Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

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r.j.dawg

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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

A few years ago I read an article about live aboards and the one that stuck out to me was a 30-something divorced guy, living year round on a 24 foot Sea Ray Sundancer. In Ontario, Canada.:eek:

:eek: is right. We spent a week in our 24 foot Chaparral Signature this summer and it was the deciding factor to find something bigger. A Doral 270 Monticello is in our immediate future.
 

arks

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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

LOL, In April my marina had a newly-divorced guy that was going to live on his 21' sailboat.
He lasted about a month, and our marina has nice showers!:)
Seriously, living full-time on a boat takes commitment. I love spending time onboard, but living there for more than a couple weeks is not an option because it would take a lot of the FUN out of boating IMO.
 

JoLin

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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

:eek: is right. We spent a week in our 24 foot Chaparral Signature this summer and it was the deciding factor to find something bigger. A Doral 270 Monticello is in our immediate future.

That's funny, and precisely why I traded my 24' Chris*Craft express for the 27' Four Winns in my sig. Small world :)
 

island mike

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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

Living on a boat no matter what size is not suited for everybody,Especially the females only a handfull truely enjoy it,
Peeps who actually live and travel fulltime on a boat are a different breed too,The diehards seem too become kinda antisocial when on land.Like not wanting to be part of the landlife.We had a guy here living on his very small sailboat with a huge beard he had 6 dogs on his boat.Whenever the dogs had to relieve themselves they would swim ashore and $#& all over the place..lol
.Maybe I have been living in a house for too long ....
 

island mike

Chief Petty Officer
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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

What?? sea crampers??
 

oops!

Supreme Mariner
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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

.

No matter how big the boat, or how small the person, there always comes a time when you must fit yourself in a tight spot.

e gads........you mean like laying on top of a genny the deck inches above your head,,,,,,reaching around behind the genny to get at the water pump?

the smallest i would look at is a 40 ish with full amenities. like a washer dryer.

a house boat is a totally different story. then 30 with full ammenities.

sasto,.......in regards to Francine...do they take payments, ? rent to own?....will they take an old pinto car on trade?
 

bekosh

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Joined
Apr 27, 2004
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1,382
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

:eek: is right. We spent a week in our 24 foot Chaparral Signature this summer and it was the deciding factor to find something bigger. A Doral 270 Monticello is in our immediate future.

That's funny, and precisely why I traded my 24' Chris*Craft express for the 27' Four Winns in my sig. Small world :)
Last year, the Admiral and I did 5 days straight in our 21' Wellcraft Eclipse cuddy cabin. By the end she was basically begging for a bigger boat. Now I have the 28' Cruisers Rogue in my sig.:D
 

NYBo

Admiral
Joined
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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

My wife and I found this one very comfy for a week stay this past summer:
images
 

soggy_feet

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Oct 10, 2009
Messages
713
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

I've done the houseboat thing for 3 seasons now on Lake Champlain in VT, on a private mooring about 150 yards off shore - solar only.

Early 70's Stardust Cruiser. She measures 38ft, any bigger, and my yearly registration would cost twice what it does now.

First 2 seasons I had no running water or heat. I bathed in the lake... from March thru October. This season I installed a flash water heater built a shower stall into the head.

No TV either, I spend every waking minute with music playing. No fridge or ice maker yet, I buy block ice every other day to keep food cold, although Im working on a deal to buy a propane furnace and propane fridge out of an RV.


For as little as I have on board, I'm rarely bored. I've taken some slow days and learned how to splice 3 strand and 12 strand rope, then make new dock lines with the 12 strand, and re-rigged all the frayed stuff on the inflatable with the 3 strand.
If it's a nice weekend, I don't have a quiet minute to sit with all the friends who meet to hang out on the water. With the layout of the cabin and roof deck, I had one weekend with 22 people on board and made a couple hour trip to a boat access only camping area for the overnight.

I could get by with smaller if I had to, but I'd lose out on space to have friends out, which is half the reason for having a boat to begin with. At the same time, I'd love to go big. I've been scouting some online boat sales sites looking for tugboats in the 80ft range that I could convert to liveaboard, and keep it in the water year round.


Only real advice is to take this as a chance to change how you live. Don't go into it trying to bring everything you have on land onto the water. It won't take long to learn how much you can get by without, and still be comfortable.

I threw away BAGS of stuff that I was hanging onto just because I wasn't sure if it was something I might someday need, and I had space for it. There was no space for it on the boat and I'm happy for that.
 

Panu

Cadet
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Oct 12, 2011
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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

I will live next summer in my sun runner 225.
 

scoutabout

Lieutenant Commander
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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

My dad and I spend a week camping out of this when I was a kid. That was about the limit...

sandpiper.jpg


Any amount of time longer and I'd be looking for some half-decent salon space. Love these...

GrandBanks36.jpg


But, this, I think would be really cool...

lady_elin_2.jpg
 

erie_guy

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 16, 2007
Messages
269
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

I would suggest a small 30 foot class express cruiser is the way to go. The 32' Chris Craft shown in my avitar was home for my wife (of 50 years) for 4 weeks of gunk-holing on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Oswago // Erie Canals. Great FUN !!! The boat spent every night in a marina or was tied to a wall (no hookups) and we survived very well. We however looked forward to each new day and destination and carried two folding 6 speed bikes to get around and off the boat for a few hours. We have taken several trips across Lake Erie and up the Detroit River into lake Huron. Several trips lasted one week and another two weeks. And can you believe it, we are still best of friends. On short trips to the islands, we have carried up to three other couples and had room to enjoy the company.

If you plan on cruising some, the engine size has to be small enough to get good fuel economy, but large enough to get to destinations fast (on the great lakes), and have a fast cruise speed of at least 30 mph+. If you want to stay or even anchor at one location, a house boat with a small maneuvering outboard should do the trick. We have some floating homes near us on the Portage River that are built on concrete barges. They are really nice inside and could be used as a permanent home for boaters that enjoy living on the water but have smaller runabouts for water sports - or for getting to shore for provisions.

We have owned this Chris Craft for about 11 years now and would not trade up or down in size for the type of service we want and enjoy. It is stored on a 3-axle Aluminum EZ-loader trailer (to overwinter) and was moved (professionally) from Texas to Ohio on this trailer without problems. Towed with a Dodge P/U (diesel) we ran at 60 mph on all freeways. It weigh a little over 12,000 # and has a 12' beam so permits were required in all states that we crossed. We could have cruised it up (on its own bottom) - but fuel prices and seasonal timing made this impossible.

Have you looked at sail boats ? In the 40' class, they also have great cabins for living comfortably.

Enjoy your search . . .

erie_guy
Port Clinton, Oh
 

Mischief Managed

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,928
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

I would think one could live on a Ranger Tugs R-29. It feels huge for a 29 footer and has tons of amenities. David Livingston did some clever things with the design to make great use of the space that's available.
MTBjun09ranger293681.jpg


See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS-ma0PN6PQ
 

sasto

Captain
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Jun 1, 2010
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Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

e gads........you mean like laying on top of a genny the deck inches above your head,,,,,,reaching around behind the genny to get at the water pump?

the smallest i would look at is a 40 ish with full amenities. like a washer dryer.

a house boat is a totally different story. then 30 with full ammenities.

sasto,.......in regards to Francine...do they take payments, ? rent to own?....will they take an old pinto car on trade?

You know! oops! I almost live with a fresh bump on my head daily. Sometimes the bigger the boat the more stuff they cram on her.

Re: Francine...No payments accepted, not for rent, but the Pinto may be the deal maker.;) The owner of that boat lived the good life. He loved to Big Game Fish and hunt....Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska....etc. One of his homes in Dominican Republic had a basketball court size showroom full of exotic animals.

The smallest I ever lived on for an extended period was a 35 Cabo Sportfish. She was comfy for me.
 
Joined
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Messages
1,179
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

smallest you could live aboard is a 22' but thats if it's setup right. But a 26' is a great liveabord with room. i'm talking about sailboats. better to live on more space for the size.
 

Home Cookin'

Fleet Admiral
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May 26, 2009
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9,715
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

A friend had a 42' trawler and we spent a lot of time on it. very roomy and comfortable, very efficient on fuel, very slow, not for fishing. The tugs would be similar.
I think generally you trade speed for room, comparing designs within the same length.
 

undrh2o

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
41
Re: Smallest boat you could comfortably live aboard?

Living on a boat had been a long time dream...until now, it's reality :)

My 1976 Stardust Cruiser is 53' and is currently being remodeled (by me) it has all the amenities I could ever want and shocks folks when they come by to visit...HVAC, tankless water heater, quartz counters, tile backsplash, 42" LCD tv, surround sound, washer/dryer combo, updated shower and hardwood floors...

the times I have taken her out (which have been few until recently) have been priceless, nothing like watching the sun set over the rail while drinking a frosty beverage :D

While my boat is larger than most I have several neighbors that live full time also, a single guy on a 50' Stardust, a father/daughter on a 50', a married couple on a 34' Carver and a single guy on a 26' Carlson...

ask any of them if the would trade it for a land based setup and you get a resounding NO!

I chose my boat for it's spaciousness although I could live on something smaller but don't have to...so as others have mentioned maybe rent a couple for a few days and try them out but I don't doubt you will enjoy them all ;)

P5261951.JPGP5261959.JPG
 

ErikBrush

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Joined
Jun 10, 2019
Messages
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I'm converting a 1984 Proline Walkabout Cuddy (23' long) into the world's first electromagnetic powered houseboat. Aquatica will be around 25 feet in overall length including the bow deck.

The living space is 19 feet by 8.5 feet and encompasses approximately 152 square feet of space. I'm 6'2" so the salon ceiling is a vaulted 7 feet tall with a skylight built into the center. The entire forward compartment has this height and configuration.

The aft compartment which includes the head, galley, and two equipment spaces for air conditioning and dehumidifier on one side, and washer/drier on the other will be 8.5 feet tall.

Aquatica when completed will have more living and storage space that many boats in the 30 to 35 foot range and certainly more headroom than most sailboat and many power boats.

Being tall I needed more space in areas like my shower stall. I've pulled the old 50 gallon gas tank since the boat is powered by electromagnetic water jets it runs on zero fuel. No props or complex engines or parts to maintain. It's clean, quiet, and has no ability to cut up dolphins, manatees, or seagrass beds. It's also legal in all pole and troll only areas.

The gas tank is being replaced by a freshwater tank. The boat harvests rainwater and filters it automatically. The electromagnetic generator will feed a battery bank of 12 deep cycle golf cart batteries using a 10,000 watt inverter for the primary power system. A secondary smaller solar and wind powered bank of 4 batteries will operate lights, or small loads as a backup bank during maintenance of the generator.

I can live comfortably on the hook with more electric power than used by two and a half households or roughly the average consumption of about ten people. Because of this amenities such as tankless water heater, small washer/drier, TV, air conditioning, dehumidifier, convection oven, microwave, bilge pumps, etc etc are all easily operated without any major drain on the system or the need to select what I wish to run. Electromagnetic power is endless free power and easy to build and use.

I think that being a liveaboard is contingent very much on what you make of the space you are working with. I know that a lot of crap will have to go once I move onto Aquatica. It will be some time yet before I complete the build. But asking what is the smallest boat one could live on in reasonable comfort is also a choice of what kind of vessel you prefer, what you are willing to have or omit from your lifestyle, where you plan to live (I'm in Florida so conditions are good much of the time) and whether you are complying with the space that some one else gave you when they designed a boat and you purchased it, or whether you've decided to modify or build your own boat in which case you are dictating what you can or cannot have as space.

At 23' hull length and 152 square feet of living space Aquatica is more than adequate for my needs. That said it might be unacceptable for someone wanting 50+ feet of space.

Just my thoughts on the subject.
 
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