I love this concept! I was thinking, I'm on the west coast but I want to winter in the Virgin Islands, but I wouldn't want to pay for to go through the Panama Canal, so I would have to go around the bottom of South America. Which would put me too close to Antarctica to pass up the opportunity to visit. This is how I ended up riding a bicycle around the world. And I'd absolutely have to bring my bicycle. How many people have ridden a bicycle in Antarctica?
Another great video, happy to see you branching out with CharlietheTruck. You make really helpful videos, and I'm really looking forward to seeing that applied to the box truck build. I got into the idea of tiny homes, and van/RV life, but the cost of both have gone up so much since they got popular on TH-cam. If you're trying to build new, you're looking at $60-80k+ for a van, probably close to $100k for a tiny house. When I realized that I got really into the thought of owning a liveaboard, I'm pretty sure it's the best bang for your buck in any budget range.
Great as always, Tim. A couple of points: - I've spent most of the last decade in both a campervan (Northern Hemisphere summer) and a 34ft Catalina (Southern Hemisphere summer). It's a great life. My partner and I always comment when we get back on the boat that we'd love to have the same sort of room (especially width) in the van as in the boat. Mind you, you'll probably beat that with Charlie :-). - The Catalina is also renowned for its amount of storage space, including behind the squabs. I've looked at Benneteaus and etc of the same size and they don't come close on that score. Neither does our amazingly well designed German campervan. - I had a laugh at your suggestion that you only need to empty the black water tank once a month. Either you're looking at boats with massive retrofits of these tanks, or you're doing most of your "business" when not on board. The same, of course, holds true for campervans. Talking with live-aboards, this is a major drawback with living at a marina unless it has facilities to pump out. Some don't, and I've heard macerators going in the middle of the night. Yuck.
Where I am in Northern Michigan there is an 8-10 year waiting list for boat slips, unfortunately. It’s also a 5 month option at best and runs about $7,500 for the summer season. I need to move.
Well Tim... I've watched all your videos. And taken your advice.. I'm now a proud owner of an "88" C&C 41. And I have no earthly idea what I'm doing. Yet so excited to do it.. if you ever get to texas.. look me up. I'd love to see what this baby can do... your friend.. Daniel..
I want to say thank you for your time in making these videos! I am currently looking for a fresh start in life. I’m in the Cleveland Ohio area and will taking some orientation classes or beginner classes to try to get up to speed. I lost my daughter last year as I’m writing you this on Father’s Day and it completely turned my world upside down. I always told her that I would end up in Daytona beach one day, little I knew it would be so quick. I don’t have much need for all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the years including the house I purchased that she grew up in… I’m 42 and looking to make the move in the next couple months. Hopefully find some work in the Daytona area and just live out the rest of this life. Sailing is a new idea for me and always romanticized the idea of living on a boat. I see some naysayers here but I won’t let that discourage me. Titusville sounds like a great option. I want to talk to you on your consult website and pick your brain one day soon. But I really just want to say Thank you for the encouragement you offer and insight you have gained through your years. It is very much appreciated!
Tim, Half of my career was spent building vehicles that are used worldwide. In fact National Geographic made feature about the industry and I both starred in it and proofed the script - about 15 years ago. I would ditch Charlie and buy an almost 70 year old GM bus from Omaha Transit thats been rebuilt and restored for your trek. You can come back here and thank me later as I do with most of your videos! Thank you!
I would love to live-a-board, but I'm currently tied pretty hard to the land above the snowline. Living on a sailboat isn't on option when the rivers and lakes freeze over, job isn't the type to let me work remote for several months at a time.
Congrats on the addition to your traveling homes! I've been living in a van since September of '21--and now want to find a boat, so kinda the opposite of your situation. I'll be watching your progress on all fronts-and learning the sailing end of things from watching your videos!
The problem with this is almost every harbor I inquired of, prohibits liveaboards or does not offer liveaboard slips. And if they do, the asking price is ridiculous. Not to mention (but I will) when I had my Catalina 30, a bunch of retired bossy old pharts were constantly monitoring my use, and continually reminding me living aboard was not allowed. Hundreds of people have keys to the bathrooms/showers too, so I didn't feel especially safe using them.
1. Attach a chain to something heavy 2. Drop heavy thing in water 3. Attach boat to chain 4. Go get a hooker and a massive bag of dope, drugs, or pot with all the money you save
I'm very curious about your design. I'll be watching for updates. The biggest problem with living on a boat, in a marina, is the noise. Get ear plugs! They really help with sleep. I lived in a cab-over camper for a couple years. The older ones are quite cheap. Most likely, the top will need replacing. Kits are $400 to $600. Spend the big money on the truck. Especially, if you are going to be driving long distances. If you have the funds, get a feather weight camper and put it on a V8 Tundra. If you do the speed limit, the Tundra does fine on gas. If it isn't fun, don't do it.
I love it, but you must be realistic. YOU need to be a hands on DIY person to do all the fixing that is required. If you can't, you will be paying somone else $$$
Man, what a great channel!!! I'm so glad I stumbled onto one of your earlier videos and SUBSCRIBED. If you were at the Annapolis boat show, you weren't too far from my pirate ship at Fell's Point (Baltimore Harbor). If we happen to find ourselves in the same area at the same time, you'll have to come aboard for a visit (and a rum!) Arrr!!! Right now, my schooner (and probably more than a thousand other pleasure boats) are trapped up above the Francis Scott Key Bridge due to it getting "totaled" by a cargo container ship a couple of weeks ago. What I really like about this video was that you're opening up a new world to the "tiny house" crowd. If someone's gonna' like a tiny house -- they'll LOVE living on a boat and, in some respects, they'll find they have more room on a boat! Well, more functional room, anyway. You sure picked a couple of great boats to showcase in your video. That 2002 Catalina 31 is a nice looking boat, but at $54k I think it's a bit on the expensive side. In fact, when I put my steel Colvin Gazelle (50-foot) up for sale later this year, it will probably be priced quite a bit lower. (Anybody interested?) I'm really "itching" to get my 50-year old Westerly Centaur (25-foot) "Opus Magnum-ed out" just the way I want it and get her gunkholing the Chesapeake Bay 'til the end of my days. Anyway, I'm gonna' head off to "Charlie the Truck" and get subscribed there, too. Wishin' ye smooth sailin' as onward ye float, an' good winds an' smooth seas an' friends in yer boat!
I keep my motor yacht at Titusville Marina. It's not that easy to get a full-time slip. There is a waiting list 1-2 years. If you have a nice boat, it's usually a shorter wait. Great marina!
I came the the same realizations about boats a couple years ago. Unfortunately I cannot buy one yet so if you could halt your rise to stardom that would be great
One added expense for a sailboat is the pump out for the toilet and fuel. Many marinas have free pump out if you can to it. Pump out services that come to you cost money. Boats at anchor will have to motor to the pump out. It’s illegal to dumb sewage overboard in most places. Cooking requires propane which isn’t cheap. But most marinas have free WiFi.
To operate any vessel with a motor you now have to have a boaters card. They just posted the notice on the gate for my dock. And my neighbor said they watch Coast guard inspect the boats at the launch ramp.
Boat slips in any reasonably serviceable location start at $25/ft./mo. - much more than quoted here. Boats have to be out-hauled annually to repair and prevent all kinds of issues. There are thousands of moving parts and components on a boat - all of them very costly. Visit a marina some day. They are all massively over-populated....and parking your car a mile or so from your "tiny home" will cost you a mint.
If you look around and can be resourceful you can usually find some way to work out the money draining problems. Some life/workstyles just won't work without spending a ton of money due to what's available in that specific area, while a couple of miles away, you can find something cheaper. I know of a co-op style yacht club in the Upper Chesapeake Bay that probably costs less than $1k per year to moor your boat, have access to a work dock and dingy dock, onshore bathrooms and showers, and a large, fenced, parking area that you can see from your boat. The "added" costs are that everyone puts in a few hours a month to the marina -- which also has a boat lift free for it's members to haul out and store their boats on the club's grounds during the Winter. My 50-foot schooner probably costs me $10k to have it in the Fells Point area of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, but has all sorts of amenities, gated access, fenced parking and something like 100 bars and restaurants in a 10 block area. There is also a LOT of so-called "cultural" stuff to do nearby as well. A parking garage in that area over a year's time would probably be about half as much as my marina fee! I also have to carry a $1-million liability insurance policy, too. But, even that's not "too" expensive. It's probably only a few hundred more than the Tow-Boat US "Golden Unlimited" towing insurance plan. The average rent for an apartment nearby would be about $3k per month AND you'd still have to pay for parking somewhere -- about $4,200 per year. There are many liveaboards at my marina and they're all saving lots of money over renting an apartment or buying a house and they all have the best waterfront views that the condo crowd has paid anywhere from $350k to $1-million for. Oh, and if something ticks them off or they get tired of the area, they can simply cut their docklines (none of us really ever does that unless we're drinking, pissed off about something, and want to make a dramatic point). O.K. untie their docklines, and find another place to live -- taking their 'water-house' with them. It's all a matter of taste, resourcefulness, attitude and a bit of luck now and then. There's also the possibility of finding someone who has a riverside home and a dock, who'd rent you a spot on their dock and let you park your car in their driveway. Or, maybe they want to sell their boat and will pony up with dockspace to seal the deal. Depending on "luck," you might get it relatively cheaply or free if you're willing to take care of their pool, mow their lawn, etc. There's always a way if you're willing to try. Sorry to drone on with this so long, but the "I can't get there from here" thing ruined many great opportunities for me during my younger years and I'd hate to see it happen to someone else. The truth is, you never really know until you give it a good, honest, try.
@@yepiratesworkshop7997 I saw those marinas in northern MD. Like the rest of NOMD at the time (maybe 15-20 years ago) that whole area was a wretched white-trash sh$t hole, to borrow a Trump term. Look, when it comes to anything I can float, fly or fu@k, I'm renting, borrowing or stealing it but I'm never buying it.
You are on the right track I started with a box truck I blew up the motor so I sold it and bought a trailer converted a race car trailer to a home lived in it for a year now for a year now into the west coast to the east coast and Back Again you will enjoy it
So good to see you’re still at this! We will be looking in earnest this Summer…. Will hit you up! (And yanks for the excellent personal consulting already!
The tiny house community has already been salvaging boat parts for ages. The problem is that, when you need to commute to a job, renting a slip is super-expensive.
I really enjoy your channel. And you are correct about nearly everything i've heard. But (you knew it was coming lol), I must caution against expecting to live free and easy at anchor in Florida. Lots of problems, like who will let you dock your dingy, who will give you WiFi access, and will it still be there when you get back from the store. Theft is a big problem, dingy and on board while away as well. Do billions of skeeters come out to visit every day at sundown? Happens in many places, they can fly out to a mile from shore in calm areas and are unbearable. Is there a local honey barge to pump you out? Often a legal requirement in FL , and the State wildlife people WILL board you and check your papers and receipts for pump out. The fact is NO ONE in FL much likes live-aboards who don't pay mooring fees... and some local cops will run you off whether its "Constitutional" or not. Arguing is not recommended ;)
Excellent as always! What was the second boat you showed with the greenish upholstery and separate chart desk, that is my cup of tea! I look forward to the Charlie the Truck footage
Could I have your opinion on the Harmony 42s? I'm looking at a Catalina, Oceanis & Jeanneau in the same size but I haven't seen much about this french built boat. Thank you so much for your brilliant videos!!
You forgot to mention shit breaks every day on a boat. Maintaining a boat costs and if you have any money you will spend all of it on youre boat. Ask me how i know. Live aboard 40 years so far. Bought my last boat a tayana 37 for 52,000. Then spent 250,000 over the next 20 years fixing it.
Tim, we love you too! You do amazing informational videos. I look forward to seeing your videos every week. I now sail lake Superior in part from watching your videos and realizing that YES, I can sail (and so can anyone else that has an interest in it)! You ROCK Tim!
No fair. My offer to this guy was that he had to tie BOTH hands behind his back for all future videos. Looks like he tried to get fancy and just tie back the right hand - and not permanently - so no cigar and no hundred bucks, buddy.
ive been thinking about this for years in south florida. say west palm beach south. and i know a ton of places these people anchor, but i dont understand where they are parking the car. i have to get to work and have been trying to figure out where they park. in multiple locations... im convinced they dont have cars
You got to ask yourself why are there so many boats for sale think about it you know what the abbreviation of B.O.A.T. means bring over another thousand😮
Don't do it. Take a class and then rent a boat. It is a money pit. You can buy them for as little as a dollar because people want rid of them. Slip fees, annual haul out, insurance, drunk rich people hanging out all day making sexual comments, the list of cons goes on and on. I got stuck in between 2 marinas during a low tide as an inexperienced sailor. The Coast Guard patrol refused to do anything, and a tow would cost fifteen hundred dollars to pull me four feet. Also there is no such thing as privacy. No one needs a warrant to board your vessel. Any Ship commercial or private is subject to search and seizure by local authorities., eather or not you live on the boat. So many things I wish I knew...
Tim!!! You just caused a giant light bulb to pop on in my head!! I have 20 acres on a vineyard and winery that I own. I was going to buy pre-fabricated tiny homes for airbnb guests but they are expensive. Why not buy old sailboats that are ready for the scrap yard and put them into a retirement life of housing airbnb guests?? Amazing idea. Thank you as always.
You could get the local excavator guy and a crane guy out and dig them into the ground up to the waterline and make a nice "arrangement", as such. And you would be spoiled for choice for cheap options for yachts. You don't need decent rigging, nav gear nor a functioning engine, just something that's neat and tidy down below that doesn't leak. And if you did come across a vessel with decent running gear/nav gear then salvage it and stick it in the classifieds. The only suggestion that I'd make is to stick to GRP or maybe ferro cement, in your circumstances. Timber won't last and condensation and heating will be a nightmare with steel.
Watch the video on the boat auction I watched the boat auction in Long Beach these things were crappy cuz they were lived on by like homeless people and stuff they might not be great for the water but if you wanted to like permanently put them on your land and just put them as airbnb's people were buying these things for $300 a piece there was a really nice 41 ft one didn't even sell you could have turned around and said hey I'll give you a hundred bucks that's what this one guy was doing cuz the minimum bid was $400 and none of them were selling he was like 300 300 and you just kept buying them just a scrap them out for their windows and their sales and their stainless steel cleats and stuff like that
So your trying to convince tiny house/vanlifer people to consider a sailboat as a better option......while you do the opposite in a box truck 😂. All good brother,long time subscriber here,keep up the good work. Just wanted to point out the irony.
@@LadyKSailing I still enjoy your content,im intrested in making small spaces livable,van,box truck,boat,diy camper.....all the same,but on different terms different ways to enjoy the world while we still can. I jyst saw some humor in this vid. Keep up the content,and thanx for sharing.
This is exactly what my wife and I did last month. Couldn't afford a home in this crazy market so I bought a 72' Columbia 30' for cheap, have been steady fixing it up since. Slip fees are cheap here in Tennessee. Recommend Progressive insurance for older boats like mine.
Tiny houses on land can be very difficult and expensive in terms of lost utility. I think a live on boat works best part time. Your travel truck needs a CB radio with an RF gain, such as a Uniden Pro 520. This whole episode is very cool.
I appreciate you're a "real sailboat" sailor but you're a sailing channel that just did a whole episode about using a sailboat as a tiny house, even turning a truck into one, and managed to never once even sputter the syllables "cat-a-ma-ran"! Come on, man! 😅
Hey man, you and I think alike. A sail boat was for sale on Craig’s for $1000 parked in the Key West bay. No docking cost! Mothball the gas engine. Buy a DC Trolling Motor. Run it on solar panels! Mount solar panels vertically on the mast!
Greetings Tim, I never thought other sailors would like tiny houses/tiny living. On your box truck, you can always put port holes, hatches and have an outside skin that is a photo of Lady K. Happy Sailing ⛵
I’m about ready to take the plunge. Living/working in Lorton VA the next few years. Tons of affordable boats available close by. First I need to find a reasonable marina that allows live boards within commuting distance. Any suggestions out there? Thanks!
Great idea I Ilved in a dox truck back in the nineties when I started a job in a different town and stayed in a rv park until I could sell my house I was so surprised how much I liked it when people told me I was crazy I told them I thought everyone knew that you will do great it will be like a boat except easier good luck
This exactly what my wife and I are doing at this very moment. House is sold, camper is cleaned, painted, and stocked up. In two days we cross the mountains to the sea where take our fist looks at the crop of boats we’ve been scouting online. If we’re lucky, an unlisted gem will show up in one of the marinas or anchorages we visit, and then the real adventure begins. Excited and terrified.
I've been wondering about the reality of sailing a boat during the summer (PNW) and for the winter, putting the boat on our (not yet) own private property with good wooden deck around it to make getting in and out easy. Then, launch it again in the Spring, Rinse and repeat. I suspect there are some local regulations that might stop this sort of alternative lifestyle?
There is no law against putting your boat "on the hard" i.e. up on a wooden cradle - (or on a trailer if it's a much smaller boat) on your personal property for the winter - as long as that is ok with the neighborhood housing authority or the local regulations where you live - if it's a larger boat you have to consider that you might possibly be hiring or renting a crane to get the boat in and out of the water - which can be quite expensive
Good for you Tim, I too am in a holding pattern until my kids get a little older. Been watching the sailboat market for a couple of years and my time is coming, good to see yours is too. Keep up the good work!
Long time watcher, thanks for keeping this channel going. I have one question and you might not answer it but it might be a good video idea. I live in TN and want to get into a boat, maybe you could do a video for us people stuck in the middle of the USA. I found several boats on craiglist on rivers or small lakes, some big as 30 ft. I'd like to buy one of these hopfully cheap and then fit it and practice sailing inland. Then once fitted i can make the trek down to the gulf and out to the ocean. Some of the challanges and things i dont know; how to use damns and locks? Can my boat be too big to fit in a lock? How tall are some of the bridge? Should i just motor the entire way to the gulf and then put up the mast? Any other issues sailing from the middle of the USA out to the open ocean? I have a good full time job here in the middle of the USA so its not really possible to buy a boat on the coast and make any progress. My thought is to buy a good enough boat 30-35ft one. maybe some place inland close by, sail/motor it to my local marina and slowly start fixing it up, until i can retire or get some good time off. i live a few miles from a lake that is connected to all the rivers so it would be possible to do. I'm thinking that i can get a cheap sailboat here and not worry about sails or the mast till i get to the gulf and just work on the boat first? Edit; if your ever around Nashville and need a parkingspot/plugin for Charlie let me know~
Great perspective I didn’t think of a sailboat is a tiny house but keep thinking about buying one so I can get one in Southern California which is the closest place to Las Vegas. So at least once a month I can go spend my time on the boat with my wife and kids Bring me too. When you get that truck finished you should let the channels know when you’re gonna go see what is the transcontinental race from Long Beach to Hawaii we love to meet you hang out for a moment and just enjoy some good company with good people
So, Tim, here's what I got going on. I'm a diesel mechanic/farmer, and am able to weld and work metal. I have some health issues, so not able to pay a lot. I'm not interested in a fiberglass boat, but a steel one. I understand iron, and am far more at home with it than fiberglass. What small iron sailing vessels can we pick up for cheap? (those spark plugs at 7:10 make me nervous. Do they still actually make boats with spark-ignition engines?)
A cruising friend sent me a link to this video. I would not have clicked on it otherwise. 25 years on a sailboat. I cannot recommend enough NOT to get excited about the idea. There are lots derelicts boats and derelict people on boats that are a serious problem. So many things not covered in this video. You might find this video entertaining. But I have no problem telling you, don’t do it. There is ALWAYS something to bust your budget. You can even find FREE boats. WARNING. THEY ARE SOMEONE ELSES LIABILITY. We looked at a bigger boat that was heartbreaking. If the owner had offered me that boat plus $30,000, I would have declined. There are boats going to the crusher that were once someone’s dream. We have lived in California, Mexico, Hawaii and now Fiji. I always hated hearing the line about the boat owners 2 best days. The day he buys and the day he sells. It was only a matter of time before I quit lying to myself about the 2nd best day. The friend (in NZ)who sent me the link said this when I mentioned the live aboard problems. Copy paste “We have the same here. People living on boats who should not. It sinks, floats away or burns down. They go get another one.”
May I get your two cent, five word advice on a Cascade 36? I heard they're built strong, but the issue was people could buy them as a kit, back in the 1970s. People would buy them, with no interior packages, and owners would design the interiors. That's what this one is, that I'm looking at. Interior cabinetry is missing, but it has all the wiring and through hulls. Engine is in stern area, with lots of room. Current owner wanted to make engine room into a bedroom. Just wondering your five word advice. Also...where's your tip jar? Some of these you-tube accounts have a 'thanks' option.
Amazing video Tim. The only downside is that you are eliminating lots of excuses. Love your observations. Now, I just have to run it by Mrs. 51%. Thanks, Tim
This might be the most confusing video you have ever posted. Where can you live year around on an anchor in the USA, or Canada? Economically? You didn't ever even mention Break Out Another Thousand. And then at the end as a long time sailor your plan for easy move anround place to live is to build an RV.......
This was my husband’s sales pitch to me since he knew I was fascinated with tiny homes! And now we’re transitioning to the boat as live aboards!!!
That means he loves you Cindy!
You got me, I was about to spend 100k on a used van. That could get one hell of a nice sailboat.
Tiny home that moves for free - ah the dream
I love this concept! I was thinking, I'm on the west coast but I want to winter in the Virgin Islands, but I wouldn't want to pay for to go through the Panama Canal, so I would have to go around the bottom of South America. Which would put me too close to Antarctica to pass up the opportunity to visit.
This is how I ended up riding a bicycle around the world. And I'd absolutely have to bring my bicycle. How many people have ridden a bicycle in Antarctica?
Another great video, happy to see you branching out with CharlietheTruck. You make really helpful videos, and I'm really looking forward to seeing that applied to the box truck build. I got into the idea of tiny homes, and van/RV life, but the cost of both have gone up so much since they got popular on TH-cam. If you're trying to build new, you're looking at $60-80k+ for a van, probably close to $100k for a tiny house. When I realized that I got really into the thought of owning a liveaboard, I'm pretty sure it's the best bang for your buck in any budget range.
Thanks for watching!
Great as always, Tim. A couple of points:
- I've spent most of the last decade in both a campervan (Northern Hemisphere summer) and a 34ft Catalina (Southern Hemisphere summer). It's a great life. My partner and I always comment when we get back on the boat that we'd love to have the same sort of room (especially width) in the van as in the boat. Mind you, you'll probably beat that with Charlie :-).
- The Catalina is also renowned for its amount of storage space, including behind the squabs. I've looked at Benneteaus and etc of the same size and they don't come close on that score. Neither does our amazingly well designed German campervan.
- I had a laugh at your suggestion that you only need to empty the black water tank once a month. Either you're looking at boats with massive retrofits of these tanks, or you're doing most of your "business" when not on board. The same, of course, holds true for campervans. Talking with live-aboards, this is a major drawback with living at a marina unless it has facilities to pump out. Some don't, and I've heard macerators going in the middle of the night. Yuck.
Currently van life-ing around Europe, but this is definitely my next plan!
Where I am in Northern Michigan there is an 8-10 year waiting list for boat slips, unfortunately. It’s also a 5 month option at best and runs about $7,500 for the summer season. I need to move.
Well Tim... I've watched all your videos. And taken your advice.. I'm now a proud owner of an "88" C&C 41. And I have no earthly idea what I'm doing. Yet so excited to do it.. if you ever get to texas.. look me up. I'd love to see what this baby can do... your friend.. Daniel..
That is awesome! Congratulations! :)
Hey Danny- where in TX? I'm in cc
I want to say thank you for your time in making these videos! I am currently looking for a fresh start in life. I’m in the Cleveland Ohio area and will taking some orientation classes or beginner classes to try to get up to speed. I lost my daughter last year as I’m writing you this on Father’s Day and it completely turned my world upside down. I always told her that I would end up in Daytona beach one day, little I knew it would be so quick. I don’t have much need for all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the years including the house I purchased that she grew up in… I’m 42 and looking to make the move in the next couple months. Hopefully find some work in the Daytona area and just live out the rest of this life. Sailing is a new idea for me and always romanticized the idea of living on a boat. I see some naysayers here but I won’t let that discourage me. Titusville sounds like a great option. I want to talk to you on your consult website and pick your brain one day soon. But I really just want to say Thank you for the encouragement you offer and insight you have gained through your years. It is very much appreciated!
Thank you for your kind words- so very sorry for your loss 💜
Another great report
Thanks for watching!
The most expensive way to go somewhere for free.
Or, the most expensive way to travel 3rd class
It depend on where your daughter will be for the next few years. Cuz that is where your heart/priority is.
Tim,
Half of my career was spent building vehicles that are used worldwide. In fact National Geographic made feature about the industry and I both starred in it and proofed the script - about 15 years ago. I would ditch Charlie and buy an almost 70 year old GM bus from Omaha Transit thats been rebuilt and restored for your trek. You can come back here and thank me later as I do with most of your videos! Thank you!
gud luck ...diesel is 4 bucks a gallon even higher in most places ...ha😂
I would love to live-a-board, but I'm currently tied pretty hard to the land above the snowline. Living on a sailboat isn't on option when the rivers and lakes freeze over, job isn't the type to let me work remote for several months at a time.
Yessss finally someone said to get the boat first before knowing how to sail😂 thank you Tim for the encouragement😄
Congrats on the addition to your traveling homes! I've been living in a van since September of '21--and now want to find a boat, so kinda the opposite of your situation. I'll be watching your progress on all fronts-and learning the sailing end of things from watching your videos!
The problem with this is almost every harbor I inquired of, prohibits liveaboards or does not offer liveaboard slips. And if they do, the asking price is ridiculous. Not to mention (but I will) when I had my Catalina 30, a bunch of retired bossy old pharts were constantly monitoring my use, and continually reminding me living aboard was not allowed. Hundreds of people have keys to the bathrooms/showers too, so I didn't feel especially safe using them.
1. Attach a chain to something heavy
2. Drop heavy thing in water
3. Attach boat to chain
4. Go get a hooker and a massive bag of dope, drugs, or pot with all the money you save
I'm very curious about your design. I'll be watching for updates. The biggest problem with living on a boat, in a marina, is the noise. Get ear plugs! They really help with sleep. I lived in a cab-over camper for a couple years. The older ones are quite cheap. Most likely, the top will need replacing. Kits are $400 to $600. Spend the big money on the truck. Especially, if you are going to be driving long distances. If you have the funds, get a feather weight camper and put it on a V8 Tundra. If you do the speed limit, the Tundra does fine on gas. If it isn't fun, don't do it.
Also you need to be able to keep it somewhere on the west coast good luck just getting a slip for the boat let alone a live aboard
Unbelievable! I was just thinking of this exact episode. I don't know how to sail but would love to buy and live on a boat. 😁
You can do it!
I have a 30ft Ticon Yachts T30 live-aboard ready to go in Virgin Islands. Lots of upgrades, EV motor, Lithium battery banks, water desalination!
Another great informative video Tim!
Thanks for watching!
I love it, but you must be realistic. YOU need to be a hands on DIY person to do all the fixing that is required. If you can't, you will be paying somone else $$$
Ah Tim! Linda, my beautiful wife said 'no worries, come to Australia'. We've got a Jarkan you can see, if you dare'. Enjoy the new project.
😃
I like the buy a sailboat idea. Then, boat around and work on it. Then learn sailing.
Man, what a great channel!!! I'm so glad I stumbled onto one of your earlier videos and SUBSCRIBED. If you were at the Annapolis boat show, you weren't too far from my pirate ship at Fell's Point (Baltimore Harbor). If we happen to find ourselves in the same area at the same time, you'll have to come aboard for a visit (and a rum!) Arrr!!! Right now, my schooner (and probably more than a thousand other pleasure boats) are trapped up above the Francis Scott Key Bridge due to it getting "totaled" by a cargo container ship a couple of weeks ago. What I really like about this video was that you're opening up a new world to the "tiny house" crowd. If someone's gonna' like a tiny house -- they'll LOVE living on a boat and, in some respects, they'll find they have more room on a boat! Well, more functional room, anyway. You sure picked a couple of great boats to showcase in your video. That 2002 Catalina 31 is a nice looking boat, but at $54k I think it's a bit on the expensive side. In fact, when I put my steel Colvin Gazelle (50-foot) up for sale later this year, it will probably be priced quite a bit lower. (Anybody interested?) I'm really "itching" to get my 50-year old Westerly Centaur (25-foot) "Opus Magnum-ed out" just the way I want it and get her gunkholing the Chesapeake Bay 'til the end of my days. Anyway, I'm gonna' head off to "Charlie the Truck" and get subscribed there, too. Wishin' ye smooth sailin' as onward ye float, an' good winds an' smooth seas an' friends in yer boat!
Thanks for watching!😎
There you go again making me think!!! LOL
Box truck build is a great idea for traveling. That is my pick as well.
Love
There's a 3-year waiting list for Live aboard pretty much everywhere on the West Coast.
wow!
I keep my motor yacht at Titusville Marina. It's not that easy to get a full-time slip. There is a waiting list 1-2 years. If you have a nice boat, it's usually a shorter wait. Great marina!
I came the the same realizations about boats a couple years ago. Unfortunately I cannot buy one yet so if you could halt your rise to stardom that would be great
😄
Sailboats in Australia are so expensive
One added expense for a sailboat is the pump out for the toilet and fuel. Many marinas have free pump out if you can to it. Pump out services that come to you cost money. Boats at anchor will have to motor to the pump out. It’s illegal to dumb sewage overboard in most places. Cooking requires propane which isn’t cheap. But most marinas have free WiFi.
To operate any vessel with a motor you now have to have a boaters card. They just posted the notice on the gate for my dock. And my neighbor said they watch Coast guard inspect the boats at the launch ramp.
Boat slips in any reasonably serviceable location start at $25/ft./mo. - much more than quoted here. Boats have to be out-hauled annually to repair and prevent all kinds of issues. There are thousands of moving parts and components on a boat - all of them very costly. Visit a marina some day. They are all massively over-populated....and parking your car a mile or so from your "tiny home" will cost you a mint.
If you look around and can be resourceful you can usually find some way to work out the money draining problems. Some life/workstyles just won't work without spending a ton of money due to what's available in that specific area, while a couple of miles away, you can find something cheaper. I know of a co-op style yacht club in the Upper Chesapeake Bay that probably costs less than $1k per year to moor your boat, have access to a work dock and dingy dock, onshore bathrooms and showers, and a large, fenced, parking area that you can see from your boat. The "added" costs are that everyone puts in a few hours a month to the marina -- which also has a boat lift free for it's members to haul out and store their boats on the club's grounds during the Winter. My 50-foot schooner probably costs me $10k to have it in the Fells Point area of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, but has all sorts of amenities, gated access, fenced parking and something like 100 bars and restaurants in a 10 block area. There is also a LOT of so-called "cultural" stuff to do nearby as well. A parking garage in that area over a year's time would probably be about half as much as my marina fee! I also have to carry a $1-million liability insurance policy, too. But, even that's not "too" expensive. It's probably only a few hundred more than the Tow-Boat US "Golden Unlimited" towing insurance plan. The average rent for an apartment nearby would be about $3k per month AND you'd still have to pay for parking somewhere -- about $4,200 per year. There are many liveaboards at my marina and they're all saving lots of money over renting an apartment or buying a house and they all have the best waterfront views that the condo crowd has paid anywhere from $350k to $1-million for. Oh, and if something ticks them off or they get tired of the area, they can simply cut their docklines (none of us really ever does that unless we're drinking, pissed off about something, and want to make a dramatic point). O.K. untie their docklines, and find another place to live -- taking their 'water-house' with them. It's all a matter of taste, resourcefulness, attitude and a bit of luck now and then. There's also the possibility of finding someone who has a riverside home and a dock, who'd rent you a spot on their dock and let you park your car in their driveway. Or, maybe they want to sell their boat and will pony up with dockspace to seal the deal. Depending on "luck," you might get it relatively cheaply or free if you're willing to take care of their pool, mow their lawn, etc. There's always a way if you're willing to try. Sorry to drone on with this so long, but the "I can't get there from here" thing ruined many great opportunities for me during my younger years and I'd hate to see it happen to someone else. The truth is, you never really know until you give it a good, honest, try.
@@yepiratesworkshop7997 I saw those marinas in northern MD. Like the rest of NOMD at the time (maybe 15-20 years ago) that whole area was a wretched white-trash sh$t hole, to borrow a Trump term. Look, when it comes to anything I can float, fly or fu@k, I'm renting, borrowing or stealing it but I'm never buying it.
I can't thank you enough for helping new people learn about sailing. Please keep going with the content. Thank you!
Thanks, will do!
You are on the right track I started with a box truck I blew up the motor so I sold it and bought a trailer converted a race car trailer to a home lived in it for a year now for a year now into the west coast to the east coast and Back Again you will enjoy it
So good to see you’re still at this! We will be looking in earnest this Summer…. Will hit you up!
(And yanks for the excellent personal consulting already!
Thank you so much for watching!
The tiny house community has already been salvaging boat parts for ages.
The problem is that, when you need to commute to a job, renting a slip is super-expensive.
That being said, free boats pop up all the time in costal communities.
I really enjoy your channel. And you are correct about nearly everything i've heard. But (you knew it was coming lol), I must caution against expecting to live free and easy at anchor in Florida. Lots of problems, like who will let you dock your dingy, who will give you WiFi access, and will it still be there when you get back from the store. Theft is a big problem, dingy and on board while away as well. Do billions of skeeters come out to visit every day at sundown? Happens in many places, they can fly out to a mile from shore in calm areas and are unbearable. Is there a local honey barge to pump you out? Often a legal requirement in FL , and the State wildlife people WILL board you and check your papers and receipts for pump out. The fact is NO ONE in FL much likes live-aboards who don't pay mooring fees... and some local cops will run you off whether its "Constitutional" or not. Arguing is not recommended ;)
Good to know- thank you!
Excellent as always! What was the second boat you showed with the greenish upholstery and separate chart desk, that is my cup of tea! I look forward to the Charlie the Truck footage
Island Packet :)
Could I have your opinion on the Harmony 42s? I'm looking at a Catalina, Oceanis & Jeanneau in the same size but I haven't seen much about this french built boat. Thank you so much for your brilliant videos!!
You forgot to mention shit breaks every day on a boat. Maintaining a boat costs and if you have any money you will spend all of it on youre boat. Ask me how i know. Live aboard 40 years so far. Bought my last boat a tayana 37 for 52,000. Then spent 250,000 over the next 20 years fixing it.
Tim, we love you too! You do amazing informational videos. I look forward to seeing your videos every week. I now sail lake Superior in part from watching your videos and realizing that YES, I can sail (and so can anyone else that has an interest in it)! You ROCK Tim!
That is awesome! thanks for watching!
My first thought was cool! Tim bought an airplane! Wait, a box truck??? LOL That'll work too
No fair. My offer to this guy was that he had to tie BOTH hands behind his back for all future videos. Looks like he tried to get fancy and just tie back the right hand - and not permanently - so no cigar and no hundred bucks, buddy.
13:11 hahahaha...!! A Box truck..!!! Congrats, and I wish you well in that renovation..!! 👊
ive been thinking about this for years in south florida. say west palm beach south. and i know a ton of places these people anchor, but i dont understand where they are parking the car. i have to get to work and have been trying to figure out where they park. in multiple locations... im convinced they dont have cars
You got to ask yourself why are there so many boats for sale think about it you know what the abbreviation of B.O.A.T. means bring over another thousand😮
Stop taking people into sailboats HAHA. Let me buy mine first then you can drive up the prices.
Don't do it. Take a class and then rent a boat. It is a money pit. You can buy them for as little as a dollar because people want rid of them. Slip fees, annual haul out, insurance, drunk rich people hanging out all day making sexual comments, the list of cons goes on and on. I got stuck in between 2 marinas during a low tide as an inexperienced sailor. The Coast Guard patrol refused to do anything, and a tow would cost fifteen hundred dollars to pull me four feet. Also there is no such thing as privacy. No one needs a warrant to board your vessel. Any Ship commercial or private is subject to search and seizure by local authorities., eather or not you live on the boat. So many things I wish I knew...
@@ZeginMakesMusic The Coast Guard was correct. No life was in danger. The tide returned in a few hours. And they didn't board you.
@@ZeginMakesMusicas the saying goes, a sailboat makes its owner happy twice. The day they buy it and the day they sell it.
@@doodlegassum6959 Sold it for a camaro. That indeed was the best day of my life.
NEVER stop growing..
I would think you'd at least want liability insurance Incase you run into someone or some property that's not yours.
Tim!!! You just caused a giant light bulb to pop on in my head!! I have 20 acres on a vineyard and winery that I own. I was going to buy pre-fabricated tiny homes for airbnb guests but they are expensive. Why not buy old sailboats that are ready for the scrap yard and put them into a retirement life of housing airbnb guests?? Amazing idea. Thank you as always.
You could get the local excavator guy and a crane guy out and dig them into the ground up to the waterline and make a nice "arrangement", as such. And you would be spoiled for choice for cheap options for yachts. You don't need decent rigging, nav gear nor a functioning engine, just something that's neat and tidy down below that doesn't leak. And if you did come across a vessel with decent running gear/nav gear then salvage it and stick it in the classifieds. The only suggestion that I'd make is to stick to GRP or maybe ferro cement, in your circumstances. Timber won't last and condensation and heating will be a nightmare with steel.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 Love it. Thanks for that.
@@jeffreyhutchinsdo Good luck with your project. It's a great idea. You've got me thinking about putting a Granny flat in my front yard, now!
There’s a company in Europe (France I think) that does this kind of conversion.
Watch the video on the boat auction I watched the boat auction in Long Beach these things were crappy cuz they were lived on by like homeless people and stuff they might not be great for the water but if you wanted to like permanently put them on your land and just put them as airbnb's people were buying these things for $300 a piece there was a really nice 41 ft one didn't even sell you could have turned around and said hey I'll give you a hundred bucks that's what this one guy was doing cuz the minimum bid was $400 and none of them were selling he was like 300 300 and you just kept buying them just a scrap them out for their windows and their sales and their stainless steel cleats and stuff like that
who is recommended for liveaboard boat insurance?
So your trying to convince tiny house/vanlifer people to consider a sailboat as a better option......while you do the opposite in a box truck 😂.
All good brother,long time subscriber here,keep up the good work.
Just wanted to point out the irony.
Pretty much!
@@LadyKSailing
I still enjoy your content,im intrested in making small spaces livable,van,box truck,boat,diy camper.....all the same,but on different terms different ways to enjoy the world while we still can.
I jyst saw some humor in this vid.
Keep up the content,and thanx for sharing.
This is exactly what my wife and I did last month. Couldn't afford a home in this crazy market so I bought a 72' Columbia 30' for cheap, have been steady fixing it up since. Slip fees are cheap here in Tennessee. Recommend Progressive insurance for older boats like mine.
Tiny houses on land can be very difficult and expensive in terms of lost utility. I think a live on boat works best part time. Your travel truck needs a CB radio with an RF gain, such as a Uniden Pro 520. This whole episode is very cool.
thanks for watching!
Any ideas for single person on a catermaran...?
I appreciate you're a "real sailboat" sailor but you're a sailing channel that just did a whole episode about using a sailboat as a tiny house, even turning a truck into one, and managed to never once even sputter the syllables "cat-a-ma-ran"! Come on, man! 😅
🤣
Hey man, you and I think alike.
A sail boat was for sale on Craig’s for $1000 parked in the Key West bay.
No docking cost!
Mothball the gas engine. Buy a DC Trolling Motor. Run it on solar panels!
Mount solar panels vertically on the mast!
Greetings Tim, I never thought other sailors would like tiny houses/tiny living. On your box truck, you can always put port holes, hatches and have an outside skin that is a photo of Lady K. Happy Sailing ⛵
That's a great idea!
I’m about ready to take the plunge. Living/working in Lorton VA the next few years. Tons of affordable boats available close by. First I need to find a reasonable marina that allows live boards within commuting distance. Any suggestions out there? Thanks!
Great idea I Ilved in a dox truck back in the nineties when I started a job in a different town and stayed in a rv park until I could sell my house I was so surprised how much I liked it when people told me I was crazy I told them I thought everyone knew that you will do great it will be like a boat except easier good luck
An RV that can kill you. LOL.
I'd be buying you breakfast... digging your posts
Thanks for watching! 😎
thing is, I need to convert a BIG house lady to a "tiny house" boat lady. 🙄
Good luck!
This exactly what my wife and I are doing at this very moment. House is sold, camper is cleaned, painted, and stocked up. In two days we cross the mountains to the sea where take our fist looks at the crop of boats we’ve been scouting online. If we’re lucky, an unlisted gem will show up in one of the marinas or anchorages we visit, and then the real adventure begins.
Excited and terrified.
Good luck!
No worries. Found link
Oh yeah one more tidbit the first Marina in Ventura that I went to said they wanted the boat to be 2005 or newer.😢
wow
I've been wondering about the reality of sailing a boat during the summer (PNW) and for the winter, putting the boat on our (not yet) own private property with good wooden deck around it to make getting in and out easy. Then, launch it again in the Spring, Rinse and repeat. I suspect there are some local regulations that might stop this sort of alternative lifestyle?
There is no law against putting your boat "on the hard" i.e. up on a wooden cradle - (or on a trailer if it's a much smaller boat) on your personal property for the winter - as long as that is ok with the neighborhood housing authority or the local regulations where you live - if it's a larger boat you have to consider that you might possibly be hiring or renting a crane to get the boat in and out of the water - which can be quite expensive
On the west coast all the marinas ask for insurance in a minimum of half a million dollars for the insurance.
This was a great video and very very true!!!!
Thanks for watching!
A sailboat is a tiny house lol
I look at it like my house is a tiny boat. My wife doesn't see it the same way, though.
Good for you Tim, I too am in a holding pattern until my kids get a little older. Been watching the sailboat market for a couple of years and my time is coming, good to see yours is too. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching!
Great video Tim!
thanks for watching!
Any cost equal to the monthly maintenance fees of a condo
I am looking at sail boats... not travel trailers.😊
Some sailboats can serve as both.
Thanks for the great show! 💙
Glad you enjoyed it!
Parking your box truck can be a challenge
Most of the harbors I asked told me they no longer allow liveaboards.
@@mallorymcguire833 it’s like car or van camping in the city. Keep the lowest profile possible, run under the radar and don’t ask for permission
Long time watcher, thanks for keeping this channel going.
I have one question and you might not answer it but it might be a good video idea. I live in TN and want to get into a boat, maybe you could do a video for us people stuck in the middle of the USA. I found several boats on craiglist on rivers or small lakes, some big as 30 ft. I'd like to buy one of these hopfully cheap and then fit it and practice sailing inland. Then once fitted i can make the trek down to the gulf and out to the ocean. Some of the challanges and things i dont know; how to use damns and locks? Can my boat be too big to fit in a lock? How tall are some of the bridge? Should i just motor the entire way to the gulf and then put up the mast? Any other issues sailing from the middle of the USA out to the open ocean?
I have a good full time job here in the middle of the USA so its not really possible to buy a boat on the coast and make any progress. My thought is to buy a good enough boat 30-35ft one. maybe some place inland close by, sail/motor it to my local marina and slowly start fixing it up, until i can retire or get some good time off. i live a few miles from a lake that is connected to all the rivers so it would be possible to do. I'm thinking that i can get a cheap sailboat here and not worry about sails or the mast till i get to the gulf and just work on the boat first?
Edit; if your ever around Nashville and need a parkingspot/plugin for Charlie let me know~
Great perspective I didn’t think of a sailboat is a tiny house but keep thinking about buying one so I can get one in Southern California which is the closest place to Las Vegas. So at least once a month I can go spend my time on the boat with my wife and kids Bring me too. When you get that truck finished you should let the channels know when you’re gonna go see what is the transcontinental race from Long Beach to Hawaii we love to meet you hang out for a moment and just enjoy some good company with good people
You are really good at your job
Thanks for watching!
So, Tim, here's what I got going on. I'm a diesel mechanic/farmer, and am able to weld and work metal. I have some health issues, so not able to pay a lot. I'm not interested in a fiberglass boat, but a steel one. I understand iron, and am far more at home with it than fiberglass. What small iron sailing vessels can we pick up for cheap?
(those spark plugs at 7:10 make me nervous. Do they still actually make boats with spark-ignition engines?)
Hi Tim....scoping a Tartan 30..... and yes, it has a rebuilt Yanmar 2gm
You're the best!
thanks for watching!
you love Catalina, but wasn't it a Catalina the broke on you in rough seas?
Lady K is a Hughes, not a Catalina
Oh OK. Thanks for the reply.
I thought I remembered the one that flooded was a Catalina.
I should be buying my first sailboat next year.
Congratulations! 🥳
A cruising friend sent me a link to this video. I would not have clicked on it otherwise.
25 years on a sailboat. I cannot recommend enough NOT to get excited about the idea.
There are lots derelicts boats and derelict people on boats that are a serious problem. So many things not covered in this video.
You might find this video entertaining. But I have no problem telling you, don’t do it.
There is ALWAYS something to bust your budget.
You can even find FREE boats. WARNING. THEY ARE SOMEONE ELSES LIABILITY.
We looked at a bigger boat that was heartbreaking. If the owner had offered me that boat plus $30,000, I would have declined.
There are boats going to the crusher that were once someone’s dream.
We have lived in California, Mexico, Hawaii and now Fiji.
I always hated hearing the line about the boat owners 2 best days. The day he buys and the day he sells.
It was only a matter of time before I quit lying to myself about the 2nd best day.
The friend (in NZ)who sent me the link said this when I mentioned the live aboard problems.
Copy paste
“We have the same here. People living on boats who should not. It sinks, floats away or burns down. They go get another one.”
Living year round on a sailboat in Canada is a challenge, some do it but, as we get older, warmer climates without hurricanes please 😅
Great information as always. Thanks !
Thanks for watching!
“Sailing; the most expensive way to get somewhere for free” 😂 if you do get to Kemah, Texas I’d love to grab a beer 🍻
That Catalina 310 is my aspirational boat. Ha, you could buy a cheap boat & rip out the interior for your build Tim.⚓
There is not such thing like “for free”! This is a dream.
What about motor sailors?
Well sure, you can make a tiny house out of any boat I suppose
May I get your two cent, five word advice on a Cascade 36? I heard they're built strong, but the issue was people could buy them as a kit, back in the 1970s. People would buy them, with no interior packages, and owners would design the interiors. That's what this one is, that I'm looking at. Interior cabinetry is missing, but it has all the wiring and through hulls. Engine is in stern area, with lots of room. Current owner wanted to make engine room into a bedroom.
Just wondering your five word advice.
Also...where's your tip jar? Some of these you-tube accounts have a 'thanks' option.
Amazing video Tim. The only downside is that you are eliminating lots of excuses. Love your observations. Now, I just have to run it by Mrs. 51%. Thanks, Tim
Great video, but too many anchored boats are dumping their sewage directly into the water. I wish you would have addressed this.
Personally I have not seen this
Ya had me at "You can learn that later" :)
This might be the most confusing video you have ever posted. Where can you live year around on an anchor in the USA, or Canada? Economically? You didn't ever even mention Break Out Another Thousand. And then at the end as a long time sailor your plan for easy move anround place to live is to build an RV.......