What is a liveaboard?

What is a liveaboard?  The simple definition is a person who lives on a boat and also a boat that is suitable for person to live on.  But you knew that already. I have lived aboard boats for much of my life, on my own cruising yachts and a canal barge for nearly 20 years.  Being a liveaboard seems to attract a lot of negativity and rather stereotyped comments.  Many wrongly assume that living on board a boat is because we can’t get a house to rent or buy. Granted that might be some truth for a small minority. I have been labelled with everything from anti-establishment (which I am somewhat), anti-society (which I am somewhat), a refugee from society and civilization (which perhaps I am to some degree), and all those hobo similes such as itinerant, anti-social, societal misfits, a loner and all those terms that are reserved for demeaning marginalized people.  I have run across so many who deem liveaboards as some sort of sub-culture or underclass.  Of course, my response is mostly a wry smile reserved for the ignorant and marginally insane. They are totally clueless about what a liveaboard actually is or the motivation behind it. It is no use attempting any explanation because most do not get it.  Most will never have the courage to make the switch and perhaps that is a good thing really. Becoming a liveaboard means some downsizing and more minimalistic approach to life and living. As I sit in the cockpit some mornings, sipping a coffee and watching the world come wake, do I miss living in a house in suburbia or an apartment in a high rise? Absolutely not! Do I miss rushing to make the bus or train and get to my employment on time? Do I miss the commute stuck in traffic jams? Absolutely not! Do I miss being part of the whole consumer and career paradigm? Again no!

What is a liveaboard – the person

To be a liveaboard requires a lot of skills and traits for success and happiness and it is as much as state of mind as it is a reality. It takes resilience, adaptability, self-reliance, self-motivation, fortitude, proactivity, positive mindset, broad multi skill sets or an ability to learn, good interpersonal and communication skills, multitasking abilities.   People who don’t do not do well as liveaboards and cruising sailors are those prone to procrastination, indecisiveness, impatience, negativity, anger management issues and general type A personalities.

What is a liveaboard – the boat?

A liveaboard boat is a relatively small space to live in. It is constantly in motion. There is no ideal boat, it is all a compromise mostly driven by budget and affordability. I know people who lived on board a 25 foot wooden Vertue and sailed it from the UK halfway around the world to Australia.  My own boats have been in the 34 foot to 37 foot range and currently I have a 36 foot ketch. Why is the next question. I have owned and sailed wooden sloops, steel ketches and iron canal barges and now it is a FRP/GRP ketch. The simple reason is less maintenance, and less drain on the cruising budget. At 36 feet the boat is ideal for single handing which I do a lot of, and for easy handling with my partner. The larger the boat the more expensive everything gets, from slip fees to insurance and equipment.

What is a liveaboard – more about the boat?

The recently completed Golden Globe race has entry rules that are perhaps useful when looking at boat choices. Of course of the marina and occasional weekend cruise is your liveaboard horizon then they may be irrelevant.   The 2022 Golden Globe Race had a requirement that all entrants use the same type or similar equipment and technology carried aboard Robin Knox-Johnston’s 1968/69 race winning yacht Suhaili.  In addition, the hull had to be of fiber reinforced plastic construction, be designed prior to 1988 with a minimum series of 20 boats from a single mould.  The hull length had to be between 32 feet and 36 feet. They also required full-length keels attached rudders and a minimum design displacement of (13,000 lb (6,200 kg). The Golden Globe Race requires entrants to use paper charts, to take sights with a sextant and calculate the position without calculators. South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer become the first women to win a round the world yacht solo race in 2023 crossing the finish line on Minnehaha at Les Sables d’Olonne after 235 days at sea. Inspirational achievement and only 3 finished out of 16 entrants.

The approved entrant designs were the Westsail 32; Tradewind 35 (Cutter); Saga 34;  Saltram 36;  Vancouver 32 & 34;  OE 32 (Masthead Cutter);  Eric (sister yacht to Suhaili);  Aries 32;  Baba 35; Biscay 36 (Masthead Ketch);  Bowman 36;  Cape Dory 36; Nicholson 32 MKX-XI;  Rustler 36 (Masthead Sloop);  Endurance 35;  Gaia 36 (Masthead Sloop);  Hans Christian 33T;  Tashiba 36;  Cabo Rico 34;  Hinckley Pilot 35;  Lello 34 (Masthead Sloop) and Gale Force 34.  Whilst I didn’t make this my own boat choice criteria I did come close to the mark.   

What is a liveaboard – the motivation?

A principal and main liveaboard motivator and driver for many is sailing or more accurately cruising. This supports the whole notion of adventure, exploring and traveling. For some of us, it is part of a lifelong passion and for others a new domain and space in which to develop in. For newcomers it is a very steep learning curve. It is always important to maintain perspective and reinforce why you cruise. You can download Ocean Navigator every month and you can do the same with Caribbean Compass Magazine, or sign up for newsletters from Cruising World or Yachting Monthly and Practical Boat Owner every week, or Scuttlebutt Sailing News, Noonsite, all with great articles, information and advice to expand your knowledge base. The more you learn and know the easier living aboard becomes. So much to learn about living on a boat.  And a lot about boats.