Live-aboard or cruising, what is the difference?
What is the difference between a cruising yacht and a live-aboard yacht?
When you look at a boating catalog, yachts are often described as either a cruiser or racer or racer/cruiser. And this indicates the intended use of the boat. Racer yachts are obviously intended for racing and cruising for cruising. The thing they all have in common is that all these boats intended use is ‘recreational’. They are intended to be used in the weekends and on holidays and the rest of the time they spend their life sitting empty in a marina.
Now compare this with the house you live in and a holiday house. Your expectations and in fact what you do with a holiday house is quite different from what you do in your home. The same is true for cruiser yachts; they are like holiday homes and are only used for short periods of time, usually don’t go far from their home base and don’t need to carry much gear or supplies.
A life-aboard yacht like your home, has to fulfill on all the needs and requirements of a boat that is being used 365 days per year.
This immediately suggests that there are much greater demands made of a live-aboard yacht over a cruising yacht.
Not only does it need to carry all your possessions and stores for extended periods. But it also gets used in entirely different ways. For example, when on holiday you want to be out in the sun as much as possible, feeling the sea air and enjoying the thrill of helming your boat. As a live-aboard your preference is to avoid the sun and the wind, you get enough without even looking for it and as for helming… I only choose to do it when I have to, much preferring the self steering to helm the boat while I get on with daily tasks.
Another example is the cockpit is an essential item on a cruiser, but an optional extra on a live-aboard; whereas a closed in pilothouse with an inside steering position is a much more likely place you will spend your time. In fact fishing boats have more in common with live-aboard yachts than cruising yachts, because fishermen in fact live and work on their boats.
It is easy to recognize live aboard yachts