How to Live in a Yacht

There's a big difference between being a dock rat and living aboard a broken down old boat and taking up residence on a well-maintained yacht. Whether you plan to live aboard your yacht in the summer or just charter a yacht for an extended period of time or plan to be a year-round live-aboard, a yacht can offer all of the amenities, and sometimes more, than many land-locked homes.

Instructions

1. Spend an extended period of time aboard a yacht before considering moving into one permanently. Charter a yacht for a month or more and don't stay anywhere else at night. You need to be comfortable in all kinds of weather and be able to live with sea legs for all your activities. Even the biggest yachts move with the waves of the water.

2. Purchase or rent a slip in a good marina. The placement of your dock is as important to a live-aboard as the neighborhood for a house. The people who are at the marina every day become your neighbors, and you want to feel and be safe day and night.

3. Store a fold-up bike or moped on the yacht for going into town for provisions. Very few marinas provide all the necessary shopping that you'll need for daily living. If you are moving around, you don't want to spend all your time and money with taxis or finding rides to stores.

4. Lighten your load before moving aboard your boat. Space is limited and there is usually no room for all the accessories you may have around your home. Extra clothing and furniture will have to be stores, sold or given away, because most of it won't go with you to your new home.