turn a 2004 270 into a liveaboard? Anyone done it?

J3ff

In moving South the thought of going super cheap (well kind of, if you call 650/month for a slip) has kept crossing my mind.  Has anyone tried to live aboard a 270 here ? The only thing that comes to my mind is closet space is limited and the shower/bathroom is kind of tight. Now the marina's I'm looking at come with full size showers, bathrooms, pools, laundry and one has a beach.  In the grand plan if everything goes right, the boat will be a weekend place to live, however there is ALWAYS that chance that I'll have to sleep on it more often.  It's just me at the moment, no pets or S.O. - the pet thing will stay the same, can't say what will happen with the S.O. category..   The main reason for this line of thought is the boat is paid off and even a crappy one bed room apartment in these parts goes for 1200-1600 a month.  

Any thoughts? 

pault1216

I would like to do the same thing in the keys. I had a 270 and should have kept it. Now looking for a 280 nearby. Are you retired? I figure you only need minimal wardrobe. Where in the south are you talking about? I am sure it is do-able. Finding an SO to live on a 28' boat is going to be tough. Also tough to have enough storage for tools and toys. Good luck.

-Paul

J3ff

Hey Paul - not retired, just about to hit 40 years old (yikes, that feels weird saying)...the destination is actually the keys... totally aware that if a SO comes into the picture this plan is over. 

rasbury

With a full enclosure and a nice Marina I'm sure I could...not sure for 100% of the time but weekends for sure- not sure for how long but I'm very comfortable on mine...

Handymans342

Way too small

Cableguy Greg

Having a pool, shower and laundry at the marina makes it doable. For a single guy, it can really work. If I would have had my 280EC when I was single, I would have done it. It will shrink as time goes on and you will want something bigger, or an apartment. I know I could do it for 6 months to a year on a boat that size.

J3ff

rasbury said:

With a full enclosure and a nice Marina I'm sure I could...not sure for 100% of the time but weekends for sure- not sure for how long but I'm very comfortable on mine...

yeah I hear ya on that. It has a full enclosure and the marina seems pretty nice, has a beach and pool and all the stuff... 

Honestly it's really a plan C.  Plan B would be to rent a room somewhere close in addition to having the boat in a liveaboard mode and plan A is what I'm currently operating under... having a condo during the week close to work and using it as a weekend getaway.

Stodge

I think I could "live" on our 342.  We had an older (1997) 280 before this and it would have been tough to spend more than a couple weeks on her.  I think it boils down to how you use the boat and marina.  If you're basically sleeping on the boat and "living" in the marina grounds then it would be more doable.  

Willhound

Single person? Sure. I'm convinced I could do it. This has sort of been our retirement dream. A boat on Georgian Bay in Summer and one in Florida in Winter. Two boats, have to have a car anyway and easier and cheaper to drive the car back and forth.
In looking at this with the Admiral though, I know we'd need at least something in the 32 - 36' range to be comfortable, so then cost rears it's ugly head. One idea we've been looking at is a cruiser for Georgian Bay and some kind of Houseboat in FLA.
The other limiting factor is that it's getting hard to find a marina in FLA that will allow live aboards, if even only seasonally.
So, could you? Sure. You could always try it and then get the bigger boat, or house boat if it's too tight. You already have the 270, so why not give it a go.

rasbury

that plan j3ff I think would be very doable....the last thing you would want for the trips down to the boat be not anything you look forward to, know what I mean?

Dude_Himself

I lived in a hammock and a Jeep for 3+ months, during the summer (T-Storms regularly) just outside Washington DC. I travel in a 15 passenger van and just sleep on a bench seat in the back, using gyms to shower and sh...

A 270/280 would be cozy, but easy and much more comfortable. With the enclosure and dockside power I don't think you'd want for anything but a decent freezer.

trip_n

nice marina with facilities = very doable = cant do much cooking other than microwave
worst might be the heat = stuck in cabin with ac 
or
maybe have good winds in the evening to enjoy the outside 
sounds like a good time to me  

rasbury

I would like to leave mine in the water for a few weeks and be able to use it without hauling it...but would still have to pay for my dry storage spot I suppose...hmm that would be pretty cool..

LaRea

Pump-outs would be a hassle unless you can do it without moving the boat.  

Stodge

LaRea said:

Pump-outs would be a hassle unless you can do it without moving the boat.  

The marina we used before we moved to a canal home had pump-out at every dock.  So you could do you own any time you wanted.  Some marinas have mobile pump-out.  But I think I'd lean toward using the marina's facilities as much as possible to cut down on pump-out.

rasbury

Our downtown marina has a mobile one and then a regular one by the gas tank....if you do it yourself they don't charge anything for use of it...I feel bad I don't use their gas however but you see the difference between marina gas and land gas prices.....pretty substantial and maybe the only advantage of being on a trailer!

Liberty44140

You could always put in a Raritan electro San msd system which treats the holding tank and makes it legal to dump overboard if you wanted to make the investment. It’s not legal in the Great Lakes but probably is ok down there... 

Dude_Himself

Liberty44140 said:

You could always put in a Raritan electro San msd system which treats the holding tank and makes it legal to dump overboard if you wanted to make the investment. It’s not legal in the Great Lakes but probably is ok down there... 

Those eliminate the risk of disease transmission, but they don't account for the nitrogen you're dumping in. Still not environmentally friendly. Then again, Georgetown has both storm water and sewer in the stormwater system, each in a half pipe, so when it rains hard that side flows over and they mix and dump poo into the Potomac where @LaRea boats.

Stodge

Dude_Himself said:

Liberty44140 said:

You could always put in a Raritan electro San msd system which treats the holding tank and makes it legal to dump overboard if you wanted to make the investment. It’s not legal in the Great Lakes but probably is ok down there... 

Those eliminate the risk of disease transmission, but they don't account for the nitrogen you're dumping in. Still not environmentally friendly. Then again, Georgetown has both storm water and sewer in the stormwater system, each in a half pipe, so when it rains hard that side flows over and they mix and dump poo into the Potomac where @LaRea boats.

We have a similar problem here where waste can end up in the Clinton River which runs into the Great Lakes system.

Cableguy Greg

Dude_Himself said:

Liberty44140 said:

You could always put in a Raritan electro San msd system which treats the holding tank and makes it legal to dump overboard if you wanted to make the investment. It’s not legal in the Great Lakes but probably is ok down there... 

Those eliminate the risk of disease transmission, but they don't account for the nitrogen you're dumping in. Still not environmentally friendly. Then again, Georgetown has both storm water and sewer in the stormwater system, each in a half pipe, so when it rains hard that side flows over and they mix and dump poo into the Potomac where @LaRea boats.

The same "crap" happens here in Pittsburgh. We call it "Combined Sewer Overflows". The local health department puts up "CSO" flags at all of the local marinas and posts the warnings on their website when it is going on. I even get a text when it is happening and when the river is clear.

skennelly

Ewww.  The thought of boating and people pumping their crap tank overboard

LaRea

Just another beautiful post-rainstorm sunset on the Potomac ...

Dude_Himself

@LaRea - you won't see it floating by but I got really sick after a weekend on the hook in Georgetown a few years back. It was bad enough we trailered the boat (kept in fRedNeck County, MD) to Annapolis the next two seasons instead of staying in the Potomac. The West River was beautiful, but full of sea nettles. Really detracted from the fun.

randy56

I do not see any reason a single could not live on a 270, I would have to add a mini fridge in the cockpit, closet in rear birth, Grill on the platform, with showers, laundry, close by, pic of cake! then find SO with house. 

Dream_Inn

Dude_Himself said:

It was bad enough we trailered the boat (kept in fRedNeck County, MD) to Annapolis the next two seasons instead of staying in the Potomac. The West River was beautiful, but full of sea nettles. Really detracted from the fun.

Sea Nettles are typically about 3 weeks in late July early August (none at all last year).  You just gotta know where to go that doesn't have them for those couple weekends.

rasbury

I could do the 270 by myself...especially with a GF that has a house in town! It would be hard to keep it from being so lived it you could not still enjoy taking it out. Looks like most livaboards never take their boats out, maybe they don't even run anymore!

J3ff

randy56 said:

I do not see any reason a single could not live on a 270, I would have to add a mini fridge in the cockpit, closet in rear birth, Grill on the platform, with showers, laundry, close by, pic of cake! then find SO with house. 

Thinking I'm going to go for it. I love any and all kinds of weather and being outside.. also will have a backup location to go to if really needed. The place I just applied to has a beach, pool, bathrooms and showers only for the liveaboards..laundry too. Comes with a tiki hut behind your slip! 

Will have to fix the broken hot water heater and put in a fridge in the cockpit.. what would you do about a closet in the rear birth..? That's one thing I don't have figured out. 

randy56

I envy you and the opportunity you have. There are several ideas come to mind. Knowing your lifestyle, down there will be causal in nature, no business suits and such. Are you going to need collar shirt? all short pants?   In the camping world there are all sorts of organizers. I could get very creative. here are some examples. Those under bed containers, in the last picture would be stack able and cheep. A short closet rod could be  installed, 

trip_n

closet===formal wear

go 4 it

rasbury

I was going to suggest the bins like above which bus what we use now and they stack...towels, clothes etc...if your not using the berth you have a lot of storage like that.... 

rasbury

With a camper package, one if those standalone a/c for the top deck( the system will not keep up with the heat) I'd think I could be very comfortable!