(Part 2) Top products from r/liveaboard

I think the main deterrent is always making breaking into your boat more trouble than it'll be worth. Make sure everything is stowed away when you're not on board, don't leave things laying around in plain sight for anyone to eye up. If you store anything easy to sell (like propane tanks or diesel jerry cans) then do your best to either lock them away, or to thoroughly tie them up. Get various lengths of looped steel cable and some heavy duty locks to secure anything else you might keep on deck (like kayaks or surf boards). Do the same with your dinghy outboard, and even your dinghy when you're on shore. Make sure you hoist and visibly lock your dinghy every night.

Fitting security screens on your hatches and companionway makes a big difference too, since it's pretty easy to pop a hatch with a crow bar. When you're away, pull your covers/curtains so no one can peek in and have a look at what might be worth stealing.

You can get some wireless motion sensors and set them up at various places around the boat. They'll flood the area with light and sound alarms so that's also a pretty effective method of startling someone off. There are also personal alarms which you can activate yourself if you're on board while someone tries to break in. A good ol' air horn will also do the trick. I've got a couple friends who have a Christmas ornament made of maybe 10 jingle bells tied to the back of their companion-way latch so that if anyone fiddles with it, you can hear.

As a software developer I assume you will need to stay connected while travelling. You might find some of the information on Technomadia's blog helpful. They are app developers that live on a boat part of the year, and an RV the other part. They post a lot of articles about staying connected and working virtually from a boat full time.

A good book I found helpful about liveaboard life is, "The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat," by Mark Nicholas. He lived aboard for years, so some of the technology he mentions is dated, but he lists the potential problems and rewards that come along with living aboard full time while working a regular, full time job while he lived in Boston.

Another book that might pertain to you and I've seen excerpts from is, "Leap of Faith: Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat," by Ed Robinson. You might download a sample and see if it's helpful. Good luck and take care.

I always think it suspicious when people list their boat's condition as "fair" when selling online. I've seen Craigslist boats where the deck is one big maze of spider cracks and softer than a pillow in spots, where the stays are one puff away from snapping, where the rudder can spin freely on the shaft ("it helps to trim the boat") that are listed as "good". If a boat owner lists their boat as anything less than "good", they're either incredibly honest (which is unlikely) or aware of some awful drawback (soggy decks, failed chainplates, clothlike sails, rusty stays, frozen through-hulls, leaky hull-deck joint, or a hilarious and novel combination thereof).


That said, check out "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat", it's a great book that's helped me a great deal and I've spent most of my life on boats:

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

At the very least, google "Morgan 35" and see what people have to say. Most of what you read online about boats is by nincompoops so be skeptical (but should you be skeptical of me telling you to be skeptical? SKEPTICEPTION!). If you're going to make a big life decision by buying a large sailboat you should probably get it surveyed, especially if you don't know boats very well.


Anyways, you might try looking at a smaller boat? You don't need more than 30' if you're living alone, and you'll save a lot of money if that's your aim. Plus, a smaller boat is easier to maintain, berth, and sail!

Thanks. I don't know if I could do better than what's already out there... things like Diet for a Small Planet and other hippie and camping cook books were an influence but I've only really incorporated a small part of that. Part of the difficulty in writing a cookbook I'm realizing is that taking advantage of what's local is really hard to document comprehensively. I spent a lot of time in Arizona in the US and moving away was difficult... I was completely addicted to the free grapefruit, oranges, figs, dates, prickly pair fruit, all growing on the side of the road, and to the mesquite flour, fresh roasted peppers, etc, etc.


Diet for a Small Planet is outdated now but still has a lot of the hippie food spirit. https://www.amazon.com/Gorp-Glop-Glue-Stew-Favorite/dp/0898860172 is a good old fashoined camping food cookbook.


My father camped a lot, partially to get away from the fussier parts of raising kids (simple meals, wash your dishes in the creek without soap and re-use them, not worried too worried about getting dirty, etc) and my mother canned fresh fruit and veggies so I blame them ;)

Here's what I think would be nice for me:

1. A first aid kit (not applicable if the boat already has one).
   
   
2. Sunscreen (it's always good to have extra--not applicable depending on the climate).
   
   
3. Air freshener for the head.
   
   
4. "Boat Beer" (cheap canned beer that you always have aboard just in case)
   
   
5. A useful sailing book like this: http://amzn.com/B00E1JR3P6
   
   
6. Binoculars.
   
   
7. Those nets that hold fruit and stuff.
   
   
8. A nice brass bell/thermometer/hydrometer/barometer
   
   Yeah these are basically all things I want.

I would highly recommend the book! It's absolutely amazing. Additionally, if you dig it, check out Fatu Hiva, in which Thor Heyerdahl comes up with the inspiration for the Kon-Tiki expedition.

> https://www.amazon.com/Dexas-Scoop-Cutting-inches-Handle/dp/B003PDO0FU/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=Curved%2BCutting%2BBoard&qid=1562806006&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1


I love simple details like that which make a world of a difference.
I would have never thought about that.
(That is, until I encountered that issue after I get my LiveAboard Boat)...
Great recommendation.

Also, buy this book,


https://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-4/dp/0071790330/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DA9RJ21LVSZ8&keywords=nigel+calder+boatowner%27s+mechanical+and+electrical+manual&qid=1563409415&s=books&sprefix=nigel+calder+boat%2Cstripbooks%2C403&sr=1-1


Boat repair and maintenance is not hard -- but there is a lot of specialized knowledge. YouTube and forums are great resources -- but they are not a replacement for a well written, comprehensive book. You need all three sources!

I am 6'1" and liveaboard a 45' Gibson houseboat. It's pretty tight but I have about two inches of space above my head. My knowledge of boats is limited but I have been on a few larger vessels that had about 7' ceilings so they do exist.

It's mostly okay but sometimes it can feel a little bit claustrophobic.

Here are some must have books that will help with the mechanical end of things:
http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting-Seamanship-Edition-Handling/dp/1588169618

http://www.amazon.com/12-Volt-Bible-Boats-Miner-Brotherton/dp/0071392335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457992044&sr=1-1&keywords=12+volt+bible+for+boats

I'd check out "Voyaging on a small income" by Annie Hill

I've heard that it is a good book to use for reference, and she should know her stuff she and her husband built their boat and sailed it some 100k plus nautical miles. It's on my to read list for sure.

http://www.amazon.com/Voyaging-Small-Income-2nd-Edition/dp/1888671378

Reflectix BP24050 24-Inch-by-50-Foot Bubble Pack Insulation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009XCJA2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Vw-XBb0V5FC1B

This stuff. Sorry I don’t know how to make links on mobile. No, this is not an affiliate link, just a link to what I had saved on Amazon. Others can give their opinions on which brands are better, I’m just linking to this roll for information purposes.

I have one of these:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O7MY1E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

It's been rock solid for 2 years mounted on the rail pointed at the marina, about 15 slips down. I can use a laptop anywhere I want on the boat and it connects.

I suppose you can mount it indoors as well.

The voyagers handbook covers A LOT if you're planning to travel.

https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Handbook-Essential-Guide-Cruising/dp/0071437657

Possibly look into the bullet2 wifi and an omni antenna? The bullet can be configured to grab WiFi and act as the access point for a router in your boat. amazon

I used to live aboard in a blue-water 33" sailboat. Before I bought it, it had been either stuck by lightning (FL) or the charger had a massive failure, and made the house batteries explode.

I rebuilt the entire electrical system on that boat, and also did electrical on several other boats. I really recommend having one of these Marinco 30 Amp 125V Inlets, Round, Stainless Steel mounted. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000NI01TO/

The power cord itself has a ring that screws onto the inlet on the boat, and then you use a line to support the cable going to the power bollard on the dock.

Big Magnet ? So we can be lost always. West Marine aka Worst Marine for the lowest quality crap from china. Get them this we use it almost weekly and it cost around3$ https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-20-807-10-Inch-Mini-Hack-Light-Duty/dp/B00009OYGD/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1480780890&sr=1-1&keywords=mini+hacksaw