All tagged yacht

don't spend money on a survey just yet...

As you can imagine, dropping cash on boat surveys can get expensive.  As the boat owner is under no obligation to refund you any of this should a serious problem be uncovered.  So, I want to talk about ways you can "pre" survey.  This is something to do before you even approach a lender about financing.  It's a way to cut down on false starts and wasted efforts. 

finding your boat

So, you're thinking you could live the trawler trash way?  Finding the right live-aboard boat really comes down to a personal choice.  There are so many different styles of boat.  Compound this with what you plan to do with it outside of living on it and the choice can get a little daunting.  Here's some things to nail down before you get started:

boat tax

Coast Guard and documentation.  The  CG offers a national registry for vessels over 25 feet.  This is at it's basic level just a registration and tag service.  Kinda like your car.  What's different on your car is that you pay taxes so that the state will issue the tag and registration.  With the CG you pay a "document fee" to get a registration and you make up your own tag (the name and hailing port of your boat).