Need advice for new liveaboard

[shipshape08]

I'm looking into living the dream living on a boat for a while. I'm looking at two boats now, both 34' Silverton's, one is a twin diesel, the other is twin gas. They are both in my price range but the gas engine boat is a lot nicer and doesn't need a whole lot of cosmetic work. I am leaning towards the gas engine boat, and I've been reading up on choosing gas vs. diesel engines and boats up to 35' really don't need to be diesel, gas is good enough except for the fuel consumption. I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice if you have a boat about this size that runs on gas how its for fuel and spending costs. I won't really be running long voyages a whole lot, just day trips/weekend trips. Should I lean towards paying less for the gas or just go for the diesel? The gas boat is all hooked up for the perfect bachelor pad too! Any advice on anything about living aboard would be great too. Thanks, the name's Chris by the way.

[Shellback]

Chris,

Some of this is personal choice..The deisel should be more reliable,economical and safer, in respect to fire..If you should ever need to rebuild them the deisels will cost you at least double, if not more...


Somewhere I read that a marine gas engine ( 454 ci ) should last around 1-2,000 hours with proper maintenance, where as a deisel will do twice that or should..I've seen some of the smaller Yanmars with 5,000 plus on them and still going strong...

On weekend trips will the engines be used to charge the batteries or do the boats have gensets? Are the gas engines fuel injected or carbs ?

[PMC]

Every live-aboard I knew at my old marina was permanently tied to the dock. If you pull out you engine you will have more storage space.

[Shellback]

Every live-aboard I knew at my old marina was permanently tied to the dock. If you pull out you engine you will have more storage space.

They seem to have a tendency to collect things that make them near impossible to get underway..I remember one couple that had to haul out and it took them the better part of the day to unload all their potted plants ,trees and other land based paraphanelia..I think they gained 3 inches of free board by the time they were done...

Chris appears to have the bachelor pad theme in mind,as long as he doesn't allow the ladies to leave their various belongings behind or give into their inherent desire to redecorate it, he should be fine..

[seadawg]

Every live-aboard I knew at my old marina was permanently tied to the dock. If you pull out you engine you will have more storage space.

agreed..lived on a H/B for 14 years..pulled the I/O and tank..made a great storage hold..only moved to haul out.."hipped" my skiff up when needed to move..living aboard with gas tanks is an accident waiting to happen!!

[Capt. Nemo]

By all means go with the diesels. It doesn't go BOOM!

And if you need some fuel in a pinch, it's easier to get diesel than gas from a supply boat or tug.

The main thing is gasoline volatility. I was told at a very young age that a cup of gasoline in the bilge was the same as having a stick of dynamite in there. Gasoline tries to burn or explode in ambient conditions. Diesel tries not to.

Just my opinion. It's probably not worth much.

Nemo

[shipshape08]

hahah, yea the bachelor pad would be a lot better without it filled with smoke and flames! It's too bad the nice boat doesn't have diesels, and it'll probably cost more to replace those engines with diesels than it does to buy it! I think I'll just have to take some of his ideas on the interior/accessories and put them on the other boat. I think I'll keep looking around for another boat while I'm at it, stick with the diesels.

Is it a big deal that I won't be running the diesel engines for a few weeks to a month at a time if nobody can get down to the marina just to run them? I will be still working offshore, so I just wanted to make sure leaving the diesels around won't be a big problem. I'll keep up with the maintenance while I'm home of course. Thanks again for your advice, I appreciate it.

Anyone know someone with slips for rent on the East Coast, especially South Carolina, Charleston area? Thanks again.

[nuthinfancy]

A couple things to consider if your going to be away for awhile are hurricanes and are you going to need to winterize it.

[Shellback]

hahah, yea the bachelor pad would be a lot better without it filled with smoke and flames! It's too bad the nice boat doesn't have diesels, and it'll probably cost more to replace those engines with diesels than it does to buy it! I think I'll just have to take some of his ideas on the interior/accessories and put them on the other boat. I think I'll keep looking around for another boat while I'm at it, stick with the diesels.

Is it a big deal that I won't be running the diesel engines for a few weeks to a month at a time if nobody can get down to the marina just to run them? I will be still working offshore, so I just wanted to make sure leaving the diesels around won't be a big problem. I'll keep up with the maintenance while I'm home of course. Thanks again for your advice, I appreciate it.

Anyone know someone with slips for rent on the East Coast, especially South Carolina, Charleston area? Thanks again.

Chris, if you are going to be gone, weeks at a time, then the diesels are the only way to go..just keep the fuel treated and you won't have any problems..Not knowing your time frame, I will suggest this..Let the boat find you...I know this may sound silly, but people that have owned large pleasure craft have always told me this and it works, if you let it..It has for me several times...The right boat is out there ,make yourself available and it will find you ...good luck

[NAUTICART]

.....I know this may sound silly, but people that have owned large pleasure craft have always told me this and it works, if you let it..It has for me several times...The right boat is out there ,make yourself available and it will find you ...good luck

I have to add, this does not work with men. lol

It's a buyers market out there now remember, and I'm with everyone else on the Diesel and the "lot safer" part.
If you will be entertaing guests, remember how people are.
If you will be fishing, you probebly wont want "yachty" carpet inside, but wood instead. or will you have cleaning station outside? Teak is my favorite for decks. I could probebly type all day about different types of boats/engines/ layouts. So you probebly should make a list of things you will need "room" for. Dive gear, fishing equipt, portable grills, bar etc...

And on fuel consumption, slips without shore power are cheaper, so you need a back up if batteries get run down. Genset should start off own. you also maybe would be farther inland for a cheaper slip, but it costs more in fuel to get offshore.

Maintainence logs are also good pointers. People that keep all their manuals in order and in good shape tend to follow with the care of thier boat.
For example I was doing a bottom job on a 53' fiberglass hull. I drew to scale were all the intakes, transducers etc. and what they were and filed it with maint logs. It's so much eaiser than trying to trace something through the engine room or from unlabeled wiring / hoses from scratch.

You may want to visit some marinas, most people are friendly and the locals will have scoop if anyone was "threatening" to sell their boat but was not yet advertised.

You may want to consider dry storage also. Some marinas have huge forlifts designed just for that. You just call them a few hours before you want your boat out and it's tied up, clean and ready to go when you get there. Also, "live aboards" leave there batterychargers on and cause electrolysis on your equipt. I have had to change zincs on vessels that the engines hardly ever ran.

One more thing on fuel, you can't "pump - out" in the marinas, so If you and your guests are using the head on the boat, you need to budget going off shore when your holding tanks are full.

Well good luck

[cmjeff]

By all means go with the diesels. It doesn't go BOOM!

Yeah THIS GUY learned the lesson the hard way!

[NAUTICART]

Yeah we had one blow up in Tampa here out at one of the spoil islands. Everyone said "I'ts a good thing none of the kids that were inside playing videos got hurt".
I say it was a sad thing that their in a boat, on the water around the Isle and your inside playing video games.

[Shellback]

Yeah we had one blow up in Tampa here out at one of the spoil islands. Everyone said "I'ts a good thing none of the kids that were inside playing videos got hurt".
I say it was a sad thing that their in a boat, on the water around the Isle and your inside playing video games.

When we were cruising in Mexico I let my son bring his Xbox 360..On transits between ports when he wasn't on watch he was allowed to play it...In port, it was frowned upon for the most part but it was also great leverage for motivating him too...

[injunear]

I've watched with amusement 2 different neighbors on their liveaboard trek. One has up-sized 3 times to the point that any movement is a tide job. He still hasn't learned to use the tide tables.

The other started out with their trawler and a small storage building on their lot. The storage building has morphed to 600 sq ft with A/C, fireplace and a carport.

[smetshouse]

Are you sure you want too? Always remember that BOAT stands for:
Break
Out
Another
Thousand

[Shellback]

Are you sure you want too? Always remember that BOAT stands for:
Break
Out
Another
Thousand

In my case, it was break out another twenty five hundred...

I say go for it Chris, if I was single thats where I would be..

[NAUTICART]

I say go for it Chris, if I was single thats where I would be..

Single ? not me.
then who would hand you the remote and get your beer ?

[bob]

Go to the following google discussion groups:

rec boats cruising
rec boats building

The people who lurk there are not as pollite as here but youll get some interesiting perspectives..............
Oh, search "Liveaboard Simulator" on RBC
Good luck
Bob

[bob]

http://polycruising.livejournal.com/11658.html

Here is one. THere are several floating out there but I think youll get the flavor of life as a liveaboard.

Bob

[shipshape08]

thank you everyone for the advice, man this is a good site, we just need the job market to open up!!! I am looking at diesels now because I feel there are more advantages than disadvantages over the gas engine. Let's be honest, it'll be a mood breaker if the boat blows up too late one night, haha. If you have more to say, let it rip, and thanks again everyone.