Helpful Resources for Boat Life: Living Aboard and Cruising
We’ve been living aboard our 1978 Fuji 40, Mosaic, since October of 2016. We started out living aboard, stationary, in a marina in Portland, Oregon. We were there for two and a half years before we gave up our slip and sailed up the Washington coastline and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to start cruising in the Puget Sound. We cruised the protected waters of Washington’s Puget Sound from May of 2019 until August of 2021. That fall, we sailed back out the Strait of Juan de Fuca and down the whole west coast of the US and into Mexico.
I will be the first to tell you that we are not experts, by any means. We’re not really even very good sailors (though we have fun doing it 🤣) … But, in all seriousness, we do have some time and experience under our belts now and we’re happy to offer insight and resources to help you figure out all that goes into boat life.
Resources for When You’re Considering Moving Aboard a Sailboat
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission if you purchase items through the links in this post. All recommendations are genuine. We would absolutely purchase and use ourselves any and all items that we recommend on this website. Now, on to the good stuff.
Voyaging with Kids:
The single most biggest, best thing that I can recommend for a family interested in moving onto a sailboat (and going cruising) is the book that teaches it all: Voyaging with Kids. This book is basically the holy bible for wanna-go-cruising families. Written by Behan Gifford, Sara Dawn Johnson, and Michael Robertson.
Click any image to see the book or item on Amazon.
Books We Love:
- How Boat Things Work by Charlie Wing
- Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder
- Marine Diesel Basics by Dennison Berwick
- Practical Boat Mechanics by Ben L. L. Evridge
More Books We Love:
- Blown Away by Herb Payson (Brenden raves about this book)
- The Boat Galley Cookbook by Carolyn Shearlock (it’s more than just recipes!)
- Sailing Made Easy by The American Sailing Association (ASA 101)
- Cost Conscious Cruiser by Lin and Larry Pardey (great dream fodder)
Ok, gosh, that’s enough book recommendations. Sheesh!
Resources for Living Aboard a Boat in a Marina (in the PNW)
Dehumidifier
We spent five winters living aboard our sailboat in the cold and wet Pacific Northwest. If I had to call out one single item that made life bearable on the boat in the wet season, it would be our trusty, heavy duty dehumidifier. We ran our dehumidifier around the clock and it would pull gallons of water out of the air every day up in the Pacific Northwest. Pairing the dehumidifier with a small space heater, or two, was the winning combo for staying warm and dry all winter long.
Resources for Cruising Full Time Aboard a Sailboat
Solar Shower
We only have one head (bathroom) aboard our sailboat and, though it is designed to be used as a shower, we have never showered inside the boat even once in the 6+ years that we’ve lived aboard. We don’t want to introduce the wet and the humidity into the boat that a shower would. Many, many people have boats better designed for this, or simply make different choices. But, for us, our Helio Solar Shower is critical kit for cruising full time. Our first one has lasted well over a year now of hard use, though we did purchase a second one recently to have as a backup. Like I said, it’s critical for us while cruising in Mexico.
Turkish Towels
Most cruisers that I know rave about their Turkish Towels. These amazing towels are super lightweight yet extremely absorbent. We’ve tried several different brands and have been really happy with the WETCAT Turkish Towels. Are they the same as a plush and luxurious bath towel? No. But they’re pretty nice and worth the lost luxury when they dry easily and quickly when hung from the lifelines. Plus, they’re easy on your storage space.
