A minimalist life ....
Getting ready to live on a boat is an exciting time, but equally it can be a daunting process moving from a house to a small, confined, self contained space. As if moving into a tiny home wasn't enough, living on a boat comes with its own unique challenges.
When I talked with my old Dad about what kind of boat you could live on he suggested something around 32 to 35 foot would be enough space for one or two to live. I went very slightly over that with Isosceles, but only just. She does however have ample living space for one or two if your thoughtful about what you need. There is even space for guests to come along for the ride.
Deciding what possessions you really need in your life is a tricky business, and no one can tell you what is right or wrong for you. My one piece of advice to anyone trying to thin their life down is to question everything, however just because everything is questioned does not mean it has to be thrown out. It’s just about making sure there is a need for that piece of equipment, keepsake or collection of objects. Do you need it? Do you use it? Does it have a particular, personal value to you? I do have some things on board that have sentimental value, but most things have to have a practical value.
“To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness.” - Carleton Mitchell
Moving into the confines of a small sail boat and taking all your worldly possessions with you is definitely one way to focus the mind onto what possessions are really important.
Of course, the bigger the boat, the more “stuff” you can take with you. But then these bigger boats are going to cost you more … more to buy, more to stay in a marina, more to maintain.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned the Circle of Consumerism somewhere before, I’ll try not to get dragged back into that. There is however a lot to be said for the KISS mantra …. Keep It Strictly Simple (at least that’s the polite version).
Simple is cheaper. Simple is easier to maintain, or replace when the time comes. Simple is less likely to go wrong just at the worst possible moment. Simple is going to give you less stress and anxiety.
However a boat that is also a home, and has to have the capacity to hold supplies for extended periods at sea without affecting performance, and therefore safety, too much. The logic here is quite simple, a ton of stores added to an 8 ton boat will have an affect on performance, but put a ton of stores on a 5 ton light weight flyer then the percentage increase in weight will be much greater. The greater the percentage increase in weight then the greater the negative effect on performance and comfort, not to mention safety.
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, that’s the key to life" - Charles Mingus
Simple is cheaper. Simple is easier to maintain, or replace when the time comes. Simple is less likely to go wrong just at the worst possible moment. Simple is going to give you less stress and anxiety.
However a boat that is also a home, and has to have the capacity to hold supplies for extended periods at sea without affecting performance, and therefore safety, too much. The logic here is quite simple, a ton of stores added to an 8 ton boat will have an affect on performance, but put a ton of stores on a 5 ton light weight flyer then the percentage increase in weight will be much greater. The greater the percentage increase in weight then the greater the negative effect on performance and comfort, not to mention safety.
When I talked with my old Dad about what kind of boat you could live on he suggested something around 32 to 35 foot would be enough space for one or two to live. I went very slightly over that with Isosceles, but only just. She does however have ample living space for one or two if your thoughtful about what you need. There is even space for guests to come along for the ride.
"There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less" - G.K. Chesterton
Deciding what possessions you really need in your life is a tricky business, and no one can tell you what is right or wrong for you. My one piece of advice to anyone trying to thin their life down is to question everything, however just because everything is questioned does not mean it has to be thrown out. It’s just about making sure there is a need for that piece of equipment, keepsake or collection of objects. Do you need it? Do you use it? Does it have a particular, personal value to you? I do have some things on board that have sentimental value, but most things have to have a practical value.
Storage space is another issue on a boat. Everything has to have a home, where it can be safely stowed away and wont harm boat or crew, or smash itself, in rough weather. Having a cushion flying across the cabin and in to the side of your head when the boat drops off a wave is one thing, having a solid object like a torch or radio catapulted into your head is not going to be fun. There is an old adage on boats: A place for everything and everything in its place. There is always a reason behind these sayings.
The amount of electronics used on small yachts has gone up exponentially over the years, but this has also allowed us more freedoms in our travels along with increases in our safety. I’m not suggesting we all go back to sextants and updating our position on charts hourly with course steered and speed for navigation, just have a bit of thought about your life and belongings. I will have some up to date electronics on Isosceles for my travels, but I can guarentee they will not be the top of the range, touchscreen, power hungry devices.
In terms of life on Isosceles, whenever I look at items for the boat I have to question if it is a need or a want. I pretty much have my list of "needs" which I am slowly working my way through, so I have to look at how much I really want the thing, consider how useful it is really going to be and where I'm going to store things.
I am terrible for keeping "stuff" and I constantly have to fight myself to keep things off the boat. During the time the boat had no engine and spent its life as a floating caravan I was doing no sailing. I was alternating between doing jobs and collecting more and more of my belongings on board. Now I have thinned out most of my belongings to pretty much what I really want, but I have to make myself stick to the rule that if there is no where to store things then I either don't get the item, or I get rid of something else to make room.
"Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful." John Maeda – American designer and technologist
The amount of electronics used on small yachts has gone up exponentially over the years, but this has also allowed us more freedoms in our travels along with increases in our safety. I’m not suggesting we all go back to sextants and updating our position on charts hourly with course steered and speed for navigation, just have a bit of thought about your life and belongings. I will have some up to date electronics on Isosceles for my travels, but I can guarentee they will not be the top of the range, touchscreen, power hungry devices.
In terms of life on Isosceles, whenever I look at items for the boat I have to question if it is a need or a want. I pretty much have my list of "needs" which I am slowly working my way through, so I have to look at how much I really want the thing, consider how useful it is really going to be and where I'm going to store things.
I am terrible for keeping "stuff" and I constantly have to fight myself to keep things off the boat. During the time the boat had no engine and spent its life as a floating caravan I was doing no sailing. I was alternating between doing jobs and collecting more and more of my belongings on board. Now I have thinned out most of my belongings to pretty much what I really want, but I have to make myself stick to the rule that if there is no where to store things then I either don't get the item, or I get rid of something else to make room.
I live in the forlorn hope that this will become a habit I can keep up!
