Any Boaters in the Delorean Community? Could do for some friendly advice.

[SamHill]

I am contemplating making the plunge. I don't mind saying that I know nothing about the subject. Yeah, yeah, hole in the water. I know that much already.

What else I know:
1) They are easy to buy
and
2) Hard to Sell.

With people itching to sell and now that winter is on the way, I think its time to get serious. Specifically, I'm thinking of a 37 to 47 foot Gibson Houseboat, (made sometime in the last decade) and I want to attempt to live aboard.

Anybody ever lived aboard?

[tyb323]

Never been on a houseboat, so I'm afraid I can't help you there. What I can do is reinforce the thing about boats being pricey. I have my boat in the water only during the summer months and on a lift, but the salt air does enough to wreack havoc on all the trim pieces, and the mechanical bits like to fail with little to no warning. As for boats that stay in the water for extended periods, like a houseboat, you're probably going to want to repaint the bottom every year to keep the critters off.

As I said, never lived on a boat, so I can't tell you much about that, but if you feel that you are up to it, go for it. I couldn't imagine it being any easier than living on land though. It will certainly pose its own unique challenges. Best of luck!

[DMCVegas]

Before I got married I thought about buying a houseboat to live on to construct a floating bachelor pad. Only two things I could possibly contribute as only looking into owning such a boat would be:


What are the docking/utility fees for the marina you want to dock in?
Probably going to be a freshwater, so you might want to find out if Quagga Mussels have invaded and could potentially drive up your maintenance costs.

[Michael]

The 2 best days of boat ownership:

The day you buy it

The day you sell it.

[SamHill]

Before I got married I thought about buying a houseboat to live on to construct a floating bachelor pad. Only two things I could possibly contribute as only looking into owning such a boat would be:


What are the docking/utility fees for the marina you want to dock in?
Probably going to be a freshwater, so you might want to find out if Quagga Mussels have invaded and could potentially drive up your maintenance costs.



I did some investigation a few weeks ago, and I believe that the slip, scheduled pump outs, live aboard fee and water comes to $700, electric an additional $100. Maintenance and Insurance (required for benefit of the Marina) are wild cards due to my inexperience.

It would be moored in the Potomac, so I would expect rats and dead bodies.

[louielouie2000]

My parents have owned boats continuously since the day I was born. Yes, they are high maintenance, but if you can do your own work, they still aren't as bad as a DeLorean IMO (cost wise or time wise). My parents have upgraded boats every few years and there a troubling trend I've noticed, however. Newer boats are getting more and more mechanically & electrically complex. As we all know, water, electrics, and mechanical parts don't play together particularly well. My parents last boat was a Supra ski boat, and it was also their first boat with EFI. The damned thing wouldn't stay running right for any length of time. It had all sorts of sensors which were extremely sensitive and would constantly set the boat into limp home mode, limiting it's speed to barely above idle. It was a fantastic machine, but it was under the weather more often than not. The bottom line is this, though: if you love the water and boating, the time and money spent maintaining your boat won't matter to you. It's the same thing with DeLoreans... if you love them, you don't care about their glaring shortcomings.

[stevedmc]

My boat cost about $1,000 for everything and maintenance is dirt cheap.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_GvYSvAxO4&feature=channel_video_title

[Dangermouse]

My father-in-law lives on a boat for part of the year.

His biggest issue after he bought it was how to have a supply of ice for drinks! Seriously, it had a fridge/freezer but that drew a lot of power and he doesnt berth in a regular marina, so it required running a generator all night which was noisy when he was moored up. I helped him put a pair of solar panels on the boat and all is quiet again.

It's Also a wooden boat which requires a lot of work, and like a DeLorean it is useful to have someone you trust to work on it. Constant maintenance from what I can see.

[Jim D]

I was working in the DC area for awhile and bought a old 36' Carver. It was docked at the "Gang Plank" and the fees were about what you have found. I was on it 3-4 days a week. The biggest issue was the lack of heat in the winter, seems like boats were not insulated very well and when the temp dropped to the 30's the boat heat pump was not effective. I ended up closing off the aft cabin and had a small space heater just to keep warm.
The marina and fellow boat neighbors were great and it seemed like there was a community there of folks helping each other. The Marina was walking distance to the Metro so I did not have to drive anywhere, a big "plus" in the DC area! Security is another issue to think about. Is the Marina in a place you will feel safe in?
All considered, for the 2 years I used the boat, I saved about $1000/month over what a small apartment in DC would have cost. Which was a good thing as when I sold the boat, I took a $10,000 loss, I thought I had purchased a old boat (1983) at the bottom of the market, the market went down again. Oh, just to add, I never took the boat out, it was my floating apartment. If you want to go boating, its a new game with added expenses. Good Luck!

[Iznodmad]

I am a boat owner (2011 Stingray 208LR), and grew up on a lake. Have had several boats over the years but I have never lived on one, so I can't help you out there. Boats are indeed quite like DeLoreans, need constant love and care. Good luck!

[jackb]

No experience other than small wooden fishing boats in lakes, but I think it would be totally pimp to live in a houseboat if it was docked walking distance from a cool city.

[jawn101]

We have had sailboats as long as I can remember. Used to race small single and double-hand boats (Albacores and Lasers) and used to do quite well. My parents still race their yacht every week during the season. Never been on a houseboat before though.

Can definitely tell you that it's an expensive hobby though. Every little problem is magnified tremendously in both urgency and cost. And you can't just 'take it off the road' to fix, not like a car anyway. Especially when it's your primary residence. Sounds like a really fun adventure but definitely one that needs plenty of forethought :) Good luck!

[SamHill]

I was working in the DC area for awhile and bought a old 36' Carver. It was docked at the "Gang Plank" and the fees were about what you have found. I was on it 3-4 days a week. The biggest issue was the lack of heat in the winter, seems like boats were not insulated very well and when the temp dropped to the 30's the boat heat pump was not effective. I ended up closing off the aft cabin and had a small space heater just to keep warm.
The marina and fellow boat neighbors were great and it seemed like there was a community there of folks helping each other. The Marina was walking distance to the Metro so I did not have to drive anywhere, a big "plus" in the DC area! Security is another issue to think about. Is the Marina in a place you will feel safe in?
All considered, for the 2 years I used the boat, I saved about $1000/month over what a small apartment in DC would have cost. Which was a good thing as when I sold the boat, I took a $10,000 loss, I thought I had purchased a old boat (1983) at the bottom of the market, the market went down again. Oh, just to add, I never took the boat out, it was my floating apartment. If you want to go boating, its a new game with added expenses. Good Luck!

Isnali, this is exactly what I'm looking to do. What years were you there? The Gangplank has now capped the liveaboards, which pretty much restricts you to buying a boat that is already there. If liveaboard isn't available, then none of this is going to pan out for me.

[Jacko]

For two years I lived on a 36' O'Day sailboat on a lake. It's like anything else, if your heart is in it nothings better, if not nothings worse. And like a Delorean it's a lot of maintenance. You get addicted to buying anything that is stainless steel and you are the envy of others which is like the Pantera I owned once ... the real beneficiaries are those watching you drive by instead of being the one in that oven driving. :bang: