comments to me.
This page updated:
March 2009
Magnolia's current
log file
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Please send any comments to me. This page updated: March 2009 Magnolia's current log file |
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1973 Gulfstar 44 for sale, asking $90k. Currently in the Virgin Islands. Contact Bill Dietrich. |
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John Viera (met him in Ft Myers Beach) Steve on Manana (met him in Luperon) |
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From Bill Tracey:
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I'm very tempted to rip out the built-in freezer box and AC-powered air-cooled compressor, and replace them with a self-contained ready-built 12V freezer (just roll it into place, bolt it down, connect wires). Major drawback: it would be air-cooled (water-cooled performs better). And the cabinetry wouldn't look as nice as a built-in box. Advantages: Easy to install, clean, service, and replace it. Probably far cheaper than building a new box. Free up space used by compressor now. Have decided I don't need the extra capacity right now; will do nothing. |
Sea-water pump costs about $80; maybe could use air-conditioner's pump. But probably AC. Complete 12V constant-cycling air-cooled freezer: Novakool F2600-DC, 2.4 cuft, 35 w-hrs/hr in 100 deg ambient, 20"x20"x18"D, $910. Novakool F3800-DC, 3.5 cuft, 45 w-hrs/hr in 100 deg ambient, 29"Tx20"Wx18"D, $970. Planet DC at RParts: 12V only, no inverter inside; large shipping charge. Model 36RF: 3.6 Cubic Feet, $740 plus shipping, refrig/freezer. |
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Yes. Although it's been painful a few times, inconvenient
and frustrating many times, and selling the boat could be
hard, it's been worth it.
I needed to change my life, to get out of a rut. All I was doing was going from apartment to cubicle, back and forth. Some tennis and hiking on weekends. One good foreign vacation each year. Putting lots of money in the bank. But not doing anything new. Well, in 39 months of living on a boat, I've changed in a hundred ways, been places most people never get to, learned and done many new things. And I've just scratched the surface of the possibilities. I've learned a lot about piloting, living aboard, maintenance, retirement, the coastal USA. I haven't begun to learn about nature, languages, foreign cultures, history, a musical instrument, lots of other things to do. And I've had lots of free time for reading books and magazines and listening to radio. The worst things: not having a paycheck, watching the stock market take away a big chunk of my savings, not having medical insurance, trying to sleep when it's hot and humid, feeling you're shackled to the boat and have to be on it or check on it every day, some loneliness. ... Some people ask if living aboard at a dock would be good for them to do; would it be cheap, fun, not too hard, let them still have a job and a car and so on. But the only reason I'd live on a boat is to be able to cruise. Living at the dock or in one place forever doesn't appeal to me, and there are many drawbacks to living on a boat. The worst is trying to sleep on a hot, humid, rainy night with no air-conditioning. And in expensive housing markets (just about every coastal city, these days), so many people have tried anything to get affordable housing that the live-on-board lifestyle has become very expensive and very regulated. In some places, marinas are not allowed to have more than a certain percent of slips used for liveaboard. Marinas are being bought and torn down to build condos. Slip prices have skyrocketed. ... What would I have done differently ? It would have been nice to "ease into" the lifestyle, instead of quitting job, moving across the country, and right onto the boat full-time. Getting an apartment and maybe a job for 6 months while boat-buying and then starting to learn the boat would have been better. ... As of 9/2006: one thing I would do differently now: not go to Florida ! The stories I read are very alarming: Florida is becoming totally hostile to living aboard and/or anchoring. One or both are being outlawed in most of Florida, it seems. And marinas and boatyards are disappearing, bought out to build waterfront condos. If I were looking to buy and live aboard today, as a US citizen, I think I'd go to Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands and buy and cruise/live there instead of in Florida. |
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It's a very individual choice. Making the transition was
stressful even for me, a single guy living in an apartment, with lots of money.
The same transition for a couple with kids, pets, a house or two, maybe
older, maybe less healthy, maybe less available money, maybe
more ties to church or neighborhood, would be harder.
Think long and hard before doing it. Research it: read this web site, especially my Lifestyle of Living on a Boat page. Also, there's more and more pressure against this lifestyle, as the coasts get built up and towns get desperate for more revenue and more space. Marinas are being sold and demolished to build waterfront condominiums. Marinas are restricting the number of liveaboards, mostly because they use the facilities more than non-resident boaters. Towns are outlawing anchoring and filling their harbors with moorings that cost $5 to $10 or more per night. Spilling oil anywhere, or running aground in coral or protected areas, can result in huge fines. Countries are raising their entry fees or the prices of their cruising permits. Boat insurance costs are skyrocketing, and more restrictions are being added. Canals and marinas and waterways are silting up, and environmental rules and government lack of funding are preventing dredging. But the first step toward doing it, simplifying your life, is worth doing anyway. Start getting rid of material possessions right now. That pays off in many ways, even if you don't end up on a boat. Same for the other big step: saving money (mainly, stop spending it). |
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This is hard to say, because a lot of the boat costs
have been things that should have been upgraded 5 or 10 years
ago (gate valves, charging system, ground tackle).
And I've put off some costs (some rigging, new sails, air conditioner repair,
freezer upgrade).
Now that the upgrades are mostly done, I think boat maintenance will be $5k per year or less (doing virtually all the work myself). Fuel another $1K to $2K per year (but rising). I think I'm living on $5k per year of personal expenses. But I've always lived cheaply; I don't go to restaurants and bars, don't buy a lot of stuff. See the "My Costs To Date" section of my Costs page. |
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I go ashore to a library and access the internet there. Or get Wi-Fi somewhere.
Almost all USA libraries have free internet access these days. About half don't let you use a floppy; a very few block email web sites. In some towns, I have to go to a cybercafe and pay to get access, or to get access with floppy disk. To update my web site, I:
More and more, Wi-Fi signals are becoming common. This means I can connect my own laptop to the internet, which is great for copying files back and forth, and updating the software. Sometimes the Wi-Fi signals are inside libraries or (for a fee) cybercafes, but sometimes they can be found free on the street or even used right from the boat (the ultimate luxury). |
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I wash and rinse with fresh (drinking) water. Use liquid laundry detergent. Agitate by hand. Let it soak for a while. Dry the clothes on the lifelines. Probably takes 4-5 gallons of water for a small load; up to 10 gallons for a big load. Gets the clothes about 70% clean; not as good as machine-washing. |
I've left it anchored several times, and haven't had a problem yet.
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