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Don W

wrote:

I see a number of 27-33-foot boats from twenty or thirty years ago, in
decent shape, for very reasonable prices. However, there are a few
things which I'd really appreciate as a full-time liveaboard which
they lack:

1. A shower. I don't have a trust fund, and I'll need to be able to
hold down a job to pay dockage; most workplaces tend to frown on
employees who bathe only weekly. Of course showers are probably
available at a marina, but being able to shower privately in one's own
boat makes a huge difference.

2. Air-conditioning, only while hooked up to shore power. (It seems to
matter much less under way or even at anchor.) Call me spoiled, but I
don't want to spend my free time exclusively in weeks of 100+-degree
heat and still air -- I've been there, done that, and paid my dues.

--Eli

Eli,

Our Irwin 38 has a stand up "shower" if you can
call it that. Actually, compared to a normal
shower stall, it is very tight, and we usually use
the showers at the marina because they are a lot
more comfortable. If forced to use the shower on
the boat, it is easier to sit down and use the
"navy" shower method--ie wet down, wash off, and
then rinse, turning off the water between the wet
down and rinse. Still, its good to have the
shower on the boat in case we are anchored out.
The shower drain runs into a head sump, and is
pumped overboard from there. We have pressure
water BTW, and I would recommend it as the pumps
are fairly inexpensive, and it is a nice addition
to the boat.

Regarding air conditioning, I agree that it is
pretty much needed if you are going to be
comfortable living aboard anywhere on the gulf
coast or farther south. We have done without it a
few nights in the summer, and it is miserably hot
and humid. We presently have a 5K BTU carry-on
and a 10K BTU sea water cooled unit which together
do the trick. The 10K BTU will cool the boat
overnight by itself, but cannot keep it cool
during the day. This summer we will probably
upgrade the AC to 16K BTU and 10K BTU sea water
cooled units and sell the carry-on. We have
looked into the RV type roof-top AC's, but just
don't have a good place to install one on our
boat. If we did, I'd probably go that way, as
they are about 1/2 the cost, and don't have the
issue of salt-water corrosion like the marine
raw-water cooled units.

Don W.

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