Product Description

The Essentials of Living Aboard educates both dreamers and explorers with information about this wonderful and rewarding lifestyle. Mark Nicholas has combined his experience of life aboard with the advice of other liveaboards, marina owners, technicians, boat manufacturers and advocates in order to detail the challenges and offer real advice for success. This lifestyle, typically thought to be out of reach or "for other people," is now available to all who dream.

Essentials explains, among other things how to:
•Figure out your needs
•Choose the right boat
•Buy your boat
•Choose the right marina
•Prepare for the lifestyle
•Outfit your boat
•Plan for all climates
•Forecast your costs
•and more!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17794 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 284 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780939837663
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
An absolute "must-have" for anyone considering making a boat one's permanent dwelling. -- Midwest Book Review - October 2004

Before you [liveaboard], read this well balanced look at the subject. You'll encounter fewer surprises. -- Lin Pardey, Author, Educator and World Cruiser

It's straight talk from a liveaboard sailor who made the mistakes so you won't have to. -- Linda Ridihalgh, Editor, Living Aboard Magazine

From the Author
With the advice of some of the best live aboard and boating experts that I have ever had the pleasure to meet, I have sought to put together a resource highlighting many of the most significant issues and challenges that any liveaboard would one day have to endure - all being the kind of things that I wish that someone would have taken the time to teach me before I was literally ankle deep in water.

Living aboard is a wonderfully rewarding lifestyle, and while not easy, is anything but impossible. In looking back on the research that I did before undertaking this lifestyle, I felt as though much of what I read did not provide an objective portrayal of the liveaboard lifestyle. I wanted to put together an honest and passionate depiction of the lifestyle and its issues and challenges, along with solutions and ideas and caveats so that potential liveaboards are provided with a valuable tool to start out with. I hope that is what I have provided.

Sincerely wishing you the best of luck,

About the Author
Mark Nicholas has lived a bit of the renaissance life: traveling the world, practicing law, playing music and now writing books.

Originally from the small coastal town of Bayville, NJ, Mark grew up in and around the water, sailing small boats for years. With only a rudimentary knowledge of the inner workings of larger boats and boat mechanics, Mark moved aboard his 33 Hunter Marine sailboat, The Morning Fog¸ and lived in Boston Harbor through 2003.

For what was supposed to be a turnkey purchase for just under $30,000, Mark's boat was less than ideal from day one. Despite paying top dollar for a marine survey, everything broke quickly, causing more than $6,000 in unexpected costs in the first month and a half and $20,000 in the first year and a half. To make matters worse, the Fog was not built to be a competent liveaboard boat, offering major sacrifices in every aspect of the boat's design. Mark explains how he rebuilt the boat from scratch, starting with the seacocks and plumbing, then the electrical systems, the chainplates and through-deck fittings, and totally upgraded the engine and alternator.

Everything just kept falling apart. He learned an unbelievable amount, things that someone should have told him, and lots that no one might have ever thought to tell him. He wanted to write a book that, had he read it, might have helped him make better decisions and save thousands of dollars.

Mark continues to practice law and devotes a significant part of his practice to representing artists, musicians and filmmakers, often in a pro bono capacity. Mark is a voting member of the Recording Academy, has released two CDs as an artist, and has engineered, produced and provided technical and consulting services to many others.

Customer Reviews

For anyone aspiring to enjoy life aboard any kind of boat
A seasoned and experienced sailor, Mark Nicholas has written an ideal introduction for anyone aspiring to enjoy life aboard any kind of boat in The Essentials Of Living Aboard: The Definitive Guide For New Liveaboards. The reader will learn how to choose and buy a boat that is appropriate for one's needs, including the finesse of the buying process, negotiations, insurance, and financing, amenities aboard a boat, navigation and safety matters, sanitation issues, legal issues, tips, tricks, and techniques, and more. Of special interest is the warnings about search, seizure, and forfeiture - even though a boat may be one's home, it does not have the same protections against search and seizure as a landbound home. Furthermore, forfeiturelaws mean that the government can seize property (including the boat one lives upon!) and never return it, even if the owner is never accused or convicted of any crime. An absolute "must-have" for anyone considering making a boat one's permanent dwelling.

The wanabe's Definitive Guide for Living Aboard
I had initially read Mark's first edition of Living Aboard prior to reading this edition. I enjoyed and found the first edition so informative and helpful that I acquired and resd this edition. Mark has truly tried to write, "the Definitive Guide for Liveaboards." The areas covered amount to the A to Z coverage with much depth to each of the areas. Mark includes how to choose a boat, estimating the cost of purchasing, selecting a marina, maintaining, preparing to live on a boat, Amenities ( communications, entertainment, refrigeration) safety, sanitation and many more. He also discusses the liveaboard issues and accomidations for families, children and pets. Mark has chapters on many issues that are often not considered by the first time liveaboard and I found some issues and ideas about livingaboard related to cruising that I had not considered myself even though I often cruise both inshore and offshore. I have recommended Living Aboard to many friends and individuals on websites for liveaboards and cruisers. Many have emailed me to let me know they found the book beneficial in their decision making process.

Saved Me $$$$$$ and Lots of Stress
Without any question, this book helped me save thousands of dollars and really keep perspective when I chose and bought my boat. If I had to sum it up, this book is mostly about perspective on a lot of things, such as the lifestyle of living on a boat, and also on choosing a boat, buying a boat and upgrading a boat. I walked away from 2 boats because of this. And the cost table is like one big myth buster revealing all of the tons of hidden costs of boating. It not only should be read by every liveaboard but I recommend this book for every boater too.