Top 5 Small Sailboats You Can Live On! Ep 257 - Lady K Sailing 

I was lucky enough to get a beautiful Challenger 32 for $6,500. Everything a fellow needs to live comfortably, even a hot shower! Pretty darn good shape for a '77! I am fortunate to have good health and physical ability to still be sailing and enjoying it, at 86! Keep on "Keepin' on!" John

Go small. Go simple. Go now. Well said

Trust me: there's nothing "golden" about our "golden years".

Just bought my first sailboat a few months back, 1967 morgan 34 centerboard, 3/4 keel. paid a whopping 3750 with a running diesel engine, AC and generator. Beyond blessed for the opportunity

About the wheel vs. tiller. You talk about doing a 100 mile day. Anyone doing that distance is going to have a wind vane, and those are easier to set up on a tiller.

I'm in the UK so this may not relate but we bought a 1979 Colvic Sea Rover 28 with a furling cutter rig, for £2500 and spent the same again fixing her up. Sails great in the Irish Sea and it's comfortable. Nice to see you talking about boats with more affordable prices.

That last one looked nice. I could have easily lived aboard that when I was single and been happy.

I had a 25' Erikson, I lived on that for 4yrs. I loved it.

One thing I didn’t hear you mention which is quite important for liveaboard sailors is standing headroom in the salon. The Laguna 26 ticks all your boxes plus has standing headroom for an average sized person; pretty impressive for a boat that size.

Welcome everyone to the Fourth Annual Sailing Channel Awards! First, a big thanks to all of our favorite Sailing Channels who helped us vicariously crew along with you as you sail around the globe. Second, thanks to all who voted and either viewed the videos or even became patreons to help keep the content coming! With that said, our Award for Best Armchair Boat Banter goes to Lady K Sailing. Congrats on the great content, whether it is origins of sailing jargon, or guidance on solid, pre-loved boats to buy at a reasonable cost, so we can all get out there and sail, you provide the wannabe sailor community a great service and a path to go do it! Please keep at it and we will keep watching.

I can’t get enough of your videos. Happy to see you bringing us content. Merry Christmas

just awesome content you are producing and i really love how you always use actual examples and not just theoretical tipps. this makes your videos super relevant 👍🙌 please continue the good work

Here in Brazil, for many years I sailed a 1974 Ranger 29 designed by Gary Mull, made in California. Strong, ralatively fast and low cost. After renewing she completely, I was really happy.

Thank you! This is exactly the video I've been waiting for!

I'm downsizing from my 50' steel schooner to my "first love" boat that's sat forlornly in my barnyard for more than a decade. It's a 26' twin-keeled Westerly Centaur built in 1975. When I sailed her years ago, she needed this, that and the other, just like most boats, but there was always something about her -- she was easy to single-hand and was still roomy enough for my wife when she went along. There's actually 'berthing' for 5 people on this little boat -- some of the Brits actually did that and it made a fine family cruiser. I have a number of sailing dream adventures on my bucket list and this little Centaur is a perfect "fit" for a single-hander or a couple. The biggest drawback is that it's a 5.5 kt. boat. She's just not gonna' go faster than that and once you get used to it, it's not such a bad thing after all. The twin keels work wonders for stopping any 'roll' from big wake crowd and if you watch the tides closely, you can even 'beach' her in some places. A roller furling jib is one of the refit "improvements" I'm adding, but I'm keeping with the original mainsail system where the main wraps around the boom by a nice little crank handle that sticks out the other side of the mast. For my sailing, I like simple, strong and fool-proof, and most everything about these little Centaurs is just that. There's full standing headroom in the main cabin and tons of storage space throughout the boat. It compares in space to many 30 and 35 footers I've seen. Their average price about 10 years ago was around $2,500. A lot were actually destroyed to get them out of the 'dead boat' section of boatyards. But now I see the prices coming up as people are rediscovering they don't need a big pleasure palace or a combo- racing boat and would actually enjoy sailing more with a boat that actually suited their needs as economic realities. They're tiller steered, and I've experienced exactly what you described in the video regarding the need to take a quick pee or make a sandwich or get a cold drink -- but you're chained to the tiller. There are many easy ideas for a "third hand" for the tiller, but I cured my need by buying a Simrad Tiller Steer. That thing worked so well that it literally changed my way of sailing and freed me up to enjoy sailing so much more. So, if you're looking for a smaller, comfortable, strong and safe little 'mini-cruiser,' you might want to check out the Westerly Centaurs.

This is the video I have been waiting for! Thanks 👍

I got a Morgan Out Island 33 for under 20K and it has lots of room and makes a great live aboard.

I loved my Newport 28. It was great boat for Lake Erie and we basically did live on it in the summer.

Thanks for the upload Tim!👍🏼👍🏼

Cool video! I bought my Ericson 27 for $2500 and used it as an apartment for 3 years while fixing it up and saving money. I've since moved to land but sail and anchor out on the weekends. Great boat

Mr lady k you have grown on me over the years and I can truly say you are my favorite sailing RU-vid channel by a long shot ♥️❤️♥️ love ya loads and happy holidays to you and your family!!!!!!

I have a 393 Beneteau Oceanis. Love her to bits

first time i saw the galley on cat 30 was amazed. i had a cal 20 so any galley amazed me. in seattle procuring a liveaboard permit at shilshole used to take years but a liveaboard permit for a small boat was instant back then. and the small boat mooring births with power are the closest to the shore and most importantly the bathrooms showers and laundry. i was on j dock closest to the bar as well :) my little cal took me everywhere singlehanded.

Also, my c27 had tiller steering, but it came with an electric tiller pilot. They exist and work like a charm!

I have a Catalina 25 up here in Washington state. Its perfect for the Puget Sound. Good for solo sailing. Spent over a year renovating it. I dont live on it but sleep on it quite often. I'm 6'1" and 230 lbs and fit in the V-berth quite comfortably. Love your videos Lady K!!!

I love my '86 Catalina 30. Came with a tired diesel that I am going to rebuild soon. Lived on her for about three years now.

Great advice as always thanks. Off shopping !

I loved my Sabre 28. Great boat.

I bought a 25 O'Day 1976 for around $4.5k in 2009. It needed cosmetic work only. I only had it a couple of years before I sold it but it was one of the best times I've ever had. It had 5 berths, a bathroom with a hand sink, a kitchen counter with a gas grill and an ice box, the main and jib sails, a wooden tiller, and an outboard. I had a hammock on it as well. I kept it at a nearby marina that was within walking distance in NYC. It was awesome to hang out on it and not go back to my 1 BR apartment. Totally liveable if I were a single guy... After selling it, the next guy broke it.

I recently bought a MacGregor 224. It is a fixer upper but sailable right now. so this spring I will launch her in our local lake and start learning to sail her. I started watching your videos after I bought this boat and have learned a great deal from you. Thank you for these. It inspires me and educates me on my next boat. i am a solo sailor and expect that to stay that way when i move to the coast in two years to start the salt life down south.

I lived on my 22ft Hunter sailboat for a year, now I did keep her in a nice marina so I had the use of nice bathroom and pool ( near Annapolis MD)

Your channel is INSPIRING ! Great job sir. 👏. Definately got me motivated for a sailboat. Greetings from the UK 🇬🇧

Great video. I love my Catalina 25. My first boat, she reminds me of my first car decades and decades ago, a VW bug. Both have that small & simple, "you can count on me vibe." And both are larger on the inside than outside. Only thing, not for very tall people.

I loved the tiller on my 28' S2. I used an Autohelm 800 autopilot to hold it in position.

I have a Catalina 27 and love it.

I would have pick the catalina 27 over the 25.. great boat with everything a solo person would need!

You are a master, Tim... nice episode!!

I live on a Pearson 40 full time with my wife. I own a Bristol 27 and it’s solid a rock. Literally world traveling pocket cruiser that can be had under 10k and ready to head south with 4k in addition for dingy solar and batteries. Anywhere under 15k hard to beat a Bristol 27

I lived on a 1972 Catalina 27. LOVED it. Then a Yorktown 32. Loved it. Great times had all around.

Good video covering these boats!!!

Wow, thanks for the info once again

I just picked up a 1977 Pearson 323 and I plan on living on it. She seems plenty roomy for a big guy like me, and being claustrophobic, I haven't felt trapped at all in her. That saying, she's on the hard... But I'm hoping to have her in the water come spring!

Thank you for sharing so much seasoned advice, I’m looking to live aboard out in the blue⛵️

Always loved the Irwin Center cockpits for design. With a not too big boat you get a bedroom in the front and in the back. Not sure how they sail, I've never had one, I just always love the pics and vids of those boats. The Pearson looks so good and workable though.

We were a family of 5. Our first boat was an O'Day 25. Spacious for the small size. Perfect starter boat on a trailer, shoal draft 18" with a retractable fiberglass keel inside the encapsulated lead keel. Since it was trailerable, we launched north of Parry sound, 1000 islands but mostly Tobermory....a one day sail to Killarney. We usually went for one or 2 weeks. A solid, inexpensive, family starter boat. You mainly talked about couples or single handing. It may be a little cozy at times, but great family fun.

I met a guy with a westery 22 and he had 6-10 head room a inboard and was set up to cruise long term I was really impressed

My Father owned a 28' Tartin that we sailed the Great Lakes from SE Michigan. Loved Mackinaw Island on 4th of July 1976.

You don’t have enough following, you’re truly one of my favorite people I’ve ever watched, you have a huge heart, you’ve been beaten down, Lost so much yet somehow, you just keep trucking on. You’re one strong man, and motovational as all hell. I look up to you and hope one day I touch as many lives as you have

Novice sailer here, currently fixing up an Ericson 29. It has tiller steering and a dead Atomic 4. I converted the old gas tank to diesel for my space heater. Was thinking of going electric but the 8 hp outboard i got for it works plenty well for now. My plan is to use the boat as a summer home and putter around Lobster Bay

6:21 Tillers are easy to lock: cord mounted across cockpit, clip on tiller. Also can use a tiller autopilot, which is pretty essential anyway (as is headsail furling). Good list of boats and excellent advice. I lived comfortably for 8 years on a Grampian 30, roomy, strong, stable though not particularly pretty. There are many other good live-aboard candidates in this class. Ones I have sailed, cruised (even raced) and liked include Alberg 30, Catalina 27, Catalina 36, Hughes-Columbia 8.7, Bavaria 32, Jeanneau Fantasia 27, Nonsuch 22. I did not like the Grampian 28, though the venerable but clunky-looking Grampian 25 can be good. All boats have advantages and disadvantages, with different ways of sailing them, and so much depends on their history of maintenance and improvements. If I were doing this again in the Great Lakes region, I would be very interested in the Polish-made TES 28 Magnam, even the little TES 678 BT which I have chartered several times. These are Mazurian-style internal ballast centreboard (or keel-centreboard) boats with a minimum one foot draft, with a very solid and convenient mast raising/lowering system. The keel-centreboard gives a somewhat deeper minimum draft (perhaps two feet), but allows off-shore sailing (a smaller one has sailed across the Atlantic). Such a boat opens up many of the lakes and rivers of Ontario inaccessible to the predominant standard keelboats with fixed masts, while retaining their comfort and sailing qualities. The old US-made Macgregor sailboats, for example, are much less comfortable and durable than either standard keelboats or the Mazurian style boats.

We have a Dixie 27 with solar (powers the fridge, induction oven, lights and any electronics needed), inboard diesel motor, septic toilet, water for 2 weeks easily. sleeps 5, we sail each summer for 4-8 weeks with no problem. thank you for showing all these boats! 😊

Thanks - Happy Holidays. Your videos are a 🎁

Excellent voice and commentary. No AI voice over. Thanks

Hello from Sherbrooke in the province of Quebec. Thank you for this video. You confirm the result of my research on sailboat data and my plans for the next year. I've just bought a couple of months ago a 1989 Pearson 272 that I'm currently updating. The previous owner neglect it for the past few years. I've paid 8k$US and pretty happy with the quality of construction of the Pearson. Thank you!

You nailed it ! Loved the Kia reference !

Thanks so much! Great boat selection and recommendations. Happy holidays!

I bought a Bayfield 25, and lived on it for a month and a half with my dog. Also put 300nautical miles on it. Sturdy boat. Has a yanmar yg8 on it.

We bought an ‘88 Catalina 30 MKII last spring for less than $25k US. No soft spots, no smile, and a Universal M25 diesel. There were some leaky stanchions that we took care. We are loving this boat!

I'm really getting into the simple old cals

My old Coronado 25 has worked out well for 10 years. I am thinking of a Catalina 30 for the added room and comfort, plus the diesel

I bought a Coronado 27 for $500. I love the layout where it is more like an RV with dinerre birth to srarboard and galley to port. Head and locker forward of them to v-birth. Slso has 1/4 birth. Power is from an outboard in a well giving you much more living space.

i know nothing about boats but love these videos

Yes, I had a 1988 Catalina 30 for many years, just sold it. Very roomy inside, and a very capable boat. I used to rent my nearby beach house on Airbnb, and stay on the boat in the warmer months. That paid for all my boat expenses, however the province of BC, and the local town have outlawed that.

Another great video! I hope to be on the water soon and I'll be making use of the knowledge you've shared. Merry Christmas to you too as well

Tim, awesome video, really enjoyed it. But... what's your beef with tillers? I specifically was looking for a boat with a tiller and I glad I did. You can lock tiller just as you lock a wheel, look up Tiller Clutch or Tiller Tamer. I have a Tiller Tamer, but I still have it in a box, because I use the autopilot (tiller pilot) instead. Huge benefit of the tiller (besides the direct feel) is space saving - on anchor I kick the tiller up in a vertical position and have the full cockpit for myself and the guests. Last but not least, a tiller steering is 100x simpler and more reliable than steering wheel

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEOOOOOO

I have a 1998 Catalina 28mii. Walk through transom, wheel Steering, Universal diesel. Wet head , stern shower, perfect pocket cruiser for weekend or even longer cruise.

Merry Christmas Tim! Hope you and the kids have a great holiday together and we'll see you in the New Year!

Thanks for the great information. I’ve always heard people talk about Catalina’s and I’m not even in the sailing community…yet!

Awesome tips… Thanks!

Thanks so much for great content Merry Christmas

May be your best so far, good job,.

👍👍👍👍 you described my next boat to a T. Very useful info. If you wrote a book on this topic you would sell a ton. Skip the trailer sailer and go for a 25-30 footer with a stand up cabin, that is my goal. Thanks Tim

Thank you, Tim. You made me happy to own a small but well made Pearson 303 again:)😅

Thanks so much for making me feel better about the boat I bought this fall, a 1979 S2 9m (29ft). Found it for less than $3k from Boat Angel. I met the previous owners and they helped me move it to boat storage from their yacht club (only 1 mile). They donated it because they didn't want to put the work into sanding and bottom paint. It's got a running Yanmar and a roller furling jib. The deck has this great nonslip diamond pattern in the gel coat. There's even some sort of raw water cooled air conditioning system (anyone heard of this?) The last owner took out the plumbing and installed a compost toilet. Should I look into replumbing it and install a new blackwater tank? Now I just have to teach myself how to do the bottom job and learn to sail before I bring it down the ICW 90nm to the marina near my home. Eventually I plan to sail south for the winters (Florida and maybe the Caribbean). My business is seasonal so I have the winters off. Any advise on learning to sail?

Our first boat was a brand new Catalina 25, 19k, in 1982. We sailed it 7500 miles in the Great Lakes for 5 years before we sold it and bought a 30 footer. Our current boat is 35.5 feet and we have lived on it full time for more than a decade. The Catalina 25 is still our all time favorite boat!

Great review! I gotta throw in my 2 cents. I live on my awesome Paceship 26. I'm told it is the hull that predated the Pearson you show here. Super well built and very roomy inside for a small boat with 6' head room! I have had 8 people aboard for a sailing day and nobody felt too crowded, just cozy. The boat even got washed ashore during a hurricane storm surge my first year of ownership, and the only damage was a snapped tiller handle. Super solid boat for a newbie like me to learn on! Because the head was shot when I bought her, I swapped the head and galley locations. Now I have a head by the cockpit- better for solo sailing turn around times, and the galley located under the opening hatches, better for venting steam. It's a lovely boat for a very low budget liveaboard like myself!

Excellent content Sir.

Great video!

Ericson 27 for me. 3g and 20 trips to catalina and now anchoring in empty coves.

I have lived on two so far. First was my 1984 Pearson 27 I bought for $2k and put very little money into after that. Lived on it for a year and half. My current boat is a 1983 Jeanneau Attalia 32 I bought for $3k and so far only spent $1500 on a solar and lithium setup. Great boat, terrible head but I deal with it, currently traveling the AICW on it.

YES! This is the video I've been waiting for! I'm a newbie. Quite frankly I kinda suck at sailing, but, just like fishing and sex I might not be any good at any of these things but I'll always try! Main this for me is price and there's a lot of these boats up for sale right now and not in terrible shape. I had a Pearson 26 but was forced into selling it until I find something big enough to support my kids. Thank you for this informative video!

This is great. Thanks for your insights. Right now I belong to a sailing club in the SF Bay Area so I can try out lots of different boat. One of my favorites to sail is the Catalina 30. Totally comfortable for one or two people as a minimalist live aboard platform. Good advice on the "Catalina Smile." And you're right. They're always available for sale. Also to emphasize your point on the Catalina 28 - there's one at the club as well. I couldn't believe how much room there was. And it had an enclosed head as well as afterberth. Very well thought out.

Thank you for the ideas! I am building Howard Chapelle's 22 ft Dutch Utility Scow from the Boatbuilding book for a Great Loop voyage. Treating as an English Canoe Yawl. It will bean upgrade from the open canoes and kayaks that I've taken over 3,000 miles.

Great review! I own a 1988 Catalina 27 that has been re-powered with an electric motor from ElectricYacht. Had a great first season with the new motor this year. In hindsight, I would have preferred the Catalina 30 just for the extra living space. However, my Catalina 27 has performed well as a coastal sailer.

You ought to consider a Nonsuch 26 or 30. The accommodations on either boat feel like a much bigger boat, plus Nonsuch is a Canadian builder. Yeah, the wishbone boom cat boat rig looks a bit odd, but it is a single line. Also, if you are on a similar sized boat, don't challenge a Nonsuch to a race. They sail surprisingly well.

I have an O'day 28. Solid, sails well and roomy for its size. I do not live on it, but certainly one could. When looking to purchase seriously considered the Pearson 28.

this is the vid I was waiting for to get my feet wet. Tnx Tim

I have a Catalina 25. The number of sleeping arrangements is mind boggling with this boat, but it is not easy to stand up without bumping your head, a lot! I highly recommend the pop top!!

Awesome channel and analysis brother!!!

Loved this

Very nicely presented!…informative and to the point…. I live on a Catalina 30’ btw

My buddy bought a Pearson. Amazing boat for the money.

Love the choices of the Aloha and the Pearson. The middle 80s Pearsons had rubber gaskets at stanchions and unfortunately dried out and decks got soft. That said I recored the side decks and the owner figured out that using Plasdeck was cheaper than doing an Awlgrip job. The deck came out beautifully and looked like what proper teak deck would look like. The only drawback to Catalina 30s is the lack of proper storage. The wonderful wide open space comes at a price.

I lived on a Compass Herreschoff 28 for 8 years in the Whitsundays.

For those of you who have a tiller, I have a tiller pilot for my Starlight 39 and it steers well on its own up to 25 kts.

I'm cruising on a Catalina 27 with an 11hp vetus. If you're just living at the dock it really doesn't matter, but you absolutely without a doubt need a diesel engine.I completely agree. Get the 30.

S2 7.9 is also great, if you can find one. So much room for a 26 ft, trailerable boat (thanks daggerboard). Absolutely love mine, sails great too. Can take it anywhere.

We wanted a cal 28 but alas all the ones we looked at were in rough shape. We also looked at Pearson 28 but again previous owners had not taken care of them.

I own a mirage 24 and can sleep family of 4 that includes 2 kids over weekend adventures in Georgian Bay Area. For the tiller I just use a tiller tammer. It’s also pretty fast cheep w. Roller furler and available for under $3k.