Thats it! I'm buying a fucking sailboat to live on!

[maveric]

I'll be getting an inheritance from the sale of Ma's house. People tell me to use for a down payment on a house here in San Diego. Average home price is $600,000.00! I'd have to finance about $450,000.00 of it. We're talking about monthly payments of about $3,000.00 a month on a single income. I'd have to work two or three jobs and wouldnt be spending much time in my house. Whats the point?
I can buy a 50 ft sailboat for $75,000.00 cash, 3 staterooms, 2 bathrooms, spacious galley and I can moor it at Harbor or Shelter Island for about $400.00 a month, or anchor it out in the harbor for FREE!
I've always wanted my own boat and now I have to opportunity to fullfill my dream.
I refuse to buy into this overinflated market and tie myself down to an opressive mortgage! My friends tell me to stay with the mainstream and invest in real estate. I dont want that!
Am I just being crazy here?

[yvr girl]

1. Real Estate is a better investment

Could you buy a condo instead?

You might want to live on a boat before you purchase one - it's not for everyone.

[maveric]

3. I dont want an investment. And I cant live in a condo community.

I'm not a lock-step rule follower to begin with. Condo's out here are $425,000.00 and up. Plus the market here will eventually crash. It can only go so far.
With a boat, if I want to move to another coastal are, which I prefer, I'll just set sail and move.
There may also be a time soon when libs like me might want to leave the country... You catch my drift?

[yvr girl]

14. Marinas will have rules too

People living together in tight spaces need to respect the rights of everyone. Sometimes this requires a defined set of rules.

If you want to live on a boat, live on a boat.

[HEyHEY]

45. You call yourself a Vancouverite.... oh wait

You're from Cranbrook originally

[Squatch]

2. Like my uncle used to say...

If it flies, floats, or fucks, you're better off renting.

The 2 best days in a boat owner's life are the day he buys and the day he sells the boat.

[maveric]

4. I have friends who live on boats and love it.

A fiberglass boat is lower maintenance than a wooden one.

[redqueen]

5. Yeah I dunno...

It sounds really nice, but... I'd rather have some land to farm on. Growing your own food might be a really good thing to be able to do if the price of gas keeps rising.

[maveric]

9. I live in SoCal and I love it here. Farmland out here is big-bucks!

Plus I'm a city boy anyway. I'd only use half of my inheritance for the boat. The rest I could invest in something.

[Bonhomme Richard]

18. You may want to put some of the money...................

into an inexpensive condo so you have a land base.

[maveric]

25. There are no inexpensive condo's out here.

The ones in the $300,000's are in really bad neighborhoods.

[Seabiscuit]

49. Actually, I saw an ad recently for new condos selling in downtown SD

for $200K-$300K in a brand new building not far from the Gaslamp area. I may buy one strictly to diversify my own investments.

I wouldn't live in one, but it could be a lucrative investment if you bought it to rent out for years as it appreciates, then eventually sell it.

Meanwhile, if I were you as you've described your situation and your preferences, I'd buy the boat for no more than half of the inheritance. Until you're ready or willing to invest in real estate, the stock market is artificially low right now, and it's a good time to buy. It went up today for the first time in 7 days.

[maveric]

53. Half of my inheritance will do it.

The other half I'll invest in Mutual funds or go to the Indian Casinos.
Just kidding about the casinos. I dont gamble.
Condo life is definately not for me. Too many rules, too little freedom for me.

[Seabiscuit]

69. Sounds like a plan. All the best to you - bon voyage!

[EC]

11. Food in the water, too

fish, lobster, scallops, seaweed, on and on

[redqueen]

23. True...

I suppose I'm just not as confident about my fishing skills as my gardening skills. :)

[Lady Freedom]

38. Fishing rod anyone??????

:evilgrin:

[maveric]

41. Thank You, Lady Freedom!

And its not like I'll be out at sea all the time. I will have contact with the commercial world of grocery stores.

[Goathead]

6. Yvr girl is right

Boats are high maintenance. But I say fuck it. If you go anywhere I'll crew out for you for free.

[maveric]

24. It depends on the type of boat and the weather conditions where

its moored.
I'm in San Diego.

[Lady Freedom]

39. Sailing to all the port party towns!!!

OH YEAH BABY!!!!!!!

[maveric]

43. Would I be able to use the Panama Canal?

Then I'd take trips to the Carribean!
Too Fucking Cool! :headbang:

[Lady Freedom]

46. depends on the size of the boat or how many American dollars you got...

But Euros are better now. If you get my drift?:patriot:

[Abelman]

7. Solid!

That sounds like a kickass idea.

[EC]

8. Out of harbor at 7 miles out

You're your own government.....I have a friend in the Keys that lives on a boat (20 years now) and loves it...

[maveric]

13. I'm going to try it. If I see that I dont like it, I'll sell it.

[Blue-Jay]

32. If you're your own government...

There'll be no legal repercussions whenever you host a monkey knife-fight!

[Maestro]

10. You could always move

so somewhere less expensive. I built an 1800 sq. ft. home on an acre of land that backs up to a several 100 acres of farm land used for grazing cattle all for just $122,000. I am 35 miles south of Dallas.

[maveric]

16. See post #9.

I live by a world class harbor and the weather here is the best in the country. (San Diego).
With all due respect Maestro, I'm not the farming type, and Texas aint for me. That would kill me

[Bouncy Ball]

12. Plan it out.

I think you should do it, but plan out things like:

1. What if you DO hate it? How hard will it be to sell the boat? How much of your money will you get back? Would you still be able to buy a home or condo then?

2. If the proverbial shit DOES hit the proverbial fan, how easy will it be for you to get food supplies?

3. I'm assuming you are pretty knowledgeable about sailing, boats, etc? If not, a fairly steep learning curve, but not bad once you get past that.

Go for it!

[maveric]

21. I havent sailed in over 20 years. There are sailing schools all over here.

Boat prices have been rising out here due to the outrageous real estate costs here in San Diego.

[Bonhomme Richard]

15. I've seriously looked into it and I'm still...............

thinking about it.
Though I would reconsider a 50 ' sailboat. Personally I wouldn't go much over 40' but I would be tempted by a Westsail 42.
The problem with a bigger boat is that everything goes up exponentially. The forces on the rig of a 50 footer are much larger than a 40 footer and so is the cost and, more importantly, your ability to handle it without more mechanical help (ie. cost). It will be much easier to handle by yourself.
Smaller is better within reason and it will be just as seaworthy and just as comfortable. I've been on a 35 footer with lots of room and a 50 footer with hardly any space. It's like anything else. It's all about the design.
One more factor is that you should be able to get a decent boat in the 35 - 40 foot range for about 40K.
Good Luck.

[DELUSIONAL]

33. Good advice

The size of the main sail and head sail on a 50 footer are huge.

My husband and I opted for a 35 foot sailboat -- one that we could both sail single handedly if we needed to.

Even this size sailboat has an amazing amount of room -- but in rather different places than a square house.

There is a Westsail group at Sailnet.net -- see my earlier post. Often they will know if one of their class of sailboats is up for sale.

Westsails are very nice boats.

The fun of looking for a sailboat home is that you get to go aboard so many different boats.

[maveric]

35. I'm checking that site now, DELUSIONAL.

Thanks my friend!

[DELUSIONAL]

48. That website is full of articles and links

plus it is a good place to buy equipment. We bought solar panels on sale there -- plus other sailing equipment.

http://www.sailnet.net

Also the suggestion of the other website to check out boats elsewhere. Cruisers who wanted to sail but decided that the boating life wasn't their bag. We have friends who went to the Caribbean to pick up their boat.

http://www.yachtworld.com/

is a good place to compare prices of boats.

And remember sometimes you can find a good deal by just walking a marina and putting the word out that you're looking for a boat.

http://www.48north.com/mr_offline/jonneal2.htm

Selecting a Cruising Boat, Part II
by John Neal

John Neal's advice on cruising boats is right on. We've been to a few of his seminars at boat shows and I used his check list to help us choose our sailboat. Six years later we are still very happy with our choice.

38 North (San Fran area) is a sister publication and 48 North is the Puget Sound region. John Neal is well known in the Seattle/Puget Sound area.

John Neal has a manual on the selection of cruising sailboats -- some boats are nice but not suitable for offshore and he does a good job of explaining the difference. He goes out and cruises and teaches cruising skills on his sailboat with his wife. His ex-wife is an editor for one of the major sailing magazines. She lives on San Juan island. The cruising world is a very small community.

When we head south we plan to come into San Diego to stock up before heading to the South Pacific. I'm hoping that the bush gang hasn't made the world too unfriendly for Americans to travel.

[Midlodemocrat]

17. Boy does that sound wonderful!

I would LOVE to live on a sailboat, or a houseboat. Might I suggest that you try it for a week or so to see if you can get your sea legs?

Other than that, I am really envious. We live in a lake front community here in VA and we have a small pontoon moored at the marina and my husband would live on that sucker if he could.

[Squatch]

20. What if you sleepwalk?

Do you have to wear a PFD to bed?

[Lady Freedom]

42. That would make a nights sleep interesting!!!!!

:evilgrin:

[DS1]

22. Actually, it's been my experience that getting rid of my sea legs

took MUCH longer than getting them. Maybe I was just meant for the sea :shrug:



;-)

[DS1]

19. Fuckin A!

You'd never see me again, unless you were on the plane that was air-dropping inflatable packages of food and beer

[Bonhomme Richard]

26. If you want to experiment then do this......................

Move all your stuff into your kitchen. Put a cushion and pillow in the cabinet under your sink. This is where you will be sleeping. Now, every three hours get out of under the sink, walk to your kitchen door and pee out on the stoop. Then go out and walk around your house just looking at things and work your way back to the kitchen and get back in you bunk. Repeat every three hours.
Whwen you cook make sure you do it in a single pot while standing on a scateboard.
It will all give you a realistic impression of what living on a boat is like.

[Mnemosyne]

27. Why not rent for a while,

see if it's what you desire, then buy if you really love it? You can always move somewhere cheaper if you decide to use your land legs for good.
Either way, good luck.

[Goathead]

28. Suggestion on buying.

You can buy boats for cheap in places like Hawai'i. People from California get this idea that they want to live the cruising life and buy brand new boats to sail around the world. They somehow make it to Hawai'i without killing themselves and decide it is not for them.(San Diego to Hawaii passage is 18 days with no land) They then sell their pretty much brand new boats in Hawai'i for cheap just to get rid of them. Check out Latitude 38 and other cruising/sailing mags. Latitude 38 is the best.

http://www.latitude38.com/

[DELUSIONAL]

29. GO FOR IT!

I doubt that a house is a great investment anymore -- the housing bubble is going to burst sometime soon.

You can outright own the sailboat and yes a fiberglass sailboat has less upkeep.

So some shopping around -- find one that has a good re-sale value. There are some really great books.

Find a good surveyor who knows all about sailboats -- do not buy until the surveyor gives the boat a clean bill of health.

Check the Internet for prices -- plus

http://www.sailnet.net

http://list.sailnet.net/read/all_forums/?&max=300&skip=0&orderby=ListName+ASC

This link didn't set up correctly -- go to the sailnet.com link above and click on email lists -- you will see a very long list of boat brands. On this list is also a group called "live-aboard" -- this is where you go for discussions about living aboard boats.

Sailnet.net has email groups of boat owners. Join the group of the brand/type boat you want to buy and tell them you are seriously looking at the boat they own. As a general rule sailboat owners are very helpful and will tell you about the strengths and weaknesses of their boats.

As for marinas -- there is a whole community down at the marina -- especially of sailboat owners. And many people are opting to live aboard.

The nice part of living aboard -- especially if you choose a boat that can go off shore is that you can LEAVE if things get too bad here in the US.

I would go down to a marina -- and check out the for sale boats and talk to people who are doing what you want to do.

My husband and I have a small sailboat and we have never looked back. We don't yet live-aboard but will move aboard perhaps next year. There are lots of people out there cruising the oceans. But you really have to love boats and sailing and being around people who love boats and sailing.

There are lots of young couples who choose to live aboard.

If you love the water, love sailing and love being around people who enjoy this life style -- then go for it.

[amazona]

30. sounds good to me, one thing to maybe check out

Be sure to check out the insurance situation. I met a man who said his insurance required him to have his boat out of hurricane-prone waters during hurricane season, so he had to spend 6 months out of the year in Trinidad or points south. Not much of a hardship for a retiree, but a big issue if you still need to have a j-o-b. Maybe you don't get hurricanes in San Diego though. I'm not familiar with Pacific weather patterns. In any case, I'm betting the boat insurance is way less than homeowner's insurance what with all those fires!

You sound smart. An inheritance should be about achieving a dream. The point of an inheritance (gift) is lost if it just shackles you further, as the house payment would do.

My vote is to Go For It.

P.S. And if you ever get lonely and want visitors, I'll bet you can get plenty from DU. :-)

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Redstone]

31. I told you before to just fucking do it

and worry about any consequences later; how many chances in your life will you have to try something like this?

Gonna listen to me this time?

Buy the goddamn boat, already. If you don't, you'll spend the rest of your life wishing you had.

Redstone

[maveric]

34. I am! I dont want to be shackled to a huge mortgage.

Been there, done that.
Whats the point of having to work 80 hours a week for a house with a small yard, that I wont be spending time, enjoying, due to a long work schedule.
Plus I might be hooking up with a lady-friend that wants to buy a boat too. We'd split everything 50/50 ,live our dreams, and we'd both have chunks of money left over for investments. She just sold a house in Sacramento that she paid $60,000.00 for $300,000.00.
What the hell am I waiting for???

[Redstone]

67. Stop thinking and BUY THE GODDAMN BOAT,

would you?

You think too long, you'll punk out.

Don't disappoint me on this. Go buy the boat.

Trust me, there are times when you gotta just lay down all your Jacksons and roll the dice. This is your time to do that.

No more dithering out of you, or yo'll turn into a weenie, and be one for the rest of your life.

Buy the goddamn boat!!

Redstone

[bigwillq]

36. I want to live on a House Boat

I say go for your dream. It seems like it is cheaper. How much for maintenance, gas, etc.?

[maveric]

37. I'll use some gas, but mostly the sails will propell my ship.

I'm doing research on maintainance and am planning on going to a marina to ask some of the boat dwellers about that.

[elehhhhna]

40. Are you handy enough to do small repairs, etc?

Probably...

SO DO IT and keep us posted--hubs & I are considering this as an open option when the kids are grown...

[maveric]

44. Indeed I am!

I was a ship builder/ship repair specialist for 25 years. I've also owned three of my own homes and did my own repair work.

[elehhhhna]

68. Then Bon Voyage!!!! (& keep us posted on boat life!)

[BobMorr]

47. Great idea-except?

Make sure you don't get sea sick (motion sickness). That would really mess up a great dream real fast. Thought of that dream once, went on a couple of sailboats and a cruise and got sick on all of them. Probably could take something for that, but can't see being constantly medicated for motion sickness. Good luck!

[HeeBGBz]

50. Want company?

Sounds great to me. You should go for it.

[RagingInMiami]

51. Buy the boat and sail through the Panama Canal to get to Miami

When the Chargers are in town playing the Dolphins.

[maveric]

54. I may just do that. And the Carribeanm why dont I?

Then I'll bang a Uey and hit New Orleans for the Mardi Gras.

Hell, I'll be 50 years old soon and I've spent the last nine years raising three kids by myself. Two of my boys are grown and moving out on their own, my youngest, 14, wil be living with his Mom, who really wants him to live with her.
I've gotta have some enjoyment in my life. The past 10 years or so have been hell.

[GalleryGod]

52. Go for it, Mav!

O8) Ma would love it!O8)

[maveric]

55. She told me that the house was their legacy, and to use it to make

a better life for myself, whether I kept the house or sold it.
She wanted to see me happy.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

56. Aha! A subject I know something about, having lived on a boat

for seven years. Free advice:
Are you sure you want a sailboat? Do you have experience with sailing? If not rethink your choice. We opted for a 42' Bluewater motor yacht. Used, $49,000. Lot's of living space, 2 and half feet draft which will allow you to go into most waters.
Are you in a comfortable tempurature climate year around? We are in the Florida Keys and the temp doesn't vary that much, but even occ. 40 degree temps can be very chilly on a choppy night with the wind howling.
Being out on the hook is lovely, but the comforts of a marina slip are very nice and still affordable.
Take note...once you get used to sleeping on a boat, you will have difficulty falling asleep on hard land.
In our area some boat slips are now for sale, giving you the option of owning real estate and this will increase in value as much as dry land real estate. Just make certain it is deeded property.
Stopping here, but will be happy to answer any questions you might still have.

[maveric]

59. I live in a mild climate (San Diego).

There are marinas all over the place here. The ones in the South Bay, Chula Vista, are cheaper than say Harbor or Shelter Islands. Coronado is nice but thats a high dollar area.
I'm sure I can get used to the sleeping quarters. I'm pretty adaptable.

[SoCalDem]

57. One word

:scared: P I R A T E S :scared:

[maveric]

60. I want to be a pirate!

AAARRRRRRRRRRR!

[KG]

58. do it!

[two gun sid]

61. Good luck maveric ! As an old salt I'd like to tell you a sea story...

Once off the coast of Costa Rica we came across a sailboat that looked to be wrecked and deserted. We pulled along side and the Old Man hollered through a bullhorn, "Ahoy, are you in distress?". A guy about 40 came topside in a pair of faded shorts and nothing else. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and said, "No, I'm fine. I just anchored here and getting some sleep".

The Old Man asked him, " Do you need anything?" the guy kinda smiled and said, "Ya got any Budweiser?" When he found out we didn't he just waved and went below.

I have always envied and admired that man for his freedom. I hope you are able to find the same thing with your boat.

[maveric]

62. I want FREEDOM!

I've been tied down for so damn long.
Some have told me that I'd be irresponsible but what do they know?

[two gun sid]

63. I'll tell you that guy was alone on the open ocean but....

he was fucking at peace and happy. What more can you ask for out of life?

[maveric]

64. Only wireless internet and then I'd have it all!

And an eye patch too.

[two gun sid]

65. Don't forget an earring and a parrot.

[maveric]

66. I allready have those, although the parrot doesnt move and is nailed

to the perch. An English fellow sold it to me some time back.
:silly:

[patcox2]

70. Right on! Next week I take delivery of a trawler.

A 34 foot trawler, a little small, but I could easily live on it, and it will be our summer house. I love the idea, maybe later when the kids are done with school, I will live aboard full time, I would love it.

[complain jane]

71. Claustrophobic. EOM

[kodi]

72. don't forget to change your name to sonny crockett

and get a guard alligator