Living on the Hook or a Mooring Ball

For the true minimalist on a budget, tying up to the old ball and chain, AKA the mooring ball, is often the way to go. Beside being considerably cheaper than mooring dockside at a marina, there are the added benefits of more privacy, security, and solitude.

Here are some of the main issues you need to consider while living on a mooring ball:

Water

Everyone knows water is the most important ingredient for sustained living. Most importantly for drinking, but showering is also a good idea. If you have big holding tanks, you can probably fill the tanks every couple weeks on land. Otherwise, it's a manual process bringing water aboard in containers. If you need to ferry water to your boat on your dinghy, you might consider getting a bladder tank and a transfer pump. You can fill the bladder tank in the dinghy and pump the water into your boat's tank. (You can pick up fuel at the same time.) Alternatively, if budget isnt' a problem and you're in an area with clean water, you can use a watermaker.

Power

Most boats on the water depend on electricity. How much electricity you want to use is up to you. Calculate your power needs based on what you'll be using; computer, lights, TV, stereo, water pump, etc. For starters you'll need an adequately sized battery bank and a way to recharge them. Solar and wind power are a nice green option, but most liveoboards living without shore power need a generator. Operating with unbalanced and undersized electrical systems will cause headaches, financial and otherwise. You can expect dead batteries and long charging times. You can use a gas or diesel generator for eccessive power consumption situations like power tools and vacuuming. Running your generator for a couple hours a day will also charge your batteries. It is possible to live less electricity. Without a shore hookup, air conditioning is something you're going to have to live without. On the ball, your boat usually points into the wind, offering a fresh breeze. Alternatively, heat can be produced with a wood stove (if you have the room). Cooking can be done with kerosene, alcohol or propane instead of a microwave or anything that runs on power. Instead of a fridge, you might use an icebox. But that means you're going to have to haul ice to your boat every couple days.

A Dinghy

You will need a reliable dinghy to shuttle yourself back and forth to land, especially if you need to get to work dry and sound. Whether it's for work or grocery shopping or a night out on the town. If you're relatively close to land, you might not even need an engine but use manpower to row yourself ashore. And once on land, you need somewhere to moor your dinghy. You can make an arrangement with a marina, or a private dock for landing. If you have a car on shore, you could trailer the dinghy at a public launch. You will probably need the dinghy for everything you do. Shuttling water, gas.

Waste/Garbage

There are some elaborate systems out there for reducing and disposing of human waste, like the Lectra/San, but most liveaboard boats use a holding tank connected to the head. When the tank is full, you take the boat for a pumpout at a local marina. Some harbours have a pumpout boat that comes to you. Pumpouts are pretty cheap and they are a necessary part of boat living, especially on a mooring ball. Dumping into the water is illegal in inland waterways in North America. And it's generally not a great thing to do - lakes and waters shouldn't bre treated as your personal toilet. Garbage is your second concern. Organic cooking waste can often be recycled by birds and fish. Bring less garbage onto the boat by getting rid of excessive wrapping at the place of purchase. You're going to have to haul a certain amount of garbage back in forth in your dinghy. The idea is to be as minimalist as you can and not let garbage build up. If you don't have a formal place to unload your garbage, trash cans are everywhere. Be discreet with small amounts of garbage and you shouldn't run into any problems.