There are three types of liveaboards. There are the adventurers, the ones who sail off to the South Pacific or circumnavigate the globe. There are the homesteaders, the ones who live on a boat in one place because they really hate mowing grass. And then there are the in-betweeners, people who live on board and travel the country, staying close to land and occasionally going to the Bahamas, the Caribbean or Baja. My wife Suzanne and I work at being members of this group, which is probably the largest of the three.

We've been living aboard for almost three years now and, for the most part, it has been just like the books described it. For example, even at the pier, water consumption can be an issue; it is very easy to fill an entire boat with the steam from one hot shower; and you have to make the effort to take the boat out periodically. On the other hand, there is no community like a marina when it comes to watching out for one another. Some of the nicest people own boats, and few things taste better than dinner cooked on the dock.

Living aboard turned out to be the wonderful experience we wanted it to be. But in hindsight I've come to realize there are several things no one mentioned when we were getting ready to take the plunge, and a few things that were not stressed enough. In short, there was a list of things I didn't know I needed – things you probably never knew you needed – until maybe now.

A transferable job skill. When we were doing research on living aboard, the advice tended to run into two categories: either develop a skill you can sell to other boaters, like being a diesel mechanic or a canvas seamstress, or give up any hope of making money and try to live catching fish and bartering.

These are actually good options if you're sailing off to Tahiti where the only people you will meet who understand you are fellow sailors. But if you aren't leaving the US or Canada, your options are much more open. The key is to make sure that your skills can follow you. Skills that include a license are useful, particularly if they're national licenses, like those in nursing or accounting. Other professional part-time jobs include substitute teaching and legal assistance.CAPTIONCaption TK

For non-professional positions, it helps if you have experience with a large company that has multiple locations. Several liveaboards that we have met travel from store to store in the large chains, like Wal-Mart and West Marine, using their experience in previous stores as an entry into the store in their new location. The Internet has made job hunting in the "next" marina easier than ever. You don't have to wait until you get there – just use the on-line version of the local newspaper.

A storage shed. We have left personal belongings with friends and relatives in the past. Unfortunately, on two occasions, events conspired to make us move things on short notice. That's because even the most trusted and stable friends can suddenly act on the urge to sell all of their worldly possessions and trek to Alaska. By the time you get the news, their house is going into escrow and you have to get your grandmother's clock out – now!

If you have things that you can't fit on the boat but you just can't bear to part with, you need to have a safe place that you can store them. A storage shed in a secure rental park will allow you to keep your treasures without having to worry in excess about thieves or vermin. Make sure that you understand what the storage company will and won't do for you, and get insurance on the contents. Sure, it is an extra expense, but if you just have to keep granny's clock safe and secure, it is a small price to pay for sleeping soundly.

A mobile e-mail account. There is no doubt about it, e-mail has become the primary means of communication for the companies that we deal with. Whether you order online or over the phone, getting confirmation, tracking packages and following up are all best handled electronically. Bill paying and bank account management have also become electronic events. Having access to e-mail, either in the marina or at free wireless connection points, allows you to stay in touch.

A bookshelf. No matter how into the electronic world you are, no matter how connected you are to the Internet, there will come a time when you need an actual book. Copies of your owner's manuals, Coast Pilots, marina guides and navigational information can all be had on your laptop – until the laptop goes to the big data repository in the sky.

Keeping back-up "hard copies" of important information about the area you are in and the area you are going to is vital and, in some cases, a legal requirement. Even people who claim to "never read" find that there are at least a couple of books that they need to keep on board, if only a copy of the Bible for those times when everything has gone wrong.