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Living on a boat is something I had always wanted to do but I guess it all sounded more like a dream. It wasn’t something that you heard people doing very often but when you did it all sounded like the ideal life. After leaving the Army in 1991 I spent quite a few years living in London. I rented a flat, had a car to run and all the associated bills that come with running a house. I was working 60 hours a week or more just so I could make ends meet with little money left over to go out and enjoy life.
Things were really starting to get out of hand and I was really struggling to survive so one day I decided that I would buy a cheap boat and live aboard it.The problem was I didn’t have any savings and with my current outgoing and income I was unable to get a loan.
I was lucky that a friend came to the rescue and I managed to raise £2,000 which wouldat least give me a start.
The next problem I had was that I needed a boat that was quite big as there were two of us, myself and my partner. I never thought I would find a boat the right size in reasonable condition for such a small amount of money but if you look long enough and hard enough something always turns up.
As luck would have it I came across an old Norfolk Broads cruiser 42 feet in length with enough room for the two of us.The problem was that the boat needed a lot of work done on her which I was prepared to do so we purchased her and moved out of a four bedroom flat in London to a 42 foot boat that barely had any accommodation, no heating, no running water and was barely afloat.
Looking back on it now I think we must have been mad but it was a good learning experience, and more importantly good fun.There is just not enough information about living on boats in this country. If I could have found out more information I am sure I wouldn’t have bought this boat but you live and learn.
I spent the next two years working very hard getting the boat in a reasonable condition, having reduced my overheads to practically nothing, I had the money to spend doing up the vessel. After much hard work I decided that I would like a vessel more suitable for going to sea so I sold the boat for more than I paid for her and spent some time looking for another suitable vessel.
Looking through the boating press I found a 52 foot ex Naval Harbour Launch for sale at a reasonable price down in Cornwall.I travelled to Cornwall to take a closer look and liked what I saw.Again the vessel needed a lot of work but the two most important things were good, that being the hull and engine.The boat had been used to live on some years ago so the inside was fitted out but could do with a refit, it seemed ideal but again a lot of work to do.I struck a deal with the owner and then contacted a friend of mine to help me bring her back to the River Medway in Kent.
The trip back to Kent took us 40 hours of continuous motoring and we encountered a few problems on the way. This was my first major sea trip and as sod’s law dictates the weather got very bad, force 8, and we had to stop at Brixham for a couple of days to wait the weather out.The rest of the journey went okay and we arrived at our new moorings on the Medway.
Now work had to start all over again, I spent the next three years working on and using the Harbour Launch and enjoyed every moment of it. I then decided that I would like to do some sailing so the Harbour Launch was advertised for sale. I managed to sell the vessel, again for more than I paid reflecting the amount of work I had done on her but was very sorry to see her go as I really liked the vessel.
The next boat and my current one is a 38 foot motor sailor. The boat wasn’t advertised for sale but I noticed that it had been lying on its moorings for quite a few years without anyone visiting very often. She needed a good coat of paint and a little work to put her back in shape so I managed to contact the owner and asked if he would consider selling. As luck would have it he did decide to sell and I brought her for a reasonable price.
At this present moment in time I am busy working on what is my third boat in the last six years. I have put a lot of effort into the boats I have had and have got great satisfaction from doing the work myself not to mention the amount of experience I have gained in this time.
Anyone can do the same as I have done, I did start at the bottom end of the market but that was because I did not have the finances. If you did not want to do a great deal of work on a vessel and could raise the finances you could purchase a vessel that does not need much work, only general maintenance. If you raise money through a loan you would repay more money in interest but bearing in mind that the cost of living on a boat is very much cheaper than in a house, you would save a great deal of money which could be put towards paying the finance off quicker so you would not pay so much interest.
At the end of a few short years you would own the vessel you live on with no mortgage or all the associated bills that come with a house. You could then spend more time doing what you enjoy rather than working every hour just to make ends meet.
I enjoy the live aboard life as it gives me so much freedom, the freedom to choose where I go and where I live, the freedom to work when I want to and take time of when I choose. I guess most people think that these things can only be done by the extremely rich but that is not the case. I am by no stretch of the imagination a rich person but the quality of life I have is what makes me happy and that is what counts.
I started off with £2,000 and six years later with a little hard work and lots of fun I now have a yacht that will sail any ocean, makes a comfortable home and is worth in the region of £25,000 which I think is a good investment over six years. It could have been worse I could have invested in property !!
I would recommend the live aboard life to anyone, all you need is the determination to get up and do it. I am not saying that it doesn’t have its down side but on the whole it’s an enjoyable way to live. So if you want to break free from the way others say you should live your life then go for it, after all home is where ever you want to take it.
Martin Chinery
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