I thought about it when I first moved to town and was contracting here.

I did it once for a friend when I was helping him start his company in upstate NY too though I didnt pay for anything. Its was lovely and peaceful.

My friend knew someone who was selling his boat and that coupled with the slip prices in Mission Bay (and insurance) made it very affordable. I am not sure I investigated everything but the initial cost was not bad.

But I think boat living would get old quick even on the biggest of boats and there are still up keep cost associated with it.

Plus it might be difficult to keep your kid from turning it into a “pleasure boat”. Complete with his own little captian’s hat, ascot, and smoking jacket… I see… Hugh Heffner…

But yeah the numbers work out intitially. That’s all I remember. Sorry no specifics.

CE

Nice article, 6pack, and it does sound like this arrangement has worked out for them. We’ve owned boats for years, and know lots of people who do–primarily for recreational use.

Those we have known who have lived on their boats exclusively, have all ended up selling their boats, and returned to their homes after a year or two–citing many reasons for doing so. Some even tried the seasonal thing–moving their boats to the Bahamas, Lauderdale, the Riviera, etc.–yet even they again resorted to solid ground in the final analysis.

For the purpose you’ve mentioned, I agree with CAR in, that, another type of investment would make a lot more sense with regard to your son, that is, unless, you, and the rest of the family plan to also use the boat recreationally.

I definitely would not enter into this lightly, and would do a lot of research before you make your final decision.

Thoughts from personal experience.

I lived on a boat on Shelter Island (pt loma) from 2008-2010 and I wish it could have been much longer. I moved off because I got married and two people on my small sailboat is one too many (but many people do that too). I can honestly say that it was the best living experience of my life. I think it takes a certain breed of person to enjoy it though. You are living in an small RV, and not some sweet 5th wheeler kind. But marinas have great shower, laundry, and workout facilities. Many people live on boats for many years including happily married couples.

It was a great sailboat to live on a reasonably problem free. There is nothing like eating your breakfast in the morning sitting on the back of your boat looking out over pt loma with a coffee in your hand. Or looking at the hill of lights with a good beer. Falling asleep listening to the wind in the rigging and rocking ever so slightly. The quarters are cramped, but you have the whole bay to explore in your dingy, or if you want to live in Coronado for the weekend, just drop anchor at Glorietta bay and pretend you are on vacation (my wife and I loved that the most). If you have a long weekend head up to catalina and get away from the craziness in Avalon.

The cost breakdown was quite affordable. I purchased a $38k Catalina 34 from 1985. The Slip fees were $500 a month, another $150 for the liveaboard allowance, and 30 bucks a month for bottom cleanings. If you do the maintenance yourself, expect to pay 1-3k a year in repairs for a sailboat of my vintage and quality, cheaper if you do most things yourself but lots more if you farm it all out to contractors. Needless to say, that is the cheapest one can live anywhere near the ocean, let alone an inch away. Make no mistake if something serious is wrong, or you buy a total lemon, you could blow a lot of money. Not unlike a leaky roof or a broken furnace. But being handy and cheap helps keep the costs to a reasonable amount.

I transferred ownership of the boat to my parents because they wanted a winter escape in sunny SD. The boat market for this model is still what I paid for it, and I think we could get a bit more because of the work that we have put in. And with a sailboat gas is cheap. I think I put about 30 gal in a year, and we went out at least once a week, plus another ~30 gallons to go to Catalina and back.

I will be moving back to a boat one day, perhaps not until I am much older and a family is through the pipes, but it will happen.

I have lots of other thoughts to share on the pros and cons, so hit me up if you are seriously interested. Your inquiry is probably not serious, but I loved the experience so much I felt compelled to share.

Times have changed. Maybe SD is different than OC and LA, but there are wait lists for live aboard slips.

Slip rental is now a beast in OC/LA too with the slip being nearly rent on a studio apartment.

A quickie check shows Shelter cove is varied rate but a 40′ slip is $17.5/ft. or $700 for a 40 foot. Not sure a 40 foot will go in it, may need the 46′ slip or 52′ slip which are $19.5/ft and $22.5/ft and pricing is on overall length including all bolt-ons (swim platform, bow

Flyer, that is not at all my experience. Laundry is available at the marina, like most apartment complexes. One has to maintain serious descipline in throwing out old stuff when new stuff is purchased, but a good habit to be in at any rate.

They are also not terribly expensive. For my parents it is considerably cheaper than a snowbird retreat apartment. And when I lived aboard it was cheaper rent than a one bedroom in a nice neighborhood, not to mention on the water.

Boats can be kept very clean, and I was always able to set sail in under 10 mins.

If you pay someone to do everything for you, you can rack up the bills, but most maintenance costs little to nothing. And my boat never ever stunk!

duplicate