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Living on board a sailboat

  • 26-08-2019 7:53am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 77 ✭✭


    Hi there

    I'm living in Victoria, British Columbia at the moment and it seems pretty common for people here to live onboard boats because the rents are so expensive here. I'm planning to buy a sailboat to live aboard in the marina but I'm not sure what it's like living aboard in winter.

    The climate here is similar to Ireland. The summers are more consistent but the winters can bring a week or two of snow. I'm not put off by the weather. I'm just concerned with whether or not I can keep the boat warm when I need to.

    The marina fees are not that expensive here. It costs less than 300 euro a month to dock a boat and I'm guessing electricity is included.

    The idea of living alone on a boat appeals to me a lot more than living in a one-bedroom apartment forking out 800+ month in rent.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 370 ✭✭DonalK1981


    Renting marina 300.
    Buying boat with sufficient space and a working shower and comfortable kitchen/living room approx 40000.
    That sound about right?


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,317 Mod ✭✭✭✭fergal.b


    3 kinds of heaters you will find on houseboats.

    The potbelly stove, they come in all different sizes but maybe not the best for a yacht.

    Diesel night heater, mostly come in 2 or 5 kw and you can also get ones that heat water, they run on fuel from your tank or from a separate tank they also make a bit of noise.

    As you might have shore power an oil filled dimplex would be worth looking at the modern ones use very little power.







    .


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 77 ✭✭Elite Woad Raider


    fergal.b wrote: »
    3 kinds of heaters you will find on houseboats.

    The potbelly stove, they come in all different sizes but maybe not the best for a yacht.

    Diesel night heater, mostly come in 2 or 5 kw and you can also get ones that heat water, they run on fuel from your tank or from a separate tank they also make a bit of noise.

    As you might have shore power an oil filled dimplex would be worth looking at the modern ones use very little power.







    .

    Thanks. What are sailboat likes for retaining heat? I'm guessing they must have a good degree of insulation?


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,317 Mod ✭✭✭✭fergal.b


    I'm not sure I guess it would depend on what the boat was built for if it was racing it would be as light as possible but if it was built as a liveabord or a cruiser it may be insulated.





    .


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,783 Mod ✭✭✭✭AndyBoBandy


    You could probably survive without a decent shower on board at a push as most marina's will have decent shower facilities.

    As long as you had a good shore power setup on board, you could manage it.

    In terms of yachts retaining heat, I wouldn't say most do a great job, unless the boat was properly insulated for this purpose (perhaps the 2nd hand market in Scandinavia/Baltic sea could yield good results in this sense).

    I bought this heater a few weeks ago for our 28ft boat, for when sleeping on board, which we used it twice overnight, but it wasn't really up to the job. I also have a fan heater which is great an getting the cabin warm, but would never leave either of them unattended.
    A Dehumidifier would be a good bet for leaving on during the day while you were away at work (and also keeping everything dry), and then a heater on when you come 'home' for the evening.

    There are/were a few live aboards in Malahide,a family on a 35ft yacht, and another guy on a 34 footer. We just had an extremely mild winter though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭Hocus Focus


    You could probably survive without a decent shower on board at a push as most marina's will have decent shower facilities.

    As long as you had a good shore power setup on board, you could manage it.

    In terms of yachts retaining heat, I wouldn't say most do a great job, unless the boat was properly insulated for this purpose (perhaps the 2nd hand market in Scandinavia/Baltic sea could yield good results in this sense).

    I bought this heater a few weeks ago for our 28ft boat, for when sleeping on board, which we used it twice overnight, but it wasn't really up to the job. I also have a fan heater which is great an getting the cabin warm, but would never leave either of them unattended.
    A Dehumidifier would be a good bet for leaving on during the day while you were away at work (and also keeping everything dry), and then a heater on when you come 'home' for the evening.

    There are/were a few live aboards in Malahide,a family on a 35ft yacht, and another guy on a 34 footer. We just had an extremely mild winter though.
    Unattended dehumidifiers have been identified as the most frequent cause of boat fires (in the UK), so not a good idea, ventilation is a better solution.


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