Butch and Spanki,

What a great dream! I would love to know if any C36 owners have installed desalinationon equipment onto their boats for long-distance passage making.

I have seen installations on a C42 and a (very nice) C47 and they both take up a lot of room. In the case of the C42, the bits and pieces were all over the place.

Have fun!
Nigel

Butch and Spanki,

I think it is a great idea. My wife and I live aboard our 36 about half of the time and will someday move there full time. We feel that the 36 would be adequate to live on with some wonderful amenties. I am an author and am writing a book on tips for those who are contemplating the live aboard lifestyle so I will be watching this thread closely.

Peace,

Butch & Spanky,

About 20 years ago I lived aboard my first 36 (a 1986 MK I) for a few years along with my then fiance & our Shih Tzu. I loved it and think the 36 is ideal for a couple and palatial for a single person. We lived at a marina, so we had power, but we did cook , shower, etc onboard every day. Having a bow water tank helped alot as I would find myself filling the water tanks every few days as it was. When I think about how much smaller everything has gotten over the years, I think it would be even better now. The 13" Sony tube TV I had then has been replaced by a 26" flat panel on Deja Vu, and so on. I don't know what you might be curious about, but I'll watch this thread and respond to any questions you might have. As for the watermaker, that boat didn't have one, but my current 36 (1991 MK I) did have one installed by the prior owner and he took it with him for his 42. He used it for a trip to Mexico. I believe it was a Pur and it was installed in the engine compartment starboard of the shaft. A new throughhull was installed about mid ships behind the engine for the water intake. It was sealed when the watermaker was removed, but I'm thinking of using it as an alternate raw water source for the engine if I can figure out the plumbing. Let me know any other questions you may have.

Mike

I traveled on my old C30 for four months and lived at one marina for two months. We have a marina here in Florida where we have folks living on their boats for the winter months. One thing I observed, and probably many of our C36 member also saw is that many live aboards never leave the dock. The just as well could be living in a trailer at a RV park.

My advice is have your sailboat in condition to go sailing. Dont leave stuff out that should be secured for sailing. Don't let the barnicles collect on your bottom. Don't get into a frame of mind where you get to lazy to get underway otherwise you will find living aboard is not the joy you anticipated. Set out for day sails and short trips like you would have if you lived on land and you boat was in a marina.

Enjoy your boat.

[QUOTE=Spanki;2069]We are located in NE Oklahoma at present but plan to move to the East Coast (Annapolis) in the spring of 2011 and plan to live aboard. Are there any C-36 livaboards out there that are IA members? Do any of you have any advise or opinion of doing this?:):)[/QUOTE]

I have now owned 2 C36's, and lived aboard a Hunter 34 for a few years.

I LOVE the live aboard life style but there are a few things to consider.

Refrigeration is very limited so you will be going shopping often.

It is always a long walk from car to boat, so the weather plays a bigger part than at a house. Rain, humidity, cold, heat etc.

Pump out, holding tanks, good clean water etc. You have to make arrangements for pump out and watch your holding tanks closely. Have a spare water pump on board so when it goes out (it will go out at the worst time) you can just replace it and still have water.

Keep things stowed so you can still use the boat, it is easy to start leaving stuff out, making it homey, but then you have to put everything away be going sailing.

Look at a new mattress, as the stock one is fine for a day or 2 but it is NOT a good long time solution.

Look at a dehumidifier, as things (clothing) will damp.

Laundry, laundry mat!

Hope this helps

Butch,

I am wondering why you're planning to truck to the east coast and splash in the ICW. Why not truck to the nearest deep water access to the Gulf and take the (downhill) scenic route? Possibly the trucking fees would be less for a shorter trip.

Maybe Houston?

I'm in the Annapolis area, Galesville--about 10 miles south. If I can help with local info happy to do so.

FYI, I've heard that we lose a couple of people a year to fallling overboard in the marina--including last year a very experienced live aboard. It does get cold here. Please be careful.

Wesley

Butch,

One of our friends has sailed down from Vancouver, BC, and is doing the 2009 Baja HaHa on his C34. Here is his watermaker installation: [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5257.0.html[/url]

Here is his first 1,500 mile report: [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5257.0.html[/url] This and his blog with pictures have some nifty storage ideas. Like many of us C34ers, he converted his "hanging lockers" into shelving as one of the first things.

I often hear of folks recommending that liveaboards "don't leave stuff out all over the place so you can go sailing." I'm always confused about that. Rarely have we gone on others' boats where things are so messy that it would take any amount of time to get ready to sail. We keep our boat ready to go all the time (easy to say, we're not liveaboards) but when we're anchored out it's a matter of cleaning up the dishes and putting our wallet, car keys and "someone's purse" (!) away and we're ready to sail. Everything we have down below has been tested over time to stay where it belongs. We don't trash our boat simply by sailing it.

We don't have that much room on our boats down below anyway!;)

It seems to me that folks who are conscientious sailors do the "everything has its place and a place for everything" routine. It is necessary, I think, for safety reasons anyway: I can find stuff on my boat with my eyes closed.

I would think that, of all people, a liveaboard would already know that, although it was Bob who mentioned it.

I'd be interested in why you think that liveaboards need to be told to put their "stuff" away. My wife says that if I was as clean at home as I was on the boat she'd consider keeping me! :)

My two cents:

I have been aboard the sailboats (and a few powerboats) of my liveaboard acquaintences and they all leave a LOT of stuff strewn about down below and somewhat topside, too. It does take them a lot of time to stow all that stuff on the rare occasions that they slip the docklines.

The idea of living aboard in that sense does not thrill me. Long term cruising is another story. With the latter we are still living aboard, but getting underway every few days makes it an entirely different life, I am sure.

Duane,

Thanks so much for that observation. It hadn't occurred to me that the issue is not so much liveaboards but how people use, or in some cases DON'T use, their boats.

We have a dockmate who lives on his 1984 C36, AND sails quite often. I am sure his living quarters are as shipshape as his deck and cockpit.

There's another fellow down the dock who never takes his boat out and I wouldn't go within 10 feet of his companionway because of the mess that is down below.

Thanks again for defining the differences.

You are quite welcome, Stu, although my post was merely an observation and opinion, not worthy of a thanks. I have lots more for sale cheap! ;)

It's my turn to thank YOU for all the great posts you make here on our C36 site.

Duane and Stu,

You guys make good points, I have a No Tell Boatel next to me rentend out by the week or day by another nearby live aboard. The boat is a storage barge and has never left its slip. I would complain to the harbor master but the boat makes my boat look good, nearly Bristol.

There is another live aboard down the dock that is quite orderly, has every cruising amenity neatly lashed to the rails, has solar panels and wind generator, colapsable dingy etc. I have not seen it leave the dock in four years.

Not all who wear big hats are cowboys.

[QUOTE=Steve Frost;3251]There is another live aboard down the dock that is quite orderly, has every cruising amenity neatly lashed to the rails, has solar panels and wind generator, colapsable dingy etc. I have not seen it leave the dock in four years.[/QUOTE]

I had a neighbor like that on a Hardin 45. Lived aboard for years. Worked on the boat constantly and NEVER went sailing in the several years I was at the dock. Last month they took off for TURKEY, of all places. You never know, your neighbor might surprise you someday. However, I do believe that sailing brings out the Walter Middy in all of us to some degree.

Mike, it sounds as if you were astonished to hear that your dockmate was headed for Turkey. While that is in fact on the other side of the world, I can personally attest that it is one of the finest sailing areas tht I have ever seen. I lived there for over four years: I was working for the NSA and fell in love with the people, their food and and culture. I was then selected by the AF to be a Turkish linguist. I have to agree that it is a bold move to weigh anchor and head off for Turkey, especially if they hadn't sailed much in the past.

Apparently, the wife is actually from Turkey and all her family is there. They plan to liveaboard there and use it as a base to explore the Med over the next many years. My "of all places" comment was really just surprise because you usually hear of everyone heading for Mexico, the tropics, etc. I have actually heard the same thing about Turkey as you described, it's supposed to be great there.