Home Is Where the Harbor Is

Think there isn’t any inexpensive real estate left in the Hamptons? Actually, there is quite a bit, and it’s all around—it’s called water.

For those who aren’t devout and unrepentant landlubbers, having a boat as a residence is a good way to afford summer living here. And those who live off the land get the added bonus of feeling a smidge of the romance of the high seas.

“Essentially, you’re getting a splendid waterfront condo at a greatly diminished rate,” said Robert Gobright, a local contractor who is living on a 38-foot C&C sailboat into October. “And it’s a pretty carefree type of existence. I take the boat out three nights a week, then bring it back and tie up to the dock again.”

Mr. Gobright is in a popular location for living on a boat, at the village marina next to Marine Park in the heart of Sag Harbor.

“This is an especially good spot because unlike any of the marinas on Three Mile Harbor, I’m right in the village,” he said. “I step off the boat and walk to everything so I’m not dealing with traffic or parking a car. Even with food shopping, the IGA here will deliver groceries to your boat. I lived on a boat one summer at the Shagwong Marina in East Hampton, and that was a whole different dynamic because you’re pretty isolated there.”

While living on a boat is exponentially less expensive than a house on the water, it does take a few adjustments. Measuring tape is indispensable—since knowing how much room there is, how much room is needed, and what necessities will fit in a tight space is a fact of life.

For those who have hoarding tendencies, forget living on a boat. Most of the possessions a person is used to having around won’t make the transition. The key word is “lean.”

Other adjustments include a water supply coming through a garden hose, a toilet that has to be cleaned out regularly, and if a hobby was once gardening, it will now be boat maintenance. Because most people living on the water are not living on the big yachts with staff, what needs to get done, they must do themselves.

One could point out that the first step is buying a boat, and that can damage one’s wallet. But for many people living on the water here, they have owned their boats for years, in addition to their houses. Both get to be depreciated on their taxes, and one helps derive income from the other.

“The first year I lived on my boat here was in 1981,” Mr. Gobright said. “Over the years I’ve had various summers I’ve lived on it, usually because I rented out my house.”

East End couple Jennifer Linick and Dennis Gaviola frequently live on their boat during the summer months. The reason: summer rental income.

“We’ve lived on our boat off and on and some years for three months at a time while we rented the house,” said Ms. Linick, who with Mr. Gaviola lives on a 30-foot Grady-White at the Star Island Yacht Club in Montauk. “It’s like getting paid to be here looking out at open water and the beautiful surroundings.”

Of course, before stepping onto that new watery home, look into whether or not it’s legal. In Sag Harbor, obviously, it is legal to live on a boat, but the wrench in the works could be getting a slip for the boat, as demand every year is high. It is not uncommon to find people living on their boats at the private marinas in the Town of East Hampton and at ones owned by Suffolk County that have a pump-out station. In Southampton, it is illegal to live on a boat in town marinas but there are private marinas available.

For many boat occupants, the savings make any inconveniences worth it. You don’t pay property tax. With the space less than that of a house, a plus is paying less in utilities, especially with being on the water making the resident less inclined to turn on the air-conditioning.

Some residents, like Mr. Gobright, prefer being right on the dock for convenience sake.

“Being right here, people can come by and get on and off,” he said. “The electric and water hookups are right here, and you pay just one bill. You get Wifi in Sag Harbor now too. There are enough amenities here for me.”

He pointed out, however, that just like in landed real estate, the key to living on the water is still location, location, location.

“The aesthetics of it can vary depending where you are berthed,” he said. “One summer I was next to a pump-out boat, and that was an interesting experience.”

Pat Sullivan, a retired television news producer with a 37-foot sailboat, also in Sag Harbor, likes it better having his living quarters away from the dock.

“I prefer being moored in the harbor, and I’ll take a dinghy back and forth to my boat,” he said. “I’m out in the quiet and I don’t hear people clumping up and down the dock. It’s very peaceful here. The only downside is using a dinghy when it’s raining. Another one is it can get cold out here pretty quick after Labor Day, especially mornings. My season ends before most people. But every moment is worth it.”

Mr. Sullivan reported that he has now spent 16 months straight on his boat. Last fall, when he left Sag Harbor, he sailed to the Caribbean and moored there. And even when he’s here, he can be on the move.

“I’ve been coming out here since the early ’80s, and this is a terrific harbor. And Sag Harbor is a good jumping-off point to other places on the East End and Connecticut too,” he said, adding, “To say ‘living on a boat’ is a bit of an exaggeration because I’ll go into the city and stay there from time to time. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that I have a nice apartment that floats.”

Like many locals who tire of the extra traffic that comes with the summer season, some boat residents aren’t all that fond of the overcrowded weekends in the summer. But they at least have an edge over everyone else who is landlocked.

“There is a lot of tumult on weekends with more boats in the harbor and people partying,” said Ms. Linick. “Weekdays are the best. We appreciate the quiet and other people here who live on boats. It’s a community onto itself. But unlike with a house, we can pick up and go tomorrow.”