Free Boats

I've been surfing craigslist.org for the last few years looking for cheap/free boats to start my adventure on.  The issue is, free boats are REALLY REALLY expensive, unless of course you know someone really wealthy that has taken immaculate care of their boat, and just decided that you deserved to have it.  Let's be honest, that doesn't happen for us mere mortals. 

If you're wondering why I said free boats are expensive, here is why:  Its not the boat itself that is your major expense, but rather all of the equipment needed to make it liveable.  A small sailboat can have many of the amenities of a house, like an oven, microwave, flushing toilet (head), stereo system, and electric lights.  Some of these items are significantly more expensive for the marine versions vs. their land based counterparts.  Lets take the oven for example.  An oven with stove top for a home can be bought for approximately $300 for something that is not the bottom tier.  If you want a 2 burner stove top with oven for a boat, expect to spend something close to $1000 before running the tubing for a propane bottle, as well as the appropriate regulators and warning systems for leaks.  If you want all the amenities of home, you'd better be prepared to shell out the major money to make it happen. 


The boat I am looking into is a Columbia 26.  It was built from 1963-69.  Its old.  In okay shape, but its still old.  That means things need to be fixed, replaced, or retrofitted.  These all cost money.  The boat currently does not have a head (marine term for a toilet).  To bring it up to standards (aka- not pumping raw sewage over the side), a holding tank has to be put in, a head needs to be acquired, the pump out fittings have to be installed, and the hoses all run. Or, another option is to go with a composting head (expect more posts on this topic!!).  Yes, they are available!  It also makes taking care of the waste more manageable, especially since there is no sewage line or leeching field to hook up to.  Both will run into the high hundreds of dollars, maybe more, and both have their pros and cons.  At $800, this boat is pretty much free, and as you see, expensive.  If I took some time and saved some more money, I could buy a boat for $3000-5000 that would be basically finished and need nothing or very little.  To me, that means putting this whole adventure off for another year or two, and that's no fun!  There's no adventure to buying something that is already finished. 

Hopefully, I am going to go take one last look at the boat to do a final check to make sure I did not miss something catastrophic, like a mast with a hole in it.  More updates to come!!!

If you know me, then you know I've been sailing my whole life.  It started with a 20' day-sailor that my dad picked up cheap.  It then moved onto a 40' that my family had on the Chesapeake Bay for 10 years.  During that time, I was also sailing at scout camp, on the river in the summer time, and when ever I got a chance.  While I was studying at the University of Southern Maine, I joined, and eventually captained, the USM Sailing Team.  We raced all over New England against some of the best college sailing teams on the East Coast (think Coast Guard, Navy, Maritime Academies, etc).  I've also taught sailing at camps and racing on a high school and college level.  I do not profess to be the best sailor, have the encyclopedic knowledge of some, or the repair skills of a professional.  That being said, this is a new adventure into sailing for me.  I have wanted to live on a sailboat for about 6 years.  I'm sure I professed to this when I was a child, but started to seriously look into finding a boat and the funding to make it all happen.  I've realized that I do not sail NEARLY enough to satisfy me, but do not work a job where I make the money to have an apartment and a boat.  The thought is to combine them, and then I can get the best (or maybe the worst) of both worlds!  Only the adventure will tell! 

This is all an adventure in finding a cheap boat, fixing it up, learning a lot, and eventually (spring 2013) beginning the living aboard adventure.  Did I mention that its all going to be on a shoestring budget?  The way I see it, why not put some (read as: A LOT) time and effort into a boat to fix it up and make it yours?  You'll learn a lot, and really figure out if it is something that you want to do.  Plus there is always pride that comes from fixing/building something yourself.  There is also the idea that if you've done the work yourself, when something goes wrong, you probably have a much better idea of how to fix it.  That becomes really important when you're 15 miles offshore and there is no one to help you. 

That is the premise for the blog.  The next entry should be pictures of my "new" (1960's era) boat and the move to the winter location, followed by progress on the refit/restoration and considerations for living aboard.  Please stay tuned for more from The $800 Liveaboard.