What it’s like to live on a boat in Boston during the winter
By Mike Sullivan
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BOSTON (WBZ) — With sky high rent in Boston, some people are resorting to living on boats all year long. They are part of what is called a liveaboard community. There are a few in the city, including several in Charlestown. This way of life means braving the winters to save a buck.
“This is living the life really,” laughs Larry Andersen, a liveaboard resident in Charlestown for the last eight years. “You just have to not have 30 pairs of shoes.”
You will often find Andersen buried in cables with his eyes affixed to a screen. He is a video editor by trade, and he has his boat fitted with an editing suite that allows him to work on anything from ad content to music videos.
“I changed my Instagram to Larry lives on a boat. I think it’s more popular just for that,” jokes Andersen. “In the summer, I am on the outer dock, so I can sail until my heart’s content.”
His boat is docked at Constitution Marina along with roughly 50 others. Together they create a quirky community akin to an aquatic Cheers where everybody knows your name.
They even share cold nights at a nearby hotel pool. “Every Friday night they turn it up to hot tub level and everyone strolls up there with beer and wine,” says Andersen.
The same hotel offers discounted rooms for rent in case of a heavy storm; however, Andersen says he has only had to do it three times since he has lived here. In the winter, the marina strings the boats together for safety. It also allows Larry a chance to stay connected electronically.
“I am plugged into shore power from a cable there plugged into the dock,” explains Andersen pointing to cables running out of the windows of the boat. He also has high-speed Wi-Fi. “Everyone also assumes that I am freezing, and it really is just a couple space heaters for a room as big as someone’s kitchen.”
During the colder months, the boats look like floating plastic bubbles. The exteriors are shrink wrapped to create an exterior space with the exterior of the boat. The plastic wrap creates a greenhouse effect that can keep the deck of the boat in the 70s during the day.
“It’s really fun creating the frame and figuring out how you want to lay it out,” said Andersen.
He does the wrapping himself to save on cash. Financial freedom is a key reason for this lifestyle. Renters here pay by the foot. At 37-feet, his spot costs on average $1000 a month for the year. He pays more in the summer and less in the winter. His slip even comes with a parking space.
“A friend of mine, Isaac who lives at the marina also, has this souped-up dingy that he has, and he commutes to East Boston from his boat. He even does it in the Winter,” said Andersen.
It’s cheap way to live as long as you can minimize life itself.
“When I first got on here, I got a ukulele. I was like that’s as big of an instrument that I can have,” said Andersen, who has since upgraded to a guitar.
“I have two closets about this wide. One holds all of the shirts that I ever wear for a season. Everyone says they are sorry for me, but I think they are ridiculous,” Andersen said. “I got my spot in Charlestown, my hot tub, my summer pool, Boston parking, and I walk out every morning to the smell of the ocean and skyline is on the way.”
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