85% dreamy, 15% bullshit
It never fails-- when I tell someone I live on a boat, they say, "What a dream."
And it is. 85% of the time. The other 15% is consumed with head scratching, icky substance covered, wallet draining stress. Boats really know how to push you over the edge. You think you fixed something? Wrong. You think you know what part you need? Let's make a seventh trip to West Marine. The engine worked yesterday? Doesn't necessarily mean it will today.
Did you know boat projects cost more than a typical house project because for some reason or another boat products are twice as much? Maybe it is because they are rust proof, or water tight, or I don't know, something you don't use for a typical house like fiberglass. It also makes it much harder that I am located in Hawaii. I could haul my boat out, get my thru hulls replaced, get the bottom sanded and painted, etc. for maybe 1/3 of the cost in Mexico! But here, oh the end cost could be more than the boat ever cost you to begin with.
So it's a trade off. But really, I wonder, is house life like this? 85% dreamy, 15% bullshit? I have a feeling it is. Maybe the difference is living on a boat means making sure your hull is sound so your house doesn't actually sink from under you, with all your possessions in it. I would say that could account for at least 5% of what the bullshit 15%.
I would say, without a shadow of doubt, the absolute biggest difference to the lifestyles is access to professional help. Do you know how many people know how to deal with boat plumbing, or fiberglass work, or rigging? Not many, and certainly not many in Hawaii. That makes the market really off balance-- there is more work than workers here, so they can charge an exorbitant amount of money and always have work waiting for them.
Maybe the HOA people have it right. A constant bill to someone who makes sure your grass is cut, your windows are clean, your A/C filters are changed. Someone you can call and say, hey my heater is out.
I think the point is we all have gripes. Sometimes I see van-lifers and I say, man that would be so cool. And then I think about how they have a literal pee canister on their van that they have to empty out, along with manually having to clean their toilets weekly, and I turn the page on that idea. But hey, they might see me and think, no way am I going to stick my home in saltwater and have to pull it out every couple of years to address the damage. I think it's about what we can handle.
I have been really stressed the last 24 hours. It has been raining nonstop (dumping buckets kind of rain) and I have leaks. A couple of years ago, I'll admit, I rushed a project. And now I am paying for it. I will have to have the project redone correctly, which just doubles the cost. I really came into boat life thinking my type-A personality would keep me ahead of the curve-- fun fact: it did not. Here I am, two years later, with many of the same projects still needing completion, a $2000 gps sitting in its original packaging waiting to be mounted, and leaks in all my windows.
But despite those areas of seeming stagnation, I have grown. I have learned about electrical, I have learned the importance of a functioning bilge pump, I have felt the absolute dread of a flooded engine, I have come to terms that I do not in fact have it all together, and I have loved every minute of this chaotic ride.
You know what I really want? I want to get better at sailing, telling this story, and maybe getting sponsored by West Marine so I can more quickly afford the projects that are holding me back.
And it is. 85% of the time. The other 15% is consumed with head scratching, icky substance covered, wallet draining stress. Boats really know how to push you over the edge. You think you fixed something? Wrong. You think you know what part you need? Let's make a seventh trip to West Marine. The engine worked yesterday? Doesn't necessarily mean it will today.
Did you know boat projects cost more than a typical house project because for some reason or another boat products are twice as much? Maybe it is because they are rust proof, or water tight, or I don't know, something you don't use for a typical house like fiberglass. It also makes it much harder that I am located in Hawaii. I could haul my boat out, get my thru hulls replaced, get the bottom sanded and painted, etc. for maybe 1/3 of the cost in Mexico! But here, oh the end cost could be more than the boat ever cost you to begin with.
So it's a trade off. But really, I wonder, is house life like this? 85% dreamy, 15% bullshit? I have a feeling it is. Maybe the difference is living on a boat means making sure your hull is sound so your house doesn't actually sink from under you, with all your possessions in it. I would say that could account for at least 5% of what the bullshit 15%.
I would say, without a shadow of doubt, the absolute biggest difference to the lifestyles is access to professional help. Do you know how many people know how to deal with boat plumbing, or fiberglass work, or rigging? Not many, and certainly not many in Hawaii. That makes the market really off balance-- there is more work than workers here, so they can charge an exorbitant amount of money and always have work waiting for them.
Maybe the HOA people have it right. A constant bill to someone who makes sure your grass is cut, your windows are clean, your A/C filters are changed. Someone you can call and say, hey my heater is out.
I think the point is we all have gripes. Sometimes I see van-lifers and I say, man that would be so cool. And then I think about how they have a literal pee canister on their van that they have to empty out, along with manually having to clean their toilets weekly, and I turn the page on that idea. But hey, they might see me and think, no way am I going to stick my home in saltwater and have to pull it out every couple of years to address the damage. I think it's about what we can handle.
I have been really stressed the last 24 hours. It has been raining nonstop (dumping buckets kind of rain) and I have leaks. A couple of years ago, I'll admit, I rushed a project. And now I am paying for it. I will have to have the project redone correctly, which just doubles the cost. I really came into boat life thinking my type-A personality would keep me ahead of the curve-- fun fact: it did not. Here I am, two years later, with many of the same projects still needing completion, a $2000 gps sitting in its original packaging waiting to be mounted, and leaks in all my windows.
But despite those areas of seeming stagnation, I have grown. I have learned about electrical, I have learned the importance of a functioning bilge pump, I have felt the absolute dread of a flooded engine, I have come to terms that I do not in fact have it all together, and I have loved every minute of this chaotic ride.
You know what I really want? I want to get better at sailing, telling this story, and maybe getting sponsored by West Marine so I can more quickly afford the projects that are holding me back.
Stories from my Sailboat
Liveaboard vs Cruiser: I get questions all the time about where it is that I am sailing to. Truth is, I have only ever sailed in Hawaiian waters. My first sail was to Molokai, Lanai, and Maui on a 10 day trip with people I had never met before and as a first date with my current partner. Nuts, right? That's a huge story in and of itself.
Okay, so a liveaboard is someone who has a boat as their primary residence and it is typically moored at a harbor. Yes, we go sailing and can drop anchor other places, but typically we are connected to shore power which means we can run everything from an electric toilet to Apple TV. I do not have solar on my boat at the moment, and I am not sure I ever will. This is my first boat, and while I have lots of dreams, what I am learning right now is what I should have on my must have list and my wish list for my next boat home.
Now, cruisers. I look up to cruisers. People who sail across the ocean, do the research to get into another country, know how to provision and plan, and make it all work in the most remote of places. That is an aspiration of mine but I have lot to learn. To prepare to cruise is quite the feat.. How's your rigging? Do you have multiple of everything? How are your sails? Have you hauled out to check your rudder? What is your battery bank like? What is your solar capability? Do you understand mechanical and electrical? How much do you need to provision for? Are you ready to drop $600+ in diesel? What country are you going to? What are their laws? Where will you port? Do you need to see about animal quarantine rules? Do you have the right flags? What season should you be sailing?
These are just some of the questions... the one's I can think of off the top of my non-cruiser head. Can you imagine?
Okay, so a liveaboard is someone who has a boat as their primary residence and it is typically moored at a harbor. Yes, we go sailing and can drop anchor other places, but typically we are connected to shore power which means we can run everything from an electric toilet to Apple TV. I do not have solar on my boat at the moment, and I am not sure I ever will. This is my first boat, and while I have lots of dreams, what I am learning right now is what I should have on my must have list and my wish list for my next boat home.
Now, cruisers. I look up to cruisers. People who sail across the ocean, do the research to get into another country, know how to provision and plan, and make it all work in the most remote of places. That is an aspiration of mine but I have lot to learn. To prepare to cruise is quite the feat.. How's your rigging? Do you have multiple of everything? How are your sails? Have you hauled out to check your rudder? What is your battery bank like? What is your solar capability? Do you understand mechanical and electrical? How much do you need to provision for? Are you ready to drop $600+ in diesel? What country are you going to? What are their laws? Where will you port? Do you need to see about animal quarantine rules? Do you have the right flags? What season should you be sailing?
These are just some of the questions... the one's I can think of off the top of my non-cruiser head. Can you imagine?
REALITY: First thought people have when they hear we live on a boat: "WOW THAT IS SO COOL," and generally, they are correct, it is cool. But people don't see the ins and outs, the constant adaptability we must have, the weirdness of a mascerating toilet. Also, it can be a pain in the butt to ALWAYS have a boat project that needs to be done. For someone like me that is so distracted when things are a mess, it takes a lot of practice to shut out the waiting project and focus on the actual work I must do to fund said project.
I have all these dreams, what I want the boat to look like, what I want to upgrade. But it's really hard. Boat renovations are so expensive, and even more so in Hawaii where manual labor is hard to come by and hauling out the boat cost as much as the boat in some cases. It is a constant battle for me to want the space to look cute, but be functional, and often the functional outweighs the cuteness on my list of priorities. So, hold on new beadboard, I need to redo the aft railing. :(
It's also quite the feat to have three people AND A BIG dog living in such tight quarters. But honestly, none of us ever complain, and that says a lot in my book.
Anyhow, I can go on and on about boat life-- what it is like to parent as liveaboards, what it is like to have a big dog on a boat, what it is like to have no privacy whatsoever and talk about the functioning capacity of your toilet.. yea that one happened this morning and gee whiz, I don't think I have had a more uncomfortable conversation in my LIFE.
I have all these dreams, what I want the boat to look like, what I want to upgrade. But it's really hard. Boat renovations are so expensive, and even more so in Hawaii where manual labor is hard to come by and hauling out the boat cost as much as the boat in some cases. It is a constant battle for me to want the space to look cute, but be functional, and often the functional outweighs the cuteness on my list of priorities. So, hold on new beadboard, I need to redo the aft railing. :(
It's also quite the feat to have three people AND A BIG dog living in such tight quarters. But honestly, none of us ever complain, and that says a lot in my book.
Anyhow, I can go on and on about boat life-- what it is like to parent as liveaboards, what it is like to have a big dog on a boat, what it is like to have no privacy whatsoever and talk about the functioning capacity of your toilet.. yea that one happened this morning and gee whiz, I don't think I have had a more uncomfortable conversation in my LIFE.
