Abaddon
Deity
Hmm. An im guessing i'd have to hug the coast to get any signal from the mainland?
What do you need to be virtually self sustainable on a BOAT?
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Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
Not at all. It works anywhere there is a satphone satellite overhead. If you hug the coast you can likely just use your cell phone, which is still going to be quite expensive but nowhere near what a satphone costs per minute.
I've used satellite internet. It'd be near impossible to game with it.
Should be noted that getting a satellite hookup on a stationary location is in the range of hundreds of dollars. I'm not quite sure why the ship version would be so much more expensive.
At any rate, yeah, I'd also need internet access, even in the middle of the Pacific.
Should be noted that getting a satellite hookup on a stationary location is in the range of hundreds of dollars. I'm not quite sure why the ship version would be so much more expensive.
At any rate, yeah, I'd also need internet access, even in the middle of the Pacific.
Abaddon
Deity
Hmmm. I don't know. I think if i drifted about somewhere tropical and rich, I could get mobile signal often enough and it would be cheap. I'm not bothered about sailing the seven seas, I just like the idea of "getting away from it all"
$0.99/mb ftw!
Which is the same rate I pay for phone data in the US! Actually, it's a penny cheaper than I pay.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
You mean more like $1 per minute at 2400 bps?
http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/globalcom/about_iridium.html
Decade out of date!B
Rashiminos
Fool Prophet
I wouldn't know much about this, but I might recommend getting in touch with someone like George Ure or Clif High (as they have been looking into this question for other reasons).
Probably some sort of radio connection.
If by radio connection you mean radio connection to a satellite, sure. You could use HF for like... email exchanges but beyond that, I think it'd be way too slow.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
Iridium will likely never be cheap and economical. Just think about it. A huge network of satellites only used by a handful of people...
I hope this thread can remain open and be part of the discussion as the amazing distance technology and material science has moved since I originally pondered about this is truly amazing.
"Tech Nomad" is now fairly easily obtainable by almost any one. Not on a boat perhaps, but certainly anywhere in the world. Internet speed and access, jobs that can be done anywhere, any time. Materials that are light, cheap and plentiful.
I am now much older, and could actually do this should the wish still be desired. The dream, however, probably doesn't need to be so crazy and creative.
2005 tech to 2023! Back in 2005..Google Maps had just launched, YouTube debuted, iPhone and Facebook were still in development. Now you can be guided to anywhere in the world and watch a video on how to fix whatever problem you have.. with Amazon delivering the replacement parts tomorrow!
"Tech Nomad" is now fairly easily obtainable by almost any one. Not on a boat perhaps, but certainly anywhere in the world. Internet speed and access, jobs that can be done anywhere, any time. Materials that are light, cheap and plentiful.
I am now much older, and could actually do this should the wish still be desired. The dream, however, probably doesn't need to be so crazy and creative.
2005 tech to 2023! Back in 2005..Google Maps had just launched, YouTube debuted, iPhone and Facebook were still in development. Now you can be guided to anywhere in the world and watch a video on how to fix whatever problem you have.. with Amazon delivering the replacement parts tomorrow!
Well, this certainly failed on it's relaunch!
Thorgalaeg
Deity
Ah, a nice topic i haven't seen before. Was thinking myself of buying a small apartment with ocean views but prices are so prohibitive a ship of 14-15 meters or even some more would make more sense, even adding the price of the moorage. That way I would have as many ocean views as desired and a ship has always an extra cool factor. I have some notions about sailing and such as I have always been closely related to the sea and have used small zodiac boats for fishing and such. Never had a big boat though and should get the mandatory sailing license before buying one.
First thing to have in mind is sail versus motor. For the same length, a motorboat has always more living space, however fuel cost would be prohibitive and I don't like to navigate while hearing and smelling a diesel engine. Sail boat otoh are less habitable but you can sail almost for free (not counting changing sails every x years) and are extra cool. So if you want a boat to only live in it, an old motorboat or even a barge, if you want also to go out and navigate, a sail boat.
A main factor to have in mind is hull material. There are several options here:
-Fiber-glass is the most common and most balanced all things considered but with time water can affect it and develop some illness such as osmosis which are difficult and expensive to repair.
-Steel is the most resistant of all materials but salty water is extremely corrosive so you always will have a disc grinder in a hand and a paint bucket in the other one. It is relatively easy to repair though. It is also heavy and most adequate for large boats.
-A wood boat otoh if property built resists (salty) water the best, but requires some love, and rain water can rot it in a eyeblink. It is a good option for the sea, but you will learn carpentry like it or not.
-Aluminum is probably the best material for sail boats. It is light, resistant and won't rust, it is however hard to repair and expensive. Short circuits and such can be specially dangerous as a bad insulated wire can make a big hole in an aluminum hull in no time.
-Ferrocement boats otoh (yes there are boats made of cement) are sturdy, relatively cheap, easy to repair, fresh in summer and warm in winter and won't rust or rot or suffer of osmosis. Ferro cement is the most heavy of all though and just as steel not suitable for small ships under 16-17 meters. Weight makes them slower than other options too.
-There are also exotic materials as copper-nickel that are mostly perfect in every aspect and won't even get any fouling, but obviously are terribly expensive and boats made of this material are very rare.
So I would go with a ferrocement motorboat if the main goal is to live aboard and only get out of the harbor occasionally and a fiber-glass or aluminium sailboat if sailing is the main thing. A compromise solution would be a motorsailer, a bit of both worlds, can navigate with sails (kind of) and is more habitable than a pure sailboat of similar size.
About what equipment to install to make life aboard more self-sufficient such as solar panels, desalination plants and such it is a extensive topic, but space is always the most precious thing in a ship, and these things require space, so the bigger the ship the more possibilities in this sense. In my case I would always prefer to have a proper moorage with power, water and drain connections so it would not be an important aspect.
In any case a very complex and interesting topic and an option to consider given the price of houses, specially if you love the ocean.
First thing to have in mind is sail versus motor. For the same length, a motorboat has always more living space, however fuel cost would be prohibitive and I don't like to navigate while hearing and smelling a diesel engine. Sail boat otoh are less habitable but you can sail almost for free (not counting changing sails every x years) and are extra cool. So if you want a boat to only live in it, an old motorboat or even a barge, if you want also to go out and navigate, a sail boat.
A main factor to have in mind is hull material. There are several options here:
-Fiber-glass is the most common and most balanced all things considered but with time water can affect it and develop some illness such as osmosis which are difficult and expensive to repair.
-Steel is the most resistant of all materials but salty water is extremely corrosive so you always will have a disc grinder in a hand and a paint bucket in the other one. It is relatively easy to repair though. It is also heavy and most adequate for large boats.
-A wood boat otoh if property built resists (salty) water the best, but requires some love, and rain water can rot it in a eyeblink. It is a good option for the sea, but you will learn carpentry like it or not.
-Aluminum is probably the best material for sail boats. It is light, resistant and won't rust, it is however hard to repair and expensive. Short circuits and such can be specially dangerous as a bad insulated wire can make a big hole in an aluminum hull in no time.
-Ferrocement boats otoh (yes there are boats made of cement) are sturdy, relatively cheap, easy to repair, fresh in summer and warm in winter and won't rust or rot or suffer of osmosis. Ferro cement is the most heavy of all though and just as steel not suitable for small ships under 16-17 meters. Weight makes them slower than other options too.
-There are also exotic materials as copper-nickel that are mostly perfect in every aspect and won't even get any fouling, but obviously are terribly expensive and boats made of this material are very rare.
So I would go with a ferrocement motorboat if the main goal is to live aboard and only get out of the harbor occasionally and a fiber-glass or aluminium sailboat if sailing is the main thing. A compromise solution would be a motorsailer, a bit of both worlds, can navigate with sails (kind of) and is more habitable than a pure sailboat of similar size.
About what equipment to install to make life aboard more self-sufficient such as solar panels, desalination plants and such it is a extensive topic, but space is always the most precious thing in a ship, and these things require space, so the bigger the ship the more possibilities in this sense. In my case I would always prefer to have a proper moorage with power, water and drain connections so it would not be an important aspect.
In any case a very complex and interesting topic and an option to consider given the price of houses, specially if you love the ocean.
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amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
Do you still want to move around all the time? I like having my own little chunk of the universe, I don’t need to see, let alone live in, all of it.
Thorgalaeg
Deity
I would mostly move in a zone around my home port. Maybe 100-200 km max. For example, going out some afternoon to watch a specially glorious sunset while anchored at some cove. Wouldn't dare to go any further, at least with my current seafaring knowledge.
What kind of hull and propulsion would work the best for you, depends on where on in what waters and geography you plan to sail or anchor the thing. There will always be maintenance no matter what option you go with; I know, I sailed for almost half a year in the navy. 
Gori the Grey
The Poster
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
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To be virtually self-sustainable on a BOAT all I would need is a nearby HOUSE.
My step-dad had a 37' varnished mahogany sailboat that he kept in the Chesapeake Bay. It was Swedish and had crossed the Atlantic in the 1950s. He owned it for about 40 years. It was high maintenance. He loved it and was meticulous about maintenance. None the less, one night it just sank at its moorings and was a total loss. It was a lovely boat.
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