by Lucinda Davis

Created on: May 15, 2010

Our family lived on a 28 foot cabin cruiser for 6 months out of the year when I turned 14. There were 4 of us and it was crowded but you can enjoy living on a boat. For me life on the boat was a luxury since our home did not have running water and we had to use an outhouse. The convenience of using the marina's shower facilities was enjoyable to me.

That was a long time ago and dock rental was much cheaper then. We were able to pay $300 for the season and it included electricity. Pretty cheap huh? Now they have raised the dock rates and imposed all kinds of fees for boating that didn't exist back then. It's still probably cheaper to live on a boat.

To begin with you have no property tax to pay. Generally speaking the marinas charge a flat fee and that's your rent for the 6 month season. It should include your electric and then you get use of the shower facilities. You will need to weigh out the pros and the cons of this.

There are plenty of upsides to living on a boat aside from saving money. If you don't like your neighbor you move the boat to another slip. Most of the time you won't have a neighbor since most people don't live on their boats. We only had neighbors on the weekends and holidays.

Some of the low points for living on a boat would be that it's wet. Yes, I know it's a boat but if it's raining outside for a week you might get sick of all the dampness. Thunderstorms can be pretty frightening.

Unless your boat is a cruise ship then it will be compact or crowded. If you can deal with not having so much space then it may be something you'll want to consider. After all you only have to sleep on the boat. You can always go hang out at your friends house, the library or a restaurant if you feel the walls closing in on you.

Boats of course take maintenance. Depending on whether you purchase an old wood boat or a newer fiberglass boat will determine how much time and money you spend maintaining it. My Dad had bought our old plywood Owens boat for $1500, a pretty good investment when you consider it was our home for half the year for more than six years.

I enjoyed living on a boat. When all of my children leave my home I may very well go purchase a boat to live on year round.  I think it's a wise investment for a home.

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