The concept of boats has come up recently. Both the teaser for Matthew Brackens upcoming book and our good friend Mayberry's Blovel have involved them. Before I go any further there will be one significant disclaimer. I do not have a lot of experience with boats. Thus I will stay away from all but general thoughts on prices/ sizes and specs for boats.


I will start by saying that this idea is sexy as can be. I mean on a preparedness sexiness level where 1 is doing a household budget and a sweet new M1A with an EBR stock and a great optic is a 6 this is a 9.5. The world goes to heck in a hand basket and you just cruise the world in your awesome boat. Catch and eat some fresh seafood most nights of the week and regularly have fruity drinks with little straw hats. I like the idea of lobster for dinner while watching the sunset a lot better than fighting the neighbors to keep my cereal. Seriously stop for a minute to think just how awesome that would be. OK, now that your minute has passed lets get a bit more practical.

The massive and continual need for fuel narrows our discussion to sail boats for all but the shortest GOOD/ cross the river when the bridges are down type of discussion which would be another topic all together. Basically we are talking about sail boats. Also we are probably talking about people who live in reasonable proximity to open water (though maybe the Great Lakes are an exception) because a sail boat doesn't do somebody in a landlocked state much good for anything but a great Saturday at the lake/ reservoir. Boats have a good combination of being transportation and something you can live in. A comparable role to RV's or Travel Trailers but obviously in the water.

We do need to narrow down exactly the sort of scenario where living in or out of a boat would be a decent option. Boat living would be very bad in almost every possible situation for a full on Mad Max scenario. A lack of space would be a real issue first and foremost. That alone puts you at a major disadvantage over anybody with a house and a garage or shop. Other issues such as weather, security and maintenance are area specific and beyond my depth of knowledge but to varying degrees would probably make a land based plan more realistic. However as we note from time to time a Mad Max scenario is by far the least likely scenario you would face. As FerFal so eloquently points out often countries go down the tubes in relative isolation. When one country really starts to suck you just go to another one. This is a niche where a sailboat could come in handy.

A sailboat would work well on the southern and gulf coast of the US. If a personal (crazy stuff can happen), social or economic trigger point is reached then pack a couple duffel bags, top off of fuel, water and food then cast off. The Caribbean and Central/ South America are chock full of quiet countries that are often very discrete. Also the South Pacific has some darn nice spots. If you get bored or want to seek other opportunities just go somewhere else. For the right person in the right situation with a pinch of luck this could work out well.

The biggest roadblock is that boats are expensive. A boat you could potentially use for a long term residence is going to be significantly more than a little day sailor. Being able to cook and sleep in the cabin would be essential. I hesitate to say you would need a boat of X length because the amount of occupants and the scenario you are talking about would be factors. That being said Wifey and I lived in a 40" RV and it got pretty claustrophobic for just us and 2 cats. While the RV didn't have a deck as a second story we also did not need to store a lot of fresh water and food. Size and features would drive cost significantly. Figuring somewhere between the price of nice used car (say 10k) and an average house (150k) is probably reasonable. Of course like anything else the sky is the limit. A family of 8 that planned to live self contained (infrequent trips to shore for resupply) on a boat long term would need a lot more space and amenities than a single guy who planned to sail down to a friendly country and use his boat more or less as a studio apartment. We are definitely not talking chump change here.

The next reality check is that in any situation where a boat would be a valid option you are going to need money.You will need money, in some form or another when you get to the quiet and relatively unaffected port of your choice.Slip rental, fuel, food, repairs and other costs of living are not something I have the experience to estimate but are probably higher than most would like to admit. Even for somebody who had a wad of cash or a tube of gold coins if this is something beyond a temporary trip you will need to earn continual income. Having some plan to earn a continual income would be essential. After all as much as we would like it is not practical to choose bits and pieces of different scenarios to make our ideal one. A scenario where you don't really need money but the security situation isn't horrible is a wonderful idea but not realistic.

Having a skill that can earn money in a discrete manner anywhere would be helpful. Then again that sort of skill would be helpful anyway.

It is also worth noting that even the lovely Caribbean has some dangers. Now and again a nice couple with a boat vanish and not in the happily ever after sort of way. Also for various reasons people can get into real trouble by running afoul of the local law enforcement. Personally unless you have stuff you like drugs or guns [Guns could get tricky for this one. In fact if the you choose to not declare firearms they could become a real serious problem. Almost every country you could visit will have laws (on the books if not consistently enforced) that are far more stringent than the US. Some have serious (3rd world jail time) penalties for breaking these laws. Having a couple of relatively politically correct guns could be a reasonable answer.] or other things you are not supposed to have I wouldn't be too worried about local law enforcement. In general countries worth visiting try not to bother tourists who spend money.

If serious about this sort of plan you probably want to learn Spanish.

If we ever have the cash I would love to own a nice sailboat that we could take out for the weekend or potentially longer. However a sail boat is at the low end of a long list.