family living on sailboat

How a Middle-Class Family Is Exploring the World by Yacht

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Ever since a fortune cookie I got when I was 16 told me I'd be a world traveler, I've explored every corner of the globe I could reach, from the gondolas of Venice to the rickshaws of Asia, the placid waters of Lake Lucerne to the soaring structures of Machu Picchu.

But then came three kids, an SUV, a house in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, and a literal white picket fence. And on a middle-class budget, I grew to accept that I would have to be content with the life I had chosen. Child-care bills, a mortgage, private-school tuitions and a crazy work schedule at a midlevel government job to pay for it all had replaced exotic vacations. Those aren't complaints, just facts.

A documentary called "Maidentrip" that we came across while flipping channels in November 2015 changed all that.

It was the story of a young girl sailing around the world, exploring foreign lands on her own boat. We had no idea traveling and living on a yacht was even possible, assuming it was reserved for pioneers, ship captains or the rich and famous. We were none of the above. We'd never owned a boat and had little savings in the bank.

Yet the idea of our family exploring the world on a yacht took hold.

For two years, we scrimped and saved until we had enough to buy ourselves an old yacht on the other side of the world, sight unseen, off the Caribbean island of Grenada. (We also saved for five airline tickets to get us there -- this is where airline miles can be very handy .) Our new home was a 1984 Moody 47. She was solid, seaworthy and had two large cabins, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living area.

We rented out our house and convinced our bosses to give us two years leave without pay. We also radically altered our budget in the years leading up to the journey. We canceled subscriptions and memberships, applied for promotions, worked overtime and hosted international students in our home. We refinanced our mortgage and borrowed enough to supplement our savings. Eventually we had enough to buy our $90,000 boat outright with some cash left over for upgrades.

In the meantime, we researched and planned, attending sea survival, seamanship and first-aid courses where we could. We bought ourselves a 21-foot sailboat and learned to sail in our local bay, and crewed on larger yachts at the local yacht club every week. We even enlisted the help of a family of five who had lived aboard a yacht for 10 years themselves.

When we were finally ready in February 2018, we flew to the Caribbean in high spirits — the boat was all our family had talked about for two years. Yet we were also a bundle of nerves, since we were fully aware we didn't really know what we were doing. Heck, we still had no idea how to anchor or moor a 47-foot yacht! But we ignored the naysayers, and my husband, our three boys (now 9, 7 and 4) and I were unshakeable.

We visited 12 countries in our first 12 months and are still sailing. It certainly hasn't been all sunshine and cocktails. On our very first sail from the main island of Grenada to Carriacou, our engine stopped working in high winds and rough seas. We had to be towed to safety in the dark, wondering if we'd made a big, colossal mistake. Soon after, we ran aground on Union Island and needed to be pulled free by local fishermen.

The obstacles we've overcome as a family have taught us resilience, and our family bond is stronger than ever. Home schooling has created opportunities for discussions we never had at home, and the children's confidence has soared. We are healthier than we've ever been, and we've never felt endangered while at sea or on land. That's partial due to the safety training courses we took before we even purchased on our boat.

Our children once always had their hair short and their clothes neat but now look wild and carefree, with shaggy blond mops and tanned skin. We've hiked mountains and volcanoes, peered into craters and gone swimming with turtles as they grazed gracefully on seagrass. We've walked barefoot around deserted islands, climbed palm trees as our wet hair dripped down our backs and sand covered our feet. We've marveled at iguanas basking in the sun and danced to calypso tunes under starry skies.

Truthfully, the farther we travel, the less we want to return to the rat race we once knew. On the water, we are free from schedules and expectations. Free from judgment and little things like haircuts and ironed school uniforms. We are the captains of our own ship figuratively and literally, free to use our time as we please.

The days aboard Roam, our home on the sea, are precious and irreplaceable. Living this way has truly opened our eyes to what's important in life.

You Can Sail the World With Your Family, Too

We weren't sailors or hedge-fund babies, yet here I am, writing to you from the cabin of our boat. We had a dream, so we planned and made it work. There's nothing inherently special or unique about our situation, so if we can do it, you can, too. Don't wait until it's too late.

I don't mean to oversimplify the process of selling everything and sailing the world. There are a lot of interim steps and tons of planning and learning, but all you need to get started is a dream and the guts to make it happen.

Here's how to begin drawing up your plan for traveling aboard a yacht with your family:

• Decide whether you want to sail the world.
• Overhaul your entire budget and look for every little way you can scrimp and save. Be prepared to make sacrifices.
• Set a date -- this is an important part of the plan. Don't make it too far away, but give yourself enough time to save and prepare. Two to five years should be enough.
• Be honest about what you're getting into. Sailing can be dangerous even without children involved, so you need to have a frank discussion with your family about the responsibilities you'll all be taking on not just as a family but as members of a sailing crew.
• If you don't already know how to sail, pay a visit to your local yacht club and offer to crew in their weekly yacht races.
• Start reading. Research everything from boat types (for example, do you want a monohull or catamaran?) to storm tactics, toilet maintenance to chainplates.
• Teach your kids to swim and get them comfortable in the water.
• Learn as much as you can about diesel mechanics and electrical and plumbing systems. If you are in a remote place, you will need to be able to fix your own boat.
• Consider selling your home or renting it out. Look into Airbnb or student rentals to increase your return. ( Thinking of becoming an Airbnb host? Here's how to do it right. )
• Apply for leave without pay if it's an option. Having a safety net is always a good idea. If your job allows remote work, talk to your company about whether it's possible to work remotely (as long you're honest with yourself that internet access and time zones will often work against you). In some cases, you may have to leave your current job entirely to make this dream a reality, so build up that savings cushion as much as you can.

Resources to Get You on Your Way

Videos and podcasts.

• Laura Dekker's documentary, "Maidentrip"
• YouTube videos. such as Sailing SV Delos , Sailing La Vagabonde and Sailing Millennial Falcon , for inspiration
• Podcasts, such as the Family Adventure Podcast or The Family Travel Podcast – A Big Peachey Adventure , to keep you on track. Listen to an interview with Sailing to Roam here .
• "The Voyagers Handbook" by Beth Leonard
• "Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Caulder
• "World Cruising Routes" by Jimmy Cornell
• "Voyaging With Kids: A Guide to Family Life Afloat" by Behan Gifford, Michael Robertson and Sara Johnson

Facebook Groups

• Women Who Sail
• Liveaboard Sailboat

Find a Coach

• Employ the services of a coach, such as Sailing Totem, and be sure to check out her blog. It's a wealth of information.
• Partake in an offshore sailing expedition with an experienced sailor, such as John Kretschmer .

Read Our Blog

• Follow Roam's adventures for inspiration, tips and advice.

Secure a Good Credit Card

• Since you'll likely be sailing in foreign waters, be sure to carry one or two credit cards that don't charge any foreign transaction fees, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard or the Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees).

Bottom Line

Find your own adventure, be it a week in Hawaii, a year in an RV, a hike through the Himalayas or a new life on a boat. Make a date to begin your adventure and work backward from there. You'd be surprised what you can achieve as a family when failing isn't an option. Work harder than you ever have to make it happen, and don't give up. I promise you this: You will never regret living life differently, and embarking on a travel adventure with your kids is just the right place to start.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.

Living on a Sailboat With Kids: This Family Loves Life on the Water

Could you downsize from your current home to a living space less than 500 square feet? How about trading the yard for a spot in a marina? That’s what the Powers family did when they bought a liveaboard sailboat back in 2009.

With two children under the age of 4, Frank and Jody Powers made the decision to try boat living and have never looked back. The family maintained this lifestyle through several cross-country moves as Jody, an officer in the U.S. Navy, was assigned to new duty stations.

The kids are now 12 and 14 years old, and after more than 10 years living aboard a sailboat, they still love it! In fact, Jody retired from the Navy in 2019, and the family is now cruising full time .

I had the opportunity to interview Jody and understand how living on a boat can be an option for a family. In the first of this two-part interview, find out why this sailing family decided to move onto a boat, how they adjusted to their new lifestyle, and most importantly, what’s it’s like living aboard the “Lehe Paine” full time!

First things first: tell us about your boat!

In real estate terms, “Lehe Paine is a 3-bed, 2-bath, cozy mobile home on the water with great views!”

She’s a 2006 Beneteau 393. She is 39’ long with a beam of 13.5’. There are three cabins (bedrooms) and two heads (bathrooms).

We had looked at some two-cabin boats when we were shopping, but when we saw this boat, we could imagine being on it 10 years later when teenagers would want their own space. It has worked out!

Frank and I sleep in the forward cabin on an odd-shaped bed that takes full size sheets, while the kids each have a cabin back aft with their own odd-shaped beds that take queen sheets. When we transit offshore overnight, the forward cabin can be a bit bouncy in the waves, so we will all bunk in the aft cabins for those times.

One head is forward, en suite with the master cabin. The other head is accessible from the main salon of the boat. Neither head has a separate shower; the sink faucet pulls out from the sink to be used as the shower. Bonus: you can clean the bathroom pretty easily while taking a shower!

There is also an outdoor shower on the boat’s transom (the flat surface on the stern of the boat). When we are in salt water, this is a super convenient place to rinse all the salt off to keep from tracking it inside the cabin. Anything that has salt on it will never dry and leads to mildew inside a boat!

How did you first decide to live aboard a sailboat?

In 2009 we were approaching a military move/permanent change of station (PCS) from Gulfport, MS to Everett, WA.

We had been stationed in Washington before. Jody lived in a 15’ x 20’ cabin at that time, and we still owned it. Frank wanted to sell the cabin. I wanted to keep it.

We had also owned a 20 ft sailboat right when we got married, but we sold it during a PCS. Frank had said he wanted to get another sailboat in the future.

I put together my desire to keep the cabin and Frank’s desire to buy a sailboat and came up with the idea to move onto a boat!

My justification? We needed the cabin as a back-up home for our young family (with an infant and a toddler), just in case living aboard a sailboat didn’t work out.

So, the idea really came from my scheming to keep the cabin, and Frank loved it. Win-win!

Fun fact: we loved living on the boat so much that the cabin went on the market within the first year of living aboard!

What was your family and work situation at the time?

I was active duty military (Navy Meteorology/Oceanography Officer), transferring to a sea tour on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Frank was working with the Army Corps of Engineers in Louisiana and seeking a job in the Seattle area when we made the decision. He ended up accepting a position with the National Park Service in Seattle.

Our daughter, Katreina, was 3 years old, and our son, Trent, was 15 months.

What were the most challenging adjustments to boat living?

It was definitely an adjustment! We went from a 2400 sq. ft. house with a yard to less than 500 not-so-square feet.

The “stuff” was the first hurdle. We had all the trimmings: shop tools; rooms of furniture; piles of toys; closets jammed with clothes; and every kitchen appliance a bridal registry can dream of.

We decided to keep our furniture items in storage just in case boat life didn’t work out. But the smaller stuff was sold, given to friends, and donated.

My fond memory: I had worked so hard “purging” to the bare minimum one day and proudly showed Frank. His response? “Nice job! Now get rid of half of what’s left.” I was crushed!

Household chores require a little more planning. Laundry is ashore so we had to haul it up the dock and across that marina in some cases.

Our refrigerator is small, and our stove has only two burners, so buying groceries and meal planning took more consideration.

Also, the only counter space is actually the door to the refrigerator, so you must have everything pulled out before you set to chopping and measuring. I forgot things frequently in the early days and would have to juggle everything or move it to the table to get into the fridge for that one last ingredient.

How do you keep everyone safe aboard the boat?

Life jackets are the most critical safety gear that we all use onboard. When the kids were younger and we were in Washington, they would wear them all the time on the dock—it was just too easy to have a toddler, well, toddle into the chilly water! Just ask Trent—he fell in twice there!

In Maryland, once winter set in, we would go back to wearing them on the dock, as just a little frost makes for a very treacherous walk to the parking lot!

When we are underway, unless it’s super calm, we are nearshore, and there is more than one person on deck, we wear life jackets. Every family member has a life jacket that auto-inflates and the kids’ jackets have built-in AIS rescue beacons. We all also have tethers to connect us to holding points on the boat.

The adults exchange a personal Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) as we take over the watch from one another offshore, and there is another EPIRB registered to the boat that will go off automatically if submerged.

We have throwable flotation devices in the event of a man overboard, and the big purchase no one ever wants to use—the life raft—is mounted on the deck with a hydrostatic release mechanism to launch it in the event of a capsize.

But most days, safety is about deliberate, careful movement! There are plenty of cleats to stub your toes on or lines to get a bad burn from if it starts running fast through your hands. The best way to stay safe is to move cautiously and always keep one hand on the boat!

How does the cost of living on a sailboat compare to a regular home?

The answer to this one is “it depends.”

Are you comparing living on a boat to a rental property or to a house you own? Are you staying at anchor or at a fancy marina with lots of amenities? Are you in a temperate climate, or one where winters are harsh?

When things break on a boat (which seems frequent), anything with “marine” in the front of the name (e.g., marine plumbing parts or marine alternator) is more expensive!

Also, boats depreciate in value, so you will never gain equity like you will if you own a home.

In our experience it is nominally cheaper to live on a boat, but I would never recommend someone move aboard for the purposes of saving money; the financial impact isn’t worth it!

Some expenses and price ranges (outside of the initial cost of buying a sailboat) when living on a boat in a marina:

• Insurance. This will vary widely based on who you insure with, where your boat is stored, where you plan to cruise, how old your boat is, what level of coverage you want, and what its replacement cost is, among other things. Marinas require proof that a vessel is insured, so this is not optional! Our boat’s annual premium is $4,300.
• Dockage/Mooring . Marina costs vary widely depending on their location, the amenities they offer, and the quality of their docks. Also, a bigger boat means a more expensive slip. Docks are leased nightly and weekly (for transient boaters), monthly, seasonally, or annually. Military marinas can offer some of the cheapest rates, but many don’t allow full-time liveaboards. Our old slip on the Chesapeake Bay at a marina with a full suite of amenities (pool, gym, water sports, laundry, on-site restaurant) was ~$5500/year.
• Liveaboard Fees . This only applies to annual slips, but some marinas charge a liveaboard fee on top of the dock fee. Ours was an additional $100/month.
• Fuel . If you’re on a power boat, this can be a huge part of your budget if you intend to move around at all. On a sailboat, we can choose to move only when the winds are favorable and therefore limit our use of fuel. We also need fuel for our dinghy and for our portable generator, which we use to fuel our watermaker. When we lived aboard in Washington and Maryland in the winter, our fuel use was way up due to needing to run our heater.
• Routine Maintenance . The running joke is the “BOAT” means “break out another thousand!” Systems on a boat must be able to withstand the wet, salty, rocky environment. The ability to work on critical systems yourself can save money, but for jobs that require the boat to be out of the water, you have to pay for it to be hauled, blocked on stands, stored on land for however long your work takes, and re-launched. For a boat our size, that’s typically $500-$1000 for haul/launch and 1-2 weeks on the hard.

You really can do this on a range of budgets and comfort levels.

In what ways was your day-to-day life living aboard a boat different from other families?

We didn’t really feel like our life was too different. We always felt like we just lived in a really small apartment that moved in high winds!

The kids went to daycare, Frank and I went to work. When they were older, the kids were enrolled in local school, and the bus picked them up at the marina.

We had chores like everyone else. We don’t have a dishwasher or washing machine onboard, but some small apartments are like that, too.

The biggest difference was probably just that we needed to keep our water tanks filled and our holding tanks empty.

How did you arrange a space in the marina when moving to a new location? Did you ever have trouble finding a spot?

The whole marina search is like looking for an apartment or home. We looked at amenities (laundry, parking, pool, community space, nearby groceries) as well as school info for the kids.

When we moved from Washington to Maryland, Frank flew out to Maryland and looked at marinas. He did online research first, visited the ones he was interested in, and signed a contract.

Knowing the local conditions, just like in real estate, helps. Some places have a great location, but a really long wait list for slips or liveaboards (some marinas limit the percentage of slips in which they allow liveaboards).

So, you either have to know about a place from someone you know, or call marinas and ask around. If you’re in a “high demand” market, you might be forced into a marina further away or have to be ready with a “plan B” on land.

We were facing possible orders to Monterey, CA at one point, so we started to look at marinas for liveaboards. They were very limited and had a 1-year wait list. We didn’t get those orders but were ready to execute plan B if needed.

What’s it like to move across the country when your home is a boat?

We had three really big moves with the boat.

The first was from Washington to Maryland. I was on deployment during most of the planning, whereas Frank was on the home front choosing a marina on the East Coast, arranging yard services to prep the boat for transit, and contracting the truck that would ship our home over land; basically, executing our pack-out!

When it was time to move, the boat was lifted from the water, the mast and rigging removed, and it was loaded onto a truck. We stood by with some suitcases for the cross-country drive as our home hit the highway.

It was challenging to coordinate all of that along with getting the boat put back together on the far end, but getting re-settled was easy. We walked aboard and unpacked our bags in our old familiar rooms—that was the best part.

Our second move was from Maryland to Mississippi. We moved the boat via water over a series of journeys. Moving the boat this way was a challenge for several reasons.

We were both working, we never seemed to get the 30-days of leave between duty stations, the kids were in school, and weather is always a big factor. We had to leave the boat in Jacksonville, FL for about a month and another month in St. Petersburg, FL while we worked around these issues.

We got some good offshore and transit experience, but in hindsight, we would have rather used all those vacation days to travel rather than work as a moving service.

As an aside, while we were in Mississippi, we moved back to land for two years. We still owned the home we purchased the first time we were stationed in Gulfport (before the move to Everett when we bought the boat). We decided to live in the house to prepare to sell it, further solidify our liveaboard boater status, and minimize our stuff. We stored the Lehe Paine at a marina while we were living in the house.

Our third and final move with the boat was from Mississippi back to Maryland. Having learned our lessons from the second move, we loaded her on a truck again rather than sailing back up the East Coast. Transporting our boat on dry land also gives us a chance to do some maintenance work that just can’t be done while the boat is in the water.

Did the kids ever want to move to a regular house?

Yes! But not for the reasons we expected.

Like any military kids, they didn’t always love moving, especially as they got older, and for a bit they equated a house to not having to move. Once they realized the military would move us regardless of the type of home we had, that reason went away.

One time they wanted to move into a house so they could have a TV in their bedroom. When we crushed their dreams and told them they would not be getting TVs in their rooms regardless of where they lived, they once again abandoned the house dream.

And when we were moving from our house in Mississippi back onto the boat, our son didn’t want to move because he didn’t want to lose his Xbox. When we told him the Xbox was coming onto the boat, he was ready to move back!

They both would really love a pet, and while some boaters have them, it’s just not in our plan. We like to keep it simple! The kids would move to land in a heartbeat if it meant they could have a dog or cat!

Did you do much traveling with the boat while living aboard?

We did! As long as the weather cooperated, we would get underway most weekends and anchor near fun towns or quiet islands, even if it was just for a night. Both Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay offered great cruising grounds. On longer holiday breaks, we would take leave and spend a week exploring further afield.

Related Reading: Take the Perfect Getaway to Annapolis, MD

We would also leave the boat at the marina for fun trips when we could. Since moving aboard, we’ve traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, Ireland, Jamaica, Iceland, and Scotland, and have also explored parts of the U.S. We love the MWR lodging options and recreational ticket discounts!

What are the biggest benefits of living on a boat? The downsides?

• Very close relationships within our family. We don’t have to raise voices, as we are all so physically close to each other!
• Focus on experiences rather than stuff. We don’t have huge wardrobes or stacks of toys, but we can get our home into some pretty cool places to explore.
• The boating community. When we were in a marina, our “neighborhood” was much like a land neighborhood, with all the usual characters, and someone was always available with advice, a tool, or some muscle when needed.
• A smaller environmental footprint. We use significantly less water than we did when living in a house. We sail when we can so that we don’t have to use fuel. We have solar panels to meet most of our power needs. We usually walk or take buses in seaside towns to gather our supplies.
• The physically tight space means that if someone is having a bad day, we all feel it. (But we can all also work together to bring that person up!)
• Displaying photos. We just don’t have room for them on the bulkheads (walls) and we can’t keep photo albums onboard because the humidity would ruin them. We rely heavily on digital photos.
• Maintaining a boat can be a challenge. The marine environment is hard on boat finishes, fabrics, and plastics, and humidity inside a boat can lead to mold growth quickly. You have to stay on top of cleaning, removing salt, checking sewn seams, and polishing. Engines and pumps need routine maintenance. It’s not all cocktails and sunsets!
• Repairs can get costly fast. Being mechanically inclined can help you save a few bucks, but some jobs are just impossible to do cheaply. There is also maintenance that can only be done when a boat it out of the water, incurring the cost of hauling the boat, storing the boat on land, housing the crew ashore somewhere, and relaunching the boat. You have to be ready for schedule changes, cost estimate changes, and “surprise” issues at all times.

What advice would you give to a family who is thinking about living on a sailboat full time?

Get out on a boat. Charter a boat, go with friends, take a class (most Navy bases on the water offer them).

Experience the motion, the layout of the living space, the difficulty of operating each type of boat (sail or power), the emotions of your crew when you are all together in that space.

Really ask yourself, “Do I just want to live in a marina on a boat, or do I want to get out on the water? And does my family agree?” There is nothing quite like a mutiny to destroy a good day on the water.

Make sure that boating and cruising are things you will enjoy. Not every day is a sun-filled day or a glossy magazine cover of paradise.

Eventually scenarios will come up where you will have to be a plumber, handyman, seamstress, weather guru, sewer and sanitation expert, engine mechanic, electrician, navigator, rigging inspector, deckhand, electronics technician, galley magician, etc, etc. The learning curve is steep, and the lifestyle isn’t for everyone.

Start out with a smaller boat you can use on weekends and local trips to see how you like it.

Talk and visit with couples/families who are full-time cruising and/or living aboard to see what the lifestyle is like firsthand.

A simple litmus test I like to give to people considering living aboard is to tell them to get rid of everything except what you cannot possibly live without. Then, get rid of half of what’s left! If you’re okay with that then living aboard might be a good fit.

Check out part 2 of the interview to learn about life cruising in a sailboat full-time and how they’ve dealt with homeschooling!

Follow the Powers family blog, From Sea to Shining Sea , to get more details about their adventures!

Good article? Share it!

7 thoughts on “Living on a Sailboat With Kids: This Family Loves Life on the Water”

Thank you so much for sharing. This was a pleasure to read and to learn!

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it!

I loved the article! Although I’m not a candidate for living aboard a boat, I’m always amazed, and intrigued by the human spirit, and one’s spirit to “just do it!

Glad you enjoyed it! I agree, the Powers family truly embarked on a unique adventure, and it’s amazing how they make it work!

Thanks for sharing our story so beautifully!

Thanks for your willingness to tell it! Can’t wait to share part 2!

A dream that I had for a long time. It might have been possible; the pros & cons listed here would seem to change my mind, but my dream was to sail all over and only marina up during bad weather periods.

Comments are closed.

Life on a Sailboat: Everything You Need to Know About Living on a Sailboat Full-Time

Living on a sailboat full-time is often romanticized as a life of endless sunsets, gentle waves, and freedom on the open sea. Many dream of casting off the lines and setting sail for a horizon of adventure and tranquility. However, the reality of life aboard a sailboat can be as challenging as it is rewarding, as frustrating as it is relaxing, and, more often than not, as mundane as it is exciting.

This blog post aims to peel back the curtain on the picturesque scenes to reveal what daily life is really like when you call a sailboat home. We will dive into the motivations, preparations, joys, and challenges of living on a sailboat full-time, providing a realistic glimpse into a lifestyle that is far from ordinary.

Our Live-Aboard Life

Our dream of living on a sailboat was a distant one for many years. But as we watched plans and dreams fall by the wayside in the wake of COVID, we made the decision to make our dream a reality. Once the borders opened up, we made a beeline for the Mediterranean and have since spent each summer living aboard our little 29-foot sailboat Whisper. Without any experience sailing or living on a sailboat, we have taught ourselves to sail and manage life on the boat along the way.

Before we took up sail life, we had been living “van life,” and we’ve come to realize there are lots of similarities but quite a few differences between the two . However, on the whole, learning to live van life first put us in good stead to take on life on a sailboat. Unlike most people, we up-sized when we moved onto a boat.

Despite the upgrade in living quarters, the learning curve and the adjustment to living on the sea were no less challenging. Nevertheless, the shift was not as scary as we thought it might be, and the reality of living on a sailboat full-time quickly became our new normal.

Initially, our plan was to buy a boat and spend one season aboard sailing the Mediterranean before selling the boat and settling down. Instead, it’s safe to say we have fallen in love with life on a sailboat. Now, as we enter our third season, we aren’t sure when we will be ready to furl the sails for good…

Get a Taste of Life on a SailBoat

We document some of the realities of living on a sailboat full-time on our YouTube Channel in our The Vanabond Sails series.

Deciding to Live on a Sailboat

The journey to becoming a full-time live aboard often starts with the desire for change.

Some people are transitioning from one stage of life to the next as careers wind up or children move out. Some yearn for adventure and excitement, while others seek a simpler way of life. Many are drawn to the promise of freedom, the allure of the sea, and the appeal of living more closely with nature. However, the decision to live on a sailboat full-time is not one to be taken lightly. It requires thoughtful consideration and planning.

For us, it was a long-held dream to sail and live aboard a sailboat. It was also a natural progression, having spent several years living and traveling by van . We were ready for a new challenge. 

It began with a conversation, then a plan, and then trawling classifieds for second-hand boat sales. Before long, the decision was set in stone, and we were on our way to Croatia to buy a boat , learn to sail it, and move aboard. 

Choosing the Right Sailboat

The type of sailboat you choose is critical and depends on your budget, sailing skills, and the kind of sailing you plan to do (coastal cruising, bluewater voyaging, etc.).

Will you prefer the size and stability of a catamaran, or will you prioritize the sailing experience of a monohull? Are you looking for something small that’s easily controlled and maneuvered by a limited (and potentially inexperienced) crew, or do you require the space of a larger vessel? Are you interested in the clean lines and comforts of modern boat designs, or do you prefer the style of older boats? There are a thousand decisions to be made when choosing a boat, and your own aspirations for boat life and, of course, your budget will be critical when it comes to making this decision. 

Spend as much time researching boats that are available in your price range, ask questions of sailors you know or on sailing forums, and, if possible, spend time aboard different types of sailboats to get a clearer picture of what life is really like on board before making a purchase.

Check out our full article on buying boat .

Emotional and Practical Considerations for Sail Life

Living on a sailboat means embracing minimalism and being comfortable with the idea of having less space and possessions.

You’ll need to consider the impact of such a lifestyle on relationships with family and friends, as it can mean spending long periods away from loved ones.

The decision also involves considering how to manage work or income while living at sea , which might include remote work, seasonal jobs, or living off savings.

There are plenty of options for those planning on working remotely while sailing. With the rise of remote work , there has never been more opportunity to work and sail.

All of these considerations represent potential challenges to adjusting to life at sea, but they are certainly not insurmountable. You just need to be honest with yourself and decide if your love of the open water and the freedom of living aboard a sailboat will be greater than the inconveniences.

Preparations and Adjustments

Transitioning to life on a sailboat involves a series of preparations and adjustments, both practical and psychological, to ensure a smooth and sustainable living experience.

Training and Skills

If you are thinking about taking up sailing, you should, of course, invest time in learning to sail, navigate, and understand weather patterns. While this may seem like a daunting task, it’s not an insurmountable one. Time on the water is the most important thing, so it’s time to sign up for sailing courses, start planning trips with sailing friends, join a local sailing club, or seek out opportunities to crew for other sailors.

Learning basic boat maintenance and repair is essential to manage the myriad challenges that come with life at sea.

Safety courses, such as first aid, sea survival, and radio operation, are also crucial for handling emergencies.

These skills are important for safe and comfortable sailing and are often legally required. Make sure you are aware of the licensing and registration requirements for sailors in the region you are preparing to sail.

In our case, I had experience sailing small dinghies as a child and thus some understanding of the fundamentals, while Kelli had zero experience. My existing marine license issued in Australia was recognized in Croatia, where we bought our boat. I only needed to acquire a VHF radio license to become adequately certified for inshore sailing in the Mediterranean. 

We paid some local sailors to come aboard and teach us both the fundamentals of our new boat (lots of docking and anchoring practice).

Downsizing and Adapting to Limited Space and Resources

As mentioned, moving onto a boat was actually upsizing for us. With a second cabin, a flushing toilet, and a large indoor table, our relatively small 29-foot monohull seemed luxurious compared to the vans we had been living in until this point. 

However, for most, moving onto a sailboat often means significant downsizing, and space becomes a premium commodity. The process of downsizing for sail life involves prioritizing essential items and learning to live without the comforts of a traditional home.

Space isn’t the only limitation on a boat. Reliance on water tanks (if you don’t have a watermaker) and solar, wind, or generator electricity often means a downshift in access to creature comforts we take for granted in a house on the grid.

Creativity in organizing and making the most of limited space and resources becomes a daily practice, requiring innovative storage solutions and multi-functional furniture. Most modern sailboats are well-designed with endless space-saving measures and designs. Nevertheless, an adjustment will likely be necessary.

Financial Planning

Financial considerations are paramount, as the cost of living on a sailboat can vary widely depending on factors like marina fees, maintenance costs, and lifestyle choices.

Setting a realistic budget that includes regular maintenance, unexpected repairs, and living expenses is essential for sustaining life at sea.

Depending on your personal aspirations for boat life, this lifestyle can be as affordable or as expensive as you want to be. For us, as a couple in our thirties still in the building and saving part of our lives and careers, we are able to live on a boat in the Mediterranean affordably and comfortably for far less than we (estimate) we would spend living a more stationary lifestyle.

Check out our full article on the Costs of Living on Sail Boat Full-Time

Overall, adjusting to the confines and challenges of sailboat living demands not only physical preparation but also mental resilience and adaptability. The transition from land to sea is a profound shift, requiring a willingness to embrace simplicity, flexibility, and a sense of adventure.

Daily Life Aboard

While there is no typical day aboard, and experiences will differ wildly from person to person and day to day, we can describe what many of our days do look like.

As we work from the boat, our weeks are generally divided into work days, Monday to Friday morning and weekends. The truth is that the novelty does wear off, and many days, especially during the working week, become just as mundane as any other lifestyle. However it never stays mundane for long, one exhilarating sail, a dolphin sighting, a picture perfect anchorage or even surviving an impromptu weather event and the thrill of living on a sailboat quickly returns.

A typical workday for us living on a sailboat often starts with the sunrise (or a little bit before if we have a lot on). Ideally, we are well rested after a still night without rolling swell or, worse, strong wind, but that isn’t always assured at sea. Mornings involve checking the weather first and foremost, all plans revolve around the direction and strength of the wind and waves. 

If the weather is calm, we usually try to work in the mornings when we are fresh and focused.

We travel slowly, often spending a few days in a quiet, well-protected anchorage, on a town quay, or in a marina before moving on a short distance along the coast. On sailing days, we often sail in the afternoon when the winds are a bit stronger in the Mediterranean. On days we are staying put, the afternoon might be spent exploring a new town, getting provisions, swimming, or finding a beach to lie on and read a book. In the evening, we will cook dinner onboard and get some more work done or watch some TV. 

Weekends look different, and we will take advantage of not needing to be close to reliable network services, completing longer passages along the coast, or visiting islands. 

Daily Differences in Sail Life

Living spaces on a sailboat are compact and multifunctional, necessitating an organized and tidy approach to prevent clutter and ensure safety. Cooking in a small galley kitchen presents its challenges, from securing pots and pans on a constantly moving boat to managing limited ingredients and storage.

Meals often need to be simple yet nutritious, requiring creativity and planning. Our approach is to cook simple, one-pot, vegetarian meals like dal or vegetable curry two or three times during the workweek and eat leftovers for lunch and dinner. On the weekend, we like to get more creative with our meals, seeking out local produce or fresh seafood and taking our time to prepare something special.

As mentioned, resource management is a critical aspect of daily sailboat life, especially when it comes to conserving water, fuel, and electricity. Efficient use of these resources is vital, whether it involves careful water usage, monitoring power consumption, or planning the next opportunity to resupply. For us, an electricity supply is mainly dependent on the sun when we are not under motor or plugged into shore power. Extended periods of cloud can alter our plans. Similarly, if we are not careful with water, more frequent visits to refill are required, which can be limiting. 

Personal hygiene and privacy take on a new meaning in the confined space of a sailboat. Showers may be quick and infrequent. In our case, we generally rinse off after a swim to bathe and take proper showers during marina stops. Personal space is limited on a sailboat and managing personal relationships can have extra challenges.

Sleeping on the boat can take some getting used to, especially when on anchor. Even on a calm day, the constant rocking of the water can be disruptive at first, and novice sailors may find they get seasick, although these symptoms usually go away after a few days. When it’s windy, or there is some swell, the noise, movement, and the ever-present worry that the boat may pull off its anchor with the movement can make it very difficult to get a good night’s sleep. 

Unforecast storms, gear failure, or some other emergency can occasionally create scary and challenging scenarios, especially if disaster strikes late at night. These situations are part of the adventure but can certainly be stressful.

Despite the challenges, daily life on a sailboat is interspersed with moments of profound beauty and peace. Whether watching dolphins play in the bow wave, enjoying a sunset over the ocean, or stargazing on a clear night, these experiences often make the hardships worthwhile, offering a sense of freedom and connection to nature that is hard to find elsewhere.

The Pros and Cons of Living on a Sailboat Full-Time

Pros: the joys of sailboat living.

Living on a sailboat brings a unique set of joys and rewards that can make the challenges seem insignificant.

+ One of the most significant benefits is the sense of freedom and adventure. Sailboat dwellers have the luxury of exploring new destinations, anchoring in secluded bays, and experiencing different cultures in a way that most people never will. The ability to call a variety of picturesque locations home, even if only temporarily, is a remarkable aspect of this lifestyle. Even compared to other forms of nomadic lifestyle, waking up in your own private bay or cove is hard to re-create. 

+ The connection with nature is unparalleled in sailboat living. Being surrounded by the vastness of the ocean, witnessing marine life up close, and experiencing the rhythms of the sea create a deep sense of harmony and peace. The simplicity of life on a boat can lead to a greater appreciation for the small things, like the beauty of a sunset, the changing colors of the sea, or the silence of a night watch under the stars.

+ Community and camaraderie are also central to the sailboat lifestyle. The sailing community is known for its close-knit, supportive nature, with fellow sailors often ready to lend a hand, share advice, or offer companionship. This sense of community extends across harbors and anchorages around the world, creating a global network of friends and contacts.

+ The personal growth and self-reliance developed through sailboat living are profound. Navigating the challenges and unpredictability of the sea fosters resilience, problem-solving skills, and a strong sense of self-confidence. The lifestyle encourages continuous learning, from mastering sailing and navigational skills to understanding weather patterns and marine ecosystems.

The Cons: The Challenges and Hardships of Liveaboard Life

While the joys of living on a sailboat are plentiful, the lifestyle also comes with its fair share of challenges and hardships. These difficulties test the resilience and adaptability of those who choose this way of life.

– One of the most significant challenges is dealing with bad weather. Storms, high winds, and rough seas can be terrifying and dangerous, requiring skill, experience (which you can only get by …experiencing it), and a calm demeanor to navigate safely (perhaps the trickiest thing to achieve). The stress from poor weather can be mentally draining, disrupt work, and put a strain on relationships.

– The learning curve required to become a confident and comfortable sailor is not small and can take many seasons while mastering sailing can take a lifetime.

– The constant exposure to the elements also means that maintenance is a never-ending task, with saltwater and sun causing wear and tear that must be regularly addressed to keep the boat functional and safe. Especially on an older boat like ours, fixing and maintaining gear and rigging is an endless cycle. Most systems and hardware on the boat are essential, and when they fail, there is often no one around to help. Constantly sorting out jammed anchors, engine or electrical issues can quickly become tiresome and (if you are trying to work) quite disruptive. It can also be quite stressful when critical systems fail.

– Isolation is another aspect of sailboat living that can be challenging. Long periods at sea or anchored in remote locations can lead to feelings of loneliness and disconnection from land-based communities. The confined space of a sailboat can strain relationships, making it essential for the crew, be it a couple, a family, or friends, to communicate effectively and give each other personal space.

– The financial aspect of sailboat living can also be a hardship. Unexpected repairs and maintenance can quickly drain savings, and the cost of mooring, fuel, and supplies can add up. Sailors must be adept at budgeting and often need to be resourceful in finding ways to sustain their lifestyle, which might include picking up temporary jobs or remote work.

– The physical demands of managing a sailboat should not be underestimated. It requires strength, stamina, and a willingness to tackle everything from sail repairs to engine troubleshooting. The learning curve can be steep, and the responsibility of keeping the boat and its occupants safe is a constant pressure.

Despite these challenges, many sailboat dwellers find that the hardships are part of what makes the lifestyle rewarding. Overcoming difficulties and learning to live in harmony with the sea can provide a profound sense of achievement and satisfaction.

Final Thoughts About Life on a Sailboat

Living on a sailboat full-time is a journey that encompasses the full spectrum of human experience, blending moments of sheer joy and beauty with times of challenge and adversity. It’s a lifestyle that demands resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace the unknown. While the romantic allure of sailing the high seas is undeniable, the realities of daily life on a sailboat are grounded in practical challenges and the necessity of continual learning and personal growth.

The decision to live on a sailboat should not be made lightly, as it involves significant changes in lifestyle, mindset, and social dynamics. However, for those who choose to embark on this adventure, it offers unparalleled opportunities for freedom, exploration, and connection with nature. The hardships encountered along the way are not just obstacles but also catalysts for growth, leading to a deeper understanding of oneself and the world.

If you have a question about living on a sailboat full-time, let us know in the comments below or shoot us an email anytime!

Fair winds and following seas!

In 2016, I had been dumped by my girlfriend, fired from my job, and the lease on my house was running out. Facing moving back in with my parents, 26, jobless and alone I decided to listen to the message the universe was trying to send me. I took off on my first solo backpacking trip, with a one-way ticket to Bangkok and a well-thumbed Lonely Planet guide. From there I wandered Southeast and Central Asia, traveled the Great Steppe, and made my way across Russia and throughout Europe.

In Estonia I met Kelli, who, despite having a less frantic travel style, shared my my restless spirit and passion for exploration. Together, we embarked on a new journey, van life. Over four years we travelled across three different continents with three different vans.

In 2022, as the world began to re-open post COVID we took an opportunity to realise a long held dream, to live aboard a sailboat. Since then we have spent two summers in the Mediterranean, sailing and living aboard our little sail boat Whisper. When we aren't sailing we continue to live our nomadic lifestyle, guided by a philosophy of slow travel and self directed adventure be it by van or backpacking.

We find excitement through our journey into the unknown, stillness and content in the beauty of the places we discover and we find ourselves in the vastness of our world.

Hopefully, we can help you find what you're looking for too. Get lost with us and find your own path.

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Kristyn Christiansen paddles a row boat with his son, Boden, at a marina in Vancouver, British Columbia. Boden is waving at his mother, Sophena Kwon.

This family lives on their sailboat. Here’s how they make it work

Photographs by Tanin Kayvan Story by Kyle Almond, CNN April 22, 2022

Nestled inside a marina in Vancouver, British Columbia, among the charter boats and commercial vessels, a couple is raising their two young children.

For nearly a decade, this 60-foot-long sailboat has been home for Kristyn Christiansen and Sophena Kwon. And they love it.

“It's our place in the city,” Christiansen said.

Inside, the boat is about the size of a small apartment. There isn’t a ton of space, but they make the most of what they have.

“They live such a creative lifestyle,” said photographer Tanin Kayvan , a Vancouver native who has been documenting the family’s life on the boat and on a nearby island where they’re building their next home. “There's really a lot of thought and intention that went behind everything that they've created for themselves.”

Vancouver’s housing market was recently ranked as the most expensive in North America, and living on a boat has allowed Christiansen and Kwon to save quite a bit of money. But this couple’s lifestyle is not about necessity. It’s always been a choice.

“They're actually two very successful business owners,” Kayvan said. “Kristyn, he's an artist and he builds signs for different businesses around the city. And then Sophena (helps run) a family business where they sell clothing made from natural fibers and natural dyes. They do very well off of that.”

Christiansen, who grew up in Saskatchewan and lived in the Canadian prairies until he was about 30, had always dreamed of living on a boat. It was one of the reasons he moved to Vancouver.

He got his first boat by trading in a motorcycle he had restored. He later traded that in for a larger vessel, and then in the early 2010s — right around the time he met his future wife — he sold that boat and got the one they live in now.

“With a boat like this, I can take it anywhere in the world and have my home anywhere that I wanted to,” he said. “It's just nice to have that option to move it around.”

Kwon was born in Vancouver, sailed as a child and has always lived around water. It didn’t take her long to adapt to life in the harbor.

“This boat is a pretty special boat,” she said. “I had a really nice apartment in the West End of Vancouver, and the boat topped that for sure. It immediately felt like home.”

Early on in their relationship, Christiansen and Kwon would spend time working on the boat.

“I’m quite a hands-on person as well and I love working with my hands, and it was a nice process to do together,” she said. Afterward, they’d go diving and swimming. “There's so much to explore close to Vancouver,” she said. “We regularly go to Hornby Island and Salt Spring Island and kind of island hop along the way. It's such a great part of the world to sail in.”

She moved in, and the two married. They now have two young children. Their son, Boden, is nearly 3 years old. Their daughter, Calico, just turned 1.

Kwon delivered both of her kids on the boat, with the assistance of midwives.

“One night I was just like, 'I want to give birth somewhere that I feel the most comfortable,’ ” she recalled. “And that place is my home, and the energy on the boat is where I feel most comfortable. And when you're giving birth, you want to be most comfortable.”

There are other families in Vancouver who also live on boats, but Kwon and Christiansen say they’re the only one in their marina. For a monthly fee, the marina provides them with electricity and access to fresh water that they can use to fill up the tanks in their boat.

“In most marinas, the power's included,” Christiansen said. “You pay the marina fee. It's probably anywhere from CA$1,000 to $1,500 a month depending on where you are. But you can't get an apartment in Vancouver for $1,500 that, to me, is anywhere near as nice as living on a boat in a harbor.”

Other costs of living on a boat include boat insurance, which Christiansen says goes for about $800-$1,000 a year, and fuel, which he says for a sailboat is relatively small. They also bought an antenna that allows them to connect to high-speed internet service.

Perhaps the most important thing about living on a boat is taking proper care of it.

“There's a lot to know about maintaining your boat and getting to know your boat,” Christiansen said. “It's no different than owning a house. You might have to redo your roof. Or you might have a leak or rot.”

The family lives a happy, comfortable life on the boat, but they have had to make a few adjustments over the years.

The boat’s electric heaters can only do so much on the coldest winter nights, so they have a wood stove on board. On those nights, Christiansen has to wake up every three or four hours during the night to keep the fire going.

And their hot water only lasts for so long.

“You can have exactly a seven-and-a-half-minute hot shower,” Kwon said with a laugh. “So I either wash and condition my hair, or I do other things. It's one or the other. Not enough hot water there to do everything.”

But those are minor inconveniences to them.

“You just make do,” Kwon said. “It's really not much of an adjustment. I feel like we haven't given anything up for this.”

Right now, the family all sleeps together in the same big bed. Christiansen and Kwon say they are appreciating this phase of their life, but they know that as the kids get older they’ll need more space.

“Four years ago, we were kind of looking at property, like what would be the next step, what would it look like if we did want to have kids?” Kwon said. “I love the idea of living on a boat, but I was thinking: ‘Is a boat it? Or do we need to find a place maybe with a backyard? Where do the kids go to school?’ Certain questions were coming up.”

So they’re starting to build a new home this year on Bowen Island, a rural community that is about a 20-minute ferry ride from Vancouver. They already have an off-grid place on the island, a property they call Moonshine Kingdom, that they use for weekend getaways.

“The proximity (to Vancouver) is nice. On the other hand, it also feels removed from the city,” Christiansen said. “Apart from when you enter off the ferry and a little town, there's like no street lights. No traffic lights. It's a beautiful island.”

Moonshine Kingdom is right on the ocean, and it is boat access only. It got its name because of how bright the setting moon will shine off the water, filling the entire property with light. There is a glass yurt, a kitchen, a sun deck and even a hot tub.

It gets its water from an underground aquifer that flows close to the property, Kwon said. Power comes from the sun or a generator when needed. Like on the boat, the family uses a wood stove for heat. Fire also warms their hot tub.

It’s a special place that gives the family a chance to get away from it all.

“We love Bowen and always have,” Kwon said.

The family’s new home on Bowen Island is still two or three years away. Christiansen will do much of the building himself, hiring a few trade workers along the way.

“We're not building a big house either,” he said. “It's pretty much like a boat, it's pretty compact. We'll try to make it as thought-out as we can as we build it.”

The plan is to keep their boat after that, just so they always have a place to stay in the city. And they want to start sailing on it again; since the babies were born, the boat hasn’t been taken out to sea.

“I think it would be nice if municipalities made more of an effort to make it easier for people to live on boats,” Christiansen said. “Because it is a lighter footprint, I think, on the planet to live on a boat. You're being a little bit more self-sustaining. You are using power, but generally boats are more compact and more efficient than say a land home would be. There's a lot of benefits environmentally.

“I think it’s a great way to live.”

FAMILY LIVING ON SAILBOAT

The goal is simplicity while traveling on a sailboat..

Hi, we’re the Fosters (Matt, Nancy, and Olivia). We live on sailboat. We started in Texas. We’re not rich, nor retired. We’re nomads, and we travel the seas. Working, building a family, and see cool stuff meeting great people.

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About Our Sailboat

Her name is Cadence. She’s a 39’10” Sailboat from the America’s largest sailboat manufacturer: Catalina.

It’s our first sailboat. We’ve learned a lot about sailboats, sailing, and about Cadence. Read more about Cadence by tapping here >>

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'Some people go all in and sell everything': People who've lived and sailed full-time on a boat shared how they did it

• Business Insider spoke with people who've lived on a boat full-time.
• The individuals lived and worked on sailboats from between one to eight years.
• One couple rented out their home while they sailed the Eastern Seaboard for a year.

Boats and yachts are often linked to the ultra wealthy, but regular everyday people with average incomes have access to these enticing water vessels. Whether someone wants to rent a boat for a day or live on a yacht for a year, there are accessible ways to achieve this goal.

Business Insider spoke with people, who lived aboard four different boats, ranging for as long as one to eight years, about how they began their boat-life journey.

A married couple sold everything they owned to live full-time on a boat

When BI spoke with Iain Camron in October, he and his wife Brioni had been living full-time on a boat since 2020.

The couple sold everything they had and left their home in Glasglow, Scotland to buy a boat in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. "The United Kingdom shut down for the pandemic, but when the lockdown lifted for a few weeks, we put our apartment on the market, bought one-way tickets to the islands, and left with only our backpacks," Camron told BI.

During the process, they experienced many challenges, which included feeling scammed by the original man who agreed to sell them a boat. Once they finally purchased their new boat home, the couple sustained themselves by working remotely from the water vessel.

In almost three years, Camron said he and his wife had spent a total of only three nights on land.

Read more: I sold everything I own to live on a boat with my wife. It's harder than we imagined — but we love it because it made us stronger.

A college graduate moved onto a boat full-time to help pay off his $80,000 student loan

Cody Plante shared his story with BI in January. After accumulating $80,000 in student loan debt for a bachelor's and master's degree, Plante gave up his Vermont apartment and moved onto a boat full-time. He planned to save more money and pay more towards his student loan debt

"I wanted to significantly reduce my cost of living, so I purchased a 1989 Passport 41 sailboat from my family for $50,000, and I live full-time on the boat," Plante said.

Although living on a boat has expenses, Plante looked at the financial upside on a 5-year time horizon. He shared that docking his boat ranged from $328 to $656 a month, among other expenses. When he didn't feel like paying the docking fee, Plante said he'd anchor his boat off the coast for free.

Read more: I live on a boat to help me pay off my $80,000 student-loan debt. Living this way has expenses, but I think there's a financial upside.

A family of four lived full-time in a four-bedroom boat while cruising the Eastern Seaboard

Mark and Cinda Boomershine told BI they spent 15 years planning and saving for a one-year trip along the Great American Loop — a 6,000-mile journey along the eastern seaboard of the US and Canada. In May 2022, the husband and wife moved onto a 56-foot boat and started that journey with their 9 and 11-year-old kids.

"Some people go all in and sell everything and buy the boat, and the boat is their home residence," Mark told BI in April. "Because of our life right now with kids and everything, that wasn't us." Instead, the Atlanta couple kept their home and rented it out while they sailed around the Loop.

Cinda shared that she and her family spent 99% of their time on the boat. They sailed almost every day during the trip but would pause and spend a few days in the marina.

Read more: Our family is living on a four-bedroom boat while cruising the Eastern seaboard for a year. It's not like the 'fabulous lifestyles of the rich and famous' that might come to mind.

A couple lived and worked on a sailboat while holding high-powered jobs

Ryan Ellison and his girlfriend Sophie Darsy only planned to live on a boat for one year. However, the pair told BI they ultimately racked up eight years of boat life while taking short breaks as needed.

" Sometimes, we need to take a vacation from it all, so we leave the boat for a couple of months out of the year and go to land," Ellison said. "This lets us spend more quality time with our families in France and Iowa."

Whether the couple is on land or sea, they said they still work full-time jobs — Ellison with his company Dakota Lithium , and Darsy as a YouTuber and e-learning consultant.

Read more: We live and work on a sailboat full-time while traveling around the world — even with high-powered jobs

Watch: This super sleek yacht cuts through water like a knife

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My Cruiser Life Magazine

Living On a Boat Full Time — What to Consider Before Living Aboard

Let’s talk about real-life boat ownership and living on a boat full time. My wife and I have lived on our boat for nearly eight years, doing everything from full-time living on a boat in a marina to cruising The Islands of The Bahamas for months.

For starters, everything you’ve ever wondered about living on a boat probably doesn’t scratch the surface of everything you’ll learn. This lifestyle isn’t for everyone; for every wonderful day on the water, there’s a stressful situation or broken boat part.

So what does living on a boat full time look like? Here’s a glimpse into the world of the liveaboard. 

Table of Contents

Should i live on a boat absolutely yes, here’s why (pros of living on a boat), never, in a million years, should anyone ever live on a boat (cons of living on a boat), there’s more than one way to live on a boat, there’s a steep learning curve, it’s kind of like camping, constant maintenance and cleaning, weather drama, the legalities of the live aboard life, cost of living on a boat, paths to moving aboard, living on a boat full time faqs, what are the pros and cons of living on a boat.

It is often said that there’s a wide gap between the romantic vision that many people have of the liveaboard lifestyle and the nitty-gritty reality.

Here are the pros and cons of living on a boat full time, taken from our personal experiences.

Living on a boat is sometimes even better than your most romantic vision. Dolphins frolicking while the sunsets, tropical drinks in your hands, and nothing but crystal clear water between you and the most spectacular island beach you’ve ever seen. Yes, that all happens, sometimes.

• Freedom to go where you want, when you want
• Travel as much or as little as you want
• Take your house with you as you move
• Changing scenery, waterfront property where ever you go
• Wildlife visits—seals, whales, dolphins, birds
• A friendly community of other boaters
• Learn to live more simply, with only the necessities

Everyone has good days and bad days. We’ve often described boat life as having high highs but very low lows. The peaks and valleys of boat life (crests and troughs?) are just much farther from baseline-normal.

For every dolphin, there is a broken toilet joker valve leaking sewage onto the bathroom floor. 

For every idyllic island beach, there is a fouled diesel filter that needs changing. 

For every smooth downwind passage, there is a sloshy, windless mess of flapping sails making everyone on board seasick.

The list could go on and on and on.

• Constant maintenance and cleaning
• Difficulty finding skilled, professional labor 
• Small spaces, no storage, no privacy
• No dishwashers, washing machines, dryers (usually)
• Away from docks, you always have limited power and water
• Constant exposure to the weather
• Tax and insurance issues

Common Issues with Moving Onto a Boat

Here are some of the biggest issues we have noticed from our experiences and those around us. While everyone’s experience of living on a boat full time differs, everyone seems to have similar issues.

First, it has to be said that everyone’s experience is different. And that’s most obvious by looking at what sort of boat they choose and where they choose to live on it.

Many books have been written on the subject, and most like to divide boaters into three groups based on their budgets. There are the high-lifers who can afford to buy a new or newish boat that is large and comfortable. They can afford to live at a resort marina and likely hire professionals for most maintenance and cleaning tasks. They likely spend most of their time in marinas if they travel far. 

Then there are the Goldilocks boaters—not too big, not too small—making up the “middle class” of boating. There’s a healthy mix of DIY projecting with some professional help on the big projects. They might liveaboard at a marina or travel full-time. They might live at docks, anchor, or a mix. 

And then there are the budget boaters. Cheap boats are easy to come by if you’re willing to use DIY labor to fix them up. They are most likely to anchor out to minimize costs. 

All these people live very different lives on their boats, but does it matter? The costs are astronomically different, but they could be visiting the same ports, seeing the same sights, and even sharing the same experiences. 

What’s most amazing is how everyone perceives their liveaboard situation. I’ve been to dock parties where couples on 60′ catamarans complain that they have no personal space and must take a break from being on the boat together after a few months. Meanwhile, I know a family of five (plus two dogs) that live on a 40′ monohull with less than 1/3 the space of the catamaran. They have issues, but they’re pretty happy five years later. 

(Speaking of catamarans, check out my recommendations for liveaboard catamaran options.)

Year one of boating is the worst. There’s so much to learn; it’s all new and different than anything you’ve done before. There are all the sailing terms you must learn, but there are also boat maintenance tasks and understanding how all the systems on your boat work. Then there are the basics of seamanship and how to operate your vessel safely. It is a lot to take in.

And the basics of living on a boat are different from land life. Your kitchen (galley) is much smaller. The toilet doesn’t flush like a regular land toilet. You’re always thinking about minimizing water use when showering or doing dishes. If you turn too many electrical items on, circuit breakers pop. The list goes on and on, and when you’re new, it’s stressful.

Once you’ve got the kinks worked out, learned your boat systems, and successfully traveled and lived on your boat for a while, things get much better. You know more, your boat is set up the way you need it, and you have the confidence to start enjoying yourself. Some people take a few months, some a year, and, unfortunately, some never get there. 

Boats are small spaces, but the truth is that living on a boat is more like camping than most boaters like to admit. You get by with only a few items in your wardrobe. You skip showers since you don’t always have hot water. You don’t have space for all the luxuries of home. No dishwasher. No washing machine. Everyone is occasionally uncomfortable onboard, whether from the weather or the cramped quarters.

Boats are also hard on relationships. While there’s something romantic about being cozy and alone together at sea, it isn’t so romantic on day five, or thirty, or sixty. Personal space is non-existent on most boats. It’s inevitable that your significant other—or anyone else—will drive you nuts after some time. Boats have ended more than one marriage that we know of. 

The cramped living space on a boat poses other problems, too. Downsizing is important because you simply can’t bring it all with you—there’s no storage space. What is important, what’s nice to have, and what will you use on a boat? Living on a boat forces you to live with the minimum and acknowledge what you need to survive. 

Living on a sailboat is, of course, drastically different than living on a luxury yacht. But all these problems seem relative, and no matter what size your boat is, everyone has the same complaints.

Boats are always trying to sink and fall apart. The ocean helps them with its corrosive saltwater and constant motion. The only thing keeping it afloat? You, the lowly and unprepared new boat owner. Yikes!

 Even if you have mechanics and boatyard workers do most of the big projects for you, there’s still a ton that you’ll wind up doing on your own. Just day-to-day cleaning on a boat is a big deal. Everything is more difficult and takes longer than it does on a house. 

Somehow, boats seem to get dirtier faster than houses do. From polishing the hull, shining the stainless, varnishing the teak, and scrubbing the scum line to everyday things like dishes, sweeping the floors, and cleaning the bathroom, boats are dirty, and it takes time to keep them clean.

The weather plays a bigger part in your life than you’ll even imagine. Most of us pay remarkably little attention to the weather when we’re on land. If it’s hot, we might just minimize our time away from air conditioning. If it’s raining, it’s a minor inconvenience. We never think about the wind or tides.

But everything on a boat revolves around the weather. Every day we look at the weather for the upcoming week. Forecasts are often inaccurate, so we expect it to change. But what should we be ready for? When cruising, we often track weather systems over a week away and start planning. 

This week, it says we might get gusts to 52 knots (!!!) from the southwest with heavy rain and thunderstorms. We’re anchored and away from the dock. Will our anchorage be protected from winds like that? Is the holding good here, or is there a safer place we should move to? Should we think about moving there early in case it fills up with boats? 

We go through this exercise every week or two, no matter where we are. When approaching an anchorage, it’s all about the wind direction, tide level, and whatever else is happening. Are we okay with being stuck here for a few days if it’s foggy? A week? What if we need south winds to reach our next destination, but the forecast only has east winds? Do we wait or change our destination? 

The amount of attention it takes and the flexibility of your schedule is mind-boggling to most landlubbers. When friends want to visit us, we tell them we can meet them in a specific place or at a specific time, but not both. If you want us to meet you, you’ve got to be flexible too!

What do you legally need to do to live on a boat full time? Most people’s home or apartment is their legal residence and domicile. It’s listed on their driver’s license, and it’s where they vote and pay taxes. 

How will all these issues play out when you move onto a boat that moves around? There are mail forwarding services that allow you to set up residency. We use St. Brendan’s Isle in Florida since we were already Floridians, but there are also similar services in other states. This at least gives you the ability to have a driver’s license and vote. 

Taxes are a little more complicated. You can register the boat at your address in Florida, but each US state collects its own use tax. If you use your boat in their state for over a few months, they want to tax it. It’s not a problem if you move around, but what if you want to leave your boat in New York for the summer? Then you might have to register it there and pay taxes. 

Additionally, many counties in the US collect personal property tax on boats. We know of several places where if you are in the county on January 1 st , you’ll owe the county property tax. If you were one county away where the tax happens to be zero, you would owe nothing. Tricky!

Recreational boat insurance is another matter of concern. It used to be fairly easy to insure a boat, especially a cheap old boat. If you have a homeowner’s policy, you can easily add the boat. But if you’re a liveaboard with no real land address, getting insurance is becoming a problem. If the boat is too old, you’re traveling to distant ports, or the boat is very large, and you’re first time boat owners, it can be hard to find an underwriter. 

Do you even need insurance? Many marinas and boatyards now require it. Gone are the days when you could sail the world and “self-insure.” But, honestly, those days never really existed. If your uninsured $5,000 sailboat drags anchor and puts a gash in a $5 million yacht, a serious legal headache will follow. Many owners of older vessels keep “liability-only” insurance, but even this is getting less affordable and hard to come by.

Many folks who want to try boat life are understandably curious about the average cost of owning and buying a liveaboard sailboat . Is it cheaper to live on a boat than a house? That’s a tough question to answer. For one thing, people’s expectations and their needs for comfort and security vary widely.

Both houses and boats can be found for about the same amount. If you’re in the market for a $250,000 house, you could find a nice boat for that amount. It would, of course, be much smaller and—unlike the house—be a terrible investment. So while you might be able to get a loan for a house (which makes excellent collateral for the bank), getting a loan for a boat would require a bigger risk on the part of the bank and therefore cost you a lot more.

On the cheaper end, you could find a fixer-upper boat on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for far less than a neglected house. A house will always have some value based on the land, whereas a boat can become valueless. It’s not uncommon to hear of people getting free boats abandoned in boatyards, making ridiculously low offers on neglected vessels, and getting large boats for a few thousand dollars. People are always wondering how to get rid of an old boat .

These fixer-uppers have their own stories, of course. Many YouTube channels are dedicated to the cheap boat fix-up scheme. Project boats can be wallet-shrinking and soul-sucking. Taking on a project is a good way to lose a lot of money, along with years of your life and any interest you ever had in boating. Project boats are not for most people.

Both boats and houses have taxes and insurance, so those costs are probably very similar. Tax laws vary by state and county. In some places, you won’t have to pay any tax on your boat except for the initial sales tax at the time of purchase. You will have to pay an annual personal property tax in other locales.

You’ll also have to pay for boat parking . Marina, mooring ball, or in the boatyard—all will come with a monthly bill. The house or apartment will not have storage fees, so there’s no equivalent here. But, if you bought a cheap boat for cash and are only paying monthly liveaboard slip fees, this might be less than a mortgage payment would be.

If you’re traveling and anchoring, you can generally do that for free. However, most cruisers spend a few nights a month at marinas. That averages about the same amount they’d pay for monthly dockage since nightly transient rates are high.

Both boats and houses have maintenance and upkeep expenses, but boats generally have more. It’s generally estimated that you should budget ten percent of the boat’s purchase price for annual maintenance. If you bought a $50,000 boat, this would be $5,000 yearly. That holds for most boats, but year one will be higher as you fix neglected items and make your upgrades.

From our experience, we’ve seen people take two paths towards the liveaboard life.

• Some folks own their boat and use it for weekends or a week’s vacation here and there. They move aboard full-time as they transition to retirement, a work sabbatical, or remote work. Since it’s a gradual transition, these folks generally know what to expect. 
• Then there are the folks who go all in—they know nothing about sailing or boats and sell it all and move aboard. For them, it’s a jump into icy cold water or learning a new language by moving abroad. 

Which group is more successful? Group One generally knows what to expect, has worked out the kinks in their boat, and has already tackled the learning curve. There’s still a lot to take in, but they’re generally less stressed by it. If you can spend some time on your boat enjoying boating before moving onboard, it’s generally a good thing.

But, either way, being a full-time liveaboard is not a long-term lifestyle for most people. People who start from both groups seem to last an average of about one and a half to three years. After that, they’re ready to either sell the boat and move on or buy an RV or vacation land home that allows them to divide their time between boating and something else. People who last more than three years with only a boat are a very small minority.

One parting thought: Living on a boat full time and traveling is like having three or four full-time jobs. Each requires 30-40 hours per week when you include labor, research, and thinking and planning. 

• Boat ownership — basic maintenance and cleaning
• Cruising full-time — destination and route planning, weather study
• Living aboard — cooking, cleaning, shopping, and everything else takes so much longer on a boat than in a house
• Your actual job — if you work aboard

How much does it cost to live full time on a yacht?

A lot depends on the size of the yacht. A small sailboat can be found fairly cheaply. For around $50,000US, you can get an older 35-foot sailboat in decent condition and move aboard with few problems. The biggest issue is finding a marina that allows live-aboard boaters. Slip fees will be your biggest expense and can be as high as $1,500 monthly in some areas. However, you can get monthly slips for as little as $300 in other places. 

How to stay organized on a sailboat?

Sailboats have small spaces and not much storage, so keeping organized is key. The first step is to downsize your possessions to the bare minimum—only take what you absolutely need. The less you have, the easier your life aboard will be. 

After that, it’s a matter of packing the boat so that everything has its place. Some boaters like to keep a spreadsheet of where they’ve packed everything away so they can find it quickly. 

Is it cheaper to live in an RV or a boat?

Both of these activities are very dependent on location. Purchasing either one is very similar in cost. RV parks and marinas charge similar prices, but the cost varies depending on the location and services. In the end, however, moving an RV somewhere cheaper is easier and quicker, so you can live somewhere cheaply more easily. 

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

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How to Live on a Sail Boat Full Time: All You Need to Know

Written by J. Harvey / Fact checked by S. Numbers

Table of Contents

1. Choosing the Location

2. what people you live have to say, 1. the essentials, 2. cost of living, 3. safety and security, 4. socialization and daily life, 5. living life sideways, final words and ready to sail.

Don’t just romanticize when settling in a sailboat because there are some things that you have to weigh in. It’s an unconventional lifestyle that necessitates the ability to adapt to changes, make preparation, and commit to organization.

Before getting on board for good, you need to gather information on how to live on a sail boat full time. You have to think of the essentials, comfort, daily life, connectivity, safety, and security.

You also have to adjust to a new home as you learn your balance and do stuff inside a sailboat. The following part discusses important things regarding this topic.

Are You Ready For A Full-Pledged Life In A Sailboat

Living in a sailboat full time is not for everyone. Thus, you have to ask yourself if you’re ready for a frugal lifestyle and carrying out daily maintenance. If you’re someone who truly loves water and natural elements, there’s no doubt you’ll be joyful about it.

Sailboats are the best choice if you wish to travel and not just stay in the same location. But first, some things should be a part of your decision, and they are as follow:

Your job can interfere with your decision. But you can always find the right choice to give way to it. You’ll find areas with reasonable proximity to water. As an example, the city canal barge is popular in the UK as sailors can take advantage of boat living options. Don’t forget to check on the availability as well as the cost of the docking stations.

Your partner or family has something to say about living in a sailboat. Those people will choose to live with you, so they have to agree with it. They should also be willing to limit things that are taken on board.

It’s tricky to bring small kids and even the bigger ones in a sailboat. They may struggle to live in it.

Important Things To Deliberate When Living On A Sailboat Full Time

You may leave your 2,000 square foot house for a 40-foot boat. When it happens, expect that cupboards are fewer, closets are smaller, and you won’t have as much space as before. To make the most of the available space, devote some time to de-clutter.

You can begin decluttering kitchen tools, clothing, and mementos. You may keep your business attire in your office and winter clothes in off-boat storage. Also, make sure that the boat’s interior is dry and warm with plenty of ventilation to avoid condensation and mildew, which will require you of a new set of tools and cleaners.

Another thing that you have to look at is connectivity. You may need marina Wi-Fi for TV and high-speed internet. This connection will keep you posted with work, family, friends, and entertainment.

Some skills are needed to keep your boat spic and span. You must know that sailboat maintenance can be more demanding than a house when it comes to frequency and distinction.

Basic electrical, plumbing, and mechanical skills are essential because systems inside a boat are less reliable than a house. Some opt for a contractor to fix issues as they can’t manage it by themselves.

Don’t assume that you can save from living on a boat. You can estimate and make a budget with these expenses:

• Boat insurance
• Boat mortgage payment
• Food and water
• Waste management

Just like with everything, expenses can be managed well when you stick with the budget. Insurance to live aboard boats can be as expensive as home insurance. It depends on the vessel’s size and value.

You can pay less on property taxes and electricity as you don’t need to heat, light, or cool an ample space. Moreover, you can save some bucks on waste management, water, and gas.

What you would likely spend more money on is the maintenance. Labor and marine parts cost 20% higher than the household equivalent. When you work on something in your boat and you have a job at the same time, you don’t get paid for the hours that you spend on the task.

In regards to this matter, it includes the decision of whether to let dogs, kids, and strangers in your sailboat. Be wise with your judgment; will it be okay to have them around? Installation of CO2 and smoke alarms, as well as propane sniffers, is important for onboard safety and security. You can also get an alarm that can detect CO2 and smoke at the same time.

Fire extinguishers should also be on board in case of fire hazards, and you have to regularly check them. You need to keep an eye on battery levels and bilge. For the sake of safety, you must find out the answers to the following queries as well.

• Is it safe to walk from the parking area to the slip even at night?
• Is my care secured being stored in a 24/7 garage?
• Who will give you a ring when your boat is on the list while you take a vacation?

Don’t be surprised but socialization at a marina is way better than in a neighborhood. It’s because everyone helps each other so it’s like a two-way street. If you wish to be by yourself, you’ll end up unseen in the corner of the marina.

Life on a sailboat will train you on how to tilt at least 20 degrees. You’ll do it when you walk, sleep, cook, and pee. This practice is a constant act of balance. The world inside a boat seems to be sideways most of the time.

At some point, you feel like you’re in a black and white movie with a room that rotates while there are people that dance on the wall and the ceiling. You may be in discomfort and frustration for the first few days.

With the help of muscle memory, adjustments will be made by your mind and body. The time will come that walking sideways is just the normal way of walking to you. You must be able to adapt to the boat’s tight layout and unexpected movements.

To deal with the motion, calculated movements should be observed. Moving around the boat is sometimes similar to how astronauts behave when they walk on the moon. In this case, the rule of the sea can help you and it’s by having your one hand on the ship while the other is for yourself.

This rule can be applied in every task that you make onboard. For example, I can’t take two plates at a time. I needed to dedicate two rounds for it instead. You may experience being tossed in the cabin too. You may get some scrapes and bruises but they will heal later as you’ve learned how to walk sideways.

The way on how to live on a sail boat full time is akin to a rollercoaster ride. It can sometimes be scary but it’s worth it after you put things in order. Since you know the important things you have to set before going on board, you’re good to go. Your expectations are also set in what may happen when living on a sailboat.

It won’t be hard for you to manage things in your sailboat with the right knowledge that this article has imparted to you. So, bon voyage and enjoy life at the sea!

Read more other topics about sailboat:

• Steps to paint a sailboat.
• What is the average speed of a sailboat?

“My intention from the first day establishing Boating Basics Online is to provide as much help as possible for boaters who want to experience a first safe and convenient trip. So feel free to join us and share your beautiful journeys to the sea!”

Living on a Boat: Beginner's Guide for Liveaboards

It’s easy to romanticize the idea of living on a boat full-time; however, it's an alternative lifestyle like that takes preparation, organization and an ability to roll with changes. When you commit to moving aboard, make checklists of necessities and talk to your partner about deal-breakers. Prepare the boat for life aboard well before you make the move.

Factors to Consider Before Living Aboard

Before moving onboard your boat, you should ask yourself some questions:

• Is this just for a period of time before you go cruising or is this a lifestyle choice?
• Are you comfortable with repeatedly defending your choice to your friends and family?
• Are you living in a climate that is boat-friendly year-round?
• Are you handy and a good problem solver?
• Who will accept your Amazon deliveries and are you ready to grocery shop frequently since there won’t be room to stow much?
• Are you ready to become your own maid?
• Will you feel comfortable with your kids being in this new environment?
• What’s Plan B if it doesn’t work?

After moving aboard, you may be hauling the laundry to the laundromat or groceries from the parking lot with no dock cart nearby. You’ll need to go to the pump-out station regularly as well as to the post office for your mail. Small doesn’t translate to easy so mentally run through a typical week and write down solutions to the issues.

Essentials: Stowage, Comfort & Connectivity

When you move from a 2,000-square foot house to a 40-foot boat, all the closets are smaller, the cupboards are fewer and there’s no two-car garage. In preparation, you’ll need to de-clutter kitchen gadgets, tools, mementos and clothing. Keep winter clothes in off-boat storage and your business attire at the office if possible.

Make sure the boat is warm and dry with plenty of ventilation. Mildew and condensation will become a part of life and you’ll need a whole new set of cleaners and tools.

Plan your connectivity needs. Whether a dish for TV or high-speed internet access via the marina WiFi, you’ll need a connectivity solution so you’re not cut off from work, friends, family and entertainment.

Beneficial Skills to Have for Living Onboard

Maintenance on a boat may be worse than in a house in terms of frequency and specificity. Basic plumbing, electrical and mechanical skills will be needed because boat systems are generally less reliable than their household counterparts. The alternative is calling a contractor for every issue.

Cost of Living on a Boat

Don’t assume that you’ll save money by moving aboard. Here's some expenses you may incur by living on your boat:

• Boat mortgage payment
• Boat insurance
• Waste management
• Food and water

The best way to manage expenses is by making a budget and sticking to it. Depending on the size and value of the vessel, boat insurance may be just as expensive as house insurance. Property taxes will usually be less as will electricity since you’ll not be heating/cooling/lighting as big a space. You’ll probably save money on waste management, gas and water as well.

Where costs rise dramatically is maintenance . Marine parts and labor are usually more expensive—sometimes 20% more, than typical household counterparts. If you take on the tasks yourself and you’re self-employed, every hour you spend working on your boat is an hour you don’t make money.

Learn More in our Boat Insurance Guide

Safety & Security

You’ll need to decide whether to invite strangers inside, and if kids and pets will be safe around the docks. Install CO2 and smoke alarms and a propane sniffer, check the fire extinguishers periodically, and keep an eye on the basics like bilge and battery levels. You may also want to consider the following:

• Will you be safe walking from the parking lot to the slip at night?
• Will your nice car be okay outside the garage 24/7?
• Who will call you if your boat starts to list when you’re on vacation?

There aren’t really more or fewer safety issues, just different kinds.

Daily Life & Socialization

Socializing is easier in a marina than in a neighborhood. Neighbors help neighbors in marinas but it’s a two-way street so be ready to lend a hand when needed. If you’d rather live anonymously, consider an end tie in the forgotten corner of the marina. Although there are challenges to living on a boat, if you’re prepared, you may find it a perfect fit.

I already have a boat in a slip in a marina, so can I just move aboard?

Most marinas require an application for you to move aboard permanently. In some areas, liveaboards aren’t permitted or there are long waiting lists. Liveaboard slip fees are usually higher and your insurance rates may increase if your boat becomes your primary residence.

How do I live aboard a boat with a pet?

Dogs, cats and other pets need to acclimate to their new environments. They need exercise, private space and easy access to food and a potty. Make sure stairs and docks are safe for them and that they know how to get on the boat or dock if they fall in the water. Be careful of small spaces where they can get trapped and wires they can chew. Teach them about their new environment and be patient.

Learn more in Boating with Pets and Tips for Taking Your Dog Boating .

Read Next: Boat Owner's Guide

Looking for more information on boat ownership? Read...

• Boat Owner's Guide
• Costs of Boat Ownership
• Boat Maintenance Guide
• Insuring Your Boat
• Boat Safety Guide

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Family sailing: The secrets of cruising with kids

• Theo Stocker
• April 30, 2021

Theo Stocker speaks to a variety of cruising sailors in order to get their best tips on what to do and what to avoid when going family sailing

As sailors, you’re likely to share your passion with your nearest and dearest. Family sailing offers the promise of quality time with your family, adventures and memories for the children and passing on your love of the sea, whether they are your own children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren or those of friends.

Family sailing isn’t without its challenges, however. How do you keep your crew happy , warm, fed, entertained and occupied within the confines of a small boat? And how does life aboard change as children grow from babies and toddlers to teenagers?

More importantly, how do you ensure that going sailing is a positive experience for everyone involved, and that they are going to want to come back next time?

Unlike navigation or boat handling , there are no courses or text books for family sailing. The particular challenges will be different for everyone, depending on the children’s age, temperament, and how many of them there are, the size of your boat, your level of experience, where you sail and the kind of sailing you’re planning.

The Kavanaghs are a family of four: Bruce, Abi, Skye (7) and Savannah (5), with a Warrior 40 based in Gosport. Photo: Abi Kavanagh

We’ve canvassed a diverse group of skippers who sail with an array of family arrangements, including as grandparents, parents and teenagers, from liveaboard cruisers to open-boat adventurers, and those raised with salt in their blood to sailing novices. Their wisdom has been gained through years of family sailing and discovering by experience what works and what doesn’t.

It’s easy to put a child off sailing with an initial negative experience, but a positive one can be the start of a life-long passion for the sea. Clearly, the sailors in this article have found how to make family sailing a success, and hopefully their advice and experiences will help you do the same.

Starting slow

The most formative time for your children will be the first few times you sail with them, says Olly Perkins. ‘Children and teenagers are quick to decide if they like something or not and it would be very easy to put your kids off sailing for life if you are not careful. Most importantly, don’t be too ambitious.

Even one eight-hour passage in a lumpy sea could give children the impression that sailing is always unpleasant.

‘Start off with small trips, building up excitement towards big adventures. It took us years before we first ventured out of the cosy confines of Chichester Harbour , once we did we were so thrilled to be able to leave harbour.’

Abi Kavanagh agrees that, initially at least, plans should be modest. ‘We have found that for any given trip we do less sailing than we did pre-kids and never push as hard, but as they get older this is changing. We’ve done a few very early morning departures with the kids still asleep and late evening sails after they have gone to bed which have worked well.’

You don’t even have to leave harbour if you don’t want to. ‘Sometimes not going anywhere is as much of an adventure with young children,’ says Hamish Southby Tailyour. ‘On a mooring just use the boat as a base for the weekend with a barbecue or pub supper ashore. At anchor stay there an extra day, relax and see who turns up in the evening.’

Having all the mod cons isn’t necessary either. Conrad Humphreys and daughters enjoy river cruises in an open boat. ‘We’ve been mainly cruising around Devon and Cornwall, exploring the rivers closer to home,’ he says. ‘We love the Yealm and the upper reaches of the Tamar and Lynher Rivers are just fantastic for a small, shallow draft boat like Bounty’s End . This year we plan to explore the River Fal and venture down to the Scilly Isles , which should be a reasonable passage in an open boat.

‘Our biggest challenge when away for longer trips is keeping Bounty’s End ’s batteries charged, as she is fully electric with only a small capacity to charge when under sail. We either carry a small generator or make sure we can spend the night in a marina for an overnight charge if necessary.’

Attractions ashore

Think about where children would choose to go. ‘In the early years, we favoured beach anchorages, and that now holds true with our small granddaughters,’ says Ken Endean – and beaches were the most popular by consensus.

Exploring creeks and camping overnight by a fire is the ultimate adventure for kids and adults alike. Photo: Hamish Southby Tailyour

Priorities change as children get older, however. ‘Teenagers are more alert to foreign cultures and places that are off the normal tourist track, while unfamiliar wildlife, such as dolphins, is always a bonus,’ says Ken. ‘Our actual passage planning was not greatly affected by having youngsters on board: a cruise should be safe and comfortable, whatever the ages of the crew.’

Planning small adventures works well, says Perkins. ‘We loved visiting beaches, fishing and going on “expeditions” – in other words, walks we hadn’t done before.’

Meet others

Family sailing is also about the people you’ll meet, says Hamish Southby Tailyour. ‘Plan to meet with friends either afloat or on the beach on your cruise. Row over, with your children, to any boat with other children onboard sharing the anchorage or marina. Join Kids4Sail , a subset of www.noforeignland.com. This totally changed our cruising and connecting with other boats with children in the Med.’

Erin Carey agrees. ‘When cruising with children, the destinations you choose to visit will often revolve around where the other boats with kids are. This gives them the chance to make playmates and allows parents to have a break. It’s truly amazing how quickly families on boats can become friends, with the common interest of keeping the kids sociable, well-rounded creatures.’

Don’t fight the weather

‘I am much more mindful about the weather, picking and choosing the days when I know sailing will be enjoyable for us both,’ says Graham Snook. ‘This is probably one of the most important things I’ve learnt.

‘Being divorced, the dates I have Ella are set in advance so if the weather doesn’t look good, we don’t go sailing and use the boat as a base instead. Last year the two weeks over the holiday were beset by strong winds; we still went to the boat but did different things around Gosport instead.’

Family sailing planning

One piece of family sailing advice from Hamish is to get everyone involved with the planning. ‘Google maps, electronic charts – get your digital natives helping. Ask them and give no more than two choices, both that are acceptable to you.

Our eldest was eight and the twins six when we took the plunge and purchased our first boat, says Frank Thorogood. Photo: Frank Thorogood

‘You may need lots of expectation management. Pubs, ice-cream, the draw of good free Wi-Fi connections, and time on the beach are obvious incentives, but funfairs, skate parks and a land visit to the local lighthouse have all proved to be tempting destinations.’

Family sailing safely

Safety is essential, but sailing shouldn’t be a list of dos and don’ts, says Olly Perkins. ‘Have only a few rules, but emphasise their importance.’

‘Rules were an integral part of our liveaboard lifestyle,’ says Erin Carey. ‘When you are above deck underway, you are tethered with a self-inflating lifejacket, no matter what. When we were anchored, they were not allowed on deck without a buddy, and never before we were out of bed.’

Everyone agreed that either lifejackets or harnesses are necessary underway when family sailing, and when the boat is stopped and children are on deck or on the pontoon, that a flotation device is absolutely essential.

‘Ella initially wore a kids lifejacket ,’ says Graham Snook, ‘but it was bulky and uncomfortable. Below decks, she’d take it off, but then change her mind and want to come back up on deck. It was much easier for her to wear a harness that was comfortable enough to wear all day.’

A few basic rules:

• Lifejackets or harnesses to be worn whenever underway, and lifejackets to be donned on the pontoon.
• Keep hands clear of winches.
• One hand for the boat and one for yourself.
• When sleeping at night the children have to tell us if they’re going up on deck alone.
• Take care getting in and out of the dinghy
• Bottoms-first going down into the cabin.

Skills to learn

‘I’ve taken time to show Ella how to use the VHF radio,’ says Graham Snook. ‘I test her on how she’d react if anything happened.’

Even younger children can be taught basic safety roles, like using the VHF or pointing to a MOB. Photo: Abi Kavanagh

Practising drills is important, particularly when family sailing says Abi. ‘We practise man-overboard drills, where everyone has a role. Our youngest focuses on pointing at the casualty. Our eldest presses the DSC button and places the Mayday call on the radio. Early in the season we try to get them to practise floating in their lifejackets, so that they understand how it works. Doing this in a swimming pool is fun.’

Going to the toilet underway can be an issue, says Hamish. ‘Make going in a bucket in the cockpit whilst at sea normal. It’s easier and safer and you can help them easily without going below yourself. Children can also become dehydrated quickly, which makes them more clumsy, grumpy and can make them more susceptible to seasickness, so keep them hydrated.’

‘Kids have an amazing ability to have fun,’ says Frank Thorogood, ‘and our three were no exception in finding out what parts of our days on the water they enjoyed.’

‘All of life is on board a cruising boat, from practical and cerebral skills, nautical and domestic, food preparation and cleaning, but also the psychological – seeing their parents solve real immediate problems in a calm logical way is a wonderful legacy to pass on,’ says Hamish Southby Tailyour.

Some jobs are more fun than others! Photo: Hamish Southby Tailyour

‘There are a multitude of mathematical opportunities to learn. There is the fun of knot-tying and rope-throwing competitions, but give them names that describe how they are used: not a clove hitch, a fender knot; not a rolling hitch but a lee cloth knot; and not how far can you throw a rope, but can you lasso a cleat, or even your brother?

If it’s dark and you notice the phosphorescence, stop putting the children to bed and jump in for a swim. The lasting memories are worth the effort of a midnight swim in the phosphorescence with your children.

Help them keep a daily journal with drawings and scraps stuck in, or a video log. Set up your own traditions. We have pancakes every Sunday, and this doesn’t change when we’re on the boat.’

Inside Games

Julia Jones says a boat is ‘a great space for family reading aloud.’ Frank Thorogood agrees that plenty of books are essential, as well as audiobooks. ‘Our son Kemmel is dyslexic, and on the voyage down to Cornwall audiobooks of the Harry Potter series were brilliant for him.’

Games are essential for family life on board. ‘There’s usually some game that everyone gets obsessed by,’ says Julia.

‘Liar Dice was very popular when I was little, or gambling with matchsticks,’ says Julia. ‘Gameboys suited the millennial children.

Sailing is great for life skills, like getting involved in cooking. Photo Hamish Southby Tailyour

I’ve come to dread iPhones as we are not strong on battery power, so long-lasting battery packs are very useful.’

‘Down below we keep a stock of sticker books, colouring books, modelling clay, paints and books to read,’ adds Abi Kavanagh. ‘There are also some good stop-motion apps that you can download and we have made some stop-motion animations with the things they have created.’

‘Musical instruments are a must so they can join in with others who you’ll meet along the way,’ adds Hamish Southby Tailyour.

Outside Games

There’s plenty to occupy children on deck without getting off the boat. Julia says, ‘My brothers and I used to spend hours climbing around without touching the cabin floor or the side decks or whatever the challenge was. I often welcome visiting children and find that being encouraged to climb in and out of the forehatch never fails to provide amusement.’

‘When getting off the boat isn’t an option, we sometimes put a paddling pool on the foredeck and give them a variety of containers to play with,’ says Abi Kavanagh.

Hamish adds, ‘The Star Atlas by H E Ray and red head torches is a wonderful and easy way to learn the constellations. Mast-swinging and jumping from the boom are our best activities. Set up the fender board or passerelle and make them walk the plank. Hammocks are a must.’

At anchor swimming, playing in the dinghy and fishing can keep children occupied for hours. Photo: Olly Perkins

‘We have a fishing rod and some hand lines,’ says Conrad Humphreys. ‘We also tow an inflatable paddleboard which the kids spend many an hour jumping off or exploring the mud flats.’

As for equipment for playing, Hamish recommends, ‘Sand castle-making equipment and snorkeling gear, tractor inner tube and an SUP board, wetsuits and rash vests, and things for a barbecue. Or use rope, fenders, oars, boathooks, deck brushes and the passerelle to make a raft.’

If the children are getting cooped up, however, ‘always make sure the kids can let off some steam on dry land,’ says Olly Perkins, ‘and remember sandy beaches are always a winner!’

Exploration and independence

‘Children probably learn more seamanship when commanding a dinghy than while steering their parents’ big yacht,’ says Ken Endean. ‘When the girls were nine and six, we built a small folding boat, Sugarlump, in which they played Swallows and Amazons when at anchor. Sugarlump has been refurbed and is about to be given to our granddaughters.’

Young people thrive on being challenged, says Hamish Southby Tailyour. ‘Give them slightly over-age responsibility. Send them off rowing on a long floating line.

Let them steer with the outboard and lean to start and stop it, practise coming alongside and how to balance the dingy. Heather has been steering with the outboard since she was seven, and by 11 was confident and competent enough to take the dinghy ashore alone under outboard to collect some friends.’

Living Aboard

When it comes to sleeping arrangements, a dedicated bunk is not always an option,’ says Erin Carey. ‘Our kids actually loved being in the one cabin together. Sturdy lee cloths are a must, and we kept ours up even when anchored. It’s also important for them to put up their drawings and posters, to have somewhere to keep their little trinkets and shells they have collected, to make it feel like home.’

Having some personal space in a bunk is important and should be respected. Photo: Hamish Southby Tailyour

Hamish Southby Tailyour agrees. ‘A personalised space, however small, is vital especially as children get older; somewhere that is theirs and respected as such. Allow them to put pictures around their bunk.

‘We installed shelves and installed individual phone-charging points at their bunks and a designated hook for a head torch just helped with the children’s chaos of a cabin.

‘They will spend much time in their bunks and that is okay, and the more it is their space the better. For parents, forfeiting the forepeak is worth doing, if only so you can have some adult time after they have gone to bed.’

Separate cabins aren’t always an option, however. ‘Peter Duck is very open plan so we just have to cram in and use the floor if necessary,’ says Julia Jones. ‘She was designed for two but luckily they were large!

‘This means that side berths are quite wide so it’s possible to squeeze adult and child together on one if necessary. Loved-up teenagers have also used this facility. There’s also a quarter berth, which is great once you’re in, and a fo’c’s’le berth by the heads. By modern standards there’s no privacy and not much comfort, but I love it.’

Safety is imperative but try not to overwhelm children with a daunting list of rules. Lifejacket etiquette is a must however. Photo: Julia Jones

Children will enjoy making do in small boats, Ken Endean says. ‘Small children seem to regard a yacht’s cabin as a kind of playhouse and very small ones will happily make a nest in a quarter berth. When at anchor, our girls occupied the fore-cabin and usually slept undisturbed.

‘On rough passages, the most secure place for children below deck is a proper sea berth, with raised side panels or lee cloths.’

Babies on board

‘For babies, a box-type carrycot is ideal for both transport and sleeping,’ recommends Ken. ‘It can be lifted like a briefcase and lowered on to someone’s knees in a tender, all without disturbing the occupant. And on a hard beat to windward, Mary found breast- feeding kept little ones quiet without having to juggle bottles and other equipment.’

As they grow, a portable travel cot can come in handy. ‘When they were little they slept with us or in a Phil & Teds Pack’n’Play,’ says Abi Kavanagh, ‘which had the advantage that it packs up really small and has a zip on one of the side panels so that you don’t have to lift the baby out of the top, particularly useful in low spaces.

Reuben, 4 months, sleeping soundly in the sling, onboard. Photo: Theo Stocker

‘I know a lot of people use slings or carriers for babies,’ she added. ‘We always worried about what would happen if the adult wearing the baby went overboard, but I can definitely see the advantage of being hands-free.’

When excitement is high, getting children to sleep isn’t always easy. ‘We do our best to stick to bedtimes; no one wants a cranky five-year-old on a sail the next day,’ says Abi Kavanagh. ‘We try not to have two big sailing days concurrently, though obviously this isn’t always possible.’

‘Our children are old enough now that bedtimes don’t vary much whether at home or on the boat,’ says Frank, while Julia Jones likes the variety. ‘Days on the water are outside normal routine. They have routines but these are determined by the weather and the tide and what you’re trying to do.’

Hamish Southby Tailyour says the only routine they have to stick to is brushing their teeth, although ‘having stories read to them whilst tucked deep in their bunks’ was a firm favourite.

Charging up

‘One important thing to consider when cruising with kids is power consumption,’ says Erin Carey. ‘The amount of amps drawn by charging laptops, iPad, Kindles, EarPods, and portable speakers can be mind boggling.

Audiobooks and games are a must for down-time but make sure you have sufficient charging capacity. Photo: Frank Thorogood

‘The endless array of cords and chargers is equally as frustrating. Having a dedicated charging area somewhere central in the boat is one way to deal with this. Another solution is to use portable batteries for the devices. These can be charged up during the day when the solar is at its best, ready for the night time.’

When it comes to mealtimes, sharing the work is all part of life aboard, says Hamish Southby Tailyour. ‘Simple tasks we always ask our children to help with include laying the table, serving up the portions, dish- washing and drying up, putting away and the daily cleaning of the decks, heads, and cooker. More importantly Heather now mixes an excellent gin and tonic and pours a good beer.’

For smaller children, ‘plastic trough bibs help to keep food under control but the children must be well-wedged if they are inclined to eat with both hands,’ says Ken Endean. ‘On a couple of very lumpy Force 6-7 passages, both our girls ate lunch while sitting on the saloon floor.’

When you’re in a foreign country, going to buy food is a great way to explore, says Erin Carey. ‘Trips ashore to the market are a great way to interact with the locals and to get fresh produce. Having the kids handle the money, find the right vegetables, weigh them and barter with the shop owners really builds their confidence.’

Conrad Humpreys prefers a more relaxed approach when he is going family sailing. ‘I’m not one for fussing too much about victualling the boat with endless supplies of food, preferring to either forage, fish, or find a local pub, but if we are away with the kids, then Vikki always manages to sneak onboard some flapjack or chocolate brownies to keep the wolves at bay. There is always some emergency freeze-dried food if we do get caught out.’

‘Food on a boat doesn’t have to be worse than food at home.’ says Olly Perkins. ‘Have special food which the kids particularly like – pizzas are a good shout. But our favourite was the “yummy cupboard”. This was filled with snacks that we’d rarely see at home.’

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10 Best Sailboats To Live In

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

December 28, 2023

Living aboard a sailboat is an exciting lifestyle choice, but there are lots of considerations you’ll need to make.

‍ First and foremost, you have to pick a boat to live in. Unless you plan on sleeping under a canvas tarp, it’s essential to find a sailboat with a proper cabin.

Cabin sailboats became common in the United States during the early 20th century, but size and amenities vary widely between boats.  

For example, early wooden sailboats generally featured very sparse accommodations below, typically consisting of a pipe berth, oil lamps, a coal-fired stove and a bucket privy—typically without standing headroom.

Fortunately, the majority of cabin sailboats came with a lot more than a bucket to wash with.

In this article, we’ll go over some of the most important considerations to make when choosing a sailboat to live on . After, we’ll give a top-ten list of the best used liveaboard sailboats you can buy today.

Table of contents

Why Live Aboard a Sailboat?

Thousands of people choose to live aboard their sailboats.  It’s an alternative lifestyle with a host of benefits for those willing to deal with the added challenges.  

Liveaboards can move their entire house on the water, and it’s typically cheaper to live on a boat than in a traditional house.

This is especially true in major waterfront cities, where rent in the same area as the marina can be several times more expensive.  

Some people love the marina lifestyle, and others travel the world.  All-in-all, living aboard a sailboat can be a rewarding, enriching, and financially-freeing lifestyle choice.

What to Consider when Buying a Liveaboard Sailboat

The most important thing to consider when buying a liveaboard sailboat is what level of accommodation you need.

Some people aren’t bothered by limited amenities; in fact, many traditional sailors prefer a stripped-down and basic sailboat interior. However, many others appreciate useful features such as electric toilets and a full galley.

You can find virtually every creature comfort on board a modern sailboat, so it’s up to you to decide what level of convenience you expect. ‍

For most people, a standard cruising sailboat interior from after 1970 will suffice, as these typically include a usable galley, shower, head, and ventilation.

Offshore VS Coastal Cruising Accommodations

Sailboat interior design is dependent on certain criteria, such as the sailboat’s intended use. Long-distance cruising sailboats have cabins arranged to suit such a journey.

Long-distance sailboats usually remove any unnecessary furniture or extras down below to increase storage, and sleeping options are altered to ensure easy access, which allows the crew to regain control of the boat in a pinch.

Coastal cruisers tend to feature a more luxurious layout, with larger sofas and more complex interior features. Additionally, storage space is generally reduced to allow for the inclusion of other amenities.

Whichever style you choose should reflect both how you plan to use your boat and what level of comfort you need.

What Makes A Great Liveaboard Sailboat?

For this article, we’ve outlined a few requirements which we believe identify an excellent liveaboard sailboat :

• Standing headroom (at least 5’10”)

While many people live aboard boats without standing headroom, it’s still a nice feature to have.  Months or years spent crawling or crouching can wreak havoc on your back and body, so standing headroom is a necessity in this list.

• 120V AC availability

Electricity is a definite requirement for our liveaboard list.  Boats without 120V AC outlets present major challenges to liveaboards, as there’s no way to charge most computers or cell phones.  Some boats feature a 12V outlet, but full-time liveaboard boats should have standard house connections for electricity.

• Galley facilities

Unless you plan on eating out every day, a galley is a must for our list.  We define an adequate galley as a facility with a sink, ice box or refrigerator, and a stove.  An oven is an added bonus, but one can usually be added along with a new stove.

• Electric lighting

Electric lighting is a matter of both safety and convenience aboard boats.  There’s nothing wrong with kerosene lamps; many sailors adorn their boats with them.  However, a long-term liveaboard boat should feature safe and reliable electric lighting.

• Toilet with plumbing

Sanitation facilities are vital on board a sailboat, especially if you live on it.  Improper human waste storage and disposal will spread awful diseases.  Plus, nobody wants to live on a stinky boat or use a porta-potty all year long.  We required each of our ten boats to have built-in and properly outfitted toilets, plus safe storage tanks for pumping out later.

Bathing facilities are also a must on most liveaboard sailboats.  However, many liveaboards opt not to use their on-board showers in favor of marina or gym facilities.  That being said, it is very convenient to have a shower on your boat.  Keep in mind, some boat showers drain directly into the bilge.  If you use your onboard shower, be sure to keep the bilge pump in working order and remember that anything you put in the drain ends up below your floor.

• Separate seating spaces

We think a liveaboard sailboat should have extra sitting spaces on board, apart from the main bed.  A place for sitting, eating, working, and navigating is essential when living aboard long-term, and the added convenience of a separate space will make day-to-day activities much more enjoyable.

• Ventilation

Last but not least, we believe ventilation is essential for any liveaboard sailboat.  This is the simplest of requirements, as a passive solar roof vent or opening porthole should be sufficient.  In short, there should be a way to let fresh air in without opening a main hatch.

Top 10 Liveaboard Sailboats

Here’s a list of the top ten liveaboard sailboats that you can purchase used today.

These are in no particular order, but each boat meets or exceeds the requirements of a great liveaboard sailboat.

Remember, the features listed for each of these boats could vary based on age or trim, so be sure to check back to this list when inspecting a boat.

Without further ado, here’s ten of the greatest liveaboard sailboats ever produced.

1. Catalina 30

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-30"}}

The Catalina 30 is one of the most common production cruising sailboats ever.

Thousands of these reliable and robust fiberglass boats still sail, despite the fact that they first entered the market in 1972.

This 30-foot boat features a modern and spacious interior, with all the accommodations you’d expect on a boat its size.

Most models feature a large and useful galley, along with running water supplied by electric pumps.

The Catalina 30 also featured a ‘suite’ layout, with a master bedroom V-Berth closed off to the rest of the cabin by a door.

An enclosed shower and head make it a pleasant boat to live on.

The layout of the Catalina 30 also featured a dinette, which serves as an excellent chart table or workspace as well.

2. Islander 36

{{boat-info="/boats/islander-36"}}

The Islander 36 is a well-rounded liveaboard sailboat which also has impressive cruising capabilities.

While manufacturing ceased in the 1980s, the I-36 was the company’s best-selling model with nearly a thousand built.

Islander boats are known for some well-adorned cabins, and many featured elegant wooden interior trim.

Like the Catalina 30, the Islander 36 includes an enclosed head with a shower and flush toilet.

The interior layout of the I-36 is spacious and well-designed, featuring a long port and starboard settee which folds out into a double-berth for sleeping.

An enclosed shower and spacious master berth make it a very well-rounded option for cruising and living aboard.

3. Contessa 32

{{boat-info="/boats/contessa-32"}}

Contessa Yachts produced their venerable 32-foot cruising and racing sailboat from 1970 until 1990, but custom boatbuilders still manufacture the yacht today.

It’s well-known for cruising capabilities, but it has a lot to offer as a liveaboard as well.

The traditional cabin is thoughtfully designed, featuring a fold-up table in the center of the cabin floor.

The spatially conscious design of the Contessa 32 makes it an excellent option for the no-frills and organized sailor.

This vessel features a separate master bedroom, along with a head and shower in the hallway between the compartments.

4. Pearson 34

{{boat-info="/boats/pearson-34"}}

Pearson produced their excellent 34-foot sailboat during the 1980s. This medium-sized cruising yacht features an extremely spacious interior with plenty of floor space to move around.

The layout is complex, but not overwhelming. The galley nook is functional and features convenient overhead storage for utensils giving it a ‘home-y’ feeling.

The head is enclosed and spacious, including a bathroom sink and mirror.

The separate master bedroom is also enclosed with ample clothing storage throughout.

Out of all the boats listed so far, the Pearson 34 should feel most like a traditional living space to most people.

If the Pearson 34 seems a little too compact, be sure to read on and check out the next two boats on the list.

5. Nordic 40

{{boat-info="/boats/nordic-40"}}

So far the largest boat on our list, the Nordic 40 is a super-capable offshore cruiser with excellent liveaboard facilities.

This relatively rare boat features an extremely spacious interior, which is more than ample for a couple to live comfortably.

Standing headroom throughout, a spacious master bedroom, along with a nearly full galley allows for superbly comfortable living in any climate or region.

The extra storage aboard makes remote living possible, so owners can anchor out for weeks or months at a time with enough provisions to last.

While this boat isn’t very common, it’s still worth keeping an eye out for it while searching for a liveaboard sailboat .

6. Peterson 44

{{boat-info="/boats/kelly-peterson-44"}}

The Peterson 44 is what’s known as a ‘center-cockpit cruiser,’ featuring a split-cabin both fore and aft.

This spacious interior layout maximizes living space without decreasing sailing capabilities.

The boat features a master bedroom and bathroom, along with another cabin, berth, and head behind the cockpit.

In addition to two bathrooms, it features a full galley, booth dinette, and settee.

All these extras combined with excellent storage make it an excellent liveaboard option.

Pearson is well-renowned for building excellent boats, and their interior quality is above average.

7. Nor’Sea 27

{{boat-info="/boats/norsea-27"}}

The Nor’Sea 27 is a classic compact sailboat, which is ideal for minimalist or single people living aboard.

The interior is surprisingly spacious for its size, featuring all the amenities you’d expect on a larger boat.

This beautiful little boat likely mimics the comfort of a Catalina 30, and should cost less in slip fees.

The interior features a toilet, shower, and galley.

The forward berth converts into a dinette but features two other bunks underneath the cockpit.

Production of the Nor’Sea 27 began in 1976, and it’s still produced today.

And the best part—you can legally tow it on a trailer. It’s arguably the ultimate compact cruiser/liveaboard available today.

{{boat-info="/boats/cal-34"}}

The Cal 34 is very typical of mid-range sailboats of the 1970s. Produced between 1968 and 1975, this basic but comfortable yacht has a lot of potential as a liveaboard.

The interior is simple and spacious, without much luxury or adorning. However, less features make for less maintnence, and everything you’d need is available in the Cal 34.

A master bedroom, shower, and toilet are all standard, along with a well-arranged galley and comfortable sitting area.

The boat features ample storage for clothes, food, and gear.

All mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems aboard are easy to maintain, plus the cabin is well-designed.

9. Catalina 38

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-38"}}

Another classic Catalina sailboat makes the list, with a well-thought-out interior that’s spacious enough for a couple to live comfortably.

Catalina produced their 38-foot sloop between 1977 and 1990, and it came standard with many excellent liveaboard features such as electrical outlets throughout the cabin.

Also, the head is spacious and includes a sink, which is always very convenient.

With plenty of places to sleep, there’s no need to fold away the galley table to get some rest.

The Catalina 38 is another fantastic mid-sized sailboat for living aboard, especially if you aren’t quite comfortable inside a Catalina 30.

10. Hunter 33

{{boat-info="/boats/hunter-33"}}

The last boat on our list is also one of the longest-lived in its category. Hunter produced their 33-foot sailboat starting in 1977, and it’s still in production today.

This handy mid-sized boat features excellent interior accommodations, with plenty of sitting and sleeping areas to choose from.

In addition to a full dinette, it features a toilet and shower aft away from the master bedroom.  Such an arrangement is a great option for sailors, as it allows the use of the head without moving too far away from the controls.

Standing headroom throughout the long cabin makes for a very comfortable long-term living arrangement.

The galley has plenty of storage space and the L-shaped layout allows for easy and efficient use.

At the end of the day, you’ll get to choose the liveaboard sailboat that works best for you. Check out some of the boats we mentioned and get an idea of what they offer.

Use this list to help identify features that you need, and perhaps avoid features that you don’t want.

When it comes to living aboard, there’s a lot more to consider than just your boat. As long as the boat you choose is in good condition, you’ll likely end up falling in love with it.

Either way, consider these top-ten liveaboard sailboats when you’re on the hunt for your boat.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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