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Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Paul Clayton
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The Best And Worst Things About Living On A Sailboat
Living on a sailboat can be an extraordinary experience with unique advantages and challenges. Moving out of your home to live on a sailboat may seem very tempting.
- Freedom and Adventure: Sailboats offer unparalleled freedom and a sense of adventure.
- Connection with Nature: Sailing allows for deep immersion in the natural world.
- Lower Living Costs: Sailboat living can be more affordable than traditional homes.
- Limited Space: Sailboats have confined living quarters, limiting comfort and storage.
- Lack of Stability: Sailboats can be unstable, with weather conditions affecting travel.
- Maintenance and Repairs: Sailboats require frequent maintenance and unexpected repairs.
But as anyone considering a significant change in their life, you are probably worried about what awaits you once you step on the footboard.
Let us give you a little perspective on living on a sailboat by overviewing its best and worst aspects.
The Best Things About Living on a Sailboat
Nature & Wildlife
Being close to nature is one of the most significant aspects of living a full-time sailboat.
When you live on a boat, you become a part of nature and obtain many unexpected “neighbors” whether you want it or not.
You will often see sea birds perching on your boat or dock lines, maybe demanding a snack. Dolphins may also visit you and blow at you to get your attention.
And, of course, you get to observe how the sun goes beyond the horizon – a renowned and revered scene among seafarers and even people who live far from the shore.
Freedom
Living on land, you can travel anywhere, but you will always have to come back. On a sailboat, you will face no such restrictions – no commitments and complete freedom are arguably the most significant benefits of living in a full-time sailboat.
You are free to go anywhere and even stay there if you are willing to travel thousands of miles. And if you find a particularly likable place, you can stay there forever.
New Places, New People
The travel aspect of sailboat living comes from the freedom to go anywhere, but we thought we should mention it separately since it’s also significant.
Compared to full-time living in an RV, you will arguably see fewer interesting things while living on a sailboat. On an RV, you can pay a visit to any inland location that can be accessed by a vehicle.
With a sailboat, you are restricted to seaside cities and areas.
Does this mean you will quickly run out of places to visit on a sailboat? No, we think that a single lifetime isn’t enough for anyone to experience everything traveling on a sailboat can offer.
Plus, you have the bonus of being closer to the sea, which is excellent if you like fishing or enjoying the views.
A great thing about traveling on a sailboat is that you don’t have to deal with any hotels. This is great regarding your budget and means that you don’t need to do any packing before traveling.
You can also meet many new people along the way. When you live on a sailboat, you have more things in common with your neighbors than if you lived on land.
First and foremost, you’ve chosen the same lifestyle, which is far more important than your hobbies or where you are from.
By sharing your boating ups and downs with others, you can create a deep and lasting bond with those you meet.
Economy
Is the transition to full-time sailboat living cheap? No, it certainly isn’t. It would help if you bought a sailboat, first of all, not to mention all the small things you may need to ensure a comfortable pastime.
But once you switch from an apartment to a boat, you receive the chance to reduce your costs dramatically.
Small living space on a sailboat is much cheaper than heating a tiny house or apartment. Living on your boat also means you don’t owe anything to anyone—all the money you spend directly goes to satisfying your needs.
You can save significantly on maintenance or repairs with the knowledge and tools. If your boat does not have engines, you will save vast amounts of money on operating a motor.
You may also stay in a marina and never go out, not having to ever worry about electricity and its costs. You need to pay some fees for staying in a marina, but those are negligible compared to what you’d spend at home.
Simplicity
Unless you are wealthy, the moment you step aboard your sailboat, you will have to forget about all your wasteful habits.
Your boat will most likely have much less living and storage space than your house or apartment, so you will have to make many compromises to ensure that you stay comfortable.
Anything that pointlessly takes up space on your boat must stay outside. You can only take the bare minimum with you unless you have a super-large boat where free space isn’t a big concern.
Your eating habits will also change. You will most likely need to reduce your calorie consumption to minimize the number of trips to the shore after food and optimize your budget.
A pleasant bonus of this is that you may be able to lose weight (if that’s a problem for you, of course).
At first glance, simplicity may not sound like an advantage. Who wouldn’t want to live in luxury and be lavish? However, living on a sailboat teaches you a precious lesson – how to be efficient.
Satisfaction
Many challenges and hardships await you aboard your ship, but there may be something in them that will deliver unparalleled satisfaction to you.
You are on your own. When things go wrong, it is up to you to figure everything out and bring things back into order.
You will probably limit yourself to many pleasures, but you will instead gain the ability to make resource-efficient decisions.
Solving complex tasks, you are going to feel better about yourself. You are going to enhance your self-esteem.
Besides, you may also be tickled that you are doing something that only a few people are doing and that many are interested in.
Security
Living in a sailboat can be no less safe than in a house or apartment. Furthermore, staying in a good marina may give you much better security than you could have ever dreamed of.
Good marinas have security guards, access gates, and good police protection, so you can be sure you will be as safe as in your old home.
Your neighbors will also contribute to the marina’s security. They know who belongs to the marina and who does not, and anything suspicious will provoke a reaction in them (and also in you if you notice anything).
The Worst Things about Living on a Sailboat
Hauling Things on and Off the Boat
No matter whether you are moored in a marina or anchored a little away from the shore, hauling things on and off the boat will become a headache, especially if you are in an unfamiliar area.
Believe us; you must frequently leave your boat to find supplies and eliminate the accumulated waste. Arguably, this is the biggest issue with living on a sailboat.
The best way to alleviate this problem is to stay in a marina, but mooring in one very often isn’t free. If you don’t have the budget, your only option will be to anchor as close to the shore as possible.
The downside of being anchored in the sea is that you will need to use your dinghy every time you want to get on the shore to dump your waste or buy supplies.
And then, if you are unlucky with where you moored your dinghy, you may need to waste a few hours trying to get your job done and then getting back onto the ship.
Resource Management
Resource management is a big issue in every aspect of our lives, even more so when living on a sailboat.
When out on the water, not only is your budget a concern, but you also need to think about optimizing your use of onboard resources so that you minimize your trips to the shore.
The most problematic resource is freshwater. For specific applications, washing with seawater and rinsing with freshwater may suffice.
But you can’t drink seawater, nor can you use seawater in devices like pumps or washing machines (if you have those) since its mineral component is very damaging to them.
Freshwater isn’t the only resource you will need to use sparingly while onboard, but it’s the most demonstrative of the importance of resource management on a sailboat.
Waste Dumping
Waste dumping isn’t the worst thing about living on a sailboat, but it’s one of the least pleasant things.
This will hugely depend on the availability of dump-out stations in your area, though, and on whether your boat has an accessible waste drain (it most likely will).
If the dump-out station is positioned close to the shore so that you can just run a hose from the boat’s waste drain to the station’s port, you are lucky.
Otherwise, you would need to dump all the waste into a container, which you would then need to take to a dump station.
Waste dumping, thus, is not only quite an unpleasant procedure but also very time-inefficient.
Seasickness
Not everyone suffers from seasickness, and it won’t be an ever-present problem in the sea either. However, the constant motion of the boat is a massive catalyst for seasickness, even in people who have never experienced it on board before.
Anchored in a calmer area with minimal boat traffic and calm weather, you are less likely to experience seasickness.
But if a few larger ships pass by or if the weather is windy, expect to experience some severe seasickness. It should get easier for you as time passes. And God forbid if all those wave-generating factors happen at once!
Lack of Space
This might be quite a surprising downside of sailboat living, but many sailboats out there suffer from a catastrophic lack of room.
In this sense, RVs—which are also frequently used for full-time living—can be much more efficient since a larger portion of their body is occupied by interior compartments.
This is not the case with sailboats, especially cheaper ones. A 40-foot sailboat often offers less free space and comfort than a 40-foot RV, even though sailboats can be much wider and taller than RVs.
This might surprise many newcomers to full-time sailboat living, but you will have to deal with it unless you have the budget to buy a large boat that offers residential-grade comfort.
With sailboats, you get limited sleeping space, kitchen space, entertainment space, and everything else. Due to this, sailboat living isn’t the best choice for people who like to have a little more comfort.
Lack of Appliances
The lack of appliances is linked to the lack of space and comfort, but it is big enough to be mentioned as a separate point.
We again have to make comparisons with RVs since they are another trendy choice for full-time living.
Most RVs—apart from the cheapest and most compact models—will have the majority of appliances that you would have at home.
The only thing that most RVs lack is laundry appliances, but these are fairly easy to install if you have time, money, and free room in the RV.
On the other hand, sailors often lack critical appliances like full-sized stovetops or refrigerators. Many RVs come with those, albeit often in a smaller form factor than you’d have at home.
Unless you spend additional money on a stovetop and a refrigerator, you often don’t have these conveniences on a sailboat.
Sailboats likewise frequently lack laundry machines, as do RVs. However, the problematic thing with boats is that you need to go to the shore and then find a washhouse to get your clothes washed and cleaned.
This is much easier on an RV since you can drive directly to the washhouse without using dinghies or taxis.
Inadequate Bathrooms
Sailboats share their inadequately sized bathrooms with RVs. Though you can find RVs or sailboats with residential-style bathrooms, you will have to spend some money on such a vessel.
Sailboat bathrooms – or heads, which is how bathrooms on watercraft are called – are very often cramped. Not only that, they often combine the shower and toilet – due to this, every time you take a shower, the entire bathroom gets wet.
If this wasn’t enough, you also have little to no countertop space in sailboat bathrooms. Sinks are also a luxury in boat bathrooms.
And yeah, you should know that sailboats often have poor toilets that get clogged easily and are uncomfortable. Replacing the toilet could solve this issue, but this little project will require some investment.
Difficult Maintenance
You don’t need to do maintenance on a sailboat too often, but if something decides to break down, things can get very annoying.
You can consider yourself lucky if you’ve had a minor breakdown that can be repaired with a temporary solution or if you have all the necessary tools and spare parts onboard. But what if you don’t have what you need to resolve the issue?
You guessed it right: You would need to go to the shore, find a boat store, and spend money on spare parts or tools. Sailboat maintenance can thus be not only costly but also very time-consuming if you aren’t prepared.
Before committing yourself to offshore life, ensure that you bring all the tools and parts that would allow you to do lighter repair and maintenance work without stepping onto the shore.
That way, you can save time and money when dealing with less severe issues, while leaving the boat and going to a boat store will be reserved for severe malfunctions.
Power Limits
Once you leave your home to live in an RV or sailboat, you realize you’ve taken residential electricity for granted. Of course, you had to pay for your power expenditure, but you’ve never had to worry about power limits.
On a boat, you have two options: You can have your own power source or rely on the power grid of a marina.
If you stay in a marina, it probably will have a power source, though you should still have a marine generator to have power when off-grid.
You have two options for your power source: a generator or a solar power system. Both are excellent options for portable power sources, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Generators are cheaper upfront, but you will need to keep them fueled so that they produce power. This means you will occasionally have to go to the store and spend money to buy fuel.
Solar power systems are more expensive to set up but more cost-efficient in the long term. Plus, unlike generators, they produce no noise, which may make them much more appealing to some people.
As you can see, supplying your boat with electricity requires some extra planning, which can be avoided at home if you don’t care about the power draw.
Leaks
Various kinds of leaks also become a huge problem. While the worst leaks can sink your boat, you are far more likely to encounter a more minor leak that comes through the deck or hatches right onto your face while sleeping.
It can be frustrating to have your sleep disturbed by a leak, but it is even more frustrating to try and localize the source of the leak.
And maybe the worst thing is that no matter how careful you are while sailing, you aren’t safeguarded from small leaks – these can happen due to poor hatch sealing by the manufacturer, for example.
And you won’t discover anything wrong with the boat’s sealing until a leak occurs when you least expect it.
Pet Care
If you have pets, prepare for a wide range of problems. If you have a cat or another pet that doesn’t require occasional walks, your biggest problem will be disposing of its waste.
But if you have a dog, ensuring sufficient activity for them will become an issue.
We’d say that the easiest way of dealing with this issue is to have your boat moored in a marina where you can quickly go to shore and walk your dog. And all in all, staying at a marina can make many things easy for you.
Lack of Social Interaction
You are essentially isolated from the outside world when onboard and anchored somewhere in the sea. It’s straightforward to stay in touch if you have the internet, but you will lack in-person interaction with friends and relatives.
This may be a big problem for some people, while others won’t even remotely care about it. However, it’s a thing that you will have to think about and live with, especially if you will be spending most of your time away from the shore.
Storms
Oh, those storms—the biggest fear of experienced and inexperienced sailors alike. You may have the world’s best-equipped and most luxurious sailboat, but even she won’t resist nature’s violent onslaught.
In coastal states, storms and even hurricanes are very common. On land, you can either evacuate or ride the storm out. On a sailboat, you won’t have such an opportunity.
Due to this, you will have to be very strategic about where and when you are. If you happen to be far away from the shore when a hurricane hits you, you have no choice but to pray that your boat will withstand it.
If you know that a hurricane is coming to your location and you are close to the shore, then you should moor your sailboat at a safe marina, take all the valuables with you, and get away from the boat to another, safer location.
Then, you must hope the hurricane doesn’t shred your boat. There is nothing you can do to oppose nature aboard your perhaps impressive yet highly fragile boat.
With that being said, the best option would be to think ahead and stay away from areas where storms or hurricanes are expected.
While speaking of weather, you should remember that lightning is also a significant concern. Lightning loves to strike the highest thing it can find. If your boat has the tallest mast in the marina, the lightning will likely choose it for its attack.
To safeguard your boat from lightning’s effects, you need to ground it so that the lightning finds a safe course through the boat and into the water.
Dinghy Storage
We’ve already mentioned that going from the boat to the shore and then back for supplies and to dump waste can be time-consuming and annoying.
However, we haven’t mentioned the problem of storing your dinghy while you are away doing whatever you need to do on the shore.
First, you need to find a safe place to keep your dinghy so that it won’t be stolen. Then, you need to tie it securely to the shore so that it won’t be driven away by waves or wind.
If you live in a marina, things are much easier – you can keep the dinghy tied to your boat, put it on the deck, or place it in the marina’s storage rack if it has one.
Mooring
Mooring is another big problem you must take care of when living full-time on a sailboat. If you don’t intend to travel, you can pick a proper marina in your area and stay there without worry.
But what if you are in a foreign place and must moor your sailboat? In this case, you won’t necessarily find a good marina that fits your needs and budget.
Some marinas are trashy and offer poor-quality facilities, while others are excessively luxurious and are beyond your financial capabilities.
Also, some marinas do not allow liveaboards, and some only allow a small percentage of moored boats to be liveaboards.
So yeah, if you are used to staying in marinas, you may have a problem when moving to a new area. You could avoid this by researching local marinas beforehand so that you know whether you will have to anchor in the sea or not.
Speaking of staying anchored away from the shore, if this is how you prefer to keep your boat, then this won’t be as big of a problem for you.
Mold and Corrosion
Depending on the part of the world you are in, mildew and mold can be a headache during your boating adventure. Mold looks ugly and can lead to respiratory problems if not addressed promptly.
Besides, everything on the boat will want to rust. Rust can lead to severe complications, starting with broken equipment and ending with sinking or setting your boat on fire.
Due to this, you need to pay special attention to the measures you are taking to safeguard your boat from corrosion.
Is Living Full-time on a Sailboat Worth It?
You’ve probably noticed that the cons of living on a sailboat outnumbered the pros. If you quickly search on Google, you will find many more posts about the cons than the pros.
Does this mean that full-time living on a sailboat isn’t worth it?
Well, there are no definitive answers to this question.
Living on a sailboat presents many challenges, many unpleasant and a few outright dangerous. However, this is one of the things that appeals to those who’ve decided to switch to full-time sailboat living.
Some people—probably most—don’t like radical changes in their lives. They don’t like motion and prefer to live a calmer life, which may seem boring to some people.
On the other hand, there are adventurous people, those who need to do something new every day.
The blood boiling in the veins of these people is going to force them to go beyond the limits of their current life, and fixed routines are going to bore them to death quickly.
Living on a sailboat is one excellent way to add adrenaline. You aren’t in constant danger but are arguably much less safe than at home.
Weather is your and your sailboat’s enemy. Every malfunction on the boat poses many inconveniences, and you are forced to give up on your lavish habits and live efficiently.
This is unacceptable for some people, but for others, it is the lifestyle they have always dreamed of.
Quantitatively, the pros of living in a full-time sailboat may be lost to their cons. But qualitatively, we think that they are far ahead of the downsides.
The worst things about living on a sailboat aren’t necessarily accompanying you throughout your journey. You aren’t always going to suffer from leaks, and you likewise aren’t worried about power or dumping your waste if you stay in a good marina.
The benefits, though, are that they will accompany you anywhere, except maybe for safety since it depends on the marina you are staying in.
Ultimately, some people will find the sailboat lifestyle unbearable, while others will consider it insanely charming. Which category of people do you belong to?
Final Words
Living on a sailboat has its upsides and downsides. On the positive side, the best things about sailboat living include the freedom and adventure it offers.
Sailboats provide a unique sense of freedom, allowing individuals to explore the open waters and travel to various destinations. This sense of adventure can be exhilarating and fulfilling for those seeking a more unconventional lifestyle.
Another advantage of living on a sailboat is the close connection with nature. Sailing allows individuals to immerse themselves in the natural world, surrounded by the vastness of the ocean and the beauty of marine life.
Moreover, sailboat living can be more affordable than traditional homes, making it an attractive option for those looking to reduce their living costs.
With lower expenses for utilities and mortgage payments, individuals can enjoy a more financially sustainable lifestyle on a sailboat. However, there are also some drawbacks to consider.
The limited space on sailboats can be a significant challenge, restricting comfort and storage options. Living quarters are often confined, requiring individuals to adapt to a smaller living space.
Additionally, sailboats can be unstable, especially in adverse weather conditions. This lack of stability may affect travel plans and require individuals to adjust based on weather forecasts.
Furthermore, sailboats require frequent maintenance and unexpected repairs. Sailing exposes boats to wear and tear, necessitating regular upkeep and occasional repairs.
In conclusion, living on a sailboat offers unparalleled freedom and adventure, uniquely connecting individuals with nature. It can also provide a more affordable lifestyle option.
However, the limited space, lack of stability, and the need for maintenance and repairs are essential factors to consider before making this lifestyle choice.
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