Wow, he did nail it. Average ownership 3 years, that's gold. I'm a armchair sailor, watch a bit of poo tube sailors, I won't be crossing oceans. Very sober thoughts, it's gold.
Very good practical advice here. People sometimes ignore the fact that with age , your body experiences certain changes and you need a bit more comfort to work in and sleep/cook in. Get a comfy boat and keep your wife happy😅
I have a steel sail assisted trawler, Diesel Duck 44. Two sails, paravanes, 1200 gallons fuel. John Deere 75 hp all mechanical. 1.7 GPH. Full size engine room. Came to the states from china on her own bottom.
Wow! I guess having had my Alden schooner for 15 years and living aboard all but three years has me beating the odds. But, I'm always working on it. Gives me purpose now that I'm retired.
Ive just listened to 42 minutes of pure common sense. Im sorry i have only just connected with your channel. I am now a happy subscriber. Thanks for an interesting and informative vid.
Hello Lord Dude. Many thanks for a very informative video. Being almost 80 years of age, I cannot hope to live on a boat myself which is something I always wanted to do, but "I live on a boat" through your eyes my friend, and enjoy every video you post. Stay safe my friend!
Good content. I would emphasize dingy access for us older folks with decreased mobility. Getting in and out safely is key. Actually try the whole thing before you buy the boat. All the way in and out. It can be a lot harder than it looks. If you have a dog make sure they will do it too or you have a big problem. Ask me how I know. Thanks
Hello sir! I am not one for commenting, but this video is definitely deserving of a few minutes of my time. 3 years now I have been saving and searching for the right boat and this video has done 2 things for me. 1) Confirm that I've been heading in the right direction and 'keeping it real', that I've been acquiring the right knowledge and not getting caught up with what's currently "hip or cool'. It's great to get confirmation when watching an amazing resource such as yourself. 2) Provided confirmation on areas I wasn't sure about. You provide great info based on common sense, practicality, and experience. It's great to get confirmation on issues I may have been 'on a limb' over. Specifically, I've been looking for used long range cruisers in the 43' to 47' range. My 3 top picks would be Fleming, Grand Banks, and Nordhavn. This includes the similar types as well, I mean not many of us can get our hands on a top Fleming 55'. The Grand Banks Aleutian is amazing (too many electric windows) and we all know Nordhavns. I have been looking for 40's length catamarans, but they're few and far between. I think I'm going to hang around the marinas and docks more to get to know small charter companies & captains better. Yes, they're more like buying a rental car, but with diesel engines you want good hours. People tend to look for low hours, but that's a huge mistake (good for me:)). If the rest of the boat has been maintained, then I would rather higher hours any day. These engines are made for 30,000 hours (easy). I've subscribed so I don't forget to look over all your content. Thank you very much, take care, and God Bless, John (from Ohio, USA)
Thanks for the sub John . Love the three boats you have mentioned and agree on hours. Would rather have a boat with a few hours that was still being used, than one with low hours that wasn't. Good luck in the search. Cheers from Aus. Dude.
Hi Norm We always look forward to your posts, I remember when we cruised the East Coast 20 years ago we thought the liveaboards we met along the way were the fittest retirees both physically and mentally ever, Also as a community they were always looking out for each other. If you hadn’t arrived when you were supposed to be, they would be on the VHF with “ where the bloody hell are ya” Stay safe Peter SV Ikati
Yup. Good one Norm. I’m into my 8th year on a 30’ and probs 4 to 5 times the initial cost(K30$$) to get the boat right -for me. Probably not for everyone but being minimal, minimal maintenance. I scrape by on a pension (72 yrs old) the biggest expense being the annual haul-out. Otherwise, “do it till you can’t” is a good philosophy (I reckon I got 5-7 yrs till I have to reevaluate). Stay safe, Dude.
Yeah good onya Jim. Only reason I helped you antifoul a while back, was the size of little Sayshell. Make sure she's antifouled before we catch up next season dude.
Hi Norm, great video and as a 70 year old retired person and now full time sailor for seven years I have to say well done. I chose a 40foot GRP production catamaran and that has been perfect for all the reasons you describe. Two areas you didn’t mention and I get why you didn’t but have become vital to me are anchoring and networking. It took two years to get anchoring correct with so many variables ; weather, equipment location and idiots in day boats. Most of my knowledge comes from networking. There is so much information out there and the best comes from your fellow cruising sailors. In any anchorage there is hundreds of years of collective wisdom of like minded people on any topic. I love my life on my boat you touched on one more topic and that has to be constant vigilance; again weather, equipment, location and attitude. Plan everything and assume nothing. Well done Norm and thanks.
Hi Norm as a professional catamaran boat builder,I have really enjoyed listening to you,the common sense you speak is spot on a few customers of mine need to listen to this,good advise ,cheers.
Thanks Norm very comprehensive much appreciated , I’m interested to know about the build process time and cost effectiveness after looking at all options for a few years now your video has reignited my interest in cruising/ living perhaps even ending my days aboard a Boat thanks again cheers
G’day Dude, I started off watching your videos years ago and that got me into buying my own old girl. Now I continue to watch your stuff, because it’s really informative. This latest instalment is testament to your teaching style. I loved it. Thanks again for everything you provide. Cheers, Deano 👍⚓
Thanks for this episode. A very good, and thorough, examination of the many aspects of owning a boat and boating. And especially how they bear on older boaters' enjoyment of the experience. My wife and I are VERY fortunate. We were young one-design racing sailors who also crewed on cruiser/racers in the Seattle area. One of our skippers gave us the best and most valuable advice of our boating lives when we shared with him that we were thinking of buying our own boat. He stressed two things: 1) truly and realistically define your mission; and, 2) buy the smallest boat you can find that will fully meet that mission in safety and with relative comfort. In 1982 we bought our 1976 37' Pacific Trawler. We decided on a trawler rather than a sailboat because it best fit our mission. It still does. Our mission was to cruise the Iniside Passage from Seattle, through British Columbia, and on to Southeast Alaska (roughly 1,000 miles), economically, safely, and in comfort. The Pacific Trawler met that mission, perhaps even better than we initially thought. The older we get, the better the fit. We are in our late 70's now. We expect to be able to cruise the boat well into our 80's. (NOTE: the local joke in the Pacific Northwest is that all boats are powerboats in the summers. Some have masts. Some don't. There is a real lack of sailing winds in our summers. But we still also own an Etchells keeboat for racing, and so we can think of ourselves as sailors.) Our trawler, Iron Wind, is a stout fiberglass hull that displaces about 28,000 lb when the tanks are full. The layup is .8 cm of external reinforced fiber glass, with 1.2 cm of balsa core, and an additional .8 cm of reinforced fiberglass laid up inside the core. Iron Wind carries 450 USgallons of diesel and 400 USgallons of water. We have never lived aboard year around, but have spent 3 to 4 months on the boat each summer for many years. We can go from our home in Friday Harbor, WA to Ketchikan, AK and return on a single tank of fuel, thanks to our old-tech Lehman-Ford diesel that burns about 2 gallons per hour at 6.5 kt. We even replaced the first engine with a rebuilt L-F in 2015 rather than moving on to a modern electronic-controlled diesel. Your video reinforces much of what we have learned over the 40+ years we have owned and enjoyed our trawler. Anyone interested in the 37' and 40' Pacific Trawlers can easily find examples on Yachtworld and similar sites. Sail on - and on, and on.
Thanks for your story dude. Good to see you doing it on the other side of our planet. Sounds like there are some great destinations on the loop. Stay Out There Till You Can't.
Excellent view of what's needed for life on the water. Most things you mentioned for us older dudes make life better and safer for younger sailors too. Thanks for posting.
what a great deal of real information i 81 years old now and still dream of ending my life afloat had many river and day boats but dream is what keeps me going cheers and look forward to your channel in the future
Thanks Norm. Very comprehensive and definitely sensible advice covered in your video. Not living on board mine but reckon I got enough ticks to do so. Great work mate. 👍👍
Great advice Dude. My 34ft Mono Yacht is working well for me Part Time Cruising as Im only a young / still working 49 year old Dude :) Love your channel
What a fantastic video, been looking at boats for past year, most of what you covered I already thought about, so was great to hear from an old seadog confirming my research. Thank you so much.
Thanks Norm, Ive lived on a 40ft cat for sometime years ago, and you brought to attention all the other perils and works involved in other options. Glass 40footer for me one day
I did it for about 7 years on 2 different boats. At the time I was a boat builder in Florida. Both of my boats were older and needed a bit of work. It did cost me a lot to fix them up, especially the 2nd one, but I outfitted it for extended cruising to the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands. It was a 30' monohull with a fully encapsulated keel. My boss had a 47' Norseman Cat and it was incredible, luxurious and plenty of space. I almost bought it from him but it was just too much boat for one guy and I'm not the type to have borders or crew...the 30' I could easily manage myself and it was just big enough to comfortably live aboard and maintain. I just picked up an old 26'er and am now gutting it and changing everything to create a Great Loop boat Camp-Cruiser, for a year long inland waterway voyage. But in the meantime I'm always on the lookout for my next home on the water. Fiberglass is King!
I watched this video this evening and it is my first time seeing one of yours. I appreciate your approach to telling it like it is. This video has made me feel good about the many choices I made with my purchase. I am 72 yrs old but in good shape for my age so hopefully I can get on for several years in my new home. (in my 3rd year now) The route I took was to purchase a fixer upper, and it has been all of that as it had basically been chartered to death with minimal maintenance. Advice I would give to a normal person is that unless they are extremely mechanically inclined, is to to find a boat that was not in charter and owned by people that took very good care of it. This will save so much work and expense. My boat tics off most of the items you touch on, perhaps with the exception of the KISS principle. My solar, alternators and regulators, inverters, etc. are a bit too complicated and I worry about future maintenance issues with what I have but it is all working Ok for now. FWIW, my boat is a 2008 Leopard 40 owners version. I do sometimes yearn for a monohull because of the costs associated with having two of nearly everything, but then the redundancy seems to make it all worthwhile. Crossing from Mexico to Cuba and losing an engine along the way in rough weather, due to a broken impellor, made having engine redundancy well worthwhile!
Very good video on basics, KISS works. I have laminated check lists like flyers and quick reference for before leaving area and shutting down plus way points for trips. Big Plus.
Pure common sence, highly informative and educational, thankyou very much Norm for sailing us through the nitty-gritty of life as a sailor, good on you
Inspired me and J to buy our boat SY Oddfellow and live on board part of the year . Only 28 foot Davidson but can’t wait to get back on board . Thanks Norm we are staying out there till we can’t !
Thank you! Great advice. I grew up sailing around the world with my family, and have owned boats since, but now at 40 with my own family just bought a 43ft yacht and very much looking forward to the adventures and experiences on it. I like the simple, easy to look after, practical approach to your advice.
Really enjoyed the video Mate! Been a boater for 54 years. Never lived aboard. Nearing retirement and just thinking about it. Thank you from North Carolina USA
While its not about what sort of boat to buy one thing I would also like to re-inforce (in my very humble opinion) never ever sell your house to buy or finance a boat. I have seen way to many people do exactly this and then when they realize the cruising life is not for them they have been left behind on the real estate ladder. Or if you are going to sell the house at least buy a little unit or similar to go back to. As Norm has quite rightly stated a boat is not an investment and its value will never keep up with real estate. (Exception was the time of covid but the market is now going back to pre covid prices much to the angst of those who paid stupid money for their boat)
My cop of tea. Me and my great wife is planning for a life aboard living boat. Growing older with too big property to take care off we want a more layback lifestyle. Lagoon 42 is the boat we are planning to buy. We been boating our whole life but only for weekends and holydays. Now it is all in taking control doing what we want😊😊😊
Yep. You can become a bit of a slave to property and big houses as you get older. The cruising life is pretty simple. Good luck with the transition Dudes.
Thanks Norm. About to stop working (at 56) and set sail for a decade or hopefully longer. I have chosen an aluminium 40 foot French built sailboat. Nanni (Kubota) engine with no turbo or electronics. Great Victron LiFePO4 and solar system. What one really needs to consider is climate change and the future of diesel. Fuel is going to become more expensive and one will have to rely more on wind and solar in years to come.
You definately don't need to buy a boat to grow old on. In fact, the rule of thumb has always been that "...if I can float it, fu@k it, or fly it, I'm gonna rent it..."
Fantastic advice video. It does confirm in many ways my choice. Solaris 42, twin diesel, solar panels, plenty of battery power, water maker, 4 double cabins and 3 shower toilets. Double head sail with electric furling/reefing. Holding tanks set at water level so the with valves open the tanks are constantly washed by wave action. It has to be a catamaran. I would love to see the plans of your cat. It sounds like logical perfection.
Hi Norm, Im a guy in my 60s that’s farted around with boats, living on a 48 wood Chris Craft Conny, a 60 Azimut, and a 80 Choy Lee what work best for me was around 60feet in the power boat flavour. As I know nothing about sailing and I’m impatient sailing wasn’t for me. There is a massive scope of options for boat life that are as varied as our wallets. If like most of us we don’t have a budget for a newer modern boat there are ways to mitigate that situation. I think as an older dudes a lot of us have gained a little mechanical knowledge and know how over the years and it’s time to leverage that skill. There are lots of really good deals out there because of previous owners that have up on there boats and put them up for sale. I think there’s enough of those guys that we can even be a little picky on what we end up buying. Some one that has been through many a yacht maintenance company chasing down very expensive gremlins is the kind of seller that we should look for. Leverage those skills!
True Comments. I'm over the refitting side though now. Built two boats..That's enough. Just want to cruise with what time is left. Thanks for the comment dude.
Hi Norm. This is a well informed video. Have a number of vessels now but not as a live aboard. Talked wife into it, so selling up and buying a live aboard. Keep those videos coming.
You said a lot of good common sense, and I had actually had the same thoughts about how things should work - but with some tweaks. My semi-displacement boat's diesel *gensets* are on the fore-deck, slightly lower than the fore-deck level (think like a tractor) and with a anchor-locker+collision zone+water-tight compartment forward of the engines. That gives mere more space below deck, and the genset can have a dry exhausts. It's going to sail in the European Waterways (rivers and canals), and the Wadden Sea. There's a lot of traffic in any canal and river, so I chose semi-displacement boat for safety reasons. I absolutely has to avoid become too tired, so the boat's *ability* to zip from one place to another is important. I'm very likely going to solo sail most of the time, and all that traffic means that one really can't leave the helm for any moment of time. I wrote gensets because the propulsion system is diesel-electric (no batteries): The electric part is an outboard in a well. Diesel-electric make it possible to save *a lot* of fuel, like 40%, then one is sailing at a low speed. Fuel savings come from the fact that an engine can only work within a certain Hp(KW) range, so if e.g. 20 Hp is needed, but the lowest Hp the engine has is 25 HP, then one is going to pay with wasted fuel for the 5 HP who aren't used. In the engine datasheet, you can see the fuel consumption goes up, in the fuel consumption graph. Another big part of fuel savings does come from the the absence of a torque+RPM mismatch (at low engine RPMs) - between the engine and the propeller.
I built my 1st boat out of wood and fibre glassed the hull, then I painted it with 5 layers of epoxy resin paint. On the keel and stem I overlayed a stainless steel shield. It's all about protection from the elements.
G’day Norm, have been boating for 25 years and have come to the exact same conclusions as yourself. Boating requires a belt and braces approach for a less stressful time. I cruised for a year, 5mm ally, single Cummins, no fridge, just a depth sounder and charts, taught myself how to coastal navigate, 27 meg only, no shower but I had a head. I’m over 60 now and will soon be returning to the sea. Good to hear an Aussie on YT and one that makes so much sense.
Re electricity- I think a diesel that will take alt fuels is a big step for most hulls. You need a very light boat to even begin to pencil out electric power
Great video ! Agree with everything you said. i've had a lot of boats over my life time. 60 years + i've had fibreglass & wooden boat. Buying a wooden boat - Worst decision of my life. that thing tried to sink itself so many times. Don't ever buy an old wooden boat people. worst decision i ever made in my life. Fibreglass boats are ok. i'm thinking my next boat might be steel & a motor sailer. More motor boat with a Auxiliary sail. i don't even know if any such beast exists. kind of a small Trawler style with a Main sail.
A lot of really good points that you make there that I agree with. A big thin for me is if I do get another boat shallow draft. By that I mean 5 foot max 3 foot would be nice. And that's for me the biggest plus for cats.Personally I like the motion of heavy replacement hulls better than the motion of cats. But shallow draft and the ability of a cat that can be beached would be more important. If you do a lot of costal causing and exploring there will be the day when you run aground and I have done it on both cat and heavy displacement boat and it is a lot more pleasant and saver in a cat.
Thanks Norm, for the run down of what's already on my list! Im now Subscribed! 😊 Retired, racing sailor here from Hawaii, now temporarily beached in Destin, Northwest Florida (to help parents downsize). Meanwhile, I'm seeking an Island Cruiser & fellow sailor(s) to explore the Caribbean for a year or two. Drop me a note if any of you guys have any connections to share! Mahalo!
Fuel is only going to get worse, much worse. Also understand that big business will not allow this way of life for much longer. It wants you connected to its plug and dependent on it for everything. People living on boats are already getting pressured and are living on borrowed time. Of coarse if you are wealthy, then it won't be an issue.
Norm, no doubt you have the pros & cons of your own boat. Are you happy running, fueling and maintaining two motors for example, perhaps 3-5litres of fuel per hr ($6-$10)to go 5 or 6 nautical miles is fine for pottering about locally but may get expensive perhaps Hobart to Whitsundays and back on a pension + fat wallet.
It's getting harder with the prices lately. Just poorer at the end of a trip. Most of my travel is coastal..Tassie 2 years ago...GKI last year. Hope prices come down sometime, or I might have to start fishing to eat.
I bought a boat from a deceased estate . The Guy who built it and set it up had done a great job lived on it for 10 years till I re located to the Philippines I was going to sail it here but was told the pirates were prevelent . Sold it to a Young couple
@@MotorSailingforOldDudes yea theres pirates all through Asian waters they even prety ipong their own people I was talking to a local fishermen yesterday and he’d had 3 bankas (small fishing boats)stolen last week.
Hi norm you forgot about wooden boats have lived on one for 12 years in the uk and its been great ok you have to keep up with mentananins but that's not a hard ship if you do it regularly
Thanks for your brilliant video sir . I'm 56 and moblie and reaonable fit for my age and desperately want to grow old on a boat with the freedom to escape my vastly and drasticly changing country of England UK
@@MotorSailingforOldDudes Thankyou sir , god bless you and safe sailing always . I deeply envy you , but ii'm sure you've worked hard to achieve your chosen way of life . hopefully i'll manage it before i get too old . Stay safe and god bless .
I’ve just bought a doer upper cruise craft 550 outsider. Nothing like what you are talking about. But needs work done on the stringers and floor. Hoping it won’t cost me more to do than it’s worth like you mentioned. 🤦🏼♂️
I'm 53 and childless and NOT paying school tax for children I don't have any longer. Both me and my family have paid school tax for real estate where we didn't use the school district for way too many years. I bought myself a 50ft trimaran with a 28ft beam that's a bridge deck cruising trimaran that's a one off Norman Cross knock off with fore and aft cabins and crawl space/ sleeping over the wings, can sleep 8 at the moment and a dry head and full gallery. It was originally a 3 beam performance cruising trimaran that was refitted by a retired naval veteran who was a submariner to a sporty Norman Cross. I'm about to start a new refit/remodel to convert it to a Neel style trimaran where I'll have the living space all on one level. Also I'll have a solid wingsail so no standing or running rigging and conventional sails to deal with as I get up in age.
Norm I retired at the ripe old age of 35 while I was still young enough to physically do the things required to safely operate my sailboat ⛵️ a 78’ Dashew designed sloop with a cutter for stay I don’t do RU-vid videos because I don’t think other people should pay for my way of life. I do pay my crew when I need to have extra hands to cover things during a crossing I keep my eyes on the weather Fax and barograph so I can anticipate the weather before being caught off guard.
Yep. Don't do Patreon or any of those things for same reason. Making vids is my hobby and I'm just glad that people like watching them. The little bit I make for Youtoob, goes into upgrading gear. A great age to retire at. Well done. Thanks for watching dude
Thank you. Loved this. Just seeking out my liveaboard boat. Been sailing for years so know a lite bit but great info. Thank you. PS can old ladies join the old dude corp? LOL
@@MotorSailingforOldDudes His song is amazing. Half way around the world looking for love. Great if you find him. Make sure you have beer and film it. Salty Jokes heading that way from Darwin with his two young kids i think
Modern problem with twin engines that are electronic is they can have one engine setup as the master and when it fails the second engine becomes non functional aswell
Totally agree with you MD, One thing I learnt was redundancy. It is so so important or have the spares and tools to be able to repair things yourself and get yourself out of trouble.
