The On Deck Channelvideo
Is Buying a HUGE Live-In Project Boat a Good Idea for a Family?
June 22, 2026 · 6 min · 356 views · St. Petersburg
What this video covers
A family of four living full-time aboard a 2006 Leopard 43 is evaluating a heavily damaged Leopard 48 in a Charleston boatyard as their next liveaboard.0:06 Steven, who runs a company and homeschools two growing sons with his wife aboard, needs a larger boat within a tight budget — which means taking on a significant project.0:29 The Leopard 48 lost its rig after hitting a bridge, has been sitting in the yard for an extended period, and shows broken stanchions, missing lifelines, a destroyed helm hardtop, port-side fiberglass delamination, a broken companionway door, extensive interior dust and filth, rudder damage, bulkhead damage, and a generator with no oil and an oil leak beneath it.2:39 Solar panels are missing from their frames, the dinghy is unusable, and the engines have not been tested.1:12 A local fiberglass contractor has already provided quotes.3:44 Future coverage will document repair decisions, costs, and the full scope of work required to make the boat livable for a family with no shoreside home as a backup. The core question is whether the purchase price and repair costs can be made to work when the boat must also serve as the family's only residence during the rebuild.5:51
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