I should switch to living on a boat... currently I live in a van down by the river. ✌️😎👍

I live on a 56 foot sailboat, I seldom use the generator, mostly for the water maker and top off the batteries, my main power is solar and wind...thats free. I have storable foods, 2 years worth and eat a lot of rice and fish. I catch my own fish. Plenty of free wifi and keep it simple. I anchor out a lot...free....I kayak the rest of the time, although have a dinghy and a 10 hp outboard I start up and run 1 or 2 times a month. I don't use engines very much but keep them running and maintained. Boat is paid for in full and keep up on maintenance to point where I can pull anchor at any time and head to sea. I make my own spirits and do some hydroponics from fresh vegies. Total cost per month is about 607 dollar per month and that is on the high side. My fuel tanks are full...I make my own water and power. Full tank of water will last me over 2 weeks. The key is to keep it simple, I love talking on short wave. Granted it cost a lot to be set up like I have it now, but ongoing costs are very very low. My satellite phone is my biggest expense which you do not leave shore without it. That is a fixed expense. Take this morning, I caught a 23 pound salmon, I don't need another fish for several weeks, a little seaweed salad, also free. I also use solar ovens which cost nothing to run. I notice they use a Honda 2000 generator, I converted mine over to hydrogen and dumped the gasoline for that unit. Not sure how to exactly do it for the dinghy, but it shouldn't be brain surgery there.

Hey guys, I like your videos. At 3:58sec. you will see a 1977 Freeport Islander . That's my boat! We must of been in town!

finally, a video that explains living on a boat correctly.

$700 a month on food!!! Ya eating REAL GOOD! Lol

the experience is Priceless....man do i envy you guys =)

clear and concise info and it works for you and that's what counts.⚓

Just about all the live-aboard KZfaq channels have put together a video like this. Yours is by far the best! You actually break down the numbers instead of just talking ball parks. Thank you!

When I am 40 i better be living on boat

That is such a cool way to live bro.

I've been comparing my costs for landlubber life and boat life. I can save on average $386.00 a month by living on a boat. Living on the hook like you do, would make my savings closer to $600 a month. That was enough incentive to put my home up for sale and start looking for boats.

Awesome video guys! This is a lifestyle we are considering. We currently dry camp in our RV, but we’re encountering a lot of problems, including winter coming up and places not allowing us to park overnight. Thanks for this awesome video!

We lived on our boat, for 12 years full time, Your figures are quite realistic, it’s a great way to be frugal, yet giving the ability to squirrel moneywort away for security!

I have lived aboard several times over the years. a couple years in San Diego a couple years on the Mississippi and Kentucky Lake. I just turned 73 this month and I'm still healthy and I am shopping for another livaboard as we speak. I have a VA Pension now and after I purchase, I will have no more worries. Folks, listen up, there is nothing to fear and unless you hate being alone, it's the best life imaginable. GO FOR IT.

Hey. Great Video. We are in Ireland and have just bought a Gulfstar 44 in Statin Island. We have to get one of the engines revived and a good clean. We can't wait to start our adventure!

That was great, but maybe also to include, insurance , registration and licence etc costs that are directly related to the boat as well. thanks.

Thanks so much for all your videos. Having done the family/career thing I am looking forward to cashing in my chips and living aboard while I can still haul up the anchor. your videos are very encouraging.

never even considered anchoring instead of docking. I suppose there are regulations for that since some entity is not getting paid docking fees. It's always about the money!

Thank you for sharing your living expenses with us, Fair winds and following seas !!

$5 for pump out is amazingly cheap, but that total of $50/month means you're probably using the wrong type of toilet system with regards to efficiency. If you can afford it, installing a vacuflush would cut down volume by 2/3 compared to the standard pump type. Even with a savings of $35/month, it would probably take $3 years to pay for the vacuflush. Subbed and hello from Canada!

Maintenance = $$$$$$$ What kind of hull? Is it wood, steel, fiberglass or aluminum? Is there wood use for a structural element in the boat? It doesn’t matter if it’s sandwiched of encapsulated, it can rot=$$$$. My personal opinion, wood on a boat is ok if it’s decorative or furniture but not structural. Steel on most small yachts is usually too thin. All the steel boats I’ve seen are rusting inside AND out. That leaves fiberglass and aluminum. Fiberglass is immune to corrosion but can become brittle with age and depending on build quality it could be prone to blisters below the waterline. I’ve seen older aluminum boats absolutely great condition and I’ve seen them eaten up from electrolysis. This could be a compound problem of a poor alloy and stray currents ( a “hot harbor”). Bottom line choose carefully or you will constantly be working or paying someone else to keep it afloat.

Excellent breakdown. Nice that you preface it for your expenses because not everyone can do it the way you do but you offer options that work for you. Well done

I'm a massive alcoholic Army vet Irish guy living in Boston. I want to live in a house boat out the harbor to save money. I'm 30 and single. This sounds like a good choice.

You forgot dog food

Very well done! I am listing what mine was just as another example. 1987 Carver aft cabin 38 Boat payment: $700 "80,000 on a 15 year loan" Slip payment: $660, includes power and water underwater diver: $150 average living in a marine the zinc failed a lot about every 3 months. maintenance: $400 always working one something. If the motors where working good I would redue some wood or wiring or plumbing, fixtures, electronics or..... haul out and paint $58 I only needed to do this every 3 years but it costed $2,100 I am leaving gas and food out this is dependent on the user although the 38 did not use fuel well with twin 454 gassers. pump out of black water free I would motor over to pump out myself in the marina.... okay so $30 in fuel just cuz I had to start them. $1,98.00 Plus food and what ever gas you want to use

Cool. . very straight forward. thanks!

This is great! We also have found th maintenance category is the most expensive if you don't do work yourself

Boat life > every life. You guys have inspired me to save for a boat and take my travels to the next level.

This was a very helpful video. I have been thinking of getting a small 30 foot Willard trawler and do pretty much what you guys are doing. I am glad I found your channel and look forward to more videos. Would either of you feel comfortable about singlehanding a small trawler or do you think it is always necessary to have two or more people to cruise in a trawler in the states and the bahamas?

just discovered you're videos while window shopping for boat. really like your videos. you truly are living the dream. I've got just couple more years before retire. will leave land base for boat base. so for now...I'll just dream with you guys.

Thank you for this video. we are a couple from culebra P.R and because of hurracane maria we decided to buy a tawler it is aground and we're fixing it to live we should be in the water in about a month your videos help us see what's coming for un now. Thank you!

This video was the first video of you guys I watched. Your videos are COOL. Makes me want to buy a boat and live like you guys. Respect to you guys Jose from orlando.

Depends if you are military affiliated or not. If you are the costs are cut dramatically for living aboard in a military marina. For example $5 per foot X length of boat to live aboard for a month. That included water and electricity. At that marina there was no laundry, but laundry was available on base at a close distance. Alcohol stove was on board, and only an ice box available so Ice was a regular expense as well as food. All told Probably cost me less than $450-500 a month for single living with maintenance involved since my boat was in good repair.

Beautiful footage and clean presentation of numbers - thank you for making this expenses/budget video uncomplicated :)

Just found your channel and appreciate the mix of adventure and practical information. Often times I am left wondering about the nuts and bolts of how people live this way, and you guys are very informative in that regard. Thanks for sharing!

Very good video. The expense categories are similar to living in a motorhome or RV trailer. RV storage is probably less than moorage for a boat. An important expense is maintenance for both boats & RV's and being able to perform good maintenance saves money for owners. But since I'm fearful of deep water I'll stay with a motorhome . . . but I sure love boats.

In California, docked in Sand Diego, on a 37ft Lancer Sloop it ran me about 1000.00 a month with Live Aboard and dock fees (minus boat/insurance payment) which was cheaper than a 1 bedroom roach motel apartment in the Ghetto of San Diego for rent only! That was 1995-2006, time frame before boat was sold due to a PCS Transfer to another duty station. Here I am in Texas 2019 and I am hoping to get a boat and live aboard again in early 2020 as I am currently shopping for a boat now! Its still cheaper than an apartment and I won it instead of making someone else rich as I dont make enough to buy a house and too old to do a 30 year mortgage at current house prices in the area. For me living aboard was the most relaxing and best years of my life!!!

I myself have recently moved onto a 36' Litton Trawler. Pretty much identical to this boat you had. I have really enjoyed watching all of your videos. You two both look so care free and happy! I keep scouring for videos of people doing work on their older Trawler just so I can see first hand what it entails before I do something. Im about to gut the interior and windows like you did on the cat soon I hope. Again I enjoyed watching your adventures and wish you the best of luck, maybe you will see me and Kama Hele if you ever come to the Charleston area.

Absolutely! On thing also about maintenance is the age and what the boat is made of. I rebuilt a 1973 32' Grand Banks trawler, looked something like yours. It was in great shape but lots inside the hull needed replacing. From wiring to commode seals. Even the fuel tanks needed replacing. How do you do that? I ended up cutting them up and made containers to secure rubber like blivet bags. Had to redo nearly all the wood on the flybridge. Did it all within a years time working on it weekends and weeknights, for the most part. Lived on it with my GF during that time. Don't know all the cost, bc the owner paid for it all.

1040 $ a month and you live free, in the best places in the world, the best view ever and an awesome weather. omg it is cheap. awesome

We sail and row our canoe:-) it cost us next to nothing to sail from Canada to Australia... the wind is free and rowing is good exercise 😉🐬🦑🐋☀️

I spent a lot of time on boats as a kid, and it is my adult dream to do so again soon. This is super helpful- there's definitely some things that would be different for me because of my location and being on my own, but it does put a lot in perspective. Also- your boat is wonderful. Trawlers are so homey.

In California it’s $ 25 -$ 35 per pump out, but usually free if you rent a slip. Dumping overboard anywhere in California is illegal and ALL treatment and dump systems are no longer legal here. Live aboard harbor locations are getting scarce and the good ones (not section 8) are expensive.

I really enjoy seeing and hearing yal tell about living on a boat. I am fixing to move onto my sail boat. Its 30 ft long. Morgan. I have learned alot from yall about what i should do and not do. Thank you very much. W. P. Curry

You folks nailed it. I love the dog shots. It's so refreshing to see a couple doing things much like we did about 40 years ago, although we were aboard a 27' sailboat. When you get to be old f4rts like we are (70's), you might find, like we did, that a houseboat isn't a bad way to go. 72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/05/introduction.html 72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2012/09/houseboat-2000-miles-to-lake-powell.html

You guys should check out the Great Lakes on your boat.

You two are livin the life. Thanks for the insight.

You two are smart thanks for the video . Very helpful

I found this pretty helpful I'm planning on living on a sailboat and working in DC I figured it would be cheaper than a house or apartment

I have a question? How do you make $1040.00 a month living on a boat?

How much does it cost to live on a boat ? AS MUCH AS YOU HAVE ! But you did a great job in putting out the numbers. Of course this is your minimum... and maintenance can be a lot higher when something big breaks... Like to eat out and drink a lot of alcohol? cha ching! I figure when I retire in 3 years it will cost me about 1500 per month, and that is with a $250/month savings for delayed maintenance fund. I don't drink, eat healthy, won't use insurance, but will have a older boat that will need a lot of upkeep. Initial costs around 40-50K. And factor in a full refit at year 5 or so.....

I've always wanted to live on a boat. The idea of living on the sea always interested me, since I grew up watching allot of things like boat documentaries and cartoons like flapjack. Thanks for giving me an idea! I'm gonna be moving out in a few years so I'm looking forward to this.

i used to be friends with a woman years ago who lived on a sailboat when she was young with her first husband before they had children. everybody thought they were so incredibly cool. they both had jobs in the boston area and kept their boat mostly docked for their jobs, but then sailed on weekends and vacations all around. they were both happy with this until they had a child and promptly moved off the boat. my friend said that she developed problems with her lungs from living on a boat and breathing in basically mold all around around her. i hope you guys are on to this matter and have your ventilation figured out, because she said it compromised her lung function at a young age. i lost touch with her cuz we were friends before the age of computers and people used to lose track of each other in the old days and she ended up fighting other battles, breast cancer and a divorce, and i just don't know how she is doing, but apparently because you are surrounded by water all around you while you sleep in an enclosed space, there is a greater risk of mold exposure.

repairing and make it running as per the budget is best , and people travel long and look amazing to c people around travel and show case what they have that best out look

Good video. Living aboard is awesome, but we switch back and forth from houses to boat and usually at a marina. And another note, we own Endless Summer Charters in the Keys :) So we're going to need our name back (j/k). Happy and safe travels!

I'm going to get a weekend cruiser powerboat. Maintenance will be very few. Instead of using my toilet I'll use trash bags and once a week go to shore.

I think rule of thumb, is 15% of the value of your boat per year. That is based on newer boats, not ragged out derelicts This should cover maintenance and general expenses. Food and booze may be extra..

Nothing for insurance? What about your Towaboat membership?

I have a 29' cruiser. I want to upgrade to a bigger boat but thinking about displacement instead of planing. Did you go with a trawler for fuel efficiency? They seam like better open sea boats and capable of longer ranges at displacement speeds. Cool channel. I subscribed.

My youngest (14) and I are planning next year when his brother graduates and on his own, to liquidate land assets and have a boat life. Looking @ 42' - 45' catamarans in Florida or up the E. coast. Possible, occasionally doing some chartering sunset cruises and/or to the Bahamas. We really enjoy your channel as well as other live aboards. (Sailing La Vagabon

as of 11/1/2018… i'm still living on my small houseboat that is only 55ft long and 15ft wide (its a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom with full size bathtub as well)…. I've been living on my houseboat for over 5 years on a large fresh water lake in Georgia just north of Atlanta. i pay $375/month for a covered 50ft slip, uncovered slips can be much less, (around $275/month)… i pay on average about $125/month for dock electric, i never use my generators, because the power rarely goes out for more than a total of 4 hours per year. Water/garbage and hi-speed WiFi here at this marina is free, and i don't really have engine maintenance because i never drive my houseboat, i keep a 20ft pontoon for that. Pump out for my houseboat's sewer is only $50/month. i have a DirecTV satellite dish i mounted myself to the dock for a better signal. ( i have about 50 channels and pay $50/month) So, there you have it…. i'm spending less than $650/month living "on" the water. If i didn't keep 5 separate refrigerators running at all times and weren't under a covered slip and were happy with about 12 free airwave TV channels…. you could easily live on a boat for less than $450/month. ( some of the fancier marinas cost about 40% more for the slip fee because of armed guards and gated entrances and floating restaurants ) For those that are thinking about living on a boat…. mine cost under $35,000 5 years ago…. i've seen boats like mine go for as little as $15,000 for a fixer upper to up to $65,000 for top of the line upgrades and remodels…. meaning, granite counter tops through out and 6 man hot tubs on the upper deck roof with an extra full kitchens and electric black out curtains.

Interesting! Thank you.

wow...my old lady would love this

Your food costs is about the same as mine, for my wife and I One couple said Benamahas was cheap. Their cruising rates were high but the abundance of high quality sea food for spear fishing, more than made up for their sailing charges. They rarely ate out there.. They said lunch out for 3 with one beer each, costs them $200 US.

Very helpful Great life Enjoy it guys

You guys are awesome!! Love your videos. Keep up the great work

Thank you! This was very helpful! I’m thinking of moving to a houseboat in the future.

I always worry about bad weather and high waters..I would love to live on a boat though!

Bro. You have the life I dream of!!!!

where does the dog do his business?

Do not feel so bad. We spend $27k a year on food. Im figuring we can cut that back a bit. Just by owning a boat. We eat more on boat then going out. Service is not so great anymore in LA. We just do it to get out. We cook better too! But if we had a boat we would be out! Plus I want one LoL Thanks for the Video!

Just stumbled upon this channel and LOVE it ...We have been self employed our entire lives, have four kids(almost all grown), horses, dogs, a big farm, and a 1973 Trojan Sportfisher(our starter boat)..We are in the process of starting our life living on a boat during the New England winter months...will be selling our starter boat soon to find a trawler...I am really curious if you make any cash to live on doing other things or from You Tube sharing...I know others have asked and you have not answered yet but I truly hope you can share so the landlubbers out here can get the true picture...thanks and keep vlogging!

Why not get a long hose and attach to your snorkel so you can stay down longer when scraping off the hull? Great video and v helpful thanks!

Hello, thank you very very much for your great Videos with alot of information. Kind regards from Zurich, Switzerland.......Stephan

You guys are a cute couple it's a beautiful thing to be living like this out on the open ocean! You sweety a great example to the young who should consider this life style as it is special and not so stressful like the everyday rat race we all have been lead to believe to be the norm. Good bless you both and your cool doggy be safe and sail on wards🚣‍♂️🚣‍♀️Thanks for your video info!❤

There is any insurance?

I'll share my experiences, I live on a 2015 sunseeker predator 68 with boat payments and insurance and food and water I play around 2500 a month but that's in the summer, in winter I like to keep it at about 1500 cause I don't move b/c of winterizing it and I use the outboard rib Stowe's away in the garage to get around

What do you guys do for money? Looks like a ton of fun! Just started watching the videos but so far they are great! Keep up the good work!

Very informative and helpful Thanks.. Smooth sailing

Very cool and informational. Thanks.

8400$ a year. For Food & Drink..Really R YOU Nuts!!!! Have U ever Heard of Sam's or Costco. Buy In Bulk. Stop Eating Out. I live in an RV so Kinda know how Not to spend money.

I can just imagine going fishing and swimming then coming in for a shower and bed. You got a working shower on that boat right!? You should do a tour of the boat and what it costs to use all of these and what is it like to park somewhere in the middle ocean and camp their for a week or two. That would be great to know. Thanks!!

That's about the same as I pay in expenses now, but I don't get the fun experience. Would love to live on a boat in Northern California

Enjoyed your video....thinking on doing something like this. I am from Nova Scotia, thinking on buying a boat in Florida living 6 months of winter. Then sail it back here in summer and sell it as boats are much higher here.

700 for food and drinks is much.. Thanks for sharing very informative, but men, i love how you guys live! But what about insurance and stuff?

THANK YOU for your video! It really helped

Where do you find insurance on older boats? Boat U.S. for example doesn't insure boats over 40 years old and others appear to be following that trend.

Nice breakdown and well presented.

Thanks for Sharing......Can you do a video what things you look for in a boat ? we love Sailing cats along with the twin motors.....

Wow, I found those numbers on the light side. Even with doing most of the boat work yourself. This boat is not in good cosmetic shape. You have to ask yourself it the exterior looks bad how well did they keep up the life saving stuff? Like dependable motors. I am sure these young people got a great price but I would have just walked away. Good boats are like good Classic Cars. The exterior and the mechanical and electrical systems have to be cared for because of the salt air. Find a good Surveyor. You don't want to skip a few hundred bucks here. I miss it but it was the best life I lived when I had the chance. Good Luck!

Nice job. Thanks.

Your videos are fun to watch and some are really helpful. Keep up the great work. I thinking I may want to take kiteboarding lessons the next time on in Florida. Would you consider teaching me?

Thanks I need that info. thinking of making a boat my second home looking at a 42' sports fisher. want to fish the gulf and Caribbean by 50.

Awesome thanks for heads up

Looks awesome living the dream man

ok! but how you make money?

Hi, one thing you didn't mention was insurance. I assume you at least have liability insurance on your boat. If it breaks loose from its mooring and slams into a million dollar yacht, it would be nice to be insured :-)

someone in my local town has three junky boats a bit bigger than yours, I'm thinking about buying one and restoring it, then I might try living on it some day, I don't know though

Great info thanks great video

I like to see more video about your life on your second-hand catamaran that you have purchased I have seen only one or two video of it.