5 Best Boats To Live On
So, you want to live on a boat? Our yacht management team at Yacht Management South Florida, Inc. has previously discussed the pros and cons of living on a yacht. However, if you’ve decided a maritime residence is right for you, you’ve got to decide which vessel is going to be your next home sweet home. While most mid-sized boats are boats you can live on, if you are going to be living on your boat year-round, you probably want something that’s high in comfort. If that’s the case, consider this list of the best liveaboard boats. From riverboats to open ocean cruisers, which type of boat is best suited to your lifestyle is up to you.
Catamarans
The double-hull structure of catamarans not only offers exceptional stability in rough waters but also spacious separate living spaces. Most catamarans offer plenty of outdoor and above deck living as well as comfortable interior rooms. Sail catamarans often come with motors as well, allowing you to save on fuel costs during windy days and use the engines when needed.
Trawler
If you're looking for a great pecan cruiser as well one of the best liveaboard boats, consider investing in a trawler. With their wide hulls, hard chines, and considerable below deck headroom, trawlers make great boats to live on. While the interiors of liveaboard trawlers typically maintain a nautical quality, their hard angles and high ceilings lend themselves well to a homier feeling.
Canal Boat
Also called narrowboats, these types of liveaboard boats are mostly popular in Europe. Best suited for cruising rivers and lakes, these long, flat hulled covered boats need to go under extensive yacht restoration to be converted into water residences. Since the majority of the boat’s original interiors are gutted during renovation and many owners choose to decorate with traditional furniture and fittings, living in a narrowboat or canal boat is much like living in an oddly shaped one-bedroom apartment or even an RV.
Converted Barges
Similar to canal boats, barges also need to go through extensive conversion to become boats to live on. However, converted barges are significantly more spacious and often have both below deck and above deck living spaces. So, while living on a narrowboat can feel like living in a small apartment, a converted barge feels more like living in a luxury apartment. Best suited for river cruising, some barges can go out into the ocean, just not too far from shore.
Houseboat
Probably the best liveaboard boat when it comes to living in a maritime residence that looks like a regular land-based home inside and outside, houseboats are best suited to cruising rivers, lakes, and bay areas. However, even though houseboats do have propellers and don’t have to stay moored like floating residences do, houseboats stay docked the majority of the time. If you are looking for a boat you can live on as well as use for on the water exploration, a houseboat may not be the best choice for you.
Yacht Management South Florida, Inc. is a Fort Lauderdale yacht management and yacht maintenance company. At our Fort Lauderdale marina and full-service boatyard, we offer yacht restoration, refits, and regular maintenance packages that include boat bottom cleaning, boat hull painting, repairs, and other premier onshore or dockside services. Contact us or call (954) 941-6447 today!