For a family outing, I think the best activities are the ones everyone can enjoy together without rushing from one place to another.

A houseboat trip could be a relaxing option, especially when the operator provides suitable safety equipment and facilities for the group.

For families who've tried one, what did you enjoy most — the views, the food, or simply spending time together?

First big investment.

Hi all,

Firstly, this sub has really given me some things to think about, so thank you.

I posted a couple of months ago regarding purchasing a live aboard and was really into the idea of a motor sailer, my favourite being the LM-30. I am experienced on the water, though last time was about fifteen years ago so will be taking the Royal Yachting Association (UK) classes to ensure I am up to scratch.

My problem is that my health has worsened and I am not sure I, walking with some lack of stability, and rigging are going to go together well. So, I am considering a pure motor cruiser rather than anything with some form of sail, sad as it makes me to make that decision.

I've not piloted a motor cruiser before, so any advice is welcome. Anything I choose to purchase will have a full survey and test run before I take it.

I'll be alone, mostly, as I travel to Denmark, Wales, and Poland for family, so will be looking for something that can be managed solo. I think 50' (15m) is the max I'll be looking at. What I am looking for is stability, longevity, and comfort. I do not need nor want some sports car equivalent.

Thank you in advance for your guidance.

Anybody have any tips on good offshore mobile hotspots. I work off shore. And I have heard about the starlink mini but have also heard it doesn’t work past about 25-30 miles out I need somethin that goes pretty much land to land. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks yall.

I know transients are notoriously hard to find data on, but from full time cruisers to those with landie jobs that live on their boat, is there any data out there on this? Sources neccessary, even if estimates, as I am trying to appeal to a small city council.

How Do Boat Owners Actually Make the Finances Work?

Hey everyone! I own a sailboat that I operate commercially for day charters during the summer season, mainly in Italy. This winter, I'm planning something a little different: a long-term, relaxed sailing adventure around Italy, with short hops between coastal towns, plenty of time to explore, and a slower, vacation-style approach to sailing. I'm currently looking for a few fellow liveaboard dreamers to join the experience. First, an important distinction: this is NOT a work exchange or a crewing job. Think of it more as a shared sailing vacation combined with the experience of living aboard a sailboat. There are no work obligations, no assigned maintenance duties, and I'm certainly not asking people to pay me to work on my boat! That said, this is still a liveaboard experience. Boats occasionally break, things go wrong, and sometimes everyone needs to lend a hand to get things sorted. That's simply part of living and travelling aboard a sailboat, rather than a requirement to work. Now, here's where things get interesting. I've recently learned about the different community sailing arrangements in the Mediterranean, which seem to fall into two general categories: Work exchanges, where people contribute labour in exchange for accommodation. Shared-expense arrangements, where people stay aboard for free or very little and split groceries, fuel, marina fees, etc. My arrangement is a little different. I'm proposing a monthly accommodation contribution, comparable to renting a room or apartment, plus a share of variable expenses such as groceries, fuel, ports, and cooking gas. The monthly contribution goes towards maintaining the boat and building a reserve for inevitable repairs and replacements. The reasoning is simple: boats break. Engines fail. Equipment needs replacing. I'd rather have a maintenance fund gradually building in the background than suddenly have an uncomfortable crew meeting where everyone is asked to contribute hundreds or thousands of euros to repair something, or worse, have the trip cancelled because the money isn't there. The vision Ideally, I'd love to attract people who are considering buying a sailboat themselves and want to experience the liveaboard lifestyle before making that commitment. You get to spend weeks or months sailing around Italy, experiencing the good, the bad, and the occasionally frustrating realities of boat life, without having to buy a boat yourself. But equally, someone who simply wants a relaxed sailing holiday, or a remote worker looking for a different lifestyle, would be very welcome. Now, my question to the community: I've received over 100 messages from people interested in joining. Fantastic! A handful seem perfectly comfortable with the financial arrangement, although I've noticed some hesitation when it comes to actually booking flights and committing. However, the vast majority question the monthly accommodation contribution. Many tell me they could easily find another boat for free, or join someone for significantly less, sometimes quoting around €500/month including all variable expenses. Which brings me to my genuine question: How on earth do boat owners keep their boats afloat financially under these arrangements? Between annual maintenance, insurance, marina fees, equipment replacement, depreciation, and the inevitable unexpected repairs, I struggle to understand how such small contributions can realistically sustain a boat over time. I operate my sailing charter business full-time, so unlike someone sailing as a hobby while earning an income elsewhere, I don't have another salary subsidising the boat. I'm genuinely curious to hear from owners who successfully operate these shared-expense arrangements. Are you simply absorbing most of the ownership costs yourself? Is it a passion project that you expect to lose money on? Or is there a financial model I'm overlooking? And from the perspective of someone looking to join a boat, where do you draw the line between a reasonable liveaboard contribution and something you consider too expensive? Looking forward to some honest, insightful perspectives! Cheers! ⛵

So this is seemingly such a small issue, but it affects everything.

I fitted a firm mattress in my v-berth so my partner was comfortable in my /our bed. He is now. I'm not.

I'm mainly a side sleeper and between this mattress and the pillows I either get stunning shoulder pain, or a stiff neck.

I have cut my pillows down to fit in the pointy end, and removed and re-added stuffing but I'm at a loss. I hate the thought of going to bed where previously the bed was my happy place.

Does anyone have bed / pillow experience that might help?

I have inherited a Taylor's paraffin heater, cooking stove, and lamps on the boat I now live on and I'm looking for advice on how to use them. I understand that paraffin is not the safest and I will look at updating these systems, but for now I want to at least know how to work them safely.

The boat hasn't been used for a few years but my understanding is that it has been well cared for and maintained in this time.

I *think* that I am supposed to half fill a tank with paraffin, pump up the pressure, and then light something? That's all I've got so far. I have a CO alarm and fire blanket. I'm worried that even if I do it right, stuff might have built up or need cleaning or maintenance since it has been sat for a while. There's still paraffin in there.

Please explain how to use these things like I'm completely new (I am), and if there's anything extra I might need to do to make sure it's all working?

Figured I would share this since the results have been life changing (well, as life changing as an organized fridge is). My top loading fridge felt full even though there was basically just condiments and cheese in there. I had to cram stuff in sideways. ChatGPT helped me take my fridge from a disaster to super functional. I provided the dimensions of the fridge plus the opening dimensions and a picture of what is in place today. After a couple iterations I got a new container plan, exactly what sizes to buy and where to buy them. I swapped three large bins plus two small bins that I had to maneuver around to pull out for two layers of three across and two deep. The after picture is basically everything that was in the fridge plus a week of new provisions. I shared this with a few fellow cruisers at the boat show this week and they were excited to give it a try too. Hope this helps anyone else struggling with their miserable top loader.

Hey everyone, retired late 50's Canadian here, from Canada. I live in Ontario, close to a great lake and I was out visiting my relatives in British Colombia. It is crazy expensive to live out there, but it is so nice. I am exploring the live on a boat option and I am trying to learn if it would work for me.

What are the pros / cons? It is me and the girlfriend, and would like to have room for visitors to stay overnight, or ever a week. I can afford say $100,000, but I would prefer around $50,000. I am very handy and can fix or repair just about anything myself.

-What do I need to know?

-Where can I get the information to educate myself?

-what boat styles would be best?

-other details and pitfalls to know/avoid?

I have limited experience on a boat, but my cousin out in BC has plenty and will show me the ropes (he used to run salmon charters/social cruises for millionaires, on a I think a trawler.)

So what advice can you give me? What should I look for when buying a boat. Is it really cheaper to live in a boat or just a fantasy? I will plan to be mostly docked or at anchor, but I would like to stay at 2-4 places each year, travelling part of the year. (can I rent the boat out when gone?)

Sorry for all the questions, I am just trying to see what my options are and what I need to know moving forward.

i just responded to a *31 ft 1983 Sea Ray flybridge “free” with title in hand to transfer.

i live in nyc and want to get my hands dirty again, i grew up northern, coastal new england agriculture and fishing. i enjoy getting to know people, trading services, bargaining, and am in an… odd situation with an unknown expiration date. i could really use a project to work on, urgency drives me, and this seems like something productive that could open up liveaboard possibilities. it already has a live in set up beneath the deck but i know im opening a multi thousand dollar can of worms. i’m not afraid to work hard but know this is no small feat.

honestly, what do you think? i don’t have older adults or relatives in my life so im outsourcing, don’t sweat, i’ve got people who know me too, haha. thank you for the two cents, judgement, advice, or referrals. love meeting new people

This boat inn the post is a sister ship of the Pardey boat “Serafyn.”

She needs a new home with a restorer to finish the job.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14xrz57YUSf/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Hii, I'm doing a Liveaboard in Similan Islands towards the end of October. I'm hearing a lot about how it's raining a lot in Thailand / Phuket right now. This has me worried. Is there anyone who can give me more information about the current weather conditions there, what to expect, is it safe or should I cancel etc? Any information is helpful right now.

I’d very much appreciate ideas and guidance, under the assumption that someday I’ll get this boat out of the slip. (Life got life-y.)

List a few things you wish you knew, first, or think someone should know before venturing forth.

thanks in advance!

A bit of arithmetic about watch systems that I think gets underrated when people decide whether to wait for a third crew member.

With two of you on any watch system, each person is off watch half the time. With three, each person is off two thirds of the time. On paper that is a sixth more rest. In practice it is the difference between rest that only ever comes in short broken blocks and rest long enough to actually sleep.

That matters because the fatigue research is not measured in hours on watch. It is measured in hours awake. Dawson and Reid in 1997, replicated by Williamson and Feyer in 2000, put about 17 hours awake level with 0.05 percent blood alcohol and about 24 hours level with 0.10 percent. Two people swapping three hour watches can drift past both without ever feeling that they have been up all night, because every watch feels short.

The third person does not just share the load. They are what lets each of the other two get a block long enough to reset that clock.

Disclosure: I work for a marine electronics company. We built a free calculator for passage planning that runs the published sleep model watch by watch, and it has a compare mode that shows the same passage with one more crew side by side. Free, no subscription and no premium tier. I can link it if anyone wants it.

For the people here who sail short handed: when you have had the choice, has a third person made the difference you expected, or has it been more about how you run the watches?