# Boat as a BOV - BOL



## Seaprepper

Hey everyone.... Just thought I'd start the discussion about using a boat for a BOV or BOL.. I live on a boat and have it ready to go... I think quite a few people may want to do the same once you weigh the pros and cons... Any thoughts..


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## kejmack

I can only think of cons: water, fuel, pirates....where are you going to get fresh water? How are you going to refuel? What about pirates? There are going to be plenty of pirates once the SHTF. What about maintenance? Where are you going to find a drydock? Storage on a boat is very limited.


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## Marcus

Water you can distill.
Sailboat rather than a motorboat.
I do believe you'll want superior firepower which means a 50 cal to me in that situation plus NV scope.

I assume you intend to head out to Margaritaville, but where are you going to go during hurricane season?
A seafood diet gets real monotonous. You'll need a boatload of vitamins too so you don't get scurvy.
You're going to have to stand watches so 3-4 folks total.
If you plan to head out to the Bahamas and want to pre-position some caches, you might be mistaken for an illegal pharmacuetical deliveryman.

To me, it _might_ be worth going on a month-long or six week cruise during the die off so you miss most of the troubles. But I'd want to have a well stocked BOL close to the water and very well hidden that I could easily access.


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## musketjim

My boat is my bov but I have to use my truck to get my boat to the launch so that is a bov also. Then it's up to my bol. Hopefully I'm there prior to shtf. I'm guessing you're talking a live aboard tho. I've thot that the panhandle of AK. , or Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, would be options but so far my skill set hasn't caught up with that type of lifestyle. Interesting option tho.


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## BlueShoe

Alaska makes sense for a boat. 

Sea going vessels seem to be a viable option for bugging out and getting out of sight and out of reach of everyone except for a few and the government. The 50 caliber is good advice. Are there night scopes that will survive on one? Pine needles are packed with vitamin C.

There's a guy on another forum named for a certain black rifle who pretends his lake bound boat is a potential BOV. I don't know of many lakes in the south where you can't get shot from 2 and 3 sides of the shoreline at the same time. And none of them are in his area. Going farther? He'll have to have enough fuel to get to the locks and then go through them.

I worked next to the Smoky Mountains National Park once and discovered a wealthy property owner who built a retreat near the park boundary. He used a helicopter to bring in some of the materials and all of the personnel to build it. He couldn't have brought all the materials in like that, but the crew was brought in and out like that.


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## tugboats

Seaprepper said:


> Hey everyone.... Just thought I'd start the discussion about using a boat for a BOV or BOL.. I live on a boat and have it ready to go... I think quite a few people may want to do the same once you weigh the pros and cons... Any thoughts..


We have a large boat that will accomodate the entire family but we will only use it for a short term situation. We are on fresh water so desalination will not be a problem. If it is going to be a long term situation our boat is not defensible. For safety we would need to be over 1 mile from shore and would need to anchor out. We would be subject to storms for 9 months and ice the other three.

Unless you rotate watches every three to four hours (to keep fresh eyes out) around the clock boredom sets in and then mistakes happen. At night a swimmer, rafter or diver could get close enough without being seen to cause havoc. We could be picked off by pirates at ranges over one mile away. There is no where to hide when on the water.

We love our boat but I fear that we would only be a handsome target out on the water. We will probably use the boat to travel to a safer location but my family thinks that we would be better off on land.

Sprouting would be a good choice for fresh vitamins, protiens would be available from fish and an endless supply of water would be available. These are great but we would be limited by our confinement on the boat. With five people on board for a week there is no place to go on a 49 foot tug to get away. I love my family but not that much. Even when we cruised for long periods we would dock up often to allow us to gain some seperation.

I am not trying to cause precipitation to desend upon your parade but you need to consider all of the down sides to BOL on a boat. Repair parts, fuel, rigging, defensive equipment and fire are my biggest concerns. Address those issues and have fun.

I will admit that no location is truly defensible but on land I can run fast. On water I am limited only to a brisk walk on the water. (If you believe that I have several bridges in arid lands for sale real cheap). I really can't run that fast on land.

Tugs


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## Padre

kejmack said:


> I can only think of cons: water, fuel, pirates....where are you going to get fresh water? How are you going to refuel? What about pirates? There are going to be plenty of pirates once the SHTF. What about maintenance? Where are you going to find a drydock? Storage on a boat is very limited.


I can think of a few pros, but first I would like to address the cons-- 
water: sea water filtration plan, most larger boats (like mine) have one :2thumb:

fuel: granted my big diesel WILL run out eventually, but the WIND is in steady supply, and completely replenishable.

Pirates: REALLY :dunno:

When's the last time you saw pirates outside of Somalian waters? Piracy may become an issue in the long term post-SHTF but not immediately, simply because most people don't know how to engage in ship to ship warfare, and most people simply won't think about it. I posted a video a few weeks ago about the thuggish mentality that exists out there, and maybe I am stereotyping, but how many people with that mentality also have the knowledge to captain a boat? I would think few... Granted that a slow wind powered boat is vulnerable to fast speed boats, but most boats don't have the wearwithal to engage in ship to ship warfare. With no canons, missiles, or even 50 cals, and more importantly, with no armor--so a few well place shots at the water line and your fiberglass boat will become a fiberglass piece of swiss cheese--most pleasure craft are ill-equipped for piracy. My sailboat drafts 7ft of water, meaning that most commercial boats can't go into the shallows where my boat can, and has a minimal radar signature.

Repair: in the short term is minimal to keep a sail boat sailing, and can be minimized if you put in to a safe harbor during storms. Most repairs can be done on board by a skilled sailor, dry dock is not needed for most repairs.


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## BlueShoe

Drug Pirates still take vessels to run drugs today, and they kill the crews. The only reason piracy died off in the Caribbean is because military navies were there to protect trade routes. There are people in your area just waiting to take advantage of the absence of authorities that a Fan event creates.


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## Padre

Padre said:


> I can think of a few pros


All this being said, the original poster asked about using a boat as a BOV, which to me means he has someplace to go, I would agree that a boat may not be a long term bug out solution, but as a vehicle to get there I think it is a GREAT option:

A speed boat, although it has a limited fuel supply can get you where you want to go pretty fast, and circumvent traffic jams like no vehicle but a plane could. If you JUST need to go a few hundred nautical miles and you keep your boat fueled for at least the distance you need to go, then it serves its purpose.

A sail boat has the same ability to circumvent traffic but is MUCH slower. This could be a con, however on the other hand it could be a pro...giving you a peaceful pause while the world is falling apart!

Usually, you can leave a boat stocked with food and gear 24-7 with little concern for security, and as boating is an socially acceptable hobby, prepping a boat does't raise the op-sec flags that prepping a olive drab deuce and a half in your driveway might.

A decent size boat has lots of storage space, I am assuming for the sake of this discussion that we are talking about a boat with at least a cabin. Like RVs, boats have storage areas all over to maximize the use of space.

If you get to your destination and find that you can't go on, for whatever reason, a boat like a camper gives you a portable short term home away from home, that unlike a RV is totally off road and this can be positioned in relative safety.

A few cons I can think of:

A sail boat is SLOW, as I said

Unless your BOL is on the water (which is not a great location for natural type disasters) you will either need road transportation or foot transportantion to get where you are going.

In a nuclear situation a boat provides zero shielding from fallout.

For these reasons my car is my first option for bugging out, followed by aircraft, boat, and lastly forced march  which is the least good option. BTW: When I say bug out, I have a definite destination, toward which all of these types of bug out will take me, afterall: I don't want to live like a refugee!


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## Padre

tenOC said:


> Drug Pirates still take vessels to run drugs today, and they kill the crews. The only reason piracy died off in the Caribbean is because military navies were there to protect trade routes. There are people in your area just waiting to take advantage of the absence of authorities that a Fan event creates.


The Caribbean is 1000 nautical miles from my location. I would agree if I were down that way I would have to be concerned about the low-life taking to the sea, I just don't see it in the north Atlantic--at least not immediately.


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## BillS

Marcus said:


> Water you can distill.


Distilling water is very energy intensive. You need a gallon of water per person per day. You would burn a lot of fuel doing that. Or if you burn wood you give off a lot of smoke.


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## BillS

I don't like boats as bug-out vehicles. You can be seen from a great distance away. It's hard to hide. You will become a target to people in other boats or by people who assume people who have boats have a lot of stuff. People who live near the water will be targets from people in boats too.

I wouldn't have a boat as a bug-out vehicle any more than I'd stay in a Winnebago on the salt flats of Utah.


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## Marcus

BillS said:


> Distilling water is very energy intensive. You need a gallon of water per person per day. You would burn a lot of fuel doing that. Or if you burn wood you give off a lot of smoke.


Solar still or solar cooker.


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## BillS

Marcus said:


> Solar still or solar cooker.


I don't think you can produce the water in the quantities that you would need.

This one is $240. It produces 1 to 4 pints per day. It might not be enough for even one person.

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/memss.html


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## Padre

Many larger boats have these guys, which produce 




Again, I am not proposing long term living on a boat, but rather bugging out. Even without a de-desalinization plant most boats can carry a lot of water in their water tank.


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## Padre

BillS said:


> I don't like boats as bug-out vehicles. You can be seen from a great distance away. It's hard to hide. You will become a target to people in other boats or by people who assume people who have boats have a lot of stuff. People who live near the water will be targets from people in boats too.
> 
> I wouldn't have a boat as a bug-out vehicle any more than I'd stay in a Winnebago on the salt flats of Utah.


People in boats are people with moats!

In a SHTF situation EVERYONE will be a target, the only difference, I will have a mile or more of water between you and me (if I bug out by boat).


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## BillS

Padre said:


> People in boats are people with moats!
> 
> In a SHTF situation EVERYONE will be a target, the only difference, I will have a mile or more of water between you and me (if I bug out by boat).


Yes, everyone will be a target after the collapse. But in my house I'm not a target that can be seen for miles in an area where my house is the only one.

Boats have moats only to the people who can't steal a boat to check out yours. I have to disagree with one of your earlier posts. Piracy is very easy on a boat. Just pull up to it as soon as it's light enough to see it. Go aboard with your gun handy and take out anybody who's a threat. People who are hungry long enough will take a lot of chances.


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## hiwall

I know everyone is talking about ocean vessels but there are many large lakes and reservoirs in the US. Many of these have hundreds of miles of shorelines. You could easily hide a large boat in out of the ways spots. And have unlimited fresh water and fresh fish(if you could catch them). Drifting a boat in mornings and evenings could let you hunt big game and then move a couple miles from the sound of the shot. Its not for me but but I could see many pluses to using a boat.


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## Meerkat

Padre said:


> The Caribbean is 1000 nautical miles from my location. I would agree if I were down that way I would have to be concerned about the low-life taking to the sea, I just don't see it in the north Atlantic--at least not immediately.


Your up north thats a plus,down here in the south you'd look like the remains of a fileted fish 10 minutes after tshtf.From what I read pirates here are not satisfied with just kill,they like to overkill.


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## kejmack

Padre, just because you don't think pirates are a threat, doesn't mean they aren't. Pirates will be a problem as soon as the SHTF. Robberies, rapes, and murders already occur in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern Atlantic. 

I have a long time friend who is an MP in the Coast Guard. She said that piracy is intentionally under reported and the definition of piracy has been so skewed that it makes it statistically invalid. It is just like when the Government classified the Fort Hood shooting as a "workplace violence" instead of an attack by a Muslim terrorist.


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## Padre

BillS said:


> ...in my house I'm not a target that can be seen for miles in an area where my house is the only one.


It sounds like you are planning to bug in. That's great for you but doesn't it miss the whole point of a discussion of a BOV? Also unless you are camouflaged I wouldn't bet no on can see your house...



BillS said:


> boats have moats only to the people who can't steal a boat to check out yours. I have to disagree with one of your earlier posts. Piracy is very easy on a boat. Just pull up to it as soon as it's light enough to see it. Go aboard with your gun handy and take out anybody...


.

Ever been on a boat on the ocean Bill? First of all both boats move so it is possible to flee. Secondly I am not sure most wahoos could steal a boat that they were sure was faster than the boat they want to pursue. Thirdly near shore if you don't know the waters you are just as likely to end up on a sand bar. There's a nice spot about a mile from shore near my family beach house where you can get out and wade in ankle deep water at low tide, are you sure most "pirates" could read the Charts and navigate the waters? Finally that same open line of sight that makes me visible also make you, the attacker vulnerable. They want to capture me to plunder my boat, I have no such intentions! What do you think a few well place rnds of 30-06 would do to a boat at the waterline, particularly one moving at any speed?



kejmack said:


> Padre, just because you don't think pirates are a threat, doesn't mean they arn't...


.

I suppose the opposite is also true?



kejmack said:


> I have a long time friend who is an MP in the Coast Guard...


Again, that might be true in some places. I have been on the waters around my home since I was a kid, I know most of the boating community and most of the fishing community, we don't have pirates or significant drug running going on, and the people with the ability to get in a boat and successfully engage in piracy will not be in that mindset in my area in the days immediately after the SHTF. It will take weeks and months for a WROL mindset to set in with regular hard working people. The type of people who already live with a lawless mindset, IN MY AREA, just don't strike me as boat people. Why wouldn't they just stick with what they know, the roads?

Hey, I take you opinions seriously, I just don't think they pertain to me as regards my location and situation. I would agree if piracy was already an issue now before the SHTF then definitely a boat may not be the best idea!


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## Jimthewagontraveler

Is there anybody currently in your boat club that might 
borrow something from your boat without asking?


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## BlueShoe

(1) I believe a quick moving boat could be a good GOOD vehicle. I wouldn't want to stay on one though.
(2) Meth is everywhere. Deck hands and adult children are capable of using it. We probably all know someone who is being embarrassed by their drug using relative.


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## Padre

tenOC said:


> (1) I believe a quick moving boat could be a good GOOD vehicle. I wouldn't want to stay on one though.
> (2) Meth is everywhere. Deck hands and adult children are capable of using it. We probably all know someone who is being embarrassed by their drug using relative.


Maybe that is so, but no one has been able to answer my question, why would people look to the water for targets when there would be so many easier one's on shore.

As I have said I don't think its a long term solution, although in a pinch I would think it better than a RV, BUT I am not really concerned about Pirates or Meth heads in the IMMEDIATE aftermath of TEOTWAWKI.

I still hold that the Paradigm shift will be too much for most people, criminals and the law abiding alike, to adjust to. That is why these, sometimes frustrating, conversations are important, because they help us mentally consider the new paradigm in the relative safety of the current situation--ultimately when things get crazy anything is POSSIBLE--only then will we see who is right.


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## Padre

Jimthewagontraveler said:


> Is there anybody currently in your boat club that might
> borrow something from your boat without asking?


Jim,

If you are talking to me, I am not a member of a boat club, my boat is moored in a protected harbor. As far as security its about as safe as a car with the exception that you need to swim or boat out to it to break in. I have heard of people having problems, but I never have. Most boaters look out for each other, because SHTF situations are much more common on the waters and often all we have as a safety net is other boaters.


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## FrankW

I think the consensus is that a Boat is a good BOV but maybe not a good BOL and that is sensible foir many situations.
However i can think of many that would turn the Boat into great BOV (from good) and a acceptable BOL .
All of this is heavily METT-T dependent.
( Mission, Enemy, terrain , Troops (yours) )


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## TheLazyL

Wonder how far the sound of a boat motor would carry over open water?


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## Jimthewagontraveler

Yes padre and thank you 
You have presented some very good arguments.
Now let me argue on your side for a moment in the form of a question.
Other than an airplane could any other form of transport duck and weave on a fast retreat better than a boat?
You have presented many convincing points and my logic needle is heavily tilting in your direction .
Bet you can't guess what I'm going to do?
THAT'S RIIIGHT!!!
I'm going to go rip the logic needle of the da&$&euro;£ gauge because I JUST SOLD MY ¥>#% BOAT!!!!!
grumble grumble PAH!! mumble mumble.
Heavy sigh&hellip; 
It was solid aluminum with an aluminum cabin and at full throttle you could only see the top half of the cabin because it dug a huge hole in the water.
And the wake was easily 3' high 
I have even used the wake as a weapon to throw logs


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## Jimthewagontraveler

Hey padre 
I even half sunk that boat to go under a bridge many times and as long as it had water flow under the hull it would bail it self out.
If we are Facebook buddies I think I might have to unfriend you.


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## BrendaWest

You choose good discussion topic. I like the boat idea a lot. I live in LA which I f I need to leave will not be fun. I have always thought a boat would be ideal. Nice thing is there are several uninhabited small islands over here as well to have hidden caches on or bug out too. I agree with Rubicon, get something big enough to handle your needs.


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## LongRider

Sail boat in Florida. SWEET !! I lived on my 31 ft Flagship Owens for a couple of years. Loved it. I was hot back then the ladies loved to hop on the bike and putt down to my yacht (they call anything over 30ft a yacht up here) Was a good time, even in the cold weather. As far as a sailboat BOL the only problem I really, see is how can you possibly keep a sustainable food supply? But than with all of South America open to you I could see stocking your boat up well enough to do the Robinson Crusoe thing free to bail on to greener pastures when ever the need or desire struck. If I were a younger man it is an option I'd consider


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## sailaway

Seaprepper said:


> Hey everyone.... Just thought I'd start the discussion about using a boat for a BOV or BOL.. I live on a boat and have it ready to go... I think quite a few people may want to do the same once you weigh the pros and cons... Any thoughts..


I livved aboard from 1988-1996 in Miami, made a boat load of money scrubbing bottoms & pulling propellers at Dinner Key Marina. I lived on a Catalina 27. It reeked of humulity, but I owned it. I started prepping a week before Hurricane andrew and have been prepping ever since.

I am on Lake Erie now and have an ODay 31, it is set up as a BOL & BOV and is treated as one of my options. I have enjoyed the liveaboard communities in both locations. There is more of a sense of community and an interest in helping each other out.

Durring the Andrew Lockdown I was able to sneak around on my whaler and inflatible on the ICW while every one else was at home under cerfew.

Now that my divorce is over I will be heading back to Fl. and want to find a small blue water sail boat to use as a BOL/BOV. I am thinking Allied, Rhodes, Cape Dory, Cheoy Lee, Pearson, an old full keel tank that was made from alot of hand layed fiberglass.:cheers:


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