Do you have a great love for the water and outdoor living? Have you always imagined yourself sailing across the ocean and living on a yacht? This might be the best time to dive in and sail off. Many people are now into the liveaboard lifestyle. You can get tips from them, or you can share your own experiences with others. Living aboard a yacht, for the most part, sounds fun. But it also entails a lot of responsibility—financially and logistically.
Maintenance of the Boat
First, you have to prepare for this kind of life. Make sure that you have spare parts such as an H07rn F cable in your yacht. You’re going to need to learn to handle the mechanics of the boat. You can’t call a mechanic every time something seems wrong in your boat. This is your house now. You have to learn to take care of things on your own (except for some really serious mechanical issues).
Financial Capability
You have to pay for the marina where you are going to dock your boat. Depending on where you plan to stay, the marina will cost about $1,000 every month. That’s lower than most one-bedroom apartments. There’s also a liveaboard fee that costs around $250. That covers utilities such as water, electricity, laundry, the parking lot, the pool, and mail services.
You also need to pay $25 every week to get the boat’s septic tank pumped out. This will keep the septic system in good working condition. You can wash the boat’s exterior yourself, but it will only cost about $80 a month to have a professional do it. A diver will also clean the bottom of the boat for $50 every six months or so.
The boat is such a small space for all your things. You might need to rent a storage space on land that will cost about $100 a month. Then you have to set aside at least $100 a month for probably repair expenses in the future. A boat is like a car. You won’t have to spend on it for months, but when the repair work comes in, you’ll be forced to shell out thousands of dollars.
Experience
Get some experience before living aboard a yacht. You can volunteer to work in a marina or as a crew of someone else’s yacht. You can get a first-hand experience of what it feels to live on the water. Is it for you? Don’t you get seasick? The most basic things that you have to learn is living in a confined space, cooking for yourself, watching stand, and manning the helm.
Not everything is going to be fine and dandy when you decide to be a liveaboard. It’s not going to be a great big adventure with zero problems. There will be times when you’ll question the lifestyle you chose. Some cities won’t be as welcoming to tourists. There are hotspots, of course. You need to be aware of these scenarios. Trust your instincts when you arrive in a city or town that makes you feel uncomfortable. Rest in the knowledge that you can always come home and choose another lifestyle.
