I work from home. I need internet access at least every couple of days, but other than that I can really work anywhere… so…
What would be the cheapest ocean-worthy boat that would be comfortable enough to live on (including maintenance costs)?
Is there some sort of satellite internet service available from anywhere on the planet? Or would I have to get a satellite phone and call into an ISP once every other day or so? Or would that not work at all, and I’d have to abandon this idea?
Would I still have to pay (US) taxes if I were sailing relatively aimlessly around the Caribbean, but contracting with a US-based company? Would I have to pay taxes to someone else, or just exhorbitant fees if I wanted to dock somewhere?
Is there anything else I should consider?
It’s highly doubtful that this will actually happen… but, on that off chance, I figure I should know the facts.
Are you a mechanic, or an avid sailor (puff boater). Are you planning on using petrol to circumnavigate the world? (Your fuel expenses would be phenomenal) I suggest Fiberglass vessel (staying away from wood and or aluminum)… Diesel power generator (gasoline kills). This advice comes from being a Charter boat crew/mechanic for 10 years and a Capt for 8. You live in Austin, I should plug my families business of Deep sea which is in Surfside, TX. Link
Wow, every question you ask would require entire books to discuss. Nobody can answer those questions for you but yourself. You need to spend many hours reading and gathering information. People have sailed the oceans in small 22’ sailboats they have built themselves as in huge yatchs which cost millions. The fact that you are asking these questions means you are not ready to do anything yet and you need to spend months and years learning about boats and sailing. You can’t just buy a boat like you buy a car and drive it to the Caribbean.
Some people can live in really small boats (20’ - 30’) but it is not for everybody. I have a 35’ which is what I could afford and it is about the minimum for me but other people would require more. Generally it is the other way around: people get what they can afford and then get used to that. Boat prices increase exponentially with length because boats, like cheese, are sold by weight and weight increases with the cube of linear dimensions.
An important point is that the cost of the boat is not going to be your major expense but maintenance, fees etc. A sail for my boat costs several thousand dollars and they don’t last as much as they should.
How much work / maintenance will you do yourself and how much will you pay to have done? I do pretty much everything on my boat. Mechanical, electrical, electronics, etc. I do it all because I know how to do it and if I don’t know I learn. When my life depends on those systems I want to be sure of everything and I want to be able to troubleshoot everything.
In other words, you are asking a question which has no definite answer and which only you can answer for yourself after months or years of learning about boat, sailing, navigation, etc.
They exist but they are probably too expensive. The people I know then to use services like http://www.pocketmail.com/ or http://www.ipass.com/ Again, you have to study all the alternatives and choose which one works for you. Since you will not be embarking in this adventure for some years yet this is the last thing you need to chack because it will have changed by then. Also, in many places you can get “free” internet access at the cost of paying for the local phone call. But, for now, the idea of getting world wide satelite internet access on a small sailboat on the high seas is just not practical. In any case, if you are sailing you will not be working. If you are working you should not be far from some port where you can connect.
Again, entire books are written about these things and you can spend hours on the Internet reading about expats and their experiences but, the short answer is that as a US citizen you will continue to pay US taxes.
Yes, of course you pay harbor fees. If you have this notion of living for free on a boat you can forget it. A boat is expensive, maintenance and fees are expesive, docking fees are expensive and anything you buy will be expensive. Also, you need to consider insurance for yourself (especially health)and your boat.
Tons of things. In summary, even if you have a ton of money, you still have some years of learning before you can embark on an adventure sailing your boat around the Caribbean.
Yes, if you are not crazy about sailing it’s not going to happen. It would be too much effort to invest and you would get tired.
I don’t live on a boat but my best friend does. Boat stands for Bring Out Another Thousand, as in dollars. Boats are very expensive to live on. You don’t have to pay rent per se but every port has harbour commies who will show up and demand money the moment you tie to anything. Maintenance is a bitch and usually involves long hours of physical labour. For example, cleaning the bottom- it has to be done regularly if you want to go anywhere with any speed. But how would you do it? You can either swim around your boat with a scrub brush or you can go to a boat hoist ($$$) and jack your boat out of the water. Also, forget hygene, as most small (inexpensive) boats don’t come equipped with any kind of shower. As for the internet, I wouldn’t even think about it. All that delicate equipment sitting in salt water, soaking up corrosion from the constantly humid air? No thanks! And the inverter to run a 110 volt computer off the boat’s 12 volt power system will set you back some more dollars.
For your best money I’d get an apartment in the burbs. Much less hassle.
If you can cope with relatively slow connection speeds (certainly no faster than a regular dialup) and connectivity only when you were near civilisation, you could probably use a cell phone with international roaming to get online.