Are You Crazy? You Want to Live on Your Boat!

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Daniel_R_Sprague]Daniel R Sprague
Living on your boat is the easy part. Many boats, like RVs, can be quite comfortable to live in. You will find that you do not need to have a lot of "things" in your life. Simple is better, and a necessity when you live on a boat. When you go shopping, you ask yourself questions like: Where will I put it? Will it nest with things I have? What do I get rid of if I get it? Do I really need this?
You have two possibilities when you live aboard. Dock at a marina, or live on the hook (at anchor). The boat changes your style of living by the limits it has. At anchor, the amount of water you have is limited to the size of the storage tank you have on board. The toilet holding tank size, the size and number of batteries for electricity, the hot water system and your refrigerator size are just a short list of how the boat limits what you can do. When living at anchor, these can either restrict or merely simplify your lifestyle. If you are on the hook, you need to find out where you may tie up your dinghy, where you may park a car, where you may get water and where a pump out station is. Add to the list where trash may be dumped, where you can get boat fuel and where you might walk the dog without causing offense. Live-aboard boaters at anchor are often looked upon as "freeloaders," however, most that I have met are honest, hard-working people who love the peace and solitude of living at anchor.

The most convenient place to live aboard is a marina, if you can find one. If you are in a marina, electricity, water, holding tank pump out, and shore-side showers and toilets may be used. Land phone and internet access as well auto parking, a mail address and 24 hr. security may also be provided, making life easier. A few steps ashore is all it takes to walk the dog or dump your trash. You will pay for all amenities that are provided, but it can be worth it for the convenience. Live aboard marinas are now very hard to find. When you do finally find one, there is often a waiting list. Many marinas have a time limit on how long you may stay or may have limited amenities. What a marina has for the live-aboard boater may range from full service to not much. Some marinas will not allow you to do even minor work on your boat in the marina and may not let you have a pet. Always check the marina rules before you sign in.
Many marinas have been taken over by condo groups for their residents. They do not want live a-boards in their marina or boats with the clutter of daily life on their deck and dock. Finding a marina where you may live on your boat can be a major job in itself. Add a large dog to the mix, and it can become impossible.
Last but not least, when bad weather hits, you must consider what options you have for yourself and your boat. Do you haul the boat out of the water? Tie it as securely as you can in a marina? Find a "hurricane hole" to anchor it in? Should you stay on board? What do you do with yourself, your pets, your car and your valuables?
We lived on our boat and I loved it. We moved on land when I changed jobs and we could not find a marina close to the job or one that would let us keep the dog on board. Life is easier on land, we do not boat as much and it costs more now with both land and boat expenses. Would I consider moving back to the boat? YES! Life in many ways was less complicated. The dog and cat would not like it, but they have no vote. The wife would most likely opt for it. (It is her boat we lived on...mine was just for fun.) OK, I admit it...I am a little crazy.
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Are-You-Crazy?-You-Want-to-Live-on-Your-Boat!&id=6622063] Are You Crazy? You Want to Live on Your Boat!