Anything illegal if you're living on a boat?

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Is the boat tied to a dock or swinging on a mooring? If it’s tied to a mooring, then when was the whole anchor system last inspected? Would you be responsible for storm preparation? (And can you be? Don’t forget that the Atlantic hurricane season runs into November.) If it’s tied to a mooring, then don’t forget that you have to get to and from the boat in all kinds of weather and all kinds of conditions, and sometimes at night.

What about the marina access and parking (assuming that the boat is tied to a dock in a marina)? How is the security there? What are the neighbors like? Is it a noisy area? How well protected from rough weather is the anchorage? When was the last time that an evacuation was required due to extreme weather?

Who will take care of the dockage fees, power, and sewage disposal? I’m going to presume that it has propane for space heating and cooking; you should check that out. Be aware that propane is heavier than air, so if there are any leaks to the system below deck, that gas will accumulate and could become explosive.

Finally, and perhaps most important of all: What kind of condition is the boat in? How is its fire protection? What about the condition of other boats nearby?

@CWOTUS Thanks for the response. Great questions, but based off those I will avoid the boat. Thought it would be a neat idea for 3 months but not worth the hassle.

I didn’t mean to scare you away from it. It actually sounds like it could be a pretty cool adventure if you’re in the right frame of mind for it. But it’s not something that you should do – if you don’t know much about boats to begin with – without some preparation first.

@CWOTUS I was already on the fence about it. My mind is going to be focused on the internship not learning about boats. Maybe another time in my life should it happen or not.

I can send the Q to our seaman here on fluther. We have someone who spends a lot of times on boats if you’re at all still interested.

I think as long as the owner is taking care of all the major hassles of owning a boat that it’s not a terrible idea if it interests you. If it’s significantly cheaper and great location. I don’t think I would do it, but that’s me.

I had a work associate that lived on his 42 foot sailboat for a year after a divorce. He was brought up, during the summers, on a slightly smaller power boat. He loved it, the boat was at a marina in a ocean harbor. The marina had showers, laundry and exercise room (it was Connecticut) also had shore power and a heater on the boat. Winter weather was okay, but he had to shovel his way to the parking lot or back a couple of times, he kept a shovel in his car and on the boat.

Ask the crow…

The Crow has been having inter-web connectivity issues.

Some jurisdictions require that a boat used as a residence have the same sorts of safety inspections that a house does – in other words, if it is a permanent living space it needs to be able to pass all regulations relating to an occupancy permit.