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

#tinyhouse #tinyliving #offthegridliving #sailing #sailboat
This week we look at the top five small sailboats you can live on. What makes a good off the grid liveaboard sailboat? What do you NEED to have on a sailboat to live on, sail alone solo, from roller fulrings to sailboat toilets to sailboat engines - the top five sailboats for you to buy cheap and live on.

[JohnWColley]

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

[bowman]

Go small. Go simple. Go now. Well said

[hatatfatcat]

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.

[whoormaster]

i know nothing about boats but love these videos

[VMarine]

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

[Pelican]

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!

[fire]

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

[patmac]

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

[johnd]

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!!!

[yepiratesworkshop]

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.

[colynfleming]

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

[richiel]

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.

[dieterhardt]

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.

[trumbed]

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

[christiandacosta]

My dad had a French boat when I was young and sailed it, out in the open (a 14 day passage). The boat had a bolt on keel and he absolutely s#it himself, when out there, in a storm force 12 (bay of biscay) and my dad's sailed, for over 50 years, all over the world and for money. I'm 51 now and he sailed, before I was born and he always told me, if I ever get the time to buy my first boat and get out there, to promise to my dad, never to buy a bolt on keel. It must be an integrated keel and with a skeg. I said yes dad, I promise and I agree. Top build quality, for some extra cash, but it's a life saver. Worth, every penny.

[prototypeq]

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!

[frayjawolcott]

I lived on an old Catalina 30 for almost 3 years. It was a dream come true and very comfortable! Highly recommend it.

[PatrickHoodDaniel]

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!!

[raphaelriemann]

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

[dallas]

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)