The Other Side of Living Aboard

Living on a boat has been touted as a cheap solution to the Auckland property crisis and there is a trend towards minimal living and small spaces; boats combine both of these. Perhaps the ideal solution for some, not much has been written about the reality of life on board.

I live by myself on a 10.2 metre yacht, people live on smaller vessels and many on larger. Launches have more volume, which means more living space but, for me as a sailor, that was never an option. I’m fortunate because I own a house and already had the boat when I chose to move on board. So what’s it really like?

The cabin is in the bow (front of the boat), your king size bed, if you put a pillow in the centre at the foot of the bed that is the width of the end of my bed – the head can stay the same width but you are going to have to climb over the end to get into it because that is the total width of the “bedroom”. Oh, and in most boats unless you can get a mattress made to fit then you are sleeping on squabs, which are normally about 100mm thick and really not at all comfortable. Changing the sheets is a pain, you can’t walk around the bed and tuck things in, I custom made bedding to fit (but I had to borrow a house friend’s dining table so that I had room to sew).

There’s about a metre of space back from the bed, just enough room for some drawers and a hanging locker (wardrobe) on one side and the head – toilet and a small hand basin on the other. I’m lucky to have a shower too but it’s a pain to use as everything gets wet and has to be wiped down, I guess the room is slightly bigger than a large house shower cubicle. The toilet is connected to a 60 litre holding tank, a reasonable size for a boat, but it fills up quickly. To empty it I can head out to sea, but the regulations mean that I have to be two kilometres off shore before I can empty it into the ocean. The other option is “pumping” it out – literally connecting to a pump and having the tank contents sucked out and taken away for disposal.

Alternatively I can head for the ablutions block, so every time nature calls I walk the 300 metres to land and back again, not so bad in the summer but early on a frosty winter morning, in the middle of the night when you’ve eaten something bad or when it’s pouring with rain and windy not so much fun. I use the shower on land too as it’s much easier but it does cost a dollar for six minutes and often at peak times there is a queue and again not that pleasant when it’s cold and wet.

I imagine you sitting on your three seater couch reading this! Have you got two couches and a coffee table? Put the coffee table between the couches and then push them together – that’s about the total size of my saloon (lounge and dining area). There is a little storage behind the settees but not much. It’s probably a good thing that there is space to sit only six, at a squeeze, around the table when it’s put up for dinner because cooking for more would be a mission in my small galley. I’ve got a gas stove with two elements and an oven big enough to roast a chicken but only if you don’t want roast veges too. When you take away the sink space my bench is the size of a tray, not much room for food prep, but that’s ok because there’s not much in the way of food storage either or room for many kitchen gadgets. You learn to be a clever cook on a boat, experimenting with ready made spice mixes, sauces and finding good easy deserts but don’t expect ice cream with that as I don’t have a freezer. I’ve got a small fridge under the chart table that keeps milk, cheese, meat, a few veges and the wine cool but that is it. After a few weeks of living on board I decided that I needed an electric toaster but that is my only kitchen appliance – there’s not enough space for anything else.

There’s one more space and that’s known as the aft quarter berth or spare bed or storage space – it’s about three quarters the width of a single bed and long enough for most people to sleep in. If I have more than one person staying then I drop the table and make a double bed but it’s not that comfortable for anyone.

That’s all that’s inside. I invested in a “tent” to enclose the cockpit, which is brilliant in the winter. It’s like a conservatory, allowing me to keep the inside of the boat dry when I come in while it’s raining and giving me somewhere to put wet things. In the summer it gives me somewhere to sit outside in the shade, this coming summer I’ll probably sleep out in the cockpit at least some of the hotter nights. Even with a fan there are nights when it’s unbearably hot and there’s nowhere to go to get cool.

The summer heat is only one of the sleeping challenges. In the winter when it’s stormy the boats move, the lines creak, the wind might keep you awake but after a while you get used to your own boat; it’s the rest of the marina that will keep you awake. Wind in rigging is really loud and if you’ve got a boat with a wind vane next door then forget sleeping.

We take a lot for granted when we live in houses, it takes a lot more thought and organisation living on a boat. Take electricity for example, most boats are powered by 12 or 24 volt DC batteries that run lights, fridges, stereos, start the engine and through an inverter can run the TV and power some smaller 240V appliances (so you can charge your phone). The batteries have to be charged, which means using solar panels, running your engine or being plugged in to shore power, which is what I do. Most marinas require you to produce a current electrical warrant of fitness before you can use the supplied “shore” power. At the very least this means engaging an electrical inspector to check the boat has the correct circuitry in place; if not, it will cost at least $1000 to get a very basic installation. The 12V switchboard and inverter on my boat needed upgrading to pass an electrical warrant of fitness. So, at the same time, I had installed a simple 240V system that gives me a power point for electrical appliances. The day I bought the toaster my life changed – no more watching bread burn round the edges.

I’m fortunate that when I bought the boat she had a gas califont that gives me hot water in the head and in the galley but you can just about guarantee that the gas will run out about 20 minutes before the roast is cooked, in the winter, when it’s raining and you’ve forgotten to refill the spare bottle….oops!

Living in a house we take for granted tv, internet, washing and drying clothes, which are all part of the challenge that live aboards face. For clothes there is the Laundromat, tv you can attach an aerial somewhere and internet… well unless you live somewhere that has cables then that will cost – mobile data is expensive! Three hundred metres is the measure of my life – the ablutions, the laundry, the car park, dry land, everything I do is that far to get to. It may not sound like much but it takes time and has to be considered no matter what you do, add 10 minutes and don’t think of ten thousand steps as a challenge.

There is the impression that living on a boat is cheap. Maybe there are financial benefits to not renting in Auckland but I’m not convinced that it really is that much cheaper. There’s the cost of buying the boat, insurance and setting it up so that it is suitable to live on and the ongoing maintenance costs to ensure that it is seaworthy even if it never leaves the dock.

A berth can be purchased for anything from $10,000 to $100,000 or more and there are ongoing operating expenses. Costs depend on the size and location of the berth. When renting a marina berth you can expect to cover at least the owner’s costs. In Auckland many marinas charge an additional live aboard fee.

It costs me about $700 a month to cover these fees, I could rent a room in a house nearby for about the same.

There are the usual household utilities to pay, yes my power bill is small but I have a tiny space to heat, don’t have a tv, dishwasher, microwave, electric blanket, washing machine or coffee maker. My stereo is a 12 volt car stereo, I cook with gas and pay a dollar a day for a shower.

If you do decide to take up the challenge of life on board and you’re not already a boatie I encourage you to get some experience before committing. Take some boating courses and don’t let it become another one of the boats that never start the engines.

For all of that would I swap where I live, hell no! In the two years I’ve been on the boat I’ve made a lot of friends and met even more interesting, inspiring people. I love the fact that it takes me ages to go anywhere (especially in the summer) because there’s always someone to say hi to. I enjoy waiting for my washing so I can browse the “laundry book library’’. It’s liberating that I don’t need to own a lot of stuff nor have a lot of space to put it. I have learnt a lot about myself but most of all I love being on the water and whenever possible I’m ready to throw the lines off and go sailing.

 

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted.  Been busy doing things, I will have to catch up on the last few months of boat life but I’ve also started writing articles for the marina newsletter.  Here is the first of them.

A Beginner’s Guide. Mooring Lines.

By The Galley Wench

As a relatively new boat and berth owner I’m setting out to find out some of the things I should be doing and how to do them properly by asking the people who should know, things that many of you will already know but hopefully there will be some that you don’t. If there is anything that you want to know about or to correct what I’ve being told please get in touch.

With winter upon us I’ve decided to check my marina mooring lines.

Depending on your insurance company and policy you could find that you are not covered for the damage if your boat breaks free from sub-standard mooring (something else to check).

Except in an extreme emergency (e.g. if your vessel is causing damage to others) marina staff aren’t able to come aboard your boat and make lines secure without your permission so it is a good idea to keep your contact details up to date.

As a berth holder I am responsible for the mooring lines attaching my boat to the Pier. The Marina Operator is responsible for all other marina hardware and pick up lines.

Starting with the lines;

Good quality laid polyester rope is the best as it doesn’t lose strength when it’s wet and is resistant to UV damage and it doesn’t float (which is a marina requirement). If you’re piers A-E, (a berth up to 12m) then they should be 16mm and for the larger, heavier vessels on F pier, 16mm or 20mm and on G, 20mm.

The recommendation is not to use thimbles and shackles to attach lines, they are a point of wear and often end up corroded and at risk of either breaking or damaging the line. If there is a shackle on the pile float line there is also the risk of scratching your boat if you run along it when you enter or leave the berth. A shackle wears out the line much faster than the smooth stainless steel on the pile float.

Having lines that are the right length with spliced loops at both ends make it easy to attach the line to the dock and to drop over a cleat on the boat when you come in to your berth. Slipping a length of plastic tube over the end of the line will reduce chaffing; a piece of slit tubing over the toe rail will do the same. Relatively speaking there is no strength in old halyards or sheets and using them to lengthen mooring lines is not advisable.

To make it easy to pick the lines up and to keep them out of the way use a thinner line to attach them to the pick-up line running from the pole to the pier.

Set the lines so that the boat can move a little in the berth, if possible, as this will prevent the boat snatching which is neither comfortable if you are on board, or good for the cleats.

A spring line will not only help hold the boat more securely in place but depending on how they are set up can be really helpful when coming in to the berth. One suggestion is to have the spring attached to the ring on the pile float making it easy to pick up when you come in. If it’s possible, attach it to a cleat or winch on the boat that doesn’t have another line on it.

I’m going to be checking my lines for signs of wear, removing a rather rusty shackle, checking that all the fittings on the dock and cleats on the boat are still in good solid order and, if I need to, for the sake of a few hundred dollars get some new lines made. It’s not just about the damage that could happen to my boat but to the one in the next berth, knowing that everything is secure and in good order when I leave the marina means I don’t have to come and check my lines before the next big storm or put people at risk when they do attempt to secure my boat during that storm. It’s also worth noting that not all rental berths have lines suitable for your vessel so if you’re doing a lot of cruising it may be worth carrying a spare set.

The marina staff are always happy to assist with any rope or hardware issues that you may have and there are several local businesses that can supply lines and offer advice.

Thanks to Steve McCabe and Shane McInnes for your help writing this article.

Calm before the storm

Last week all the windows were finally put in, there is still some finishing to do but they are in place and sealed & when I tested them with the hose, watertight. (and it is important right now)

Tropical cyclone Pam has caused major devastation in Vanuatu over the last 24 hours and she is heading this way.  It’s expected she will cross some time Sunday afternoon through into Monday.

She got up to category 5 which is the maximum storm rating but is expected to drop to a 3 or 2 as she heads this way over cooler water. Not surprisingly she is the talk of the marina and has been for the last few days with people making plans to leave for “calmer waters” and sending (adult) kids to stay with friends before she hits.

I’ve taken a slightly different approach and have been monitoring as many sources of weather information as I can, so far everything I have seen is suggesting that she will pass east of NZ, enough east that she shouldn’t cause too much problem at West Park . It is going to get windy and rain a lot that’s pretty much guaranteed. It’s likely that there will be some big seas, even in the marina, which I’m picking will cause any problems we do have. The trouble will be if something causes her to swing this way and if she doesn’t loose as much wind speed as is expected.

While I find the details of wind strength interesting & I’m learning a lot I’m not going to bore you with them.

So what have I done to prepare – firstly I’ve taken with a grain of salt all the doom and gloom predictions about the storm and how bad it will be here… how could we tell when it was days away from reaching NZ waters? But as I said I have been watching Pam’s progress and if I thought she was going to make a direct hit at cat 5 I would have checked my insurance and checked into a hotel.

I’ve spent some time this afternoon putting things away (so the paddle board has gone to the storage locker) and making sure that everything on the dock is secure so that nothing can blow away.  I’ve put some extra mooring lines in place including spring lines (that run from the middle of the finger to the bow & stern of the boat) to hold her more securely, this gives me backups in case a line or fitting fails in rough conditions.  Put a couple of extra wraps of jib sheet on the fuller to reduce the chance of it flapping and have checked that the main cover is well secured too. Near & Farr has been repositioned in the berth so that she is more central (have to make a big leap to get on and off rather than stepping onto the pontoon) reducing the chances of her hitting the dock, there is still a bit of slack in the lines so that she can move rather than being pulled to pieces from being strung to tight. In the morning I will put some fenders out just to make me feel better in the off chance that she does touch and I’ll stow the last few things that are still on deck (the outboard & my dock shoes).  Working on the assumption that it may be wet for the next few days I may also swap gas bottles cos that is a nasty job to do in the rain.

I also looked inside and have tidied up a bit more, if she does start bouncing I don’t want any “flying objects”, screwdrivers and  full wine bottles have been put away and I’ve just about emptied the half full one so it can’t smash if it gets tipped over. In the morning I’m going to pack an overnight bag and put it in the car so that if I do decide that I need to “abandon ship” I’ve got clothes for work and my toothbrush.  I’ll also be keeping my wet weather gear (my new jacket has an inflatable lifejacket built in), a torch, phone and the go pro handy tomorrow night.

Time to get some sleep, tomorrow may be a sleepless night.

It’s not rained yet.

… and that is a good thing, i’m still working on a leak free boat / home.

This week the windows are being replaced, I say are because two are done and two MIA to be reinstalled on Wednesday.

It’s amazing what a difference the new perspex makes, I hadn’t realised how dark the old windows were… it’s a different environment with the lighter “glass”,  it still looks fairly dark from the outside looking in (perfect) but being able to see out is brilliant.  Hopefully resealing the frames will have solved the leaks too, I’ve also resealed the chain plate cover which hopefully has stopped the leak into my having locker aka wardrobe but I haven’t been brave enough to get the hose out yet, that will be a job for tomorrow (before it does rain).

Before (Starboard)

During (port)

After (port)

Near & Farr came out of the water on Friday to have the grounding plate installed, the last of the electrical jobs before the re-inspection for the EWOF, I have to organise that for this week, fingers crossed that she passes, I seriously doing know what i’ll do if she doesn’t. It will also be interesting to see how much, if any, difference it makes to the wear on the anodes.

There is a problem with the anti-foul, it’s flaking off, I got Clay (who put it on) to come and have a look and he is going to follow up with the rep, I would have expected it to look almost new after only two months, bugger… it will probably mean coming out again for a few days to fix it, seriously not impressed, it’s why I’ve been paying people to do things, so they get done right the first time.

I’m beginning to feel as if round one, big jobs, is being won, just waiting to finish everything but closer to done than not… get the EWOF and electricity is sorted, chase the holding tank pump valve kit and sanitation is sorted and hope for a fine day on Wednesday for the windows. I’ve still got a list of “little” things but they are all things I need to do myself and that I’ll potter away at over the next couple of weeks.

(more photos to add but for some reason I can’t do it right now, check back later).

First world problems.

We live in a world of excess… the number of minimalist and sustainability websites and blogs show that there is a movement away from the consumerism of the last decades but for all of that we still demand a level of “comfortable lifestyle” and that will be different for everyone.  It may be giving up buying so many shoes (for the record not this chick), turning off the TV or being more aware of where our food comes from but I think that living in the “first world” we all expect a level of basic services in our homes.  Thinking about it my basics would be electricity, giving the ability to keep food safe to eat and to light our homes, water / wastewater service and a dry home.

I’ve got the refrigeration almost sorted (see my last post).

The 240 Volt electricity supply has been a problem with a change in the regs mid-year that wasn’t picked up meaning that I haven’t yet got my EWOF (electrical warrant of fitness), a requirement of living on board. The inspector did say that it is one of the best boat electrical wiring jobs he has seen but the boat has to come out of the water to get an earth plate fitted.  More on that whole job when it is complete.

Following on from that I was having problems with some of the light fittings that had had the bulbs replaced with LEDs which kept falling out (mostly because the job hadn’t been done properly) so I decided to replace them all with LED light fittings. It is a  worthwhile expense as the LED lights use a tiny amount of the electricity consumed by standard incandescent lights which is a major consideration when away from shore power. It took a while and a couple of trips to get everything I needed but I completed it this weekend. 12V is relatively safe to work with so I was happy changing them myself.  There are now a few holes and unfaded bits of timber I have to disguise.

The Old.

The New

While we were out at Xmas I noticed that the toilet was really smelly and back-filling after being pumped out so I decided that I would replace the joker valve and inlet hose. But that turned into replacing the whole pump assembly – an easy job and one that I would do again. The inlet hose (which was really stinky thanks to dead marine life) was easy to replace. But that turned into replacing the non-sanitation hose with sanitation hose (which was thicker and less flexible that the old hose but also less porous to odours. But that turned into “do the job properly” which meant raising the toilet bowl with a teak block, adding a diversion valve on the outlet (so that if I need to I can dump straight overboard) and a whole lot of very pretty hose, pipes and hose clips. But there is still more to do, now that I have repaired / replaced everything except the holding tank and the pump out pump I want to replace the valves and diaphragm in it (waiting on the parts) and maybe add a carbon filter to the breather hose if there is still an odour problem.  I did have help with the project, my friend Craig who owns the local chandlery did a lot of the work for me (once he realised how much I had to do), I’m very grateful to him and have learnt that when help is offered by someone who knows what they are doing I must take it.

“Happy peeing”

My remaining requirement is a dry home and that’s next on the list.

Keeping It Cool.

When I brought Near & Farr I knew I would have to do something about refrigeration, she has a fairly standard freezer / fridge setup which runs of an engine driven compressor.

Think combination chilly bin and fridge at home -basically two stainless steel boxes with brine filled walls that is cooled by the compressor when turned on while the engine is running. The larger is the freezer and the fridge is the smaller box which is cooled through the “back” of the freezer. This is extremely efficient as I found out, but it is really hard to gauge how long to leave the freezer turned on or how cold it is getting, frozen ginger beer bottles will break.  It’s a great system when you’re out on the water as it’s easy to cool the freezer down while you’re running the engine either motoring or to recharge the batteries which you do daily. Friends use block of polystyrene on top of the food to keep the cold in and separate the “needs to be really frozen” from the” keep it cold” foods.

I decided that I don’t want to have to run engines every day while I’m on the marina just so that I can keep food on board so have had an Isotherm plate and compressor installed and run the whole thing as a fridge (no ice cream kept on board)…

It’s a DIY kit but as there was drilling through the existing brine filled box walls I decided that I’d pay someone to do it. Sean from Fridgetech did a great job, he came and measured the freezer box to work out which unit to fit then it didn’t take him long to drill the hole, fit the plate, install the second compressor and cut a couple of vent holes. Looked easy but he did know what he was doing – would I do it myself next time? definitely if I didn’t have to worry about ruining an existing freezer.  The clever bits he did – put a rubber mat over the plate so that it doesn’t get damaged / food stuck to it and insulate the pipe between the fridge and the compressor. I also got him to put in a temperature probe so that I can monitor how well it is working.

It’s a long hot summer, it hasn’t rained for the whole month and the last few days the temperatures have been in the high 20’s… even hotter on the boat, it’s 26 at the moment and that feels cool the fridge is sitting at 6 deg, measured at the top of the box so it’s at least a couple of degrees cooler, not ideal (2-4 deg is recommended) but I’m learning where to put things to maximise coldness. The drinks go in the bottom, which is mostly a shape thing, then everything else is in solid bottomed plastic containers, separated by type (meat in one veggies another), on top of that with milk and anything else that needs to be coldest leaning on the plate. Things that I want to keep out of the heat go in the existing fridge part of the box so that’s things like eggs, peanut butter and bread that at home I’d be keeping cool in the pantry.

So far it’s working and it will be interesting to see if when the weather cools down if the fridge is able to get colder too, if not I may change to a “colder” compressor but will wait and see, there’s always the option of turning on the other compressor while I’m running the engine, which I do once a week as an “engine maintenance” thing anyway and getting it colder that way.

Time flies

I can’t believe that it has almost been two months! It’s also hard to know where to start to catch up….

Life on board so far has not been quite as I imagined – but then I’ve moved house enough times that I should know to expect the unexpected.

The first couple of weeks were spent trying to unpack, identifying things I needed (or didn’t need) on board and organising work to be done on Near & Farr.

I haven’t had the boat out as much as I thought I would but had a great time when I did.  Ventured out with my mate Jude for new year, we left the dock on 28th of Dec and returned on 3rd of Jan.  We sailed to Rakino to catch up with friends from HYC and spent a few nights in West Bay, the wind was from the NE so it was the perfect spot – specially as we knew over half the boats in the bay.  The New Year was seen in with a party and fireworks from the beach Woohoo! New Year’s morning the wind had shifted to SW so we did a quick motor to Waikalabubu on Motutapu, dropped anchor and stayed there til it was time to sail home.  I set myself the goal of not going ashore while we were away -almost made it – a SUP ball rescue and BBQ on the beach were the only times I got my feet dry.

Provisioning the boat I’d brought a cheesecake and chocolate cake “packet” mix they were both extremely successful.  The cheesecake easy because it didn’t need to be cooked (next time I’d add fruit to the mixture) and the chocolate cake… well who makes chocolate cake on a boat.  I’m loving having an oven.  The other useful thing, packet sauces – we were able to have a very nice prawn curry for dinner thanks to a just add prawns and coconut cream packet. (it’s so easy to cook to impress when you cheat).  We had way to much food on board for a week, next time I will suggest that I get everything and the crew aka my house guests contribute financially and with drinks.

Lesson number One would have to be don’t move on to a boat in December, nothing can get done, everyone wants their fridge installed, engine serviced, antifoul done and bbqs sorted before they head out for the summer holidays, including me but sadly I was too late knowing this, at least I was first on the list once the “trades” were back from their holidays more on all of that in my next post.

Jude on the helm.

West Bay, Rakino.

Waikalabubu, Motutapu.

Beach BBQ with friends.

24 hours as a live aboard

I had the best sleep last night, time will tell how comfortable the squabs are .
It’s raining. It’s not a bad thing, well wouldn’t have been if my wet weather gear wasn’t in the car (it’s not any more) and I wasn’t watching water dripping in the window.
Got a few things done today, lots of running round though, If I keep getting sorted at this rate I’ll be organized by about the time I’m planning on moving back to shore.
Tonight is my first boat cooking attempt. As a celebration of replacing some rusty utensils and oven dish I’ve got the oven going, it seems to heat up really well, and have got a mini roast dinner happening, lamb, potato, beetroot carrot and asparagus, will add balsamic and feta once it’s done… Washed down with a glass of cheap red which maybe by he third glass will taste better.

One last look at Ché

Limbo

Staying with friends as I’m between homes for the next few days, house is rented and Near & Farr isn’t ready. Most of my stuff got sorted and is currently either in storage or in the back of my car.
The move from the house was delayed a week, the tenant had to give notice at her last property, but that suited me rather well. It meant a week more to not get everything done… Note to self – take some days off when trying to pack and move house, working every day is not clever. I would have liked to have left the garden tidier but in the end it is what it is.

Near & Farr is still out of the water, the guys have found a few more things on the hull that need attention, nothing major but a few spots being filled and epoxy needs to cure. Hopefully she will be back in on Monday and I can finally move on board and the electrical work can be started.
The new switch boards have arrived and look good, 12v and 240v with a couple of power points, going in to the cupboard above the chart table. Hopefully the install won’t take too long. The fridge guys have quoted installing an isotherm plate and compressor so that I can run the freezer off shore power, but they are not sure when they will be able to do it, maybe not before Xmas. I’ll decide what to do once I’m there.
The big news it that Ché is sold! Not without dramas unfortunately. The buyer is a younger guy and she is his first yacht… He had a survey done and had agreed to buy her, I was stupid and told him that as long as he transferred money that night he could start antifouling, what I didn’t expect was for him to “grind out” a bit of damaged timber on the skeg collar, and then call me to tell me that the survey was no good… I thought he was going to walk and am still unhappy about his behavior. Long story short so that I could keep the sale I agreed to drop the price by $500, effectively to help pay for the repair. Possibly stupid as he was getting her cheaply anyway but the hassle of having to find another buyer and the expense of keeping her – I would have had to do the repair before I could have done anything else made it seem like the best option.
She was a great little boat for me to learn with, now I’m back to the bottom of the learning curve again and that’s exciting.
The changes that are about to happen are huge, as I’ve said more than once when I stop being so tired I’ll be really excited.