So You Want to Live on a Boat?

What No One Tells You About Marina Life

If you’ve ever dreamed of waking up to the sound of seagulls and morning sunlight dancing on the water, you’re not alone. Living on a boat looks like a dream on Instagram — sunrise coffee, endless sunsets, and the freedom to drift wherever the tide takes you.

But what’s it really like? Here’s the truth: boat life is equal parts simplicity and adventure — and it’s not always as glamorous as it looks (in the best possible way).

The Marina Is Its Own Neighborhood

Think of it as a floating village. Everyone knows everyone — and they actually help each other. Need a tool, a line, or a hand docking? Someone always shows up. The sense of community rivals that of any small town. We are so lucky to live among some amazing people who are always around to exchange a laugh and lend a hand.

But privacy can be a challenge. Your neighbors are often just a few feet away, and sound travels easily across the water. You learn quickly to appreciate quiet mornings and shared respect for the rhythm of marina life. Although sometimes languishing on the deck in solitude is non-existent because as your neighbors walk by and wave hello it is distracting and can lead to lengthy conversations. This would be okay if your day had no agenda, however, ours is often filled with to-do lists and deadlines.

Simplifying Is a Necessity, Not a Trend

Living aboard means letting go of excess — every item must earn its keep. At first, that can feel limiting. But over time, it becomes freeing. There’s beauty in having only what you truly use and love. It also keeps us from spending on extra things as there's always the question of where will it go?

You start to measure value in experiences instead of things — a sunset dinner on deck beats a walk-in closet every time. If you are someone who can't let go of 'things', this life is not for you.

When we originally sold the house, we put loads of furniture and household goods in storage in our hometown. We weren't certain of how this lifestyle would pan out. But after a few years of keeping up that expense paired with the love of this floating life, we finally let go of the unit and with that, the last of the ties that bound us to that old land life. When we closed out the large unit three-thousand miles away, we got a compact unit near the marina so we can store overflow items from the boat like extra fenders, camping gear, and surfboards.

The Weather Rules (and Rewards) Your Days

There’s no ignoring Mother Nature, but living on a boat, that is especially true. Living in Florida, no matter what you live in or your lifestyle, you plan errands around storms, learn to read the sky, and always have a backup plan. Living on a boat makes you hypersensitive to weather, and with that comes a deeper connection to your surroundings — and an appreciation for calm days and cool breezes on wretchedly simmering hot summer days.

Hurricanes and tropical storms are a different story all together. Since living in Florida, we have endured three major hurricanes and four large tropical storms (or cat 1 hurricanes). When a hurricane is coming, there is a strange maybe even eerie calm that comes with it. That is due to the realization that our floating home could very well be swept away by the vicious storm and no amount of preparation will change that. You resolve yourself to the idea that you could very well lose everything to the whims of a greedy storm. We prepare the boat for weathering the storm as best we can and hope for the best. We know that things can be replaced, including our floating home. And we never lose sight of the fact that people are the most important and irreplaceable. I won't sugarcoat this, hurricanes and tropical storms are terrifyingly destructive, random, and non-discriminate. After back-to-back hurricanes last year, much of our area was storm torn. There is still plenty of evidence of the destruction left to serve as a reminder of the utter devastation that we were spared. For some, that would be a reason to put up a 'for sale' sign. For us, it reminds us to be prepared, to be grateful, and to count our blessings.

Cooking in a Galley Is an Art Form

With just a few feet of counter space, creativity becomes second nature. That’s what inspired From the Galley with Love–Brunch — a reminder that even in a tiny kitchen, food can still feel like a celebration. We are not fans of packaged or prepared food, which is the driving force behind making our tiny kitchen work for us. The amount of delicious food coming out of our tiny space is a testament to our resolve to make every homemade morsel count.

The Trade-Off Is Worth It

Boat life isn’t for everyone — but for those who crave freedom, simplicity, and connection, it’s everything. Every sunset feels earned. Every meal is intentional. Every day feels like a new chance to tell a story simply waiting to be told.

So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live on a boat, here’s your answer: it’s not perfect, but it’s perfectly real — and that’s what makes it a rewarding lifestyle.