They say BOAT means Break Out Another Thousand....

         People always ask, "How do you do afford to live in Paradise without a 'job'?"  The boat is my job.   After start up fees our day to day cost of living is very small.   The boat has an electric motor, so there goes the gas bill.   We have 720 watts of solar panels that give us free power.     Fresh water so far has been free from a marina or caught in our rain catcher.

The Three Big Money items:

1.  (Obviously) The Boat

         It's a classic 1972 36' Gulfstar.  We found in research the cheaper boat is the more repairs it will need.   Look around, there are thousands of boats out there and great deals.  (Something I've dubbed Sailboat porn.   Don't even ask how many hours I've been on Sailnet, E-bay, Craigslist....looking at boats.)  

2.  The Work

        From our experience if you're not throwing down for brand spanking new boat then plan on spending a third to half the cost of the boat on getting it ready.   We shopped around and found a boatyard (Port Salerno Boatyard and Marina) that allowed us to do the work ourselves and live on the boat. Also we could buy wholesale.  (Some boatyards require you to only buy their brands at inflated prices.)  The rub rail isn't perfect and 5200 doesn't come out of clothes.  But we did the work ourselves and saved a lot of dough.

3.  Stocking Up

        And I mean stocking up.  Enough dry food to last months if needed. We have backup parts for everything.    I get can't count the nuts and bolts, sandpaper, paint, tools of every kind....It's a 36' X 12' Handyman's dream.  Make sure you get marine specific tape, cock and glue.  Duck tape doesn't fix everything.  Get a backup for everything now in the states.  It's cheaper than the islands.  And you will need it most likely at the worst time.

     I've done odd jobs like helping people move and babysitting for extra cash.  If you're thrifty and handy anyone can live in Paradise!