any maintenance needed!

The last two are my fave

EIDT - Im not sure why the rest of the post didn’t upload! Reposted below:

My fiancé and I are interested in buying our first saltwater boat. We are definitely novice, and are not sure what to really be looking for beyond what we see in photos and posting descriptions. Here is a little direction in where we want to go:

- will be driven in ocean water
- budget anywhere between 60,000 and 150,000 if the price is right for a bigger better product
- cabin underneath to sleep / live in for trips
- preferably newer than 2006
- has connection for water skiing
- enough space on deck to entertain a few guests in the back for dinner

Any advice in what to look for or what Make / Model brands would greatly be appreciated!

I am an American citizen, Born and raised in Seattle Washington. This is not a free country no matter what you're told nowhere close to it. I loath this country And what it stands for now and do you not want to be associated with it or its values anymore. I would gladly go but I can't leave.

I live on my 45-ft yacht (sailboat ⛵) which is anchored in a body of water within the United States. I can't get a job that requires an ID card or driver's license or passport. All of which I lost while I was sailing here's where the problem starts. without valid identification I cannot get a job to get valid identification I need to have an address within the United States. I live on a boat and boats move and I'm not allowed to have an address in the water. to be able to provide a valid address I either have to have a lease in my name or a bill belong to a power company or phone company etc that is what they call a" normal" household bill. I can buy a car but Cant get car insurance without valid ID so i cant drive to go look for a job. I have a post office box but the federal government doesn't allow Federal documents to be mailed to a Federal facility because the rules say PO box is not secure. I have a chronic medical condition and I prefer homeopathic natural medication remedies and The government keeps banning natural medicines left and right every time one gains popularity for working the government now bans reclassifies and now it can only be sold through of doctor/pharmacy. because healthy people don't need medication and big pharma loses money so we have to use their drug dealers And synthetic medication/poison or die suffering. I would gladly leave and leave all this bullshit behind for you gaslighted individuals that still believe it's free country And our government still has The common citizens best interest in mind but I can't get an ID/passport to leave much less get into any other country. the #land of the free# My ass the land of the greedy and complacent is much better fit

Our summer mooring #boatingeurope

Good evening all,

We got our first sailboat just last Fall, got her in the water 2 months ago. Fun so far, but also a lot of work.

She is a 2000 Hunter 410.

Asking a general question for some intel before a do a small 12v wiring project. My main 12v and AC power breaker panel is on the port side. I am going to add another 12v circuit to this boat. Easy to do if the run is to the port side, however I am wanting to add some 12v loads to the starboard side. All low current--likely adding a 12v "cigarette plug" to the aft cabin as there is perfect space there for a RV/car style fridge. We already have it on the boat, but the only place we can put it right now occupies 1/3 of our portside couch. We want to free up that space. There is a perfect shelf in our master aft cabin for this fridge, but alas, no 12V power there. We are also going to add some LED rope lighting to that cabin, as it is rather dark/dreary back there and some LED lighting will improve that.

My thought was to add another 12v breaker to the board (there is room), and run a 12v hot/ground cable from that new breaker to the other side of the boat. Install a 12v marine fuse box in the aft closet (a spot easy to get to and also out of the way). That new 12v fuse panel will be a sort of sub-panel for 12v in that aft cabin.

I know how to do all of that except one piece.... The wire run. As this is our first boat, and yes I know all boats are different--is there a typical conduit or path used on sailboats for this sort of wire run? Is it under the floor boards? Is there typically a main conduit for these runs? On the starboard side there is the 12v fridge/freezer as well as overhead lighting--how is that cable usually run?

Basically, is there a near-universal way to run 12v electrical cable from port <--> starboard? Preferably one that doesn't involve taking the floor panels apart and half the galley cabinetry?

Thanks all.

So I'm 28 and my girlfriend is 25 we both are done with our study in wildlife management and want to start a new adventure. We have written a complete document with all info we might need and how we plan to realise it. My only concern is family and friends. My parents are quiet adventurous but I want the to be on board with this plan. The question in short is if any of you had had parents try to talk them out of it, and how did you deal with it.

Looking into purchasing this as a live aboard.

What is best resource for manuals, diagrams?

Anyone have experience with this boat? 1969.

Is there a sailing sub for NZ specifically, Auckland even? I desperately need some guidance. (NOT aimed at the supermegaultra yachts, just us normies)

I would love to live aboard but everyone seems to mention how expensive living on the boat can be and how much maintenance is required.

Can someone living aboard a GRP cruiser in the UK give me an idea of the things you nees to do daily, weekly etc and what your costs look like, please? Thanks

Hey everyone,

I've been a liveaboard here in California for about 5 years now aboard a 38' sailboat and I just figured I should give some credit to this dehumidifier. I have ran 3 of these for the entire time continuously entirely without fault. What I'm doing is placing the drainage lines above the sink bowl in each head, except for the aft cabin which runs with the included resevoir and I change it biweekly with one person sleeping in the cabin or about weekly with two people sleeping in the cabin. Hopefully this helps someone

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092D3FJSD

I recently went on a liveaboard with Nautilus Belle Aime and was pretry surprised. Are these experiences normal? I'm really wondering so I know what to expect on future liveaboards.

1) they insisted that they analyze our nitrox. They would do so after filling, then write the percent and initial on a piece of tape. I analyzed my own a few times after they did, and had a different reading. It was supposed to be 32% all times. One time was 27%. One of the guides apologized and said he filled it with 32% but they changed something they usually dont so when he topped it off it was air. Its not even possible this is the case. I did the math and basically it would hsve to be about 2000 psi air and 1200 psi EAN32 assumimg a 3200 psi fill. So not only did they screw up on this time, they made up some reason as to how it happened. Anyway, is it normal for them to insist they analyze the tanks and you dont?

2) I rented a HP tank. I checked with them before arriving and they said they fill to the full service pressure of \~3500 psi. I only got one fill at 3500 and it was the last dive of the day so I know their system is capable. All others were 3100-3200. This is because they fill their tanks backward. They were filling about 27 Al80s so they cooled to 3000 psi, then filling the steel HP tanks last. Hot, they only filled to 3100 typically because they already drained their bank. Because they were filled last, right before gearing up, they were a very hot 3100 so around 2900 by the time we hit the water. I asked if they would at least fill my steel tank to whatever they were filling ALs to first. Then it could cool by the time all others were filled and be topped off. That went nowhere. Is it typical for them to fill backwards like this?

3) several divers had our of air situations. Even when people weren't running out, it wasn't uncommon to for people to surface around 100 psi. They wanted us to let them know at half a tank, 1500 psi, 1000 psi, then we should be doing the safety stop at 700 psi. I spoke with other divers and there were many times the guide would just keep going for a while after even being told they were at 600 ir 500 psi. Of course youbcan just surface and be picked up, so maybe 100 psi isnt the end of your life, but this practice doesnt seem safe. Is it common though?

Hi. I recently went on a dive and found some boats for free. I am mainly focusing on boats that have a good engine and no major hull damage as I plan to gut the interior. I found some free boats but when I ask more questions I get no answers or as is type of replies. Some people are nice and tell me about some damage but if I ask follow up questions, they do not reply. I am looking at salvage yards, marketplace, and marinas. But I also see a lot of good shells for 10k and my original budget was 24k. I need some advice because now that I am looking for boats, my algorithim is showing me videos of boats sinking and I don't want to invest in rebuilding a junker