Customer Reviews

All in the Same Boat: Family Living Aboard and Cruising

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The reason I rate this a "first read" if you are seriously considering cruising is because so many people with limited or no experience living on a boat undoubtably have many misconceptions about life aboard. This kind of lifestyle is harder and more demanding than the sit-at-the-dockside- weekender could imagine. Tom Neale's description of the sober realities of cruising life are enough to talk the faint of heart or the misdirected out of it before they make a big mistake. As the book progresses, Tom's contagious enthusiasm becomes more and more apparent. He writes in an easy style with wry humor. His advice is well thought out, accurate and should be considered "Cruising 101." Don't forget to take notes as you read.

This is by far the best of all the boating books we ordered and has really helped us a lot in planning and learning more about living aboard or just cruising for now. My wife and I have both read the entire book and we will certainly read it again and again. There is so much information packed in this book. So much to learn. We Love It. Sincerely, John & Heidi

I loved this book! As a current live aboard I really enjoyed everything presented about family life for cruisers. The insights the young daughters give helps understand how kids aboard percieve the experience. Excellent reading for anyone thinking of moving onto a boat with a family.

This book contains an incredible range of useful information for those who are considering living aboard. From the cruising "mindset" to types of galleys to what kind of head you'll want, Neale brings experience and a clear, accessable writing style to a great number of issues. Much of the information here is also very useful to weekend or short-vacation sailors (how to choose a boat, anchoring, and energy concerns, for example). Even for those of us not yet ready to sell the house and sail away for good, this is a terrific resource and an enjoyable read.

This book will provide a good dose of practical reality forthose getting ready to go long term on a boat. The section on how toanchor out is invaluable. On another item, one is left wondering how they got the financial wherewithal to buy a 47 foot boat given no income for past 17 years.

This is a great book...full of all kinds of things we know to be true, but never really thought about. We are a family of 4 who are ready to take the live-aboard/cruising plunge and this book was very insightful and fun to read. In fact, I bought it for me so I could get the hot tips on home schooling, kids feelings about leaving their friends & making new ones, etc, BUT my husband grabbed the book the day we got it and hasn't let go of it since! Every once in a while I see him laughing and nodding his head as he reads it and he frequently reads me passages from the book. We are enjoying it together as we prepare. My husband feels like he knows the author personally since they are so much on the same wavelength (no pun intended). We have even changed our minds on certain thing things we were planning to do (like we won't be getting that onboard washer/dryer after all...probably not really necessary since we won't be wearing as much clothing as we do now and laundry will be a fun family activity...for real...it could take a whole day & be adventerous). It's a great book.

This is a rare book about cruising that gives you a taste of the attitudes of long-term voyagers. I loved reading a book in which the author reveals his desire for hot showers and ice-cubes for his evening cocktails. The spartan life may be ok for me but my wfie and kids? Lots of good technical information. Escape the system that has enslaved us without our knowing!

My wife and I found this book shortly before purchasing a Gulfstar 47 like the one the Neals' owned while writing this book, and it was a significant factor in our deciding to purchase the boat. In our nearly four years' living aboard in Sausalito, we were never able to quite 'cut the cord' and go cruising as we'd hoped, but we gleaned a quite a bit of useful information from this book, as would would anyone with a boat in the 30-60 ft range that they intend to live on. We found many of the insights (everything from how to anchor without endangering others or being endangered by others, to hints on how to not drive each other crazy while hanging out together below decks during the rain) repeated in our own experiences and the experiences of others who had cruised from Alaska to Ecuador.

We moved off the boat in anticipation of the birth of our daughter (we've known people who've raised infants aboard, and decided we're not that hardcore), but this book remains on our shelf in anticipation of the year when our children are old enough to undertake the voyage!

Read Tom Neale. Take notes. Be prepared to laugh out loud. Neale's book is on the short list of important book companions to take along as you cruise.

I'm in the first 2 months of planning my transition from land to water. Tom Neale's book is a must read for any and all of those out there who are entertaining the notion of living an alternative lifestyle. He's eloquently shared stories about living aboard with his family that not only paints a beautiful and sometime frighting picture but each page prepares you to have the right attitude for this free living, pioneering life style. Buy this book for a good read if nothing else. Hope to meet you on the water someday Tom and Mel.