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WHY ARE YOU LIVING ON A BOAT?
For most people, it’s hard to understand why
someone would want to move onto a boat. Here are actual questions we are asked
and responses we get when we tell people we live on a boat:
Co-workers:
 | "Wow, that’s awesome! What is it
like?" |
| "That’s so romantic" |
| "When can we come over and
party?" |
| "Are you guys drug-runners?" |
Salesperson:
| "Yeah, I did that when I was
young. It was great", |
Christina's Mom:
| "How many other people in your marina
live on their boats?" |
Christina's Employer:
| "How much are we paying you
again?" ...I tell him how much... "Do we need to pay you more so
you can afford to live in a real house?" |
Dan's Employer:
| "Are we paying you too much?" |
Here are responses we got after some of the
above people came aboard the Sea Ranch:
Christina's Mother (after her first...and
probably last...time staying a week with us on the boat):
| "This is just one step up from
camping." |
Friends:
| "It's a lot bigger in person than when
you see it in pictures." |
| "Dan, you must get the chicks with
this boat...Too bad you're married" |
| "The toilet has all these pumps and
hoses everywhere, but they hide the switch to turn it on?" |
| "You must be drug-runners." |
 You would be
surprised how many people live on their boats. You would be even more surprised
at how many families are cruising the oceans and visiting exotic locations that
most of us only see in pictures and dream about. When we left our friends and
family in July 2000, Christina was 25 years old, and Dan 23. We figured the best
time to take off for the warm weather, sun, and water was now, before we
started a family and got tied down with careers. Living on a boat provides us
with a unique lifestyle and a freedom to travel to places where dolphins can
swim next to our boat and to walk on beaches where there are no roads. Imagine
going on vacation and not having to pack clothes and food. Wherever we go, we
take our home. If we ever decide to move to a different part of the country, we
can just cast off the lines and go with our home. We always preferred to be a
little different than everyone else. We love being on the water, the smell of
the sea air, the feel of the boat moving gently in the water as you sleep.
Everyone dreams of escaping to paradise. For some of us it is sailing off to
exotic islands with beautiful clear water, swaying palms and white sand beaches.
Others dream of backpacking across Europe, or taking a trip around the world. We
wish our ideal two week vacation could last forever. Living on our boat in
Florida brings us just a little bit closer to living in Paradise.
 THERE HAS TO BE A DOWNSIDE TO LIVING ON A
BOAT. WHAT IS IT?
We have the luxury of living on a large boat
with most of the comforts you’re used to. Many live-aboards choose to live
aboard small sailboats without the niceties we have on the Sea Ranch,
such as refrigeration and showers with hot water. But yes, there are a few downsides.
| First, water use must be strictly
monitored. While we can hook the boat up to a hose to supply the fresh
water, we prefer to run off our water tank. This keeps us in the habit of
conserving water for when we leave port. We do carry 150 gallons of water on
board and have rarely run out of water. We spent a month in dry dock (the
boat was hulled out of the water and placed on dry land, held in place with
wooden blocks and supports) and did
not run out of water, although we did go into extreme water conservation for that. We
conserve water in a variety of ways. First of all, when we do the dishes, our
small sink holds the water to wash the dishes. We fill a large bowl with
fresh water to rinse all the dishes off in. Also, when we brush our teeth, wash
our hands, and shower, we only turn on the water when we are actually
using the water. The toilet refills not from fresh water from our tank,
but from water sucked in from outside the boat. |
| Second is the use of marine heads
instead
of normal toilets. Once you get used to marine equivalent to a toilet, they’re
not that bad. But there are more steps involved in using them, they plug up
easily, smell (do to using marina water outside the boat rather than fresh
water), and need routine maintenance if you
want to avoid having to tear the head completely apart for as long as
possible. That is a less than pleasant job. Also, after learning how to
operate some marine heads, you will be qualified to run a nuclear reactor. |
| Third is the lack of a dishwasher and
clothes washer and dryer. While they do make devices for boats that are
water conservation savvy, they are bulky and expensive. |
| Fourth is the lack of counter space in the
galley. This runs hand in hand with washing dishes. Christina has been
forced to become a master of one-dish dinners. |
| Fifth is the lack of wall space to
decorate. A boat is designed for function and then style. There are very few
walls, and even fewer large open places on these walls. If you need to have
pictures, nick-knacks, photos, and decorations, a boat is not for you. |
| Sixth is the lack of storage
space where we really need it. The boat has plenty of nooks and crannies
in out of the way areas, but not an abundance of space where it's really
convenient. |
E-Mail
us with other questions and we will post them here with our answers.
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