Living on a boat and off the grid.

[cbayer]

I don't know if there is any interest here, but I would love to discuss the pros and cons of living in small spaces off the grid.

I have lived on a boat for the last 2 1/2 years. We are not hooked up to a slip, so carry our own water, make our own electricity and deal with our own waste. Everyday is a new learning experience, and I know it's not for everyone, but I would love to exchange ideas with others that live off the grid and those that want to explore this option.

:hi:

[amerikat]

1. Sounds like fun. How do you get internet on the boat?

I guess you are solar powered.

[cbayer]

2. We get internet through a wireless phone card. We can get it wherever we can get

phone service, which these days is more and more frequent, even on the water.

We are primarily solar powered and have 6 golf cart batteries on board. We do have a diesel generator and the boat's engine has an alternator, so these are readily available backups for power.

Do you have solar?

[amerikat]

3. I have about 600 watts of PV but not installed yet.

I have worked for a couple of PV manufacturers. My house is not well suited
for capturing the sun light. I'll need to get a large maple tree removed.
I'm going to set up a few panels to do some experiments with electrolysis of water
to make hydrogen. Then who knows. I'm currently looking to get back in the
PV field but even solar is slow right now due to the credit crunch.

How many watts and who is the manufacturer of the panels?

[cbayer]

4. We have two Kyocera 130 watt panels. During the day, one pretty much runs the

refrigerator and the other charges the batteries. Of course, we have a lot of sun and the panels have no shadows on them at all.

Wow, making hydrogen from water? Is that something that could eventually be done at home?

[amerikat]

5. Kyocera makes a nice panel. I guess you have a dc powered fridge

or do you use an inverter?

Hydrogen is easy to make but difficult to store and use effectively.
H2O can be split into hydrogen and Oxygen, just pass an electric current
through it.

Probably not cost effective for me to tie into the grid or go off grid
with the amount of wattage I have. So for right now hydrogen experiments
are in order.

[cbayer]

6. The fridge switches between 12 volt and 110. When we are charging using the

generator or the boat's engine, it will switch over to 110 via the alternator, but we try to avoid using the other charging systems.

We would like to add one more panel and are considering a small wind generator. Engines are just never ending problems.

It seems that more people could at least partially get off the grid using a system similar to ours. It's a great feeling.

[amerikat]

7. Using less energy is the biggest part of energy independence.

I've been an alternative energy buff since the first oil crunch in the 70"s.

Sounds like you have a nice lifestyle going on there.
Do you travel around much or do you have to go on land for work?
I spent a lot of time on the New Jersey shore when I was younger so
I know a bit about boats.

I live a few miles from the Hudson River now
and we get a fair amount of boat traffic through here.
Lake George and Lake Champlain are busy with boats from spring to fall
with the tourist traffic. I do a boat ride at least once a year on one of
the lakes. I always ask the Captain if I can see the engine room, and they always
oblige. They are very proud of their boats.

[cbayer]

8. I think people really start to think about consumption when they are making and

storing their own electricity. Same goes for water. We recently had the misfortune of having to live in an apartment for a few months after being hit by another boat. It was fascinating to watch how our habits changed so quickly when there was what appeared to be a neverending supply of electricity and water.

We travel around the west coast and hope to head south in the next year or two. Then on to parts unknown. We both work on the internet, so don't have to come over to the mainland often - mostly just to provision or get parts/repairs for the boat.

Boat owners, and particularly those that live on their boats or make them living off them, tend to be very proud of their boats. And we are very proud of ours!

[amerikat]

9. It's just basic respect for nature to consume less.

This is one of my favorite forums on DU. It's not very active most of the time
but has some many good people and ideas. I noticed that there is no
forum for boats. Then again most boaters are recreational boaters and you are
certainly not one of those.

[amerikat]

10. So I have been thinking about how it would be to live on the water.

But it is late....I hope we can discuss this further.
time for me to pull in the sails and drop anchor for tonight,
I hope we can discuss this further,,,,,,I have many questions
about life on a boat, Send some pics of the boat and the mates when you get a chance.

It was truly a pleasure speaking with you, Thanks

Amerikat aka Howard

[Name removed]

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[Warpy]

12. I found that row to the dock to be onerous in the morning

when I really, really had to pee.

Other than that, it wasn't really that bad over a summer.

I'd want a houseboat year round, though.

Oh, and expect an endless series of bad hair days and dumbass tourists trying to snap your picture when you're at your worst.

[cbayer]

13. You didn't have a head on board?

I tend to take a long time to get going in the morning, so I could never row to the dock.

Bad hair days and tourists just don't bother me anymore!

:hi:

[Warpy]

14. there was an arrangement with a tank

but rowing in with the tank to empty was even more onerous and the harbormaster charged for waste dropoff, but not to use the loo on the docks.

[Alameda]

15. That has been my dream...but I sort of gave up on it....

almost bought a sloop a few times, but was talked out of it by more "level" headed friends. Actually, it's the maintainance part of it that is of concern to me. The constant mildew battle....making sure it doesn't sink..is another. I have a few friends who live aboard though. It really is a beautiful life. Minimalist.

[cbayer]

16. Maintenance is ongoing, but when you live aboard you don't encounter the problems

that you might if you keep the boat closed up and only visit from time to time.

We use hanging drying agents in all the closets and have never had a problem with mildew. And your boat will not sink if you catch any small problems early (unless you hit something really big).

Very minimalist and very liberating. My experience is that "level headed friends" are just really envious that you might actually do it.

:hi: