I know its a boom, but with 'arent sailboats dangerous' i figured keep the tech talk to a min

 

update!

The ensenada never happened, I did find another swing keel, a Catalina 25 for $8000, but even more tempting for me is the Stardust Cruiser 40 I found on craigslist.

Not THE boat, but very similar. Should have brought my camera...



The one I checked out needs paint, may have a small leak in the steel hull, needs the AC/DC wiring systems straightened out, and doesn't have a shower, just a head (possibly upgradeable)

Hull inspection should be easy after the paint is stripped off the bottom. Its in dry dock now I'd probably leave it there until I got the hull cleaned up.

I threw together a spreadsheet to compare my bills. Apartment by myself/buying a house vs, renting a room in the cold months and staying on the boat in the warmer ones.

Sorta figured it might talk me out of a somewhat weird idea. nope. Save $1500 a year staying on a boat for the summer. Thats planned around a 2 year loan for the boat, so after 2 years, I'll be saving a couple more grand a year.

 

Uhh... I think living on a boat would have more "unforeseeable" expenses than a house.

 

meh, I'd get a sicker housboat than that thing if I was gonna live on it. gotta have something the ladies want to come back to.

I guess I'd settle to living on this



or if it had to be on a lake somewhere maybe this



but seriously while I love the water and plan on having a lake house I think I'd rather have a house on the lake rather then "on" the lake if you know what I mean. although if it's moored most of the time you'd have access to regular power and everything but then that would be one of those transient kinda creepy things I feel like. it's one thing to say, hey babe, let's go back to my boat for the night but when your boat is also your sole house, i don't know man, kinda creepy, like you could untie in the middle of the night and just float off with people.

 

The old steel hulls are whats in my price range, or I'd go for a newer, bigger boat. I can understand the transient thing, but the actual house I'm looking at (also whats in my price range) has the entire downstairs gutted. Not any better of a situation with the creepy factor. A season or two on this boat, if all my math is remotely close, will save me enough money to knock out a majority of my bills/loans (including the boat), which will put me in a better situation for borrowing money for a real house.
But... of the people i've mentioned the boat to locally, most like the idea, and there are at least 4 other houseboats in the marina this one is at, and there are 2 more marinas on the bay that I haven't even been in that I assume would have more, so I guess its not THAT out of place.

And you don't just 'sneak' out onto the lake at night with a 40' box, so i think the girls are safe.