Advantages of Living on a Boat – LivingMini®

A few months ago I was visiting my friend Dorothy, cruising the Napa River with her and her husband Captain John. We were actually having a “work meeting” on the water, but not so very much work was getting done. We did eat a lot of cheddar goldfish crackers though.

Living Mini Live Aboard

In fact, I was so admiring the sunset that I didn’t go below until I took a quick tour just before we disembarked. But I’m so glad I did. Below deck was a fabulously configured Living Mini space — with room to sleep four comfortably. “This,” I thought, “is truly Living Mini!”

In addition to room for 2 double beds, there was a TV that swiveled to enable viewing from all directions, a tiny little kitchen with microwave, sink and small frig, a couch and dining room table. And a fairly big (by boat standards) bathroom with a full-sized sink. What more could you ask for?!

So I got to thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of living on a boat. Here’s what most people in the blogosphere are saying:

Advantages to Living on a Boat

• · Freedom to relocate anytime
• · Rocking of the boat promotes blissful sleep
• · Morning coffee watching the sun rise over the water
• · Happy Hour watching the sun set over the water

Disadvantages to Living on a Boat

• · Little privacy if living in a marina (but a lot of privacy if you’re cruising the ocean)
• · Head stinks most of the time (unless you have a fancy boat)
• · More expensive than you’d think (marina fees and boat maintenance add up)
• · Rough weather can equal a rough night (and constant dampness is often factor)

You’ll notice I didn’t mention “cramped” living as a disadvantage. That’s because I think if you’re even considering living on a boat, you’d have to embrace the Living Mini life in a big way. Closet space and cruisers are never used in the same sentence.

A Live Aboard Life for Erin?

For me, living on a boat could be a real possibility in my future since it would:

• · Cater to my peripatetic lifestyle
• · Provide me with the water view I crave. See, I’m a fire personality and supposedly water views calm my spirit. (Then again, maybe I’ve been living in San Fran too long…)
• · Reinforce the “living inside out” aspect of Living Mini and enjoying nature to the fullest
• · Provide me with a new challenge – learning to sail!

What about you? Could you live on a boat?

Tags: Advantages of living on a boat, Boat Living, disadvantages of living on a boat, House Boats, Live Aboards, Living Mini©

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 and is filed under Home.