Are you planning to go live by boat? Looking at the powerboat market and today’s technologies there are at least five good reasons to go live aboard. In Australia, the boat/home phenomenon has been a reality for decades in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne. In Europe, Amsterdam takes the lion’s share, but in Athens’ new marinas there are now dozens of residents who have chosen the boat/first home solution. The phenomenon is also growing in southern France: Antibes, Marseille, Monaco.
Of course there are pros and cons, as in anything, but in 2020 there are several solutions to problems that until recently would have discouraged many boaters from taking the plunge.
Let’s start with a general premise: today’s boats are increasingly house-like. How do you mean? Many conveniences that used to be peculiar only to physical homes (or gigayachts) are now cascading onto medium-sized boats as well. This is precisely what is influencing today’s designers and shipyards: the demand for comfortable, increasingly comfortable boats with top volumes. There are also cases where motoryachts more than just dwellings resemble a three-story maxi villa like these 5 extra-large boats with unconventional design.
You may be interested in:
- How much does it cost to maintain the boat for a year?
- How much Italians spend on the boat and how much they use it
Living by boat
Space on board
Shipyards are devoting increasing attention to interiors. Not that they were neglected before. Today, however, more and more attention is being paid to the underdeck area. Catamarans have led the way in this regard, demonstrating that livable space on board, especially for those who stay longer at sea, is a major consideration. Thinking about medium-sized boats, the choice of an outboard motor also goes in this direction. In fact in this way there is no need for engine room by gaining additional space inside the boat. Obviously it will not be the same volume as a city apartment, but even medium-sized boats today offer very attractive layouts and spaces.
Then there are more “extreme” interior evolutions with yards that have also created new kinds of boats to better interpret this trend.
Let’s take an “extreme” case like the newly launched Cetera 60. This boat, called a “multi-space yacht,” includes a new distribution of interior and exterior spaces to maximize livability on board and offer more available space. How? With a vertical “villa” style repositioning where the living areas are all on one level: the deck level. Here is the article where we talk about the Cetera and 4 other boats with dreamy interiors.
The integrated boat
Technology development companies are working to make the boat more and more integrated. Monitor and manage everything that happens in the boat? Yes you can, with onboard home automation. That home automation that was once only in luxury hotels has since moved to homes. Today it is possible to install it in the boat, integrating everything.
Useful for those at home as well as those on board, technology allows you to keep a constant eye on your smartphone, tablet or PC for everything you need. For example, with Garmin’s onboard home automation you can keep an eye on everything: battery status, fumes, bilge, temperatures, engine status, heating and air conditioning systems, refrigerator, lights, and more. And then receive alerts in case of anomalies and intruders on board. Raymarine has also developed its own home automation with Raymarine multifunction displays equipped with LightHouse 3 that work with Digital Switching systems from Empirbus, CZone, and Böning Automation. One way to get the whole boat under control from your multifunction or smartphone and tablet.
Boat Working
Smartworking sea view? You can’t ask for anything better than that. Today many jobs can be done remotely. So why not turn the boat into your operational headquarters? The first tool you will need to equip yourself with to work on the boat is a computer. In some cases it is good to have a second backup PC, the famous forklift. This is in case an accident happens to the main PC. However, being particularly close to water and sea air, which does not get along very well with PCs, making a daily back-up of what you do can prove to be very useful.
As for the Internet, if you keep your boat in a marina you will most likely have wifi available. In case you want to move by conjugating work and surfing, there are many solutions for having a connection with minimal bandwidth. In addition, almost every month a new Internet offer is added to the already broad landscape. Contacting your provider will help you find what is right for you.
Food Delivery, even in the middle of the sea
Food-delivery has taken over the world. Getting dishes of all kinds delivered directly to your door is a trend that has reached incredible proportions in big cities. And if in the city, when you are in the office, having your food delivered is now the norm, from today you can also do it on a boat. In fact, this trend has also “taken” boating with Foodinghy, which brings you food on board, even if you are at roadstead. A newly born idea, but one that has all the makings of a great success. How does it work? You access a website where you select where you want to have lunch, the restaurant you want to order from, and the dishes you prefer. After also indicating a 30-minute “slot” in which to receive lunch you proceed with online payment. Once the order is placed, the restaurant and food delivery driver receive the order in real time. In short, the Just Eat of boats.
The playful part
There isa “playful” part, of general enjoyment, but also functional, which needs to be evaluated and, in our opinion, reverses the cost perspective. A 12- to 13-meter boat has an area that is “enjoyable” with outdoor space, something that a house has available only if it has a garden. The boat then allows us to spend our summer potentially visiting a new stretch of coastline every day. Impossibly remarkable well-being for the mind and body. In short, something that is by no means quantifiable in economic terms.
Beppe Boniventi
