Before setting sail make sure that you can handle the lifestyle. Choose a marina that you can live in for 3 – 6 months. This is a crucial step to mentally and physically preparing to live at sea. Your body needs time to adjust, and your mind needs time to take in this new way of living.

Choosing a boat

Research, Research Research. When choosing a boat, don’t jump right into the first cheap one that you find on craigslist.

When choosing a boat consider the following things:

• When considering how much to spend on a boat, take the amount that you are willing to pay and subtract about 30%. You will want that extra 30% for any maintenance issues that may pop up.
• Check for Leaks – Before purchasing a boat do a thorough inspection to check for leaks. Any leaks need to be taken care of  right away. Mold will become a huge problem, and can make your boat unlivable if left unchecked.
• Mold – Mold can be a problem so make sure you check the boat for signs of mold.

Where to Dock:

Anchoring. Anchoring or ‘living on the hook’ is going to be your cheapest option, but it means that you have have to be fully self-sufficient. To be able to pull this type of living off you must.

1. Have a way to generate your own electricity(solar wind etc…)
2. Have a way to store enough water or be able to generate your own drinking water.
3. You must be mentally and physically prepared to live at sea.
4. Buy a good dinghy  for coming to shore for work, supplies, etc.

Mooring. Another cheap option is called mooring. A mooring ball is a method of anchoring your boat without an anchor. It works by attaching your boat to a chain that is attached to a heavy sunken cement block. There is usually an initial deposit or setup fee and a small monthly fee involved.

Marina Living -Depending on the location, this option can be pretty similar to an RV Park. A growing number of Marinas offer electrical hookups and supply stores within walking distance of your boat.

We highly recommend Marina living for those who are just starting out, Before setting sail make sure that you can handle the lifestyle. Choose a marina that you can live in for 3 – 6 months. This is a crucial step to mentally and physically preparing to live at sea. Your body needs time to adjust, and your mind needs time to take in this new way of living.

Safety Considerations

• Pirates - Believe it or not in certain parts of the world this is still a pretty big problem. Make sure you have the proper equipment to be able to defend yourself in case of attack. (SHOTGUN!)
• Make sure you know what your doing! – If you are not familiar with boating, you should take at least 6 months of time to cruise around shore, take lessons and become familiar with your boat before sailing off into the sunset.
• Communications - Cell phones when near shore, satellite communications and a Ham Radio should be on the top of your list of considerations.
• Boats require a lot of maintenance. Make sure you know the in’s and out’s of your boats and how to trouble shoot anything that might go wrong when out at sea.

Here’s a more recent video for those who are really interested in the subject. It really is amazing that they can make these shelters in under 30 minutes.

While living off the grid might not be possible for everyone, more and more Americans are actually choosing to unplug. In fact a couple years back, Home Power magazine estimated that over 180,000 homes in the U.S. were generating their own power.

So what does it mean to truly live off the grid?

Well it’s not as simple as running a couple light bulbs off a solar panel. To truly say you are living off the grid, you have to find a way to generate your own power, water, heat, and yes even your cable TV.

So how do you unplug?

Slow and steady wins the race: While, pulling the plug may seem like a pipe dream, there a few things you can do while you wait for your earthship to be built.  Most of us waste more than we actually use. Being mindful of how you use your resources is the first step towards energy independence.

• Turn it Off - Sounds simple, but turning off your computers, lights and other electrical items can dramatically reduce the amount of power you use.
• Use Power Strips – Turing it off doesn’t necessarily mean it’s really off….. Did you know that the electrical gadgets in your house are probably using power even when they are turned off?  By plugging them into a power strip you can cut off their power supply by simply flipping a switch.
• Pull water from thin Air – Believe it or not you can actually generate fresh drinking water  from the air in your house.  Check out this cool piece of technology that produces water from the humidity in the air…..  EcoloBlue 28 Atmospheric Water Generator

Other Resources & Stories for living off the grid:

• Urban Homesteading – Living off your land even in the city
• One man living off the grid in the desert
• Alone in the Wilderness – Richard Proenneke
• Living the high life off the grid

Earthships use 6 basic design principles. They are built to generate their own power, harvest water, treat and contain sewage and are heated and cooled without using any kind of fuel. Earthships are built to be small self contained eco-communities, from growing your own food to harvesting rain water, these weird looking homes are changing the way people live.

Additional Information & Resources:

• Earthship: How to Build Your Own, Vol. 1
• Off The Grid Homes
• Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques (Natural Building Series)
• Building With Earth: A Guide to Flexible-Form Earthbag Construction (A Real Goods Solar Living Book)
• Earthships
  

Teardrop trailers are a great option as an add on to your B.O.V. They are extremely light and can be pulled with something as small as a V.W. Bug.

Check out some of these custom Tear Drop Trailers:

photo by  j.s. clark@Flickr

Top 2 Photos by mountain_man_ny_2@flickr

photo by freshelectrons@Flickr

Teardrop Trailer Resources:

• Teardrops and Tiny Trailers
• Ready to Roll: A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer

Now I know that they sell gizmo’s that do this already, but the point of the video is to show you what you can do with a little bit of work. Knowing how to do little jobs like this can help you make do with what you already have.

This family lives entirely off their little piece off land, and the whole family lives on under $30,000 a year. This is a really cool video and it shows how you can really survive without the so called “modern conveniences”

Check out this video which shows you that even in an urban environment you can do things to get off the Grid.

It documents The original Survivorman, Les Stroud as he and his family take the journey of living off the grid.

Check out these other Survivorman Favorites

• Survivorman
• Survivorman: Collection 2
• Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere–alive