Saturday, April 23, 2016

This Facebook Thread Touches My Heart

Zebulon, NC

Regular readers of this blog know how much I like to tout the simple life and the cruising life.  But that's just me.   The thread below from the Boot Key Harbor Cruisers group on Facebook, touched my heart because it wasn't just me.  It was my friends and neighbors who reveal that they too know the secret.


Dawn Kozash
17 hrsIslamorada, FL
Could anyone tell me or give me a little info?? I live full time in Islamorada and we rent out residence until my son completes high school. We are considering getting a boat to live upon full time after this. My question is, do you have to be independently wealthy to do this??? Or are you able to do this on a shoe string budget, lol. I know it sounds crazy but we could never finance a home here in the keys due to the costs but would be able to do a boat, I'm not talking fancy but just enough to be comfortable??? I may be crazy but just thought I would ask!! And I love reading the stories on here!!! Thank you again. Just an FYI, my husband teaches college and will mostly do online classes, I do not work but can and will do anything from waiting tables to working in an office!!
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Renee Boyer Dawn Kozash I now live on a boat off of coco plum and I absolutely love it
LikeReply317 hrs
Ryan Healy No, you do not need to be wealthy, but at a minimum, you have to be able to afford boat, insurance, maintenance, moorage, which isn't particularly cheap.
LikeReply217 hrs
Martha Campbell replied11 Replies10 hrs
Scott Daugherty Certainly doable
LikeReply217 hrs
Jeff Berry yachtworld.com sailboatlistings.com boattrader.com Craigslist and if all else fails Indiantown Marina other places for cheap boats
LikeReply117 hrs
Pia Louise replied2 Replies
Cory Young We have done both the cheap route (paying dinghy dockage), to being on a mooring ball and now we are at one of the most expensive marinas I've ever stayed. I couldn't even rent a studio apartment in Marathon for what I'm paying to live at a resort. You can choose your income and comfort level.
LikeReply217 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Sv Tarwathie We calculate that it costs us 1/3 as much to live on our sailboat than to live on land. But to do it that cheaply you must get rid of all your houses, apartments, vehicles, and storage units, and eschew slips in marinas. You also need safe anchorages that give you a place to take your dinghy in to a place within walking or biking distance of stores you need. That is one reason why Boot Key Harbor is so popular.
LikeReply616 hrsEdited
Dawn Kozash Thanks Sv!
LikeReply10 hrs
Sv Tarwathie
Write a reply...
Terry Clay Go for it
LikeReply116 hrs
Larry Elliot MacDonald Boats often require repairs. Hiring it done is EXPENSIVE! ($80 to $100 per hour) You need to learn to do your boat repairs yourself. And if you're planning to do any cruising with your boat, you REALLY need to know how to fix stuff yourself, and have the spare parts and tools on board to do those repairs. There are no off-ramps on the ocean.
LikeReply216 hrs
Mimzie Cloud Wilinski As much as you want to spend. We've lived aboard for almost 6 years and have done it cheaply and have done it expensively. We are now cruising through the Bahamas on our way further South and spend very little. We accomplish this by anchoring out inste...See More
LikeReply215 hrs
Mimzie Cloud Wilinski replied2 Replies
Gordon Jeffries We set out in 2012 & are having a great time! As noted above, you need to be handy and creative, get Compton's Marine Diesel book and Calder's Mechanical & Electrical manual to have on board. We live pretty cheaply in George Town Bahamas, no utility ...See More
UnlikeReply215 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Mark Chenoweth Seriously??? You can be stone ass broke and live on a boat. Many do. Depends on your comfort needs...
LikeReply115 hrsEdited
Gordon Jeffries Oh, we liked BKH & were heading back there once when we landed at Dinner Key moorings at Coconut Grove. Great place to live for $300/month on a mooring. Bikes are really handy if you have room.
LikeReply115 hrs
Dawn Kozash Thank you everyone, it seems most and I say most not all here live off their retirement, I am trying to figure out how to do this since my husband won't be having much in the way of retirement 😝 I am not a fool not someone that takes this lightly, I a...See More
LikeReply14 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied2 Replies
Mark Chenoweth Just do it.. You will figure it out along the way..
LikeReply314 hrs
Judy Klawe We did it for 10 years, 18 months with two small boys - grandsons while parents were deployed - almost all of it in Marathon - and it was great. It is not cheap and boats require maintenance. However, I agree with Mark. If you want to do it, then g...See More
LikeReply214 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Al Schwartz II Like every day life. Live with in your means.
LikeReply113 hrs
Linda Starner On line businesses are the ticket .. For sure if you are want to live "off the grid".& on a boat. Being open to working on shore is a big plus.
We did this for 7 years every winter for 5 months.. Then came back to our lives in Traverse City for the ...See More
LikeReply111 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Maresa Parrish Casey We moved onto our boat full time almost a year ago. We are 42 and 52. Not getting any retirement. We did start out with some savings but we both are now working but only part time. We are living in BKH and plan on staying. It is very doable on little income.
LikeReply111 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Daniel McCutchan A boat will accept every dollar you are willing to spend on it,
And you will think you should spend more. The secret is to get a boat you don't HAVE to spend huge amounts of money on, and then use it. It's cheaper than on land, and more expensive tha...See More
LikeReply310 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Hunter Quarterman The more you give up, the less it costs. Your rent there for one year exceeds my total living expenses for the last 3.
UnlikeReply210 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Teresa Hatfield No,look for boat.in boat yards n around.I got a nice 1 once 300.00 Just painted the bottum n cleaned it,Beautiful....
LikeReply17 minsEdited
Peter Detore Hi Dawn Kozash. how much elbow room do you need? I have a very nice hunter 27 on Q9 . I would be interested in renting her out for a time while I carry on with the rest of my life. 5615370524
LikeReply14 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Katherine Harms A major component of happiness in anyone's life is the attitude of the person, not the ease of his life. If your happiness depends on any particular sort of comfort, then boat life will be hard. If you have always felt you were deprived on the budget y...See More
LikeReply42 hrs
Dawn Kozash replied1 Reply
Sally Ritter Well said Katherine!
LikeReply1 hr
Peter Colket Visit Marine Trawler Owners Association at mtoa.net . Lots of information for anyone interested in the cruising lifestyle. Trawlers are a lot more comfortable than sailboats (I've owned both).
MTOA - Marine Trawler Owners Association
Marine Trawler Owners Association - MTOA - If you own a trawler, or dream of owning one, MTOA is just for you. Trade tips on maintenance, handling skills and cruising anecdotes are in our quarterly magazines. Enjoy the best of boating times at our many rendezvous throughout the year. Visit our websi…
MTOA.NET
LikeReply11 hr
Sv Tarwathie I love it. Without the aid of religion or gurus, so many cruisers have stumbled upon the great life secret that happiness has no correlation (or negative correlation) to the amount of stuff you own. If we could do a study, i wager that it would find that cruisers are among the happiest and healthiest people in the country.
LikeReply342 mins
Cory Nickerson It' is the best crazy decision I personally have made to sell my almost paid for house and buy a sail boat. Life is very good and very short.
LikeReply219 mins
Cory Nickerson And this is Mendy the wife he didn't even have to talk me into it
LikeReply18 mins
Harv Gross I lived abroad 4 many years and several times people said "u must b rich". I said yes I am VERY rich. Rich in watching beautiful sunsets, Rich in spending time with the woman I love, rich in the the things really important, but I have very little money. Living on a boat can make u feel like u r living, not just existing.
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