Buying a Live Aboard Motor Yacht Cruiser Top 20 Must Haves?! EP 5

[@MightyMax34]

Really great info. Thanks for sharing. I had no idea about eisenglass.

[@ElliYacht1]

It really is a game changer! Let us know if you have any other items we could cover that you would be interested in!

[@InnamoratiEntertainment]

Thank you so much for a well in depth video. I am currently in the process of buying my first live aboard yacht!

[@ElliYacht1]

That is so exciting! if you have any questions Jon is very knowledgeable and is a very experienced boater. What kind of yacht are you looking at?

[@davidingraham1989]

Holy smokes. That’s the best video that we have seen describing the wants and necessities of a live aboard. We are on the East Coast (Atlanta) and are planning to do the great loop in 4 years. We are planning a bit early but it will be worth it.

[@ElliYacht1]

We’re ecstatic that the video was useful! We started our planning 5 years before we bought our ultimate live aboard. It’s never too early. Let us know if you have any specific topics you would like to have us cover. We’re excited for you and your Great Loop adventure!

[@casondave]

Nice job !!! And yea, HUGE points to consider !!!

[@ElliYacht1]

Thanks!

[@rscorpio768]

Also, boating is about flexibility. Though you may be able to finance a gigantic amount of money on a boat 10 years or less, you also have requirements for insurance for larger boats, such as specialized training to consider. More importantly, the insurance costs and cost to moor and power this behemoth. A good, flexible and knowledgeable boater can make a home on an older boat even easier and with today's ability to customize pretty much anything; they can still have the luxuries of newer boats. If you join a yacht club or boating organization like the Power Squadron {America's Boating club}, you can also gain alot of insight into picking the right boat, customizing/repairing one and places to moor; plus gain valuable connections on the water.

[@beemergrl3017]

Hi! New follower here! We just jumped from a 33’ Pursuit to a 40’ Tiara and can’t wait to start cruising! We had most of the same checklist items as you and sadly only missed out on one…the bow thruster. Thanks for sharing!

[@chuckm.5032]

Thank you for posting this! It helped me a LOT!

[@robertpeterson6331]

Nice job. We are looking for a boat now and you have helped confirm many of our thoughts

[@pilotgirl5953]

Very good points for a live aboard. beautiful boat!

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you!

[@troccllc665]

Thank you both for sharing your experience. I AM Eric and will be living and working on my boat plus entertaining. For now I have the one in mind and I am gathering all the information I can from ALL of you who are Pioneering the way... Bless you....

[@anim810]

Finally watched your video at the end describes what boat you have (: Very nice choice we may go that route on the next vessel well done and thanks for the insightful list 👍

[@ElliYacht1]

You’re welcome! Glad it was useful. We’re working on our boat tour and should have it out soon. Excited to hear what you land on when you get your next boat!

[@WyattWryder]

Beautiful boat. Informative video.

[@jeffstone2585]

Excellent info! Very useful and thought out.

[@ElliYacht1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@maru1411]

Great video! Thank you. Moving soon to a boat. a lot to learn.

[@andrefisher334]

Pretty Awesome Insight! I look forward to viewing your other videos.

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you for the encouragement! Welcome aboard :-)

[@toddolason3204]

I dig it! Nice.

[@scottc7322]

Living your dream! Nice work, God Bless.

[@scootericu1]

Thanks for sharing

[@leewahler3058]

Great list, we agree

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you Lee!

[@lakeseminole]

Get yourself a counter-top $100 ice maker from Amazon! They work great.

[@ElliYacht1]

Counter space is at a premium on our boat. However, to your point, we bought a stand alone ice maker from Amazon with the same technology and put it in our engine room. Best $350 spent!

[@michaelfoster6]

HI! Thank you for your time and energy. Very information and inspirational. I am new and in the research phase. I am open minded and teachable. You both say, especially in the Pacific NorthWest, often. Is there a boat, equipment/electronics, accessories, app or programs that calculate for all that uniqueness?

[@Grounded4]

I worked and lived on excursion boats and motor yachts (including a small single screw ship 130 ft., long) for 26 years and never needed a bow-thruster. You just have to learn to maneuver competently. The best was a controllable pitch propeller .

[@ElliYacht1]

True observation. We had a boat come in our marina this week with a dead starboard engine. His bow thruster saved his bacon coming into a tight fairway with 10knt winds.

[@ChrisInvests]

Beautiful boat and beautiful eisenglass. My parents had sedan bridges and sport cruisers growing up. I'll definitely be in the market for something like this down the road.

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you!! My folks had Carver and Tollycraft sedan bridges too. The newer layered decks on 30-50’ boats are definitely a game changer.

[@nikkiatkins33]

Thank you. This helped so much

[@ElliYacht1]

Glad it helped!

[@ElliYacht1]

Also, let us know if there is anything you would let us to go deeper into for our future episodes. We love your feedback!

[@AllanWaller]

Great video series! Very helpful. We are following a very similar path. Currently looking for a Navigator 48 to live aboard in the San Juans.

[@ElliYacht1]

It is a wonderful Liveaboards!

[@michaelfoster6]

Excellent helpful video!

[@MateoHellionCLVaughn]

This taken in Andrew's Bay? Great vid and finally someone vlogging liveaboard stuff from my area

[@ElliYacht1]

Great eye Chris! That was Andrews Bay. Thanks for the feedback we’re excited to represent the PNW!

[@lesliepredium4122]

The best in-depth work , I feel more comfortable about wanting to live aboard .Good by land lock . THANKS !

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you!

[@bobfinkenbiner2539]

great list. you obviously aren't new to this. the difference in our first boat "must have" versus next boat list is based upon some hard lessons learned.

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you for your comment. Yes! Experience is one way to learn and is the hard way and we have done that too. So hopefully this video will help those who haven't gone through those firsts hard lessons and can skip the painful firsts and learn from our mistakes. Because there are 3 ways to learn: 1. Experience 2. From others 3. Education

[@sambassil7825]

Great preview, can you please brief us on how much you paid for sales tax, registration, and other related expenses.

[@polarbear111000]

Awesome video!!! Subscribed 😁

[@ElliYacht1]

Thanks for the sub!😀⚓

[@Gdatshim]

Thanks this was great help.

[@ElliYacht1]

Glad it helped

[@jgreenier68]

Beautiful vessel!

[@helmsman3838]

Great video

[@sethgrant1568]

Nice video. We just got our second boat, and we had some similar criteria.

[@ElliYacht1]

Very cool!

[@user-tn8ux5vy4u]

Wow i love this idea

[@ElliYacht1]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching. We're getting ready to launch the next video were we haul it out to the boat yard! Stay tuned :)

[@psale1]

When you are "living" on your boat (not visiting exotic travel destinations), where do you keep your boat, a marina, moored, or anchored someplace?

[@ElliYacht1]

We keep it in a marina in Seattle.

[@apanemia]

Can you provide some insight on the specs of your boat? I am looking to move into this lifestyle and started to really like the Meridian 408. After doing research on things I came across your video and I find that my needs align very much with yours.

[@ElliYacht1]

Hi Andrew! We have a 2010 4800 Navigator that is 50’ LOA. Navigator was a California, USA built boat that unfortunately went out of business in 2013 after being sold. Here is a website with the last models in production and all of their specs, including ours. www.navigatoryachts.com/index.html

[@adityajoshi3524]

informative.Thank you👍

[@ElliYacht1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@poserwanabe]

I think you meant to say 10kw, not 10,000kw, big difference...😁 Btw- great video !!!

[@ElliYacht1]

Good catch. Sorry for the error and thanks for the compliment!

[@wesleycalland7408]

Thanks for the video, some great observations. I’m curious about what budget you had in mind while shopping for your boat, how you did, and any thoughts on spending more or less if you were to buy again? Would you still go 2009?

[@ElliYacht1]

Hi Wesley, great questions. We went into the market looking at boats in the $350-$450k range. That’s less than we could purchase a fixer upper 1k square foot home in Seattle but, squarely in the market for our must have list. We looked at larger boats that were at the edge of the 20 year mark but, the earlier layouts didn’t use space as efficiently, delayed maintenance was a theme and resale pushed us back to the 10 year mark on age. I wouldn’t go older but, I’ve started seeing COVID prices on newer boats that would have enticed me to go higher on our budget and get a 3-5 year old boat with even better space usage and updated power train. Even at 10 years old, we have had to spend ~$12k on delayed maintenance and ~$30k on outdated electronics and subsystems that a newer boat wouldn’t need. All that could have gone to a higher purchase price. All that said newer boats seem to be sacrificing storage space for living space. There needs to be a good balance of both for a comfortable live aboard.

[@andrewgrech7577]

Thank you for this! What is this boat and length that checked all the boxes?

[@ElliYacht1]

We have a 2010 4800 Classic Navigator and love it!

[@ElliYacht1]

We have a 2010 4800 Classic Navigator and love it!

[@andrewgrech7577]

@@ElliYacht1 Thank you!

[@Colinpark]

An excellent video with great explanation as to the choices in your list. I note you don't have any solar panels, any thoughts on that?

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you Colin! The solar panels are on the list for next year. We think we should be able to eliminate using the generator to recharge the batteries for a week at a time in the mildest seasons. During the hottest and coldest months when we run the heat exchangers, we will go from running the Genset every morning for two hours to recharge the batteries to maybe an hour or less a day. That will make being at anchor even more peaceful and conserve our fuel even more. :-)

[@marchingontogether2571]

the most important thing you must have is plenty of spare cash

[@ElliYacht1]

Yes, you definitely need spare cash for unexpected expenses and upkeep of the boat. It 💸It is not a thrifty venture but when it is your only home it is money well spent.

[@meetingonthehighway437]

I would think a water maker is important????

[@ElliYacht1]

You are spot on. It was one of our first year refit items. Most of our top 20 items were structural or super expensive to refit on an existing yacht. Not that water makers aren’t expensive but, the refit is pretty straightforward on one. In fact our latest video is on our Craigslist water maker that was $2.5k. Not bad!

[@edwardstgeorge6624]

Not if you live in the marina 99% of the time.

[@Esmio06]

Are you willing to share a ball Park figure or range of the cost to get all 20? Not what you paid, but what was the range you saw when shopping (or more to the point, what was the low end of that range?)

[@ElliYacht1]

You could get a nice 2005 48’ Silverton Convertible that will check all of the boxes for $285k. To get a hardtop in a Navigator 5100, Meridian 4788, or later Silverton… your probably in the $450k to $525k range. Always pay a bit amore (15-25%) for a meticulously maintained boat. It will save you many times more in repairs, past due maintenance and lost time from actually cruising in the short, mid and long run. There are no ‘bargains’ on boats, unless you have a relative or friend that is going to sell you a meticulously maintained boat, at a steep discount, because they love you and the boat.

[@LA_Viking]

I was laughing so hard I became concerned that I might develop a hernia and so I turned it off.

[@ronaldparker6726]

YES, IBET HE PAID MOST FOR IT,,

[@dbc7772011]

very helpful list. My wife and I are exploring our options for liveaboards. Very informative. I'm curious what a yacht like yours cost to purchase, dock, maintenance, insurance etc? Beautiful vessel! thanks again

[@ElliYacht1]

Thank you for the feedback. We're happy that this is helpful. We'll do a episode on the price, ancillary costs, moorage, maintenance and insurance is. Thank you again!

[@ChrisInvests]

I'd be interested in hearing total monthly expenses as well

[@user-mj6sl9qv8j]

Of course want whatever you want but how much time does anyone really spend in the galley? If everyones having fun I dont want to be cooking while they're doing it.

[@ElliYacht1]

We agree! However, cooking is a necessary evil when living aboard so up galley it is.

[@RBLVentures]

Hi did you say wavemaker so you can make ice LOL

[@ElliYacht1]

I'm not sure what you mean by a wavemaker but we did install a water maker so we have the option to make ice as well as water when we are on the hook.

[@clifbradley]

I could rattle off at least 20 yachts off the top of head that meet all these criteria and then some. This list isn't that extensive or out there.

[@ElliYacht1]

Cool! Could you share your list? (and keep it under $475k) it would make a great video!

[@clifbradley]

@@ElliYacht1 OK. These are specific yachts and should be within your guidelines as much as what I know about the boat from a general design perspective and of course some owners could have deviated from the established base layout. This reflects yachts listed as currently on sale as of today: 2015 Absolute 60 Fly ($395,000) 2015 Seahawk 58' Power Catamaran 'Carolyn' ($215,000) 2009 54' Cantieri Cruiser 'Monluc' ($449,000) 2009 Regal 52' Sport Coupe 2009 Cruisers Yacht 52' 'Dilligaf' ($449,000)...Definitely wins the name of the bunch game. If you don't know what it means...don't look it up. It has a Kohker generator, not sure of size though 2013 Fairline Targa GT 51 'El Plan Maestro ($380,000) 2012 Sunseeker 48' `Portofino' ($399,999) This is iffy because not sure if you can enclose it in Eisenglass. I was told yes, and the galley I was told was galley up, but from pics, looks galley half down...so.. 2010 Fiart Mare 14M '47 Genius' ($404,525) 2010 Sea Ray 47 'Relentless Pusuit II' ($444,900) 2011 Four Winns 47 ($399,000) 2014 43' Cranchi Fly 'Atlantique' ($390,000)...it's 1 inch from 46 feet long. 2013 Beneteau ST-44 Swift Trawler 'Wayfarer ($435,000) There are 60 results in total. Obviously, I'm using the yacht MLS system through yatco to gather the list. Some of these are not going to meet the criteria because, well...owners lie. But most of them will. Whenever my parents bought a yacht, Yatco was what they used to get a list together and then because the yachts they were looking for were all over, like Thailand, Argentina, Caribbean, France, Italy...they used Northrop and Johnson as the broker. When they decided to get their last yacht, they went with a trawler and were looking for a Fleming or Nordhavn so they used Yacht Tech and JMY in Maine. They also wanted a yacht very similar to what you are looking for, but with 2 staterooms and the ability to sleep 2 more people through a Pullman or dinette or sofa conversion. But Yatco will get you 90% of the way there. After that, hopefully you have a general understanding of the basic layout that yacht has, or you can look at KZbin and see videos of it. Hope it helps. I didn't think your list was all that complicated or over the top. When my dad wanted a teppanyaki grill and built in dive tank storage on the first yacht, that was difficult but they found it for him.

[@EileenHB301]

What do you mean by Swim Step Stables???

[@ElliYacht1]

I thought we put a picture in the video but if you Google it you can see a picture of it

[@thatchh1]

Staples are the railing pipes that provide handholds while standing on the swim step.

[@pantera6672]

Nice boat and sure you have a TON more $$$ than ill EVER have , BUT YOUR A GEEK MISTER :)PEACE

[@pantera6672]

im just startin at a ripe old age so you gotta alot on me kid :)😂

[@ElliYacht1]

gotta have goals!

[@pantera6672]

yeap , die memories not dreams PEACE

[@6800891]

If you have found an investment that is reliable enough to borrow money for, then THAT should be the subject of your video. If you are rich, then congratulations and a big boat is a fun way to burn money. But no financial manager would ever advise borrowing money on something as depreciatory as a boat, regardless of interest rate. Otherwise, when I have enough, I will buy a boat with all 20!

[@ElliYacht1]

We’re glad you like our list! As a humble perspective on depreciating and appreciating assets in this situation, one could: A) Buy the Depreciating Asset outright. As the depreciation accumulates, your Asset is worth less and you have DECREASED your wealth. -or- B) If you buy the Depreciating Asset with someone else’s money, AND buy an Appreciating Asset with your money, AND the Appreciating Asset grows at a GREATER rate than the Depreciating Asset (less Carrying Costs, like interest), then your wealth INCREASES. We chose B. Now, one could go with option C. Simply buy the Appreciating Asset and forgo the Depreciating Asset. Their wealth would be the GREATEST, out of these 3 scenarios. However, in our opinion, life is meant to be lived and that can require expenditures that pay you back in experiences, not $’s. I’d recommend a Financial Manager that understands all 3 scenarios, in this case AND listens to the Client’s financial AND personal goals. They can all often be met with creativity. We wish you the best and hope to see you on the water!!

[@6800891]

@@ElliYacht1 all your scenarios assume that you have access to a zero risk, appreciating asset. This is like a perpetual motion machine, ie it does not exist. If it did one would need only borrow 10 million dollars and live off the difference between the interest rate and the capital gains of the magic, zero risk appreciating investment. You could very easily borrow the cost of the boat, and then your own investment tanks. Then you are stuck with both owing money on the boat and a losing investment. I of course hope your investment pays for the loan and then some. But you have to at least recognize the risk. That's why the bank charges interest in the first place. Happy cruising.

[@LewieLeway]

@@6800891 Is it jealousy or are you just 'cruising' (see what I did there?) for a fight? Who are you to tell anyone what the subject of THEIR video should be? I'd have told you to take a walk but Elli was polite enough to reply with a great explanation of what you can do with life if you want. Still you nit pick. Life is a risk. Some get up and get on, others spend their time trolling to see who they can try and annoy. Well done Elli for ignoring this misanthrope, I on the other hand think he's an ass.

[@thatchh1]

Who ever said a boat is a good investment? You buy boats to enjoy a boating lifestyle. Having more money is not the goal here.

[@wayneparke554]

Dehumidifier?

[@ElliYacht1]

Hi Wayne, great point. Our Heat Exchangers serve as dehumidifiers when they are in Air Conditioning mode during the summer. During the winter we use a portable dehumidifier with a drain feature plumbed overboard to keep condensation under control.

[@chrissnape9537]

I enjoyed this, we had a 42ft yacht built as a run runner in 1930, the Danae 3. I included the name as the last I heard it was moored in Friday harbour. I will try to make this short haha. We did live aboard in the summer, Mum, Dad, sister, and me the son. We had the boat from when I was 4 to 14 before we sold her. My Dad had stomach problems and was not looking forward to another 6 weeks of varnishing and painting. A fellow who owns a local hotel asked every year if you sell it call me. The deal was done in 30 minutes. Very sad in that I was not old enough to take on all the matinence. We cruised every summer from Sidney Vancouver Island to the top of the Island Bull harbour. Talking about being a lucky kid. I marvel at all the cool creature comforts that you have. I know you are boaters ! One question where are you mooring it and what does it cost. As a youngster we were out most weekends in the winter. My Dad would work half a day and my soccer was done by one pm so away we went. Your right kids get bored but I did mostly love it. Can you watch the Seahawks . That would be part of my top 20 haha. Thanks for the tour I love your ship. Ps we had an oil stove that heated the whole boat because it was wooden. I dont remember been cold or hot. I do remember horse flies the size of Robin's in knights inlet,all doors and windows closed tight 😎✌

[@ElliYacht1]

Hi Chris, what an incredible life experience! Thank you for sharing. My folks always had a boat when I grew up and we were out on it every weekend during the summer. Funny, I don’t ever remember being cold or hot either! We’re headed back up to the San Juans in August so I’ll see if we can find Danae 3 when we’re at Friday Harbor. To answer your question, we have moorage on South Lake Union in Seattle and it runs $725 a month, plus electricity. Take care and let us know if there are any topics you would like us to cover in future videos, Jon and Karlynn

[@jenniferkunch9646]

You can't tell them you are living on a boat if you want to get it it financed.

[@ElliYacht1]

Hi Jennifer! Good news! There are specialized financing companies that will work with live aboards.

[@Josejuly221989]

my god look at the camera next time my guy im here too

[@ElliYacht1]

Good feedback! I'll work on that :-) - Jon

[@rscorpio768]

Great video but now I know how you can afford this boat....Too many ads!!!!

[@chrissnape9537]

Shoot rum runner I got spell checked oops

[@ElliYacht1]

Autocorrect gets me every time! Are you still in the Seattle area?

[@michaeleavenson6880]

Thanks for sharing