Pros and Cons of Living on a Boat. By Experienced Boaters.
We loved living on a boat, but not all the time. We loved sailing, but not all of us. This post sings all the praises and the other ones, no sugar-coating.
Still we loved living on a boat (two of them, actually), with our three kids, and we feel it can be done by anyone.
No time for the entire article? The table of contents below has all the pros and cons. Click on whichever one you choose to read more.
11 Amazing Benefits of Living on a Boat
Having done it ourselves, we feel that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Here are just 10 of the reasons why you might want to consider this lifestyle.
1. An Adventure of a Lifetime.
As far as sailing as a family, it is one of those parental decisions I will never go back and question.
If you are like us, the same routine of daily work and weekend trips to the home improvement shops has gotten the best of you. If suburbia has turned into your golden cage, read my post:
I Don’t Think I can Live Without… Think Again. How to Remove Suburbia Stuff and Travel.
Living on a boat will allow you to explore more amazing places than you can think of!
Be inspired:
45 Epic Sailing Movies We Will Watch Over and Over…
81 Best Sailing Quotes & Captions. Stuff Boaters Really Say.
45 Epic Sailing Movies We Will Watch Over and Over…
2. Great Sights Close to Home.
You do not need to sail far to be wowed by the beautiful world we live in.
Many tiny anchorages and charming small towns might be just inside your local bay area!
While we were still exploring the Chesapeake and learning to sail, we were visited by dolphins and enjoyed many sunsets on the dock, anchored not far from our land house!
Living on a boat means sailing around the world, or sailing along the coast, or not sailing at all – there is no written rule about it.
And, yes, you are as much of a sailor as any other – navigating the Chesapeake in bad weather is scarier, than weathering an ocean storm.
3. Try Different Neighborhoods
Another benefit of living on a boat means your home is mobile! You can select a marina to call home, or you can move around and change different locations based on your preference, or the season!
Boating neighborhoods are small communities on the water, because there is much in common among those neighbors, not just the zip code!
Below are just four of our most favorite neighborhoods, which we briefly called “home away from home”.
- Hampton, Virginia
- Vero Beach, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
- Luperon, Dominican Republic
- Georgetown, Bahamas
4. An Affordable Waterfront
Living in some of the fanciest parts of the world means setting a new course on the GPS. A waterfront home in Miami, or US Virgin Islands can cost millions.
You can have the exact same view (better, actually, because guess who gets the front row seat!) and pay nothing for it!
The view of Old Town St. Augustine, Florida, is a hundred times more inspiring from the water! St. Augustine is also home to one of the prettiest mooring fields in the US.
Right on the ICW, which is another great option for cruising:
Cruising the ICW – the Magical Waterway in our Backyard.
5. Never Clean Snow Again!
For those tired of the cold weather and high heating bills, you can easily select areas where winter never happens!
Cruising warm and tropical destinations will also reduce your wardrobe to summer clothes only. Imagine a life without heavy jackets, boots and blankets.
For suggestions on boating-friendly clothes:
9 Sailing Outfits for any Season and Reason
If you really, really miss the snow, take a ski vacation, or spend a winter aboard in the cold! If it is a mistake – sail away!
Hint: it is!
6. Never Pack Again.
Let’s say you want to go exploring a cool island for a couple of days. You need to do absolutely nothing – your home will move with you.
When you live on a boat, you are spared the stress of making packing lists, ensuring nothing is left behind, loading and unloading beach gear.
We also fly carry-on only, and have lots of tips: 30 Successful Pack Light Tips: Tried and Tested, Many Times.
Want to sleep on the ground, in a tent, waiting for spiders or scorpions (yep, those are around in the tropics)? Take your tent and go to shore!
Hate sleeping in tents, but they all want to?
Send them off to sleep ashore, and you stay in your bed, right around the corner, I mean, across the water.
7. Live a Simpler Life.
Once you are able to part with all those things we call “necessities”, you will enjoy a much simpler life.
Also, far more sustainable than land life.
If you absolutely cannot part with those end tables from your great-grandma, let a friend use them, it is what they are for.
8. Meet Amazing People.
The community of liveaboards are amazing people! True, some neighbors are trickier to handle than others (in that case, refer to point 2 above).
We had to switch neighborhoods once when our neighbors decided to dry a shark‘s head right on their bow, and we were always downwind…). That was in Miami – an amazing, but a bit tricky place to navigate.
But, for the most part, people who choose this kind of liveaboard life will share many of your own views and values.
9. See the World.
From the comfort of your front porch, that is!
Your boat can take you all over and around the world. No matter where you get off and explore, you never have to worry about coordinating flights, sharing hostel bathrooms and figuring out where to stay!
Inland travel will require some of that, but you can choose to explore mostly coastal towns and islands – there are thousands!
For travel, check out our most favorite and trusted ones: Travel Resources
10. Eliminate Seasonal Allergies.
As a mom, this was one of my all-time favorite benefits of living on a boat.
While on the topic of health, here is a very detailed and useful post: First Aid Kit Aboard – Supplies and Organization.
I hated having to deal with watery eyes, itchy throats and headaches, while living in the lush spring and fall forests, on land. Even us keeping honey bees for back-yard, local honey was not enough!
Once we moved aboard, all seasonal allergies vanished!
11. Swim With Sharks
OK, this one could be a disadvantage, depending on your perspective.
I, personally, snorkel off of the paddleboard, with only my mask in the water. Judge me, if you want to.
But spotting sharks while swimming is an all-time favorite conversation starter for the kids!
Since they are an inevitable part of liveaboard life: Worried About Sharks in the Bahamas? 10 Tips for a Safe Swim.
And if sharks are not your thing – there are plenty of sea turtles, sting rays, colorful fish and coral.
7 Cons of Boat-life (and How to Manage).
There is some getting used to living on a boat. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, although we feel it can be, if more people had a chance to try.
Here are a few common complaints about boat life, which I am happy to share, along with solutions:
For more common questions: Frequently Asked Questions About our Adventures.
1. Small Space.
(but so efficient)
Living on a sailboat does take some getting used to. You can opt to buy a larger boat and then not deal with the issue of space, but the larger boat comes with a larger price tag and higher maintenance cost.
For our family of five, with three teenagers, we, actually, never had complaints about the lack space. And we downsized from a 4000 sq. ft. house!
I have a nice post all about not space aboard:
Why We Never Missed Space, While Living on a Sailboat
Every child had private space aboard, and that more than compensated for the square footage. The vast ocean around us was enough to calm down even Fun Police.
Finding a catamaran, if you are sailing as a family, can be a great decision to allow for better separation of the space, because many catamarans are actually small 4-bedroom homes!
Here is help: Buying a Catamaran in 10 Steps – Complete Guide.
For the answer to the million dollar question – Catamaran vs Monohull: Let’s Solve This Thing!
2. Humidity and Mold.
(but manageable)
The constantly humid environment means constant care to prevent mold. Mold is just a fact of boat life. If you live in a warm climate and keep the hatches open, ventilation never ends, and it helps a lot.
Even though some of our crew are prone to allergies, we never had problems, while living on the water. Even in the occasional cold winter, when ventilation was minimal.
3. Boats Come With no Land.
(buy it on the side)
The boat is not an asset. Unlike a house, the boat does not sit on any piece of land and only loses its value over time.
Unless you are able to refit a boat and catch a great market to sell, expect no return on investment (we lost money selling our monohull).
If you count money as the only return that is.
Since our living expenses were so small, we were able to buy a small house in a tiny mountain town, with great ski slopes, in Bulgaria.
It was a bit of an adventure, take a peek:
Bulgaria – (Our Parents Have Lost it!)
For us, as well as every other boating familiy we have met, the investment was not in the boat itself, but in the chance for unforgettable memories, with the family and the kids.
No amount of money can buy that!
Speaking of money – Uncomfortable Questions About Money and Travel – Answered!
4. Boat Maintenance is Pricey.
(but YouTube isn’t)
Unless you can do all, or most of the repairs, keeping a boat in great shape requires constant care and repairs. The salty water and air are very hard on almost everything aboard.
Wondering what tools you might need aboard? Wonder no more:
27 Important Tools for Boaters (Great for Gifts)
Waiting for things to totally break is never a good idea. And things do break all the time, even (sometimes more so) on newer boats.
When we purchased our catamaran, we ended up changing almost all the systems, including the plumbing, electrical, navigation systems, solar panels, engines…
But once we were finished, we knew it was done perfectly well (because this is how our captain rolls) and we did not face surprises down the road (I mean, water).
When it comes to repairs, they are not that much more different than those on a house. YouTube abounds in instructional videos and tips about every system and boat part.
5. Boat Storage is a Hassle.
(but there are friends)
If you decide to leave the boat and travel, you must ensure it is taken care of. You can arrange a haul out, or reserve a slip, or hire someone to check on it. Either way, it is a bit harder than locking the front door and leaving.
We have seen a few homes sink, while left at the docks, it is a terrible sight.
To haul out a boat is generally the best idea, if you are not going to be aboard for a while. Just keep in mind, many haul-out boatyards fill up quickly, especially during hurricane season.
When we left our boat, at anchor, in Luperon, Dominican Republic, another boating family agreed to keep an eye on it. In fact, it was a great learning experience for one of their kids, and he earned some cash too!
6. Bad Weather.
(but you can avoid it)
If you decide to cruise and sail without sufficient training, guidance and/or practice, you can easily make poor choices and a ripped sail is quite expensive to fix.
People tend to get themselves into tricky weather, when they have a calendar to follow and do not have the time to wait for a better weather window.
True, the boat can usually take a lot more than you think, but various parts do break.
We had some sketchy sailing trips, because we had to leave on a certain day. From being terribly seasick, through breaking expensive boat gear, to screaming in fear.
It is never, ever a good idea to schedule passages around your calendar.
7. Seasickness.
(but then you drop the anchor)
The crew might not get used to constantly being rocked to sleep – seasickness is basically a fact of cruising life.
Here are a couple of very useful posts:
Seasickness Sucks – 21 Tried and Tested Tips to Stop it.
10 Seasickness Questions – Answered (by a Boat-mom).
No matter what you do and no matter what you take and try, moving the boat will make you sick at some point.
However, living on anchor is perfectly manageable. The gentle rocking is pleasant, and some anchorages are quite calm.
Passages in order to cruise to another location do not have to happen all that often.
Listen to your crew, if you would like to have an enjoyable time aboard.
Speaking of listening to the crew:
What do the kids think?
We sailed with three kids. They all protested when we pulled them out of public schools and put them on a boat.
Their attitudes changed quickly, once we reached warm destinations and other kids.
Still, not every kid aboard took to this lifestyle, fully.
They loved exploring different islands and diving to see cool stuff. They also made tons of friends and are still in touch today, after we returned to land life.
What they found hard about boat life were the constant “goodbyes” with new friends, the lack of organized sports and activities for teens, and…
wait for it, wait for it…
the lack of reliable internet connection.
To summarize
This post is a work in progress. There are more benefits and drawbacks and I will be adding them.
So, come back and check often.
You will also like:
Can you Live on a Boat? Yes, and Now is the Right Time
The cost of living on a boat for a family
10 Seasickness Questions – Answered (by a Boat-mom).
