I Moved From an Apartment to a Boat; Love It Despite Cons

I’d been living in downtown Chicago for two years when I got a dreaded rent hike notice. I figured I had two options: pay an extra couple hundred dollars a month to stay, or move to a more affordable neighborhood.

When talking to a longtime friend about my rent situation, she suggested I throw my stuff in storage and come stay on her boat for a month or two to test out life on the West Coast.

Long story short, I did that, and we started dating — I didn’t see it coming, either — and I’ve lived here ever since.

Transitioning from a downtown high-rise (with all the amenities) to a floating home was definitely an adjustment, but I love full-time boat life.

Life on the water is full of unique perks

Since moving on the boat about two years ago, I’ve found that my favorite place is the back deck. My girlfriend turned it into a cozy patio space where we can eat dinner, host friends, or just relax by the firepit as the sun sets.

It’s become the heart of our home, and I think that’s one reason boat life feels so special.

Plus, we can easily paddleboard or kayak, and we even have a little dinghy we take out for dolphin-spotting over morning coffee. I never get tired of the views — or being, quite literally, steps from the ocean.

Surprisingly, boat life also turned out to be more affordable than I expected. Instead of paying traditional rent, we pay what’s called a slip fee. It’s a bit like renting an apartment, but our “unit” is a space in the marina where our boat is tied up.

The fee gives us access to electricity, water, and marina facilities like showers and laundry. Our monthly fee is less than $1,200, which is far less than most studio apartments (without water views) in our area.

Of course, when you add regular maintenance and the occasional repair, the overall cost can creep up. Still, for us, it’s been worth it to live in Los Angeles, on the water, for a reasonable amount of money.

And then there’s the community. Marinas attract all kinds of people — some who live aboard full-time, others who come seasonally — but in my experience, everyone looks out for each other. It’s a tight-knit, welcoming environment that feels rare in a big city.

However, some quirks took a while to get used to

The bathroom situation was probably the biggest adjustment for me. We have a decent shower on the boat, but unfortunately, we can’t use our bathroom for everything.

For example, our plumbing system can’t handle solids well, so we sometimes have to use the shared marina bathroom. Thankfully, they’re usually clean and empty, but I do miss the convenience of being able to fully use the bathroom inside my home.

Then there’s the space itself. Coming from a small studio in Chicago, I didn’t struggle much with downsizing, but the boat kitchen and work areas are undeniably compact.

We’ve made it work, especially with a spacious bedroom and good storage solutions, but it does take some creativity.

We also don’t have some of the usual luxuries, like a dishwasher or in-unit laundry, but marina facilities make it manageable.

And, of course, we deal with never-ending maintenance. Just in the past few months, we’ve replaced a shower pump, dealt with a bilge pump (the system that removes water from the lowest part of the boat) that isn’t working properly, and kept up with monthly bottom cleanings to prevent the growth of algae and barnacles on the hull.

There’s also ongoing woodwork, like sanding and resealing the teak, which is both time-consuming and essential to keeping the boat looking good and protected from the elements.

And yet, I don’t see myself going back to “normal” living anytime soon

Once you’ve had your morning coffee while spotting dolphins, it’s hard to imagine anything else.

I’ve always dreamed of living abroad, and our long-term goal is to settle somewhere in the Mediterranean, live on a boat, and sail between countries.

For now, though, boat life in LA, mixed with time abroad, feels like the right balance for us — and it’s teaching me that home doesn’t have to be one fixed place.