Factors to Consider When Choosing a Live Aboard Boat

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To venture on the live aboard experience, one has to be fully prepared in various ways. One of the careful preparations a liveaboard aspirant goes through is choosing a boat. This part of the process is crucial as it will determine how your life will be at sea: whether it’ll be a rough or a smooth sailing is all up to how prepared you’ll be.


When choosing a boat, there are some things that one should consider to make sea life more comfortable. Certified liveaboards from Boston led by Mark Nicholas talk about these factors in the video The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat linked below:

• Type of Boat. There are two types of boat for living aboard: sailboats and powerboats. As an experienced yacht broker, John Proctor believes that aspiring liveaboards who don’t know what type of boat they want tends to end up just dreaming and actually not buying a boat. Determining the differences between the two (e.g. space, size, maintenance) is the key to your decision making.

• Budget. When deciding for a boat, consider the price. Identify what is available, how much are you willing to spend and compare the prices. This does not only apply to the boat but the other expenses as well. Consider initial cost and down payment, maintenance cost and monthly operational cost among others. You can learn more about boating cost in this video. 

• Size. According to Tom Cox, certified liveaboard and marina owner, live aboard boats tend to have more living space. However, liveaboards should look for smaller boats—less beam, less draft, less fuel cost— with a preferable size of at least 32 feet. This is because smaller boats are easier to sail and maintain, perfect for cruising liveboards. Marine technician Chris Birch prescribes to install alternative location where you can store other junk, say, a garage or office space.

• Use. Is the boat going to cruise around or will be kept in a marina? There are two kinds of liveaboard: cruising liveaboard and liveaboard with home port. Choose a boat depending on what kind of liveaboard you are or aspire to be.

• Needs, wants and comforts. Would you want to have a hot shower? How big the size of the bathroom should be? Who will be joining you in your new lifestyle? Determine how comfortable the boat should be but try not to focus on your ‘wants.’ While these features can help you decide, remember that these should not be your priority because these can be added later on. It is still more important to first decide on the type of boat you need.

As Nicholas said, living aboard does not start by buying a boat. It begins by planning and talking with your significant ones how you will choose a live aboard boat, which will embody your hopes and dreams. With the factors above, you should be guided on how to choose the right boat for you.

References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkM_1QmR1Zk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy6dXfukauE&t=96s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH4lt7FFOJM&t=115s