Retiring On Board 

Hi Norm , I wish i had found you earlier. Your advise would have come in handy. I sold the house 8 months ago , bought a 42ft power boat and with very little experience, put it in Noosa river to live on anchor . After 5 months of some hair raising times, like dragging anchor late at night , in the pouring rain, and it blowing a gale . I learnt a LOT , and quickly . Mostly about the boat , but also a lot about myself . Lucky for me, I absolutely love the life . Im currently in a Marina as i needed to get some of the systems looked at , and quite honesty needed to get some sleep . Lol . It may be the bravest thing i have ever done or the stupidest. Im a single woman of 68, so it's definitely one of the most adventurous . Once i get more confident, im going to get out there and motor up and down the coast . I really appreciate your videos , thank you .

I've lived aboard my sailboat since 1992. I have lived from Texas to Alaska. I'm now retired and cannot imagine being land based ever again. All you said is so true and the safety is relaxing. Clothes are never an issue since fellow boaters feel the same and nothing is formal. I'm now 72 and will be onboard the rest of my life. Fair winds from SV Miss Kaytlin.

I guess at 54 I'm now an Old Dude 😎.... Living on a 37 foot Ketch..... totally peaceful.... Landlubbers are a different species, especially post Pandemic....I'm loving every moment of it....I have learned alot about myself and learned a ton of nee skills....A GREAT INEXPENSIVE WAY TO LIVE....GOD BLESS

At last someone who is honest about the sailing live style !! 10 out of ten u tubers sell it as the ultimate lifestyle and ignoring the downsides.

I was a big sufferer of sea sickness when I bought my boat! First time at sea I was terribly sick. My whole life I experienced sea sickness although it was only at the few times I went to sea. After buying my boat I moved onboard in Port Stephens sheltered waters and avoided sea sickness, however just being on the water my body adjusted to the movement, then after a few years when I went to sea. No more sea sickness, not at all, even in big seas

Well done ! I built my own 69 foot ketch (a ferro cement) and outfitted it and sailed it around the world back in the early 80's . Now 50 years later I am thinking of retiring on a boat . Something 40 footish (not fetish ) hehe . I like your sensible approach as I know what the real deal is . Times have changed and live aboarding has been capitalized and is not quite as cheap as it used to be . Anchoring and preparing to be as self sufficient as possible still seams viable if done correctly . Starlink would certainly be an asset for weather planning ect.

The best cure for sea sickness is, Sit under a tree. Always works 100%. It is terrible when you get it. If you are the Captain you are better off to find sheltered water and settle down for a while. If you are the crew you are usually doomed for a bad day. I used to get it really bad and it spoilt my day on the reef. Travelling was fine but anchored in the swell sent me off. Once on the move all was well. I bought a smaller tinnie and stuck to the creeks for a while and worked up my resistance to it, and changed my eating habits before going out. It worked for me and enjoyed a lot better. Now, I still have the tinnie and have got rid of the bigger boat as I was not using it much, as it was too hard to handle by myself. Kids were always working etc. Good advice as always Norm.

God bless you. You have a wonderful life and have a pragmatic and methodical approach to possible problems. You would make an excellent politician if you weren't so honest. I salute you from the UK Sir.👍👍👍

Dual purpose motorcycle and an electric bicycle with a milk crate on the back works for me. I keep the motorcycle and or the bicycle at a $50 a month storage facility. If I'm a bit further from town (I'm moored on an inland river) I park the motorcycle out front of the boat on an adjacent dirt track. If I'm moored close to town I just use the electric bicycle.

Hi Norm, Thankyou for all the information you provide in your videos. It's blokes like you that make Utube a wealth of information for learners like me. You're a legend ❤

My advice, from first-hand experience, is to make sure you have working heating and air conditioning on board. I have done a winter sail from New England to Florida and also a 5-month summer sail in the Caribbean through the peak of summer. You'll take a beating with your body and mind. You can do it, but it will wear you thin. It's always best to increase endurance by controlling your environment from time to time. Always think long-term! - When you reach the point where you prefer water over land, you'll know you're more than halfway there.

Great video thanks for sharing your knowledge

Hi Norm I’m surprised to hear that marina costs are $1000 to $ 2000 a month in Australia. We have gone down the syndicate path with boat ownership, with a 11.4 motor cruiser on the French canals; with access to 8000ks of waterways in Europe. Mooring cost in a marina is about AUD $20 per night including electricity and about $100 a month. I suppose the downside of the equation is the plane ticket from OZ. I enjoyed your video……thanks Jim

My wife and i have been living-aboard/cruising full-time on our sailboat for 22 years. Your video is exactly on point and fit the coastal USA (where we are) experience. We agree with every part of your video. Actually, we have many shared experiences. I did sailboat deliveries for years and my wife ran the service dept at a full-service marina. Were slowing down now, im 78 shes 77, but were still doing thousands of miles a year. "We'll do it til we cant". Anyway, great job. Take care. Steve&Judy s/v Norne Gaest

Great video Norm and some good sound advice👍

Love the idea, thanks for sharing.

Very useful information. Thanks mate.

Another great video Norm, I look forward to meeting you on the water sometime. Keep up the good work, Cheers

Great video Norm very sound advice 👍

Thanks for your perspective Norm.

Sounds like great advice. Thanks

Great vid and insight mate.

New subscriber here. Thanks for the great insight and advice. I plan on watching all your videos.

great advice !

😅thanks for share cobber, love the vids

Very informative. Thanks dude.

Great information enjoyed it . Have a great week and look after yourself. Brian

Very informative and practical advice Thanks

Thoroughly enjoyed your video brother. Just stumble upon your channel and have subscribed. I'm planning to get a sailboat and can't say I'd ever make it to Australia, but if I do, I'll reach out to you. God speed to you and your adventures!!

In Hungary ,after 65 is a free public transport ,bus train tram.

you seem to have a very good head on your shoulders - good attitude and insight. Glad I found your channel. Steve in Vancouver BC.

I hope to retire on the boat as well. Very informative video. Thanks for sharing.

We had a LOT of guys who suffered from sea sickness in the navy. No one ever died, got transferred, or discharged, (although plenty tried!! Lol) and EVERYONE got over it. A couple solid days of hurling usually did the trick!! Oh, and thats not sick leave hurling, thats be on time for work carry bucket with you if need be.. but work you will.

Thank you for the information 😂❤this is just what iam planning to do, iam 67 years old 😮trying to put something together. Thanks. Joe.

Thanks again

Very informative. Thanks. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy a similar lifestyle. I'm halfway through building an alloy boat to retire on and looking forward to the days when I can have that freedom and some adventures. Enjoying your vids.

What a great video!

Sounds like good advice. Smooth sailingband fair winds.

Thank you!

Hey Norm, awesome video as always! Really liked your idea about doing a course together. That's perfect timing, my wife and I are two years out from making this our permanent lifestyle too. Here's what I like about your channel: it's packed with information and a refreshing change from the usual format on other channels. Been a fan for a couple of years now, keep up the great work!

Out on the pick and punch the weather. Nice expressions.

Thanks for that, I've been following for a couple of months now. Planning to sell my property in 18 months and really keen on motor sailing for retirement. Your videos are insightful.

Great video

Thanks Norm good tips, as usual, I sure understand about labour costs I am close to completion of a total upgrade of a well built 43 Carver. I have paid all the way a professional shipwright and engineer, being in a fortunate position of still having a good retirement income, otherwise it would have been unaffordable with hourly rates $90-$140.00 per hour! The guys have been fantastic with a great work ethic I purchased the vessel as a 'project' and now a great and safe liveaboard with a final sea trial in about a week!

Very useful info here! I can see myself on a small yacht, anchoring rather than marinas with Sealink and maybe a crewperson. But I will probably try it first.

Hello. My name is Andy. I live on a 40 ft Viking made in 1976. It’s a powerboat built to live on and offshore fish. Winter I keep it at the marina but summers I cruise. I’m still working but the boat should be completely reffited about the time I retire. I have taken her a lot of places but can’t wait until I don’t have a clock. Love your videos and admit I’m a bit jealous. Fair winds my friend. Andy

thank you well done

Very nice to meet you Norm. I'm selling everything to sail everywhere. I'm 60 this June and want to go while the going can happen. Pondering the end of my 7-10yr journey I had not really considered keeping the boat but I have recently given it more thought. Your information is very helpful to consider my options. I am very handy so being a marina employee back at home could be a possible option when my end days are closer. Good on you sir for being the nomad you were mean't to be. I am that kindred spirit. Home is wherever I am.

Robert Schluter ​​Hi Norm, I agree with everything you said! My wife and I lived on our 46ft Sea ranger aft cabin for 3 years until medical reasons forced us to go back to land. ​​10 years on we are looking to buying another live aboard. Hope to see you on the water sometime. Cheers Robert

Great Vid Norm. Loved the comments regarding couples and selling the house to buy the boat, I see a number of single blokes living aboard on the Gippsland Lakes for many reasons, see very few couples or single women living aboard.

Jolly good show dude

Thank you for this video, Norm! This covered so many practical topics and you clearly have some wisdom as well on how to live a bit adventurously while still planning for any circumstances that could be life-altering if one was not prepared. Could you talk a bit more about the best way to anchor in the open ocean (what does out in the pick mean?) rather than in a marina? Also, what kind of boat is yours? Did you say you always have to motor? It sounds like you do and the sail is just to enhance your experience? Thanks for all this great information!

My regular fuel use at anchor is the generator to run an evaporative cooler during summer. I have a solar set up for everything else except for cooking gas.

Gday norm Thanks for your videos Atlast a bloke if a similar vintage and In australia

Great video. We are thinking of doing this as well. I was a coastie and a marine mechanic. I'm worried about her as well....

Cruise on bud🎉

Im loving your advice on this and other videos, thanks. What is the make / type of dinghy have you got? It looks like it is a hard version.

The best decision ever made..

great video Norm i curently own my house and boat and would like to retire doing what you are doing but im not at retirment age yet . You said if boaters could do most if not all mataince them selves are very true words to save truck loads of money i know this as i work as a shipwright boat repairer the boss mite charge $100 an hour but i dont get payed any where near that witch makes me wonder if there is a small income there in retirment as the penchin pays bugger all anyway food for thought

Thanks Norm for the really useful advice. You've got me interested but I wonder how best to fund the lifestyle My plan is I go ahead would be to invest in some good quality shares with hopefully enough income to stay on the water. I think the marina berth is a smart move. Cheers mate

I’m 5 years away from retirement, but my partner is quite a bit younger at 40 and has no plans to retire anytime soon. That being said, I live in the heart of wilderness cruising territory on British Columbia’s mid coast at the doorstep to the Broughton archipelago. I think I’ll be fine disappearing for the odd week on a weekend sailer. 😁

I bought a boat 2 years ago and I'm keeping it at a marina until I retire. The biggest good surprise about owning the boat is the people I get to meet on the dock. Generally, extremely nice group of people to be around. The worse people experience I've had I just trying to get someone to to the boat to do some work on it. Just got to be patient...

Well I'm already living on my boat which is great. Up on the 'hard' at Beachmere presently finishing a fit-out. Your comment about doing stuff yourself is very true, besides the expense of getting trades in there is the added drawback of finding someone. Lot's of rough and readies who say they can fix or build stuff and haven't got a clue.. If you can do-it-yourself at least you will know the quality of the work. There are a lot of GOOD trade dudes out there also, so get some reviews..

Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Personally, I was never a very good financial business person. I always seemed to live from day to day even though I've lived in some very expensive places and sailed on some great ships. I've slept in a truck many times as I made my living doing that for many years also, and it is great living at times in only a very small space. So, I usually adapt to the living quarters well. To go back to sea will require some thinking and planning, I don't want to try it alone -- too dangerous sleeping out in the ocean with no one on the helm.

Yes there any rules on we’re you can or can’t drop anchor! Saw a program on people on house boats were the locals who pay top dollar to have water front houses & were going crooked at people on houseboats pay no rates& sit in the water a 100 yds away ! I think it’s just a matter of time that they will be tolded to move on or start paying rates? Think that time will happen anywhere down the track! 👍

Hope to be able to do the same thing one day.

Thanks for the video Norm. My Father always said that the root cause of sea sickness is fear.

Hi Norm. Great video. So much really sound information. I was wandering, do you rent, is it allowed - your marina berth? Thanks for sharing so much information.

I recon l would like to see some of your mud maps of cheeky anchorages

I would love your life and hear's me dreaming of owning a sailing dinghy in the UK lol

Thousands of miles... 🙏🤘😘

28:13 Oohh nice looking schooner...!

Very sound advice I have subscribed as been where your at but her indoors kept feeding the fish now a landlubber ☹️

Off to start this new journey in three weeks. Bought an older 57’ motor boat. Navigation off the paper charts is like learning Latin to pass your law degree. Maintenance is the part that concerns me most.

G'day Norm, another great video.Whats your opinion on cruising the coast with outboards,if it's at all possible, thanks Scott

Interesting

I’m in the US and I’m trying to get into the lifestyle. I own a 40ft sailboat and I’m a construction worker so tight budget. If you want this life and your poor it’s still possible with some work.

At 13:20 did he say $8500 a week in fuel cost when traveling? That seams expensive to me . Am I'm missing something here? I know absolutely nothing about libeaboard costs or living. Sure learned a lot with this video. Thanks for taking the time to film it all. Thumbing up 👍

Norm have you got a water maker? Thanks for videos!

Awesome video! Are you looking for any crew members? I'm a good worker experienced on boats

I'd recommend keeping house and renting it out, so pension plus 1000 a week, would make life easier

I lived on a 35ft cruiser for 5 years, excluding winters and found it very boring, this was a 1963 wooden top and there wasn't enough to do.. I built a campervan and took a drive out to Portugal, bought a cheap house and the campervan gets me out into Europe. The house and camper keep me business in partial retirement.

um. one of the horrible sounds on a boat is the sound of water running without knowing where it is coming from or going to, It gives me chills. and stress. I really liked this episode. Great job. But at the end, when i heard the water running in the end of the episode I ran to the bilge, then the head, and the sink, etc. in a panic. Could you just play some Jimmy Buffett or something on the exit? save an old guy a heart attack? Cheers!

Hello. Very good advice in this video. I have a quick question - if you sell the house and buy a marina berth, do you know if you can you use the marina address for registering your boat with AMSA, and for other things like mobile phone account, bank accounts etc? Many thanks.

Already took that decision over 8 years, now I'm retired but my mum needs care. When is al clear will sell all I have, will keep one watch and towels, kitchen pans the basics . Find the best sailboat i can with my boat money, and have some left to go on. Watch sunsets having a beer is far from an everyday thing. Will have to work on the boat, mind and body everyday, if the universe is on my side one go around the world, Places only a vessel can reach, hope to have the chance or die doing. It all comes down to age, if i feel my body can't. Will retire travelling by plane, car and see the parts of our planet i never been. There are not so much left, but knowing me will be easy .

It's common that in the tropics (hot places) many living on the hook leave the boat and seek shade during the day. How do you deal with the extreme heat?

I'm a 61 year old single male, ex-Armyofficer. I owned two sailboats of about 22 feet long but I didn’t get to use them much because of work. I currently work for the US Federal government and I'm thinking of buying a 40' Island Marine Trader ($30,000 USD) which is a motor sailor located on the island of Culebra Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. I'm thinking of using it to live aboard and travel the Caribbean. I hope to follow your lifestyle soon!

Hey norm , my and wifey renovating a 40ft cruisecat at cabbage tree point should be finished in 12months . We have been boating our whole life (50) The only time we may feel sea sick is if the boat stops at sea and is rolling around , when we are travelling everything is generally ok . We plan to do coastal cruising and anchor inshore . Would you still class this as a sea sickness risk ? Thanks mate

Hi Norm. If you are not in a shipping channel can you anchor anywhere ?

So you're based in Hope Island Marina. Do you think owning a marina berth today is a good investment. I was looking at it about 5 years ago but couldn't get the missus on board with the idea. Cheers...

👍

Hi Norm, an old Sheila here that loves living on boast. Can you tell me the closest production boat like yours?

How do you keep people from stealing your boat ? They can attack you on the water. And if you go on land, what happens then ? It seems a boat would be fairly easy to steal.

Excellent way to live and get away from the mad mad world

❤

What is your opinion of trimerans?

It was dragging my previous husband kicking and screaming . That's why I singlehand and the husband is not in my life anymore. So it isnt always the wife who rins afoul when being a liveaboard.

What about lightning And storms

I am 54 and considering following your path. I am novice at best. What license or qualifications do I need to be a solo skipper ? And who and where do I get these ?

Thanks for your videos mate Really enjoy them Just wondering what proportion of your time do you plug in at a marina, verses anchoring out in a quiet cove? I know you mentioned you prefer to anchor but just wondering what your ratios were.