[misste11]

Your first option is to sublet a liveaboard slip. Many liveaboards cruise for a season or even years at a time. Many are happy to sublet their slips while they’re away. To get one of these coveted sublets, put together a one page poster with a nice photo and description of yourself and what you’re looking for. E-mail this to the marina manager and ask if they will circulate it on their liveaboard e-mail list. Also, put your poster up on the marina bulletin board. This strategy worked both for us and a couple of other people we know. You may not even need to own a boat in order to sublet. I know of one instance where a couple rented both the boat and the slip from an owner who was off traveling for a year.

[betty20a]

Wondering if the liveaboard life is right for you? Check out our post: Is living on a boat right for you? 10 things you should know.

[gim]

Often, if you buy a boat that is moored in a liveaboard slip, you can negotiate the slip into your purchase (depending on the marina’s policy). Beware that sellers may inflate the price of their boat by as much as $50K because liveaboard slips are so sought after. It’s not necessarily unreasonable to pay the higher price but you should be aware of what you’re really paying for (the liveabaoard slip!) more

[boombox]

HOUSEBOAT WITH ENGINE here

[ueleniacostae]

HOUSEBOAT WITHOUT ENGINE here

[tomkfischer]

Their flat bottoms make for a very uncomfortable ride, but in calmer conditions they have unsurpassed comfort.  here

[tamal451]

Peter J. Thompson/National Post more

[harrison801]

The desire to travel is a common motivation behind the decision to swap a house for a boat. Mr. Starkman’s dream is to spend a year or two sailing around down south with his family.

[bombus]

Mr. Dembski is a member of a small Toronto community, sometimes referred to as “live-aboards,” who stay on their powerboats, sailboats or floating homes year-round. It is difficult to characterize those who choose this lifestyle, but there are some common traits: They love their boats, they don’t see their lives as being too different from those of house-dwellers and they don’t miss much about living on terra firma.

[bruno666]

Marriage does indeed survive the tight quarters at sea. more

[carol88miller]

Marinas usually have a monthly rate. This one in Ensenada looks nice. [links]

[toyotalizu]

Monthly Costs here

[Diane06]

The price of your boat is the biggest upfront cost in the whole process of living aboard. That said, don’t spend all your money upfront because there are more costs to come, both expected and unexpected. The boat should as small as possible while still meeting all your needs. Don’t buy the biggest boat you can afford. First time buyers always overestimate the amount of space they’ll need, and regret it later, especially when their loan payments are due. It’s wise to spend 60% of your budget on the actual boat, and save the remaining 40% for insurance, registration, slip fees, maintenance and all the other extras.

[jp4]

Operating Costs

[kaspar]

Size matters with boats because every extra foot of boat costs more. When you live aboard, you get rid of all your land bills, but you take on a bunch of new and different costs, which are usually cheaper. So, the smaller your boat, the less expensive it is for both the initial purchase and ongoing costs. Most people think it isn’t possible to live on a boat under 30 feet. Not only is it possible, it’s preferable for the lone liveaboard or couple. And if you can’t afford to make a big mistake, don’t buy a big boat.

[user88]

Some areas only allow no more that 30 days at a time, others more, others less. A lot of people are doing it with using the "no see, no hear, no say" technique. [links]

[Kapisketo]

As to the areas where you can't live full time on a houseboat, I would have to say that "legally" the list of states is increasing. I think that the keyword is what constitutes "full-time" living? here

[RobHu]

Just wanting to be sure in order to decide where we buy our houseboat.

[Lord Juan]

I know that the US Corps of Engineers are making it more difficult to accomplish it legally and above board.

[akaz456]

Wondering where we can go about living aboard full time on a houseboat? Are there any states where a person can't live full-time on a houseboat?