Why do you do it?

[Brummage]

In the 'i wonder' thread I contended that the majority of people who liveaboard do so for their love of boating and being on the water, rather than purely financial reasons. Chris W took me to task on my statement and said, "There are a number of liveaboards in my marina and they all seem have done it to release capital by selling their house and living a relatively financially stress-free life." So - if the liveaboards on Chris's marina are a typical cross section, then this blasts my rose tinted view into smithereens!

 

So, my question to all you liveaboards is why do you do it. Are you living on a boat just because you've sold your house and you can live a relatively financially stress free life. Or is the financial aspect secondary.

 

For those who don't have a lump of dosh in the bank, would you rather just get by on the water, or just get by on land?

[bottle]

Hi Brummage

 

We will be live aboard, when the boat is built, reasons for doing it.

 

After many years of hiring, we decided that it is the way we would like to live, after retirement.

 

Plans were made, through unseen circumstances, this will happen quicker than expected, (hooray I think)

 

We had a house that was going to cost to run, so we decided that we would put that cost into running a boat.

 

House sold, boat on order.

 

We are doing it for both reasons, firstly because we are looking forward to the way of life and secondly, the finances do look better, for us with a new boat than an old house.

 

Some on here have advised against getting out of the property market, I understand their reasons, but that is what we are doing.

 

Oh!!! by the way we will be Continuous Cruisers

[saltysplash]

In the 'i wonder' thread I contended that the majority of people who liveaboard do so for their love of boating and being on the water, rather than purely financial reasons. Chris W took me to task on my statement and said, "There are a number of liveaboards in my marina and they all seem have done it to release capital by selling their house and living a relatively financially stress-free life." So - if the liveaboards on Chris's marina are a typical cross section, then this blasts my rose tinted view into smithereens!

 

So, my question to all you liveaboards is why do you do it. Are you living on a boat just because you've sold your house and you can live a relatively financially stress free life. Or is the financial aspect secondary.

 

For those who don't have a lump of dosh in the bank, would you rather just get by on the water, or just get by on land?

 

 

Why do I do it? Coz ive always loved boats, lived in both houses and boats and still prefer the boat way of life. Its certainly no cheaper than living on land unless you own the boat outright but then if you own your house outright then that negates that comparison.

 

If CCing then that would save a fair amount of cash as no moorings to worry about but seeing as ive still got 7 years yet before i can pack work in im afraid permanent mooring is a must.

 

Its a way of life that suits me

[StoneHenge]

There are lots of reasons why we live a board.

 

Firstly, after hiring, we got the bug, big time. The water, the scenery, the people, the boats, the wildlife, it's a fantastic atmosphere hard to beat anywhere else I've experienced so far, and I've lived in a busy city, a small town and in the middle of the countryside.

 

Secondly, it's life style that just can't be beat. I enjoy waking up in the mornings hearing the ducks, swans, sheep, cows or whatever else seems to be near by. Having a water view, talking to people who for the most part are really nice, considerate, friendly and good people, whether they are boaters, walkers, cyclists, fidhermen and women and the like.

 

Money wise. Well, I would not say it is cheaper than living in a house at all, and the work load living on a boat is definitely more in terms of maintenance and keeping the boat working well and looking nice is no easy task. It's a good reason why I now have Carpal Tunnel on my hands and need surgery, but I would not swap it for the world.

 

Financially we are no better off than in a house. the only good thing for us is that we own the boat, so have no mortgage as such, but that is just replaced with license fees, mooring fees, and all the maintenance that goes with it.

 

There is nothing like being able to move your home from one place to another, enjoy the sites as a low speed, forced to have a laid back attitude and whilst it also has it's challenges, it's the best thing we ever did.

 

Hopefully we will never have reason to move back on land, as I would miss the water terribly.

[Bones]

Ages ago I wanted to live on a boat but the circumstances never arose, I did the sums all those years ago and life aboard was cheaper and would give me the opportunity to save the spare cash for a deposit on a house. Due to various circumstances it very nearly happened but in the end didn't.

 

I got caught in dire straits. A friend who lived on a boat was going to Africa and couldn't take the boat with him, and decided he could trust me with his boat for the 2 years so I moved aboard. The only proviso was that it was floating when he got home, and the boat in a puddle in a field wasn't considered floating It worked out excellently because I was destitute at the time, along with the occasional company of a 15year old so it gave us somewhere to live without other people.

 

I came into some money when he came back and bought a boat with it because

1) I liked the freedom.

2) Boating is excellent for a tired and weary mind.

3) I wouldn't have to move unless I wanted to as long as I worked somewhere with river/canal.

4) Self preservation - I didn't want to have to learn to live with other random people again and wanted my own space.

 

so nothing to do with money or love I am afraid, perhaps everything to do with lack of both! [giggle]

Edited December 19, 2007 by Bones

[MoominPapa]

In the 'i wonder' thread I contended that the majority of people who liveaboard do so for their love of boating and being on the water, rather than purely financial reasons. Chris W took me to task on my statement and said, "There are a number of liveaboards in my marina and they all seem have done it to release capital by selling their house and living a relatively financially stress-free life." So - if the liveaboards on Chris's marina are a typical cross section, then this blasts my rose tinted view into smithereens!

 

So, my question to all you liveaboards is why do you do it. Are you living on a boat just because you've sold your house and you can live a relatively financially stress free life. Or is the financial aspect secondary.

 

For those who don't have a lump of dosh in the bank, would you rather just get by on the water, or just get by on land?

 

I think you have to distinguish between capital and running costs, if you're looking at the financial aspects. I guess that the running costs of a house (insurance, council tax, repairs, bills, etc) and the running costs of a residential boat (insurance, license, mooring, fuel, etc) are broadly comparable. On the other hand the collective insanity in the housing market over the last few years means that people who have a house can swap it for a nice boat, and have a very large chunk left over. People who don't have a house can either buy one and aquire a huge mortgage, or buy a boat and a get a much smaller debt.

[Lady Muck]

I caught the bug. When I met The Submarine Captain, he introduced me to boating. His grandfather founded The Pirate Club community boat scheme in Camden and as a child, by the time he could walk he was rowing off the end of the garden in a dinghy tied to the fence by a rope, which they would use to haul him in by everytime a trip boat went past!

Anyway, I was soon accompanying him on Pirate Club trips. When the time came when we were being kicked out of our rented house by the landlord who was selling up, we also inherited enough money for a deposit on a boat. We were tired of renting rooms. It just seemed the most natural thing to do for both of us. We both love boats and we wouldn't change it.

Summers are excellent, too. I work abroad lots, I loathe packing and airports and hotels, I love the fact that packing for my hols is as simple as chucking the bikes on the roof and untying.

It has been a bit cheaper than a house. But we do nearly all the maintenance ourselves, the mooring is reasonably priced for London (Lee is cheaper than the GU), plus you have to consider the sky high rents and heating bills we were used to paying for an old draughty house.

Edited December 19, 2007 by Lady Muck

[Ratsonline]

In the 'i wonder' thread I contended that the majority of people who liveaboard do so for their love of boating and being on the water, rather than purely financial reasons. Chris W took me to task on my statement and said, "There are a number of liveaboards in my marina and they all seem have done it to release capital by selling their house and living a relatively financially stress-free life." So - if the liveaboards on Chris's marina are a typical cross section, then this blasts my rose tinted view into smithereens!

 

So, my question to all you liveaboards is why do you do it. Are you living on a boat just because you've sold your house and you can live a relatively financially stress free life. Or is the financial aspect secondary.

 

For those who don't have a lump of dosh in the bank, would you rather just get by on the water, or just get by on land?

 

We are just about to start ftting out our new boat and will hopefully be on the water end of June early July 08.

 

We are doing this purely for the lifestyle, we love the water, the scenery, the people, the boats and no work unless we feel like it. We both enjoy walking and are are really looking forward to the change. We are lucky in the respect that we will own the boat outright and we do not need to sell the house which we will be renting out - to provide an income. We will also be continuously cruising so will not incure marina fees etc.

[blackrose]

In the 'i wonder' thread I contended that the majority of people who liveaboard do so for their love of boating and being on the water, rather than purely financial reasons. Chris W took me to task on my statement and said, "There are a number of liveaboards in my marina and they all seem have done it to release capital by selling their house and living a relatively financially stress-free life." So - if the liveaboards on Chris's marina are a typical cross section, then this blasts my rose tinted view into smithereens!

 

So, my question to all you liveaboards is why do you do it. Are you living on a boat just because you've sold your house and you can live a relatively financially stress free life. Or is the financial aspect secondary.

 

For those who don't have a lump of dosh in the bank, would you rather just get by on the water, or just get by on land?

 

Why do you ask?

 

We've had a lot of these sort of posts recently and it just seems a bit odd to me that anyone is asked to justify their lifestyle. I may be taking it the wrong way but I also find it a bit patronising - like when people walk down the towpath and stick their head in your windows while you're trying to have lunch or they ask to look inside your boat and you've never even met them before, and then they think you're being unreasonable when you refuse. I'd never walk up to somone mowing their front lawn and ask if I could have a look around their house, for example (not least because all the front gardens around here have been turned into car parks )

 

Don't get me wrong - I will talk at length with anyone who's genuinely interetsed in boats, boating or the boaty life, but since I've never felt the need to ask other people why they live a certain lifestyle, I don't really understand why anyone is asking me? Does it fulfil some vicarious need for those less adventurous perhaps?

 

Sorry Brum, nothing personal, but as I said there have been a lot of these posts recently and they're starting to get on my nerves.

Edited December 19, 2007 by blackrose

[Brummage]

Why do you ask?

 

We've had a lot of these sort of posts recently and it just seems a bit odd to me that anyone is asked to justify their lifestyle. I may be taking it the wrong way but I also find it a bit patronising - like when people walk down the towpath and stick their head in your windows while you're trying to have lunch or they ask to look inside your boat and you've never even met them before, and then they think you're being unreasonable when you refuse. I'd never walk up to somone mowing their front lawn and ask if I could have a look around their house, for example (not least because all the front gardens around here have been turned into car parks )

 

Don't get me wrong - I will talk at length with anyone who's genuinely interetsed in boats, boating or the boaty life, but since I've never felt the need to ask other people why they live a certain lifestyle, I don't really understand why anyone is asking me? Does it fulfil some vicarious need for those less adventurous perhaps?

 

Sorry Brum, nothing personal, but as I said there have been a lot of these posts recently and they're starting to get on my nerves.

 

Sounds quite personal to me

 

My wife and I own a nb and love being on the water. I love my boat and am very interested in all things boaty. What is wrong with being interested in other peoples' points of view. I thought that that was what forums were for

 

Okay so you personally are not interested in why people live the boaty life - - but I am, okay. If my post doesn't interest you and you can't understand why anyone asks a particular question, then you really don't have to say anything do you?!

[chris w]

oooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh

[Brummage]

oooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Lady Muck]

Isn't it just one of those questions boaters wil always get asked? Like aren't you cold? Did you ever fall in? Just because people are intrigued?

 

Alot of people who don't liveaboard assume that one does it because it's cheap. When you tell them how much the boat was and how much the mooring etc. is they are often shocked.

 

Hell, we even get schoolkids down here kayaking who laugh at us because they think we are so poverty stricken, we've got no choice but to exist like this!

[Chris Pink]

How wonderful (most of) the replies to this topic are.

 

That's one reason why I live on a boat; because these people do too.

 

 

...and there is a little bit of me that likes the fact that people ask me about my lifestyle and try and look in my windows. Nobody ever does it to the people on the housing estates.

Edited December 19, 2007 by Chris Pink

[honey ryder]

I wanted to live on a boat since i was quite young.

I was around 4 or 5 years old and discovered a cupboard on an old broads cruiser was just big enough for me to fit inside.

i spent a lot of my holiday inside the cupboard and when i got home i realised i could get a similar sensation by sitting inside my wardrobe in my bedroom.

it was confined but comfortable, a little bit dark too and it smelt of wood and other musty stuff.

 

after that i decided one day i would like to live on a small boat with a small bed, a bit like a nest i guess.

 

many years later i acquired a boyfriend, who insisted on putting down a large deposit on a boat for me. he wanted to move out of my shared flat and live just with me, my answer was yes but only if we live on a boat. hence I am now living on a boat.

 

the trouble is, i decided to try living on a narrowboat as so many other people do it i thought it must be better than living on a boaty boat. I think i was wrong. So my plans are thus: sell narrowboat, send man back to france and save up to buy my own yacht and sail across the atlantic before Im 40.

 

I love living on boats because of the sensation of floating and being closer to nature, plus i like confined odd-shaped spaces.

 

houses are ok too, but i get bored quickly and tend to move frequently and that costs money, far more than moving a boat.

[blackrose]

Sounds quite personal to me

I said it wasn't personal, but if you're determined to take it that way then suit yourself.

 

My wife and I own a nb and love being on the water. I love my boat and am very interested in all things boaty. What is wrong with being interested in other peoples' points of view. I thought that that was what forums were for

Yes, and I posted my point of view, but you don't seem very interested.

 

Okay so you personally are not interested in why people live the boaty life - - but I am, okay. If my post doesn't interest you and you can't understand why anyone asks a particular question, then you really don't have to say anything do you?!

As long as I'm not being rude or offensive I think I can say whatever I want without your permission, thank you.

 

Part of the problem is that there seems to be this premise that if anyone is seen as living on a boat for financial reasons then that's wrong and they're looked down upon (not saying you're the one looking down on them Brum, but some most definately do). Yet nobody looks down on someone who owns a house or a flat and that's a much better financial option.

[chris w]

Yes, and I posted my point of view, but you don't seem very interested.

 

Well done Mike......... game, set and match to you

 

Chris

[Guest]

We're off again.....

[Brummage]

We're off again.....

Naa Catweasel. I think that Blackrose and Chris W have a point. I was getting out of my pram a bit. Please accept my apologies Blackrose and Chris for misinterpreting your posts.

[WJM]

You lucky lot - just imagine being forced by your family to live in a house! What do they see in it? Just how much space does a person need anyway? Same bl**dy view out the window every day, where is the adventure in that? I despair!

 

 

 

 

(seriously tho - the ultimate has to be to live on your boat but keep an investment property on the land, to keep your hand in the property gravy train)

[Guest]

You lucky lot - just imagine being forced by your family to live in a house! What do they see in it? Just how much space does a person need anyway? Same bl**dy view out the window every day, where is the adventure in that? I despair!

(seriously tho - the ultimate has to be to live on your boat but keep an investment property on the land, to keep your hand in the property gravy train)

Thought you were being serious?!

[chris w]

Naa Catweasel. I think that Blackrose and Chris W have a point. I was getting out of my pram a bit. Please accept my apologies Blackrose and Chris for misinterpreting your posts.

 

[blackrose]

Naa Catweasel. I think that Blackrose and Chris W have a point. I was getting out of my pram a bit. Please accept my apologies Blackrose and Chris for misinterpreting your posts.

No problem - thanks for being so magnanimous, and my apologies also. I probably shouldn't let these discussions get to me but they do seem to go around & around sometimes.

the ultimate has to be to live on your boat but keep an investment property on the land, to keep your hand in the property gravy train

That was my original plan. Trouble is I got so involved with the first part of the idea about 10 years ago that I forgot about the second half of the plan until it was too late and I could no longer afford it

[carlt]

I've been interested in boats all my life and have had boats, of one sort or another, all my adult life. I moved onto my boat out of necessity and wondered why I hadn't done it years before.

 

I moved off the boat in order to work on it (new windows and a couple of planks) with a view to moving back. That option has been taken away from me now.

[Bones]

I think it is interesting why people decide to live on a boat (or end up on them), but not as interesting as the people who do live aboard. I love the fact there is such an eclectic mix of people in a boating community.