The Admiral and I live on our 36 about half of the time. Since my job can be accomplished onboard (with wifi) I can work from anywhere. I would have to say that the 36 is about as small as any vessel that we know of that we could feel comfortable with at this point of our lives. Some folks will argue both ways but we have found it to be a delightful boat to spend lots of nights on. Then again, it is dependent upon how your mate likes it. You know the saying "If mamma ain't happy..." There are some upgrades that I would look in to if we were planning on making it our permament home. One of them being upgrading the head. You will, no doubt, get a significant amount of feedback to your question and you have come to the right place.
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Glenn Druhot Carpe Diem New Bern, NC 35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W 2001 C36, Hull #1965 Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Welcome to the forum. I also moved up from a 30 and lived aboard my 1986 MK I 36 for a few years 20 years ago with my girlfriend and our dog, so I can lend my thoughts. We never had a problem with the amount of space. We kept the dining table down as a "pit sofa" and ate at the game table. This definitely made the boat more comfy and roomy. We slept in the forward cabin and used the aft cabin for clothing and other storage. We installed a wooden dowel in the aft cabin for hanging my GFs work clothes, skirts, etc and we bought some of those 3 drawer plastic storage things for other clothing storage. We always showered on the boat and never ran out of hot water. Even with the extra bow tank, I found myself out in the cockpit filling the water tanks every 2-3 days. You can set up a freshwater inlet to use dock water, I just never bothered. We cooked on the boat every night, no problems there. I had a Norcold freezer built into the docksteps so we could lay in a supply of frozen foods & veggies. Being in SoCal, one electric cabin heater kept the boat warm even in "winter". I think the key to success is your attitude. The boat is definitely big enough for two, and it sails MUCH better than the 30, you will be amazed. I'd say go for it before you acquire a ton of "stuff". Now that I've got a house full of stuff, I'd find it hard to do it again, but you never know. Just not sure where I'd put the 70" TV.;) I would personally look for a MK I because the aft cabin is more accessible and the Nav Station is much roomier for using a laptop, writing, etc. Let us know how you fare and feel free to PM me with any specific questions. I'm sure there are things I left out, I just tried to give you an overview. Oh, one more thing. It was the best time of my life.:D
The nicest and most utilitarian modification/addition that I have made that has been a big hit with my first mate was to add a refrigerator (albeit 110v). We spend about 80% of our time at the dock and it fits perfectly. I wiill send a photo of it soon.
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Glenn Druhot Carpe Diem New Bern, NC 35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W 2001 C36, Hull #1965 Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Having just moved up from a Catalina 28, we find the room on the 36 to be a huge difference, particularly with respect to storage spaces. I was prepared to take the 28 south, my wife not so much, but even she feels the 36 is as big a boat as we'll need to spend a year on.
We spent from Aug. 1 to June 1 the following year with no problems as we traveled from Lake Erie down the east coast and back. I even had storage space I did not use. The boat is perfect for intercoastal and also for coastal cruising. We anchored out and went to dock and even had our fold up bike aboard for errands. With cell phone and a verizon modem for our lap top we were always connected to friends and family. Davits on the back for our RIB helped with shore excursions, exploring, and some good fishing. We used a Buddy heater in the cabin when temperatures dropped and kept toasty warm. With a TV and good stereo and good books there was always self entertainment. There is enough room to entertain and good storage for lots of food and drink. I used to have a rule when working which was no TV and no cell phone, but once we were retired and on the boat for long periods they were a really useful. It is a good life and a good boat to enjoy it on.
The Admiral and I live on our 36 about half of the time. Since my job can be accomplished onboard (with wifi) I can work from anywhere. I would have to say that the 36 is about as small as any vessel that we know of that we could feel comfortable with at this point of our lives. Some folks will argue both ways but we have found it to be a delightful boat to spend lots of nights on. Then again, it is dependent upon how your mate likes it. You know the saying "If mamma ain't happy..." There are some upgrades that I would look in to if we were planning on making it our permament home. One of them being upgrading the head. You will, no doubt, get a significant amount of feedback to your question and you have come to the right place.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Welcome to the forum. I also moved up from a 30 and lived aboard my 1986 MK I 36 for a few years 20 years ago with my girlfriend and our dog, so I can lend my thoughts. We never had a problem with the amount of space. We kept the dining table down as a "pit sofa" and ate at the game table. This definitely made the boat more comfy and roomy. We slept in the forward cabin and used the aft cabin for clothing and other storage. We installed a wooden dowel in the aft cabin for hanging my GFs work clothes, skirts, etc and we bought some of those 3 drawer plastic storage things for other clothing storage. We always showered on the boat and never ran out of hot water. Even with the extra bow tank, I found myself out in the cockpit filling the water tanks every 2-3 days. You can set up a freshwater inlet to use dock water, I just never bothered. We cooked on the boat every night, no problems there. I had a Norcold freezer built into the docksteps so we could lay in a supply of frozen foods & veggies. Being in SoCal, one electric cabin heater kept the boat warm even in "winter". I think the key to success is your attitude. The boat is definitely big enough for two, and it sails MUCH better than the 30, you will be amazed. I'd say go for it before you acquire a ton of "stuff". Now that I've got a house full of stuff, I'd find it hard to do it again, but you never know. Just not sure where I'd put the 70" TV.;) I would personally look for a MK I because the aft cabin is more accessible and the Nav Station is much roomier for using a laptop, writing, etc. Let us know how you fare and feel free to PM me with any specific questions. I'm sure there are things I left out, I just tried to give you an overview. Oh, one more thing. It was the best time of my life.:D
Deja Vu
1991 MK I # 1106
Marina del Rey, CA
The nicest and most utilitarian modification/addition that I have made that has been a big hit with my first mate was to add a refrigerator (albeit 110v). We spend about 80% of our time at the dock and it fits perfectly. I wiill send a photo of it soon.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
Don't know if you've seen this topic on this board from last week: [url]http://www.c36ia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345[/url]
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
Having just moved up from a Catalina 28, we find the room on the 36 to be a huge difference, particularly with respect to storage spaces. I was prepared to take the 28 south, my wife not so much, but even she feels the 36 is as big a boat as we'll need to spend a year on.
We spent from Aug. 1 to June 1 the following year with no problems as we traveled from Lake Erie down the east coast and back. I even had storage space I did not use. The boat is perfect for intercoastal and also for coastal cruising. We anchored out and went to dock and even had our fold up bike aboard for errands. With cell phone and a verizon modem for our lap top we were always connected to friends and family. Davits on the back for our RIB helped with shore excursions, exploring, and some good fishing. We used a Buddy heater in the cabin when temperatures dropped and kept toasty warm. With a TV and good stereo and good books there was always self entertainment. There is enough room to entertain and good storage for lots of food and drink. I used to have a rule when working which was no TV and no cell phone, but once we were retired and on the boat for long periods they were a really useful. It is a good life and a good boat to enjoy it on.