Big dreams become much less intimidating when they are broken into real steps with real deadlines. Our goal is to begin living full-time on the water by June 2027. Between here and there, we have a house to prepare, belongings to sell, animals to relocate, an RV to set up, a catamaran to purchase, and a long list of financial and practical details to complete.
This roadmap is our working plan. It may change as circumstances, boat availability, inspections, and budgets change, but it gives every decision a purpose.
Phase One: Build the Financial Plan
Before choosing a boat, we need to understand the entire cost of the transition. The purchase price is only one part of owning a cruising catamaran. Our budget must also account for the survey, haul-out, taxes and registration, insurance, immediate repairs, upgrades, safety gear, marina time, cruising expenses, and a reserve for the problems we cannot predict.
We are evaluating what we can comfortably spend without allowing the boat itself to consume every available dollar. A less expensive boat with room in the budget for necessary improvements may serve us better than a prettier boat that leaves no safety margin.
Phase Two: Purchase and Set Up the RV
Our RV will become the bridge between land life and boat life. We plan to place it on friends’ property and use it as our temporary home while preparing the house for sale and searching for the right boat.
Living in the RV will reduce our monthly footprint and teach us which possessions we actually use. It should also give us flexibility during the boat-buying and refit process without forcing us to rush into a purchase because the house has already sold.
Phase Three: Move Our Pigs to Their Forever Farm
Our two pigs will move to our friends’ farm, where they can live safely and be cared for after we move aboard. This is one of the most important pieces of the plan because their future must be secure before ours can change.
Once they are settled, we can focus more fully on downsizing the property, completing repairs, and preparing the house for buyers.
Phase Four: Sell, Donate, and Downsize
We will work through the house in stages, selling items of value, donating useful belongings, and keeping only what we need for the RV, the boat, or a small collection of truly meaningful possessions.
Downsizing early gives us time to make thoughtful decisions instead of facing a frantic liquidation at the end. It also allows the proceeds from sales to strengthen our refit and cruising budget.
Phase Five: Repair and Sell the House
There are a few issues we want to correct before listing the house. Our goal is to handle those projects deliberately, avoid unnecessary cosmetic spending, and make the home ready for its next owner.
The timing of the sale matters. We want enough flexibility to respond to the housing market while keeping the June 2027 target in sight. The RV gives us a place to live during showings and after closing.
Phase Six: Begin the Catamaran Search
We expect to purchase a boat during the first part of 2027. We are already learning the market and refining our requirements so we can recognize a strong candidate when it appears.
The right boat will need to fit our intended lifestyle, not merely photograph well. We are looking closely at structural condition, engines, rigging, electrical systems, solar capacity, battery condition, watermaker capability, navigation electronics, safety equipment, maintenance history, and storage for dive gear and everyday life.
Any serious candidate will need a professional marine survey and sea trial. A beautiful listing cannot substitute for evidence.
Phase Seven: Refit, Learn, and Test
After purchase, we expect a period of repairs, upgrades, organization, and training. Even a well-maintained boat will need to be adapted to us. We want time to learn every system, practice emergency procedures, complete maintenance, and take shorter test trips before treating the boat as a finished home.
Our priorities will be safety, reliability, power, water, communications, navigation, and the ability to maintain critical systems. Decorative projects can wait.
Phase Eight: Move Aboard by June 2027
Moving aboard will not be the end of the project. It will be the beginning of a new phase—learning the rhythms of full-time boat life, refining our routines, and gradually expanding our cruising range.
We are sharing this roadmap because accountability matters. There will be changes and setbacks, but each phase gives us a clear next step. June 2027 is no longer just a date circled in our imagination. It is the destination toward which we are navigating, one decision at a time.
