Jump to content

liveaboard


Guest

Recommended Posts

This is our live aboard. We have been aboard her for 14 years now, initially with 2 teenagers, now just the 2 of us... except during holidays then there are the 2 of us, our daughter, son-in-law and their children. We have sailed around the North Island, up and down the East Coast, to Fiji and too many Cook Strait crossings to count. At 36' she is a great size for 2 of us to manage, but has lots of space for visitors. Also manageable financially to maintain and leave something for the cruising budget.

DSCF4087.JPG

Link to post
Share on other sites

Now you are making sense!the cat you mention is similar to one we lived aboard in Queensland in the early 80,s, is there any reason you need to stay in nz , living aboard in warm weather is lot easier and Queensland is ideal or at least it was then, lots of boats for sale there too and no cat 1 hassles?You could cruise A long timre in Auss without ever needing to go offshore. When we bought that first cat in Queensland we had plans of sailing back to NZ but soon realised that the boat was not suitable and spent a couple of years coastal cruisig there instead.When you start in NZ you need to have a good boat + cat 1 to get any where else. We met a young couple with a baby happily cruising in the Whitsundays in a 21 ft $ 4000 trailersailer, you don,t have to risk your lifesaving to give it a try, especially if in a place with nice warm weather and plenty of shelter.,Our cat was 38ft and $15000,we lived aboard for 2 years and sold it without losing any money to buy our first house in nz,sigh.Now we would like to go and do it again.! :) There is another cat on trademe at 140, i think a woods which may be better and has sailed from south africa. Certainly i would choose a cat, i have owned many since the 80,s and never had to pay to haulout, everything was done on the beach and they make for comfortable living. Weight carrying ability is a downside but the less junk you carry the less hassles you will have.If you want to load a small multi up with heavy luxury goods thats fine as long as you find a protected mooring and stay there , they will not safely handle overloading at sea, and it is reasuring having a boat that won,t sink! :)

001zebop.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

We need to stay in NZ for a while as Laura is a primary teacher and gaining her registration.... careers aaaggghhh. there are lots of cheap boats on ebay.aus though....i think this is the other cat:

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =384632220

 

twin outboards so more reliability but surely an inboard diesel will use less fuel but a heavier engine? a lot to learn, when you say it wont sink? this one or all cats? so cats will carry less load? but are faster? there are a few offshore cats out there around the 200k mark that may be desperate for a sale so maybe a bargain to be found, no harm in asking. Im reasonable happy spending most of the budget on the boat, were both young and able to work. As mentioned in a previous post there's lots of work out there if you have the right attitude.

Link to post
Share on other sites

yes that 1 would be worth looking at , should keep resale value, if it is big enough for you,twin outboards are good,reliable cheap and easy , ideal for that cat. Will carry less load, depending on the style, that one should be reasonable and not a lot faster than a mono but easier to get it to speed ie needs less fuel or sail area as long as it is clean and not overloaded. If you are new to sailing a cruising cat will be more stable and less scary. Much harder to sink a cat as they do not carry ballast,not impossible though if it is a glass hull , but very unlikely as it will be designed to stay afloat even if holed. No harm in making offers on boats that may be keen to sell.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Robt, following this thread with great interest. I've lived aboard a 32 foot Hartley for a year or a bit longer on a mooring, rowing in to go to work and I loved it. I sold the Hartely and bought a 32 foot Atkin's "Thistle" which my wife and I intend to go cruising NZ and then overseas. She's 10 ton dislacement, 11 foot beam, 5 foot draft and as you can see is very similar to a Westsail 32.

She cost $30,000 and I've spent a fair bit more on new batteries and bits a pieces. She sails sweetly, easily singlehanded, doesn't heel too much and is quite roomy below. She has a full keel which allows her to track well at sea but is a handful in the mooring area. Am getting used to her though. Simple , small, seaworthy, she's a gem.

post-11360-141887183953.jpg

post-11360-141887183955_thumb.jpg

post-11360-141887183959.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ive suggested that we live on a mooring...id be happy to, I have the use of one in Mount Maunaganui but Laura is definitely not keen on it whilst working a full time job! I think rowing in to work is an excellent idea! We are however thanks to all the useful and positive thoughts and comments on this thread now 100% committed to living on board and looking forwards to it. I have been reading 'sea gypsies down under' (a bargain for $3.99 on smashwords) and although not much of a poet do like this one:

 

The Risk

 

To laugh, is to risk appearing a fool

To weep, is to risk appearing sentimental,

To reach out to another, is to risk involvement,

To expose one’s feelings, risk exposing one’s true self,

To place ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss,

To love, is to risk not being loved in return,

To live, is to risk dying,

To hope, is to risk despair,

To try, is to risk failure,

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing,

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing,

He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love and live,

Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he has forfeited his freedom,

Only the person who risks…. is free.

 

Anon

Link to post
Share on other sites
To place ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss
This one is a major, seems to me family and friends can find so many reasons why one would not be happy cruising but the people who are doing it all seem to say " do it now, you will be sorry you didn't sooner" . I think its just wonderful to live with whales passing by and birds all around and dolphins leaving streaks like jet fighter planes through a dark night. Seeing stars as they are meant to be seen and also being frightened occassionally. Seems more real than watching life on TV!! Best real estate anywhere!! And then there's the sailing!!
Link to post
Share on other sites

I lived aboard for 2 yrs on a 38 foot keeler. Cruising Northland East coast, Waiheke - Houhoura Harbour mainly anchoring each night. Lot's of fishing.

When the weather turned knarly I realised 6 foot draft was not ideal for the mainly shallow harbours.

If I was to do it again an alloy cat (or tri) would be ideal, sneaking up the channels into the mangroves would open up more areas to shelter from the storms.

Less NIMBY's up there too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Comfort, comfort and even more comfort.

 

If you want to live aboard, then sitting in a comfortable seat is really important. Many a yacht has simple settee seating. Fine for a weekend, week or a month but if it is your home, then having a proper armchair could be a welcome resting place for your tired body.

 

One (East american?) yacht was built around a man's favourite chair, one that he could relax in, swivelled, tiltted and inclined. Much like a laxyboy chair.

 

Living on one yacht, we had a full length couch with curved end that could seat 6 to 8 easily. Sailing was often then like a day's sail. Do a few hours on deck, then relax in a proper sofa, reading a book, playing cards etc. became more like an afternoon's sail then going "home" to rest than being at sea for 40+days without seeing land.

 

Yes it was a bigger yacht 80ft, but the same principle can apply to a smaller yacht replacing a standard hard faced settee with a 2 seater lazyboy type sofa with recliner adjustment.

 

Cheaper version is bean bags, preferably in a draining type mesh for on deck usage as well.

 

Compare getting comfortable on a motel chair with the comfort of your own lazyboy chair at home. See what I mean!!!!

 

P.S. 30 years ago, the "only" motel to stay at in Invercargill was the Colonial Motor Inn where they had lazyboy chairs, especially after spending all day flying down from Auckland, arriving at 8pm with takeaways to relax and watch the 8:30pm Sunday drama (Showcase?) TV. One had to book about 3 or 6 months in advance for your next trip. Motel was ALWAYS FULL!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites
Re max's mention of the limits of draft, Centre boarders don't have those problems.

 

And some large yachts 50+ft centerboarders can also sit happily without damaging rudder, prop etc. on a beach / dry out, all be it at an angle for 12 hours and then one can change angles!!

 

Much better than a bilge keeler for some.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm getting the feeling that for a live aboard thats more like our current life a 10m+ catamaran is the way forward for us. I like the idea of the main cabin being above the water with more natural light. I also feel that the added stability is good for us. Looking at most keelers the normal upright couches look good for eating a meal but not so good for relaxing with a book or a movie (i like the sounds of a tv too!). The cat cabins have heaps of room to make a decent living space. Saying that ive learnt from this thread that every boat has its pros and cons and its really depends on your personal needs.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I doub't you will find anything in the Cat range in 10m. My view is that you have to get a very big cat to start getting any decent living space and then you end up with big costs. Like special Marina Berthing, haul out and that you hav two hulls to maintain rather than one. Make sure you go into this with all things considered.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We lived on a cat for 4 1/2 years. We bought it for space and speed and ended up just enjoying the space.

Speed is great and it was nice to be able to carve off some big days. However you spend 90% or more of your time at anchor so for a liveaboard optimize your boat for that. I don't agree that 10m cats don't work.

They won't be fast unless you are really minimalist and you will only be able to stand in the hulls, unless it looks like a block of flats.

If you want to stand on the bridgedeck on a reasonable looking cat it starts somewhere between 35' and 40'.

If you want to stand on the bridgedeck, carry a lot of cruising gear and go fast it starts around 45'

We cruised with several 10m cats that happily got around the world. They took longer on the passages and couldn't point, but they got there.

Our liveaboard (not ours anymore)

DSCF00180.JPG

 

DSCFBequia.JPG

Link to post
Share on other sites
If you want to stand on the bridgedeck on a reasonable looking cat it starts somewhere between 35' and 40'.

If you want to stand on the bridgedeck, carry a lot of cruising gear and go fast it starts around 45'

All bigger than 10m if my ability to convert from Imperial to Metric is anygood :wink: There seems to be that magic mark in size around the 12m point. Below and they all seem to be "Sports/Day sailor" type designs and 12 and above start to take on the "Weekender/Cruiser" style.

The ability of making good sea miles each day is all OK if you have the right wind driections. I thiunk that tends to go to custard sailing around NZ though. For instance, I have been waiting for months now, trying to get a decent weather pattern to get a simple distance from Napier to Auck. The has been nothing so far. Everything ends up being on the nose all the time and being a mono, i can point judt thatlittle bit higher.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes those two options are bigger than 10m

However you can still have a nice "sitting only" saloon on a 10m cat and standing headroom in the hulls, which was the point.

The other issues of two engines to maintain you can't really avoid, that said two can be handy at times.

The do cost more to park.

The weather in NZ can be bad. So why sail here?

Has there ever been a better time to start your trip from somewhere else?

The NZD is in great shape at the moment. Why not start in the Caribbean

And how cheap will Greek charter boats be at the end of this season?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...