Pros and Cons about Living Aboard

I've been keeping a running list of likes and dislikes about liveaboard life in my head, so I wanted to start documenting them here. Please feel free to add comments, and I'll add them to the list as we go.  *** Editors note, I realize there are more cons than pros at the moment, but it's a working list people, I need help building this thing!

Pros (let's start with the positive!!)

• You know where everything is.  The other day Eric mentioned that at the apartment he would never be able to find anything, possibly from not really caring (and I mean that in the best way possible, he just wasn't invested in apartment life). Now if he buys a really nice pair of scissors (his example) he'll know where the scissors go, and where the scissors are at all times (just wait 'til we have kids :) He's got a point though. If you're going to survive as a liveaboard you have to be uber-organized. As Eric likes to say, "A place for everything, and everything in its place."
• Lots and lots of couple time. This might be different for other couples living aboard, but Eric and I do almost everything as a team now. We did not do that when living on land, and I really, really like it.  All of the sudden grocery shopping is not some menial task to be done, but a communal chore that involves getting the groceries from point A to point B, be it on bicycles, or by firing up the car for her once-a-week run. I should note that this doesn't translate into everything done in boat life. Eric still does 99% of the repairs and maintenance on the boat, and I think it's really important to acknowledge that. I do more of the cooking and looking good :)
• We're more active. We both ride our bikes to work, and everywhere else for that matter. Walking from our boat to the main marina facilities takes almost five minutes, and we have started working out and using the weights they have in the common room.
• 12/18/07 - It's really quite romantic on board when it rains. Eric has almost gotten complete control of the leaks, so we have far less bowls and pans lying about when it rains. It's warm on the inside and blustery on the outside, a very nice combination.
• 12/18/07 - Speaking of warm and cozy, Eric just figured out that mineral spirits work great in our cabin oil lamp. It really lights the place up, and warms the place up too. I love it.

Cons (in no particular order)

• Lighting. I don't have the best night vision and the boat just isn't well lit at night. It's hard to do tasks that involve seeing something up close, and reading must be done close to one of the brighter lights.
• No more single-flush toilets, and no more cleaning them the way you used to. I think on this line I'll add head stink. Pee Yewwww.
• Bye bye running water. I miss you!
• Farewell hot water. I miss you too!
• Our sink is Barbie doll size, which would have been so cool when I was eight! Washing dishes on a boat is like trying to give a cat a bath! Water gets everywhere, including under the teak back splash which Eric constantly reminds me is not okay. I should add this that this mini-sink idea translates into the petite galley effect too. So all of our pans are small, and the oven is half the size of even a smallish regular oven, so everything in our kitchen looks like it's for an Easy Bake Oven.
• Having a difficult-to-get-to ice box/refrigerator.  I was able to transition away from having a freezer fairly easily, but the size and positioning of our fridge makes it very hard to get into, and see what goodies we have in it. In a land fridge you can open the door and easily see what you're running out of , or what you're going to make for dinner, on a boat, everything is about planning, and unfortunately forgetting too. It's also not as cold as a regular fridge so things just don't last as long. I know eventually we'll be only working with an ice box, so I'm glad we're doing this little by little. Still, it's hard!
• Grooming space. I was going put 'privacy' here, but I think everyone has their own definition of that word. For some privacy might mean having their own room, and I think both Eric and I are okay with not having that type of space.  What I do miss though, is the freedom of being able to primp and groom in private. We don't have a full length mirror and the mirror we do have is wedged on one side of the head, so you can only see from the waist up. I tried standing on the toilet, but my head conked the ceiling, arggggh! Lighting also comes into play here. I just can't see well enough to pluck my eyebrows, much less anything else for that matter! And even if I wanted to, standing in the head to do it means I have as much room as if I were trying to make out inside my old high school locker. I've tried utilizing the bathroom facilities at the marina, but you just never know when someone will walk in. Sure, there are private shower stalls, but it's just not the same when you know someone might be waiting for them. We did just get a new storage space, and there's a mirror hanging over the door in it, but gone are the days when I could try on outfit after outfit without fear of a stranger walking in on me.
• 12/18/07 - Laundry. Normally Eric and I do the laundry together, but now that he has a broken foot, and just slightly re-injured it, I've been doing it alone.  It's a bit of a pain in the butt, because the laundry facilities are up at the marina proper, so there's a long walk up and back for the washer and then dryer load. You always need to keep quarters on hand, and if you need to iron, it has to be done up there.
• 12/18/07 - The toilet!  I miss the freedom of using the toilet without anyone being able to hear me, or know I'm going. Now it's not that I make an enormous amount of ruckus when I go, but I do miss the ability to really relax and use the restroom. If I want a semblance of that, I can go up to the marina restroom, but they're still public to all other members of the marina. This means it's about as relaxing as going to the bathroom in a public restroom, because it is a public restroom. Oh, and every time you use the restroom, anyone in the boat can hear you. So our poor guests are greeted to the melodic tinkle of our tinkling anytime they come over to visit.  I guess it could be worse! At least we have a working head!

Comments

[Mystery Dieter]

nice list...I will keep them in mind.

We are finally moving onto a boat in two weeks!!! it's not the sailboat we wanted but it's a start...it will help us save tons of money so that in a year or two we can get the one we want :)

I feel like such a traitor for buying a trawler but it was all we could find...oh well.

[Charlotte]

That is so cool that you're moving aboard. Please feel free to add to this list. I'd love to get another lady's perspective on the life aquatic. If you start a blog, let me know!

[JC McDowell]

My wife, 15 mo old little girl, and I live aboard a 33 ketch. The things that are the hardest are the lack of a shower and hot water for us. We have a pretty good igloo cooler we keep drinks in and use the frigo for cooking food. But sponge baths are no comparison to a HOT shower.

Good posts.

[Charlotte]

JC, I imagine I'll join you in these sentiments as soon as we don't have access to our marina facilities to be sure!