A yacht is like a house: pros, cons, pitfalls. Why not buy a yacht instead of a house or apartment abroad? I can't handle pitching well
If suddenly this idea comes to mind, it’s obviously not on its own; I saw and heard somewhere that people live on yachts, travel and enjoy life. Ok, it happens... Then you start to try on yourself, what if it’s true, instead of buying a house or apartment in Thailand, Cyprus, etc. buy a yacht?
Pros:
- since in none of the countries southeast asia It’s practically impossible to obtain permanent residence, so why buy something here? It’s not clear what will happen there later and what to do with this house? And in general, along the docks, your only house, and the land on which it stands for rent doesn’t really warm your soul either.
Many are happy to buy something, but cannot decide on the country, city, or region. Well, really, how do I know where I want to live in 5 years and I don’t really want to be tied “forever” to some place.
Sometimes I want to travel, but with a bunch of children it is not only expensive, but also quite difficult and tiring. There is an opinion that if a family has children, then that’s it, life has stopped. You are tied to school, kindergarten, housing... We don’t want to put up with this :)))
yacht: everything is yours! wanted to live in Thailand, wanted to live in Cambodia, wanted to live in the Philippines, etc. your home is always with you, but the impressions around you can change. You can just as well live in Hua Hin or Samui, Phuket, do business or do the same thing we do, but live on a yacht and when you want to travel around the islands. This is akin to the Turtle, who always carries his home with him.
a few more benefits from olegradul
“At sea, it’s as if you find yourself in a parallel universe, living according to different laws. I’m still in awe of the world I found myself in when I started sailing.
The sea is not as crowded as most other beautiful places on the planet that are accessible by land. You can go to the most beautiful corners of any popular resorts, and are surprised to discover that you are alone here.
Even the central embankments, always full of tourists, are always open and free from the sea. You can come here and stand, in fact, in the very center of the city, while remaining at home. Tourists will walk along the embankment and take pictures of your yacht, and you can sit inside and drink tea. Or go for a walk with them."
A yacht is a kind of transport to a parallel reality. Even after going ashore, you still remain in a slightly different world than those who move on land.
Having lived on a yacht, you understand in what strict framework we all live on land, being under constant control by the state. For example, at sea there is something like traffic rules (called COLREG). These rules are needed to prevent ships from colliding with each other. But no one catches violators by hiding in the bushes. No cameras, no posts, no radars. Or here, the permissible number of ppm in the blood of a helmsman. Zero three? Zero eight? Yes, as much as you like! If the captain decides to put someone on watch, then he has every right to do so. All the rules and regulations in force on land are replaced at sea by just one concept - the responsibility of the captain. On each boat, the captain sets his own rules, but if anything happens, he will have to answer. Such a simple law. Freedom and responsibility.
So you arrive, say, in another country. Or come. One way or another, you go to the window, hand over your passport, the stern uncle looks at your photo, then at you, then finds a visa, examines it and stamps it. Only after this you can enter the country. Things are completely different at sea. I had the opportunity to cross borders on a yacht five times. In all cases, passport control issues on the ship are completely entrusted to the captain. That is, no customs office checks how many people you have on board, who all these people are. The captain himself goes to the port and provides information for the entire crew at once. Either the passports need to be stamped, or more often just a list of people on a piece of paper (crew list), even without passports. At first, of course, the brain says: how can this be? You sail to the territory of another state, no one checks you. You go ashore, no one cares. You run around the city, looking for the services you need (port duty officer, customs), while neither you nor your team has looked at a single document yet! So, for example, when I came to Italy, I spent half a day running around trying to get stamps for entry into Schengen. I went to the police, and the coast guard, and even looked at the tourist office. He went around the whole city in circles. As a result, one policeman told me “wait”, got into the car, drove me somewhere to get a stamp, brought me and stamped all the passports that he had with him. And all this, again, was done in absentia - neither the people nor the yacht had to be presented.
A week later I got into a conversation with an old acquaintance and it turned out that he, the cunning one, did not register in Italy at all! He just comes on a yacht from Montenegro and hangs out in Schengen to his heart’s content, and then back as if nothing had happened. This, of course, is beyond good and evil, but nevertheless very well illustrates the degree of control at sea.
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OK, everything is cool, we decided to live on a yacht, but we don’t dream of circumnavigating the world at a frantic pace, we are a family with four children who just want to live on a yacht, like in an ordinary house, and sometimes explore the coast of the Asian region and maybe change countries.
We began to study the yacht market and discovered that there were simply no yachts that met our requirements!
These are either yachts for athletes, lonely sea wolves, little space, a lot of speed, almost no living conditions, a washing machine is a dream! Or charter yachts for week-long trips. A little more comfort, but for the price it’s already a yacht for Abramovich.
And our requirements are simple - a yacht-house, light, moderately spacious, with surrounding space designed for long-term living, with shelves, cabinets, etc.
you'll have to build it yourself! :)
An interesting discussion ensued about life on a 40+ size yacht. User Alloy Boy wondered what it would be like to move from an apartment to a small boat:
“All day long I see yachts from my office window, and it seems to me that life on them is so serene, he writes. - Is it really there? there is nowhere to turn around, as it seems to me (if you live alone)? How quickly do they depreciate? A quick search shows that a “forty-footer” is comparable in price to an apartment or small house, but what are the advantages of living on a yacht (besides mobility)?”
Here are the answers he received:
Imaka
“It's a very relaxed life and quite comfortable, but it all depends on your needs and desires. By the way, in most places you will pay much less for a 40-foot yacht than for an apartment.
Life on a boat is not for everyone. It can be pleasant and relaxing, but it takes some effort to make it so. If you have the opportunity to live on a yacht without buying it, then it’s worth doing.
You must take care of fresh water and emptying the waste tank. You will have to run to the shore for water - sometimes to the marina. In some places water can be delivered to the boat, but experience tells me that this is rather an exception. Personally, I haven't had that much luck. When my husband and I stood in one place for a long time, we had to grab 20 liters of water every time we went ashore.
Need electricity? If so, consider wind generators or solar panels - it all depends on the area where you live. Fridge? The most energy-hungry device on a yacht. There are less voracious ones, but they will cost you a pretty penny. Want to have a hot shower on your boat? Consider whether it is warm enough in your area to get by with a “summer shower” every day or whether it is worth buying a water heater.
What about the cooking? If you have a gas stove, especially a Force 10, two burners and an oven, that's great, some people supplement it with a barbecue grill in the cockpit. With a stove you should have a gas detector in the cabin in case of a leak, gas could accumulate on the bottom of the boat causing an explosion.
If you are anchored, then you will have to get to the shore every day on a tug. Make sure it doesn't get stolen. Is there transport on the shore? So much the better, you won’t have to carry laundry, groceries, etc. on your back. Do you work every day? Keep in mind that there will be days when it will be difficult to get the tug to shore.
Do you want TV and Internet on board? We usually used mobile internet. Sometimes you were lucky enough to get an unlocked Wi-Fi connection. An antenna mounted high enough will ensure reception of free TV channels. Naturally, the picture quality will be “lame” when the boat moves.
Again, depending on the region, clothing may suffer from moisture and mildew. To avoid this, we hid everything in sealed bags.
There are those who prefer to rent places in marinas, they live on board and receive most of the amenities of a regular home. But not all marinas allow this.
I would repeat my experience if the opportunity presents itself and if the right person is nearby."
drwer2
"I'm thinking about it myself. I've been sailing for many years, I'm approaching retirement, and the prospect of a second home is appealing. If you're working, you probably won't want such a drastic change.
If life in a kennel doesn't scare you, then go ahead. On a yacht moored in the marina, you will get the following: long walks to and from the car with shopping, daily trips to the showers in the marina (a drain bank will save the situation, but you will not be able to empty it in the marina, and paying for it weekly is expensive) or you can go to sea every week to empty it there.
I highly recommend a light (or white) interior. Dark wood is depressing during the winter months. Additionally, you may suffer from claustrophobia in winter. That's why for those planning to live on a boat, I advise not skimping on space. The more space you have, the better your mental health.
In many ways, it’s like living in a campervan... with the possibility of drowning.”
DoH
No washer/dryer. "Interruptions" with water. Everything is modest with the cabinets and cooking. The beds leave much to be desired. Shower from boxes. Everything is damp all year round. The smell of gasoline if you have a motorboat. Rattling on the dock even when the boat is tied up. Many yachts don't have heaters, and none of the ones I've been on have air conditioning. At best, you will simply feel cramped. Entertainment is tight. Having a pet is almost impossible. Straighten up to your full height? Forget it.
This is all true, of course, but I myself would like to live on a boat - but only on a long journey, and not huddle in a marina and travel back and forth to work. Maybe live in the Caribbean in the winter and move to Maine for the summer? I would also like from North America reach Europe. A completely different life!
Think of it this way: having a boat as a home is like having a motorcycle for every occasion. It sounds romantic, but how convenient is it in practice?
william g
You don't have to stay where you don't want to, you are literally and figuratively the "Captain of your ship" and no one can argue with that.
Question " WHERE SHOULD YOUR HOME BE LOCATED?» is no longer relevant.
ANYWHERE, ANYWHERE!
Our company has started producing Houses that can move on water. And this is not a yacht or a floating house. It's more like a FLOATING ISLAND or a LUXURY HOUSE.
WHY SHOULD THE HOUSE BE ON THE WATER?
Because almost all over the world, housing on the water is not subject to taxes. You can absolutely legally place your House in the center of Moscow or New York, Sydney or Barcelona. Only in some cities, such as Venice or Amsterdam, where there are a lot of people living on the water, it is possible to obtain a permit only for temporary parking. In the rest of the world, the duration of your stay in a particular country is regulated only by the duration of your visa there. But more than 90% of the calmest and warm countries There are no restrictions on your stay in the country at all. And in a country like the United States, more than 10 million Russian-speaking people with long-overdue entry visas have been living fully for decades.
WHY NOT JUST BUY A BIG YACHT?
Because a yacht the size of our house is much more expensive. And to live long time or it is always more convenient in the house rather than on a yacht. In addition, motor yachts are not capable of crossing the ocean, and to control sailing yacht This size requires a whole team. Our Homes will easily sail to Miami and beyond.
WHAT IF THE HOUSE HITS A ROCK AND DRINKS?
The body of our house was built using the latest technology. It consists of honeycombs filled with polyurethane foam. Even if you punch through the hull or cut out a large piece of the hull with a saw, or simply pour water from a hose inside, the house will continue to float without changes. It's just like trying to drown a thick sheet of foam. You can poke holes in it or break it into several pieces, it will still float.
WHAT ARE THE SIZES OF THE HOUSE?
Standard House 20 m long and 10 m wide on three levels.
The house consists of:
Large living room with kitchen area, dining table, sofas, large plasma panel.
Two guest (or children's) rooms with bathrooms.
Large master bedroom with King size bed and separate bathroom.
Open upper veranda with awning, jacuzzi and garden.
Open sun deck on the middle deck.
An open circular veranda around the house.
Internal deck for storing inflatable boats, jet skis, trikes, surfboards, bicycles and electric scooters.
WHAT IS THE PRICE?
Since the product is one-piece and there cannot be two identical houses, the final cost of the house consists of many nuances discussed with the customer at the design stage.
The cost of a unique case does not exceed half a mile US dollars. To this we must add interior decoration, as well as household and navigation equipment.
WHERE DO YOU GET ELECTRICITY, WATER, AND OTHER THINGS FROM?
Our house is absolutely AUTONOMOUS! It does not need to be connected to any coastal communications. (although technically this is possible)
- ELECTRICITY is provided by solar panels with a total power of 15 kW, which is accumulated in special helium batteries.
Desalinators sea water allow you to save water.
The wastewater treatment system improves its quality to the possibility of recycling.
Climate control systems allow you to regulate temperature and humidity individually in each room.
The kitchen is equipped with a large refrigerator/freezer and an independent ice maker; induction hob with oven; a microwave oven and a variety of household equipment (mixers, combines, juicers, etc.).
HOW CAN A HOUSE CROSS THE OCEAN?
It is assumed that the vast majority of the time (more than 95%) the House is not moving anywhere. (as well as most yachts). He is in some picturesque bay. However, there are plenty of opportunities for movement.
In order to slowly glide along the shore, the house has 4 absolutely silent electric motors. They allow you to travel at a speed of 5 knots (9 km/h) all day.
For faster travel or in poor weather conditions, two fuel-efficient diesel engines allow the house to move at sea speeds of 14 knots (typical cruise ship speed).
But to cross the ocean, you need a sail. Our house does not have sails, but wings, like an airplane. Therefore, there are no stays, shrouds, halyards, sheets and other essential sail accessories.
The wings perform the functions of a sail when required, and the functions of an awning when parked. The House has three wings in total. The wing rises to the working position in 4 seconds using a hydraulic drive. To do this you need to press a button. The computer sets the wing to the optimal angle of attack of the wind, and automatically maintains this angle regardless of the direction of movement of the House.
All that remains is to set the direction of movement and the autopilot will do all the work for you at the helm. The global positioning system will allow you to track the direction of movement of all ships in your area, and they will see you, avoiding collision.
WHAT IF THERE IS A STORM?
Currently, only ships that are forced to strictly adhere to their route are caught in storms. You can always dodge the storm. After all, a storm or hurricane is local in nature. You will have constant information about their location and trajectory. And only you can decide whether to go into the storm or not.
But even if you decide to go through the storm, it is not a tragedy, but rather an adventure. You don't need to stand at the helm. You will admire through the window how your House slowly makes its way through the elements.
I CAN'T TOLERATE PITCHING BADLY!
However, like most people
Our House has the shape of a TRIMARAN body, i.e. the vessel least susceptible to rolling. There will be no pitching at all in parking lots. You can choose calm weather for travel.
FOR TWO MILLION. WITH DOLLARS I CAN BUY A HOUSE ON THE COAST IN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!
Of course, but it will only be one house. And you will begin to live in another country. And communicate with the world on tour. trips.
The concept of our House allows you, without compromising the comfort of your home, to “try on” the entire globe. Live in the States for a few years, and then move a little to the Bahamas or rush to a year New Zealand. Don't you want to hang out in the ocean for three weeks yourself? Tell us about this and we will move your House to a new parking lot, and you will fly by plane.
HOW MUCH DOES HOUSE PARKING COST?
Paid parking exists only in yacht clubs. Yachtsmen are forced to enter them to refuel with water and electricity, to access shore showers and washing machines.
You have all this in the Best Quality House. Therefore, you do not have to purchase these services from the yacht club.
The coastal wall is usually free, so it is always densely crowded with yachts. But you have a trump card that will help you find a free place in almost any city. The minimum draft for yachts is 1.5 meters, for our House it is only 50 centimeters. That is, if the water is knee-deep, that’s enough for you. And places in shallow water are always free.
For the same reason, it is easier for you to find a place in the roadstead, because you can always stand closer to the shore than yachts. Standing at anchor (or in the roadstead) on a yacht is not very comfortable, because there is only one anchor and, depending on the direction of the wind, the yacht is constantly spinning around the anchor. Our house rises to 4! There are anchors at every corner, so it stands as reinforced concrete, like an oil platform in the ocean.
WHAT ABOUT COMMUNICATION?
Only satellite communications can work in the ocean. Today, a satellite phone costs no more than an iPhone. You can also use expensive Internet via satellite. But for mail it is quite acceptable.
If you are not on a desert island, then you always have 3G and Wi-Fi using an antenna and amplifier. After all, almost all cafes on the embankment have a free field that will reach your home thanks to the equipment.
But if you got carried away desert island, then to order lobster for dinner you just have to dive for it. All the necessary equipment for this is in the house.
There is also a hydro-motor hang glider on which you can fly around the island, or go around it on a high-speed inflatable motorboat. The house is equipped with all this.
To get around on land, the house has electric scooters. They can be driven on roads almost everywhere without registration.
WHAT ARE CONFIRMED OWNERSHIP RIGHTS TO MY HOUSE?
The house is registered in Russian Federation on you as a NON-COMMERCIAL VESSEL. It meets all the requirements for such vessels and has a Certificate of Conformity issued by a government agency. The tax, according to the legislation of the Russian Federation, is levied on horsepower, and there is less of it in the House than in a car. Therefore, the annual tax for luxury home less than for a regular car.
Registration and the corresponding certificate (ship ticket) confirms your rights as the legal owner of the House.
HOW LONG DOES THIS HOUSE TAKE TO BE BUILT?
The house takes 6 months to build and approximately the same amount of time it takes to install household and navigation equipment. That is, the approximate duration of construction is one year, adjusted for the time of year.
It will take about two more months to transport the House to the Mediterranean. During this time, the House is actively tested in all modes.
YOU HAVE READ THIS ARTICLE. ITS AUTHOR WOULD BE APPRECIATE IF YOU WRITTEN WHAT YOU DID NOT LIKE ABOUT IT. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? IT WILL ONLY TAKE YOU A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
Of course, you can just leave silently, but then the author will have no incentive to write for you.
wind power >>>
Personal experience: How to move to live on a yacht and not screw it up
Former editor-in-chief of the online newspaper The Village St. Petersburg, Anna Balagurova, gave up her career and office job a little less than a year ago to travel with her husband across the Atlantic. On the Snob magazine website, she writes a detailed blog about her adventures, and told us about how she got used to life on a ship while crossing the ocean.
I was on a sailboat for the first time a year and a half ago. By some absurd accident, in Helsinki, during the Flow festival. My friend somewhere picked up some guys from St. Petersburg who came there to race. Naturally, we were invited to join, but only as openers - we were not suitable for anything else. It seems that my friend was then assigned to “mine the spinnaker in the kitty.” It was funny to me, but she was practically buried under the sail.
Then, by another accident, I met my future husband, a yachting instructor. We drank a lot and talked about how we wanted to live and travel. In general, we were extremely romantic and agreed that a sailboat was an ideal option for both of us. This is at the same time a transport that moves by the forces of nature (that is, free of charge), a home anywhere in the world (also inexpensive), and even an opportunity to earn money by teaching or simply giving rides to people. It sounded like a good plan and we decided to go ahead with it.
All that remained was to choose and buy a boat. There were several requirements - a reliable yacht for the oceans (the so-called blue water cruiser), in the Mediterranean Sea (so that you could get to the Canaries without entering the evil Biscay and the English Channel), costing up to 60,000 euros (so that there was a little left for an upgrade) and, of course in good condition. Using the Internet, we found several almost ideal options in Sweden for half the price we planned. But all these northern seas... in general, we became lazy, because it was June, and in November we were going to start on the transatlantic. We bought our 1985 Westerly in Greece. A reputable English shipyard, pedantic owners, a beer opener on the step, again. I immediately felt sympathy for this neat and solid boat, for its funny, plump owners, who without hesitation declared that they did not like strong winds, and also that they would take away the grill, because without a grill their summer would be ruined.
A little paperwork with registering the boat and insuring it - and already in July we began to slowly move towards Gibraltar with stops in pleasant coastal towns, from mossy Sicilian resorts to magnificent Syracuse and Palma de Mallorca. Thus began my life on a boat.
The first thing we had to get used to was the roll and pitching. How to live when your world is tilted 30 degrees? How to sleep when you are tossed from side to side? Okay, let’s say you’re not in a passage, but in an anchorage, but damn it, you’re still rocking, it’s water! When you step onto the ground, you sway as usual. After crossing the ocean, I almost stopped paying attention to it. Firstly, I felt zen from the realization that I would have to hang out in open water for at least three weeks. Secondly, I wanted pancakes and fried potatoes even in a five-meter wave, so I had to get out. Remember - sometimes at anchorages it rocks almost like in the middle of the Atlantic. So if you want to live on a yacht, train your vestibular apparatus. At least on the carousels.
Learn to use water sparingly. If you are not overly rich and cannot afford an extra 400-500 euros per month for comfortable marinas, get used to spending 10 liters of water on thoroughly washing yourself (in the ocean, 2-3 was enough for my body and hair, but this is too Spartan ). About washing dishes or doing laundry fresh water, there is no question - everyone living on the yacht has seawater taps installed (although we do laundry in laundries and increasingly use paper plates). There is one controversial point here - all waste products are thrown out of the yacht straight into the sea. So-called gray water (from dishes and showers) can be drained almost anywhere in the world. In many countries, black water (from the toilet) is required to be stored in collector tanks on a boat and pumped out in specially designated areas. Taken together, this all sounds terribly crazy. Shit diluted in water is much more harmless than fairies or alkaline shampoos. On a yacht, I try to use environmentally friendly household chemicals and cosmetics, but rather for self-soothing. Because on the scale of the world's oceans this is simply ridiculous.
In addition to water, you will have to save electricity. We travel to sunny regions Therefore, for our needs (refrigerator, recharging phones and laptops, light, autopilot), two solar panels are almost always enough. Many people install windmills and water turbines on boats - universal, but incredibly expensive. We also have a desalination plant installed - an incredibly useful thing that gives complete autonomy from the shore. True, distilled water should not be drunk for too long due to the complete absence of useful substances contained in ordinary water. We fill our tanks full whenever possible. 350 liters of water is enough for the two of us for more than 2 weeks.
Those who live on the water need to periodically get ashore - they can’t all sit at home. For this purpose, they usually use a small inflatable boat with a motor or oars (although in the Canaries I saw two girls who ignored the oars and rowed with fins). It is almost impossible to leave this enterprise with a dry bottom. So, imagine: early Saturday morning, you stumble out of the bar. What's next? That's right, you get into a taxi to go home to sleep. And I wander along the beach or embankment in search of my run-down boat, which overnight turned into an inflatable pool, and enter into an unequal battle with waves, jellyfish, and a motor even more sluggish than me. In general, one wrong move and the boat is on your head. Recently we forgot to take oars with us, for the first time in our lives. Of course, on way back Our engine died, also for the first time in our life. We were stuck on our inflatable hernia in the middle of a bay in the very center of Bridgetown, where at that time they were celebrating the 50th anniversary of Barbados' independence. Amid the hooting of the crowds from the embankment, we buried them with our hands and within 40 minutes we were on the yacht (the journey under the motor takes about three minutes). The ridiculous situations you find yourself in while living at anchor are innumerable.
Captains School
Anyone can become a captain of a sailing ship - all you need is desire and a good instructor. “The Power of the Wind” will teach you everything you need to know and be able to do, and after passing the exam will issue you an international class license. We conduct theoretical courses in the center of Moscow, and practice courses in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands. Come to class!
Otherwise, everything is like at home, or rather at the dacha. A bedroom with a large bed, a living room with a large table, internet (we have an antenna amplifier to steal Wi-Fi from coastal cafes), even an oven (for storing frying pans). There is a TV in the salon - exclusively for watching films and TV series. There are speakers in the cockpit so you can dance on the deck or just have a party. As for drinking parties, yachtsmen are not fools to drink. One of the terms that came into my use after moving to the boat is sundowner - meaning “a glass of alcohol drunk at sunset.” Another term was coined by my husband - “Polish yachting”. This is when you rent a boat for a week and never leave the marina because you drink all day long. From the name it is clear that it is mainly the Poles who do this, not us.
Any racer would spit in my face if they saw what my boat turns into at anchorages. A hammock dangles from the spinnaker boom, a bucket is tied to the jib furling sheet (well, so as not to drop it), and underpants are dried on the rails. Books and clothes are lying around everywhere, the kitchen is overgrown with a bunch of little things - this happens to everyone who hangs out in one place for more than a few days. After a couple of weeks at anchor, it’s difficult to force yourself to go out to sea. Too lazy to collect everything, secure it, put it in cabinets. I don’t want to bother with the anchor and then with the sails. It’s good if you have to walk for a short time and with a good wind. Transitions of more than a day in our case turn into epileptic yachting. Long hours of procrastination on deck, and then - a sudden change in the wind, a gust, a torn sheet, running around under the heartbreaking screams of the captain. At first, I was taken aback by the fact that the captain was actually my husband. I still don’t understand why he’s yelling like that! They say that almost all skippers behave in a similar way, no matter how nice people they are in everyday life. In the USA there is a yachting school for women, with female owners and teachers. So, their slogan is “No shout”. I think this is very cool and correct.
I read in many yachting blogs that after living on a yacht it is difficult to return to cities, because the boat gives a feeling of freedom and all that, but the city subjugates it, leaving only the illusion of choice. It seems to me that in many ways this is deceit. To balance between the inexpensive gypsy life on a yacht and maintaining the boat in a condition suitable for serious passages, you need money, quite a lot at the current exchange rate. This means that it is still impossible to exclude oneself from the circle of capitalist relations. To some extent, you become a slave to your own boat. If you want to radically change the situation, you need money not only for yourself, but also for mooring the yacht. The apartment can be locked and forgotten, but only a rather careless owner can leave the yacht dangling at anchor and just dump it. The most painless scenario, in my opinion, is this: six months while in Europe good weather, travel, stopping at anchor, and for the winter put the boat in an inexpensive marina (if you look, you can spend 600-700 euros in 6 months) and go home to work. With more exotic places It won’t work like that - flying away is expensive, leaving the boat is even more expensive. If you're tired of everything, you're in a hopeless situation.
A big bonus of owning a yacht in Europe is the opportunity to stay abroad almost endlessly without worrying about a visa. Without further details, put a stamp on exit to any EU country. This is done either at the local police station or at the passenger port. Both there and there there are more important things to do than you with your visa, so they put stamps without looking. Upon arrival in the next country, you can “accidentally forget” about the entry stamp until you need to fly home. Such an unexpected loophole still boggles my mind, because we are all accustomed to serious controls at airports and land borders. The Caribbean, on the contrary, turned out to be a rather bureaucratic place. On almost every Antilles, where we are spending this winter, we need to prepare documents for entry and exit. In Barbados, among other things, we were sent to the medical office, where we had to fill out a questionnaire with questions like “has anyone died on board” and “is the crew experiencing diarrhea?” But there is no control other than on paper. For more than six months, our yacht has never received any inspections, although we have already crossed half the world. At least transport slaves, at least enriched uranium. In this sense, having your own boat really gives you a certain freedom. This is probably why same-sex couples and all those who, for ideological or any other reasons, are no longer happy with life in modern cities travel quite often on yachts.
Despite the unclear legal status, a new format of residential real estate is becoming popular in Russia - floating houses.
Photo: Depositphotos/S_Razvodovskij
Houseboats have always been very popular in Europe. This is a relatively new phenomenon in Russia, but the demand for such houses is several times greater than the supply.
In Europe there are much more houses on the water than in Russia: in countries such as Germany or the Netherlands, river plots are much cheaper than land, so many people prefer to settle on the water. This format of residential real estate is also popular in France, where for permanent residence on the water you need to buy a special permit from the city hall, which gives the right to arrange and lay communications to houseboats.
(Photo: Robert Harding/Globallookpress)
(Photo: Lisa S. Engelbrecht/Globallookpress)
“In our country, the housing supply market on the water is quite narrow,” says Mikhail Bykov, commercial director of the House on the Water company. “Few Russians imagine what a “floating house” is due to the lack of a competent advertising policy. Many clients simply they don’t know where and how this type of housing is presented.”
However, there is a demand for “water” housing in Russia, assures Oksana Diveeva, director of the urban real estate sales department at Blackwood. According to her, demand exceeds supply several times.
What is floating housing like?
Most inexpensive option- This house on pontoons. The pontoons are combined into a single floating platform. This platform holds the building located on the site afloat. Despite the rather impressive weight, the structure has good stability and has the properties of a vessel that floats well. In addition, the pontoon is not subject to corrosion and its service life is several hundred years. According to experts, this type of housing has enormous potential: pontoons provide the opportunity to build a house according to an individual project.
Barges, equipped for housing, are much less common. An old barge can be converted into housing. But it’s easier to order a barge from a shipyard. Such houses are common mainly in Europe and the USA. In Russia, the prospects for using barges remain vague.
Landing stage- a rather expensive type of real estate. This technology involves construction on concrete structures. The main advantage of such houses on the water is that they provide freedom to implement any architectural plans. There are practically no limits to the imagination of designers and architects. Quite large houses several stories high can be built on a durable concrete landing stage.
Landing stages can operate either autonomously, having their own generator, their own water supply, ventilation and sewerage systems. However, they can also be connected to local networks, to central communications of the city; if necessary, they can float autonomously (for example, when moving to another parking place). However, repairing such a floating object is quite difficult. “The landing stage must be periodically lifted onto the slipways and the casing inspected for leaks. This is quite expensive if it is not possible to carry out this work using slipways, but diving work to identify and eliminate leaks does not provide a complete picture of the quality of the repair work being performed,” says Mikhail Bykov.
“Any of these types of floating houses can be equipped with the necessary infrastructure to live in it all year round. For example, you can install a marine-type toilet with a manual flush or install a 100-liter tank. But for this, the owner needs to think about the scheme for the access of the sewer truck to the house or adjust the watercraft to the pumping site,” advises Dmitry Sobinyakov, commercial director of the Mikizha company (which creates houses on the water).
How much do houses on the water cost?
“The safety of a landing stage depends on the materials and technologies used in its construction, engineering infrastructure systems, but most importantly, on a properly constructed foundation. You need to buy landing stages after a technical audit,” warns Oksana Diveeva.
The cost of such a project depends on the size, quality of construction and engineering equipment. “The estimated cost of building a “floating house” starts from 2 million rubles, and in some cases the price reaches 3 million dollars,” says an expert from the Blackwood company.
You cannot register on a “houseboat”, but you can register it with the State Inspectorate for Small Vessels as a watercraft. This requires lights and rescue equipment on board. Problems with registration may arise if the size of the house exceeds 20 m in length. With this size it is already necessary to apply to the River Register.
Vera Kozubova
