grumpygit
regular
Reged: 29/07/2007
Posts: 44
Loc: York, England
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Lemain
Sorry but for a liveaboard I would think that is essential that the Skipper knows his boat, how it works and be quite able to make repairs, unless he or she has ample funds ! 
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Bajansailor
regular
Reged: 27/12/2004
Posts: 2293
Loc: Barbados (East coast)
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Quite a few years ago now I met an American yacht here who had just crossed the Atlantic - she was equipped then with every conceivable hydraulic, electrical, electronic gizmo and gadget, all of which apparently had a habit of malfunctioning on a regular basis.
The skipper / owner had not a clue about all of these systems, so he had a tame technician who would follow in his wake around the world - this lad was on a much smaller, rather beat up, very simple steel boat, and nowt much ever went wrong on his boat, cos there wasnt much to go wrong...... so he had lots of time available for fixing the Boss's equipment in every port, and he made a decent living out of doing this.
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KellysEye
regular
Reged: 23/07/2006
Posts: 759
Loc: Bonaire
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I don't think RYA qualifications are necessary but experience is absolutely necessary. I voted sailing skills 15% in fact I think it's less than 10%.
You mention other skills needed and ended with etc etc. Just to add a few more: sail repair skills, rigging skills, prep and painting skills, electronic (as well as electrical) skills etc etc. The list is enormous.
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Conachair
regular
Reged: 24/01/2004
Posts: 543
Loc: Canaries
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Have to agree with there Joe about too much emphasis on courses, though I doubt if many cruisers set off without a good basic understanding of how to sail a boat. That would be just silly but you don't need x no. of certs before heading south. Though saying that I was watching a school boat earlier on with some total sailing newbies and for anyone who has never set foot on a boat I think they're a fantastic stepping stone. Wether or not an RYA cert is in any way related to how good a sailor someone is I'm not so sure. But you only really learn along the way anyway, not by collecting certs, same goes for the rest of the skills. Buy an old boat and you'll learn lots about what makes a boat tick, buy a new boat and you'll learn a lot about warrenty issues 
Personally I get rather excited by a well stocked ferrateria!
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Lemain
regular
Reged: 31/01/2004
Posts: 5973
Loc: Fiumicino canal (Rome, Italy)
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Quote:
Sorry but for a liveaboard I would think that is essential that the Skipper knows his boat, how it works and be quite able to make repairs, unless he or she has ample funds !
I know plenty of liveaboards who have most of the word done for them, or get friends to help them as they sail round (lots do that, and I often help folks who are struggling, in anchorages, as do many others who 'can').
I know others who would spend far less on maintenance if they paid a pro to do it for them as they don't have the skills or talent to do it themselves. Why should a yachtie who is a pro singer, cook, journalist, photographer, gardener, accountant, lawyer (as examples) be made to feel that they need to be able to service an engine (other than the very basics you teach in a few hours in a classroom)? Or do decent GRP and gelcoat repairs, and carpentry? They don't NEED to do that work as long as they can pay for it to be done. As I said earlier, a lot of the work that owners do themselves is utter crap and ends up costing more as well as being a real safety issue.
On the other hand, if you skipper a yacht then you HAVE to be 100% fit for all of the aspects of skippering and crewing that are needed for whatever passage you attempt, or you will be a danger to yourself and your crew/passengers/rescuers.
The question was "How important are sailing skills for the liveaboard?" and I suggest that they are vital while the DIY aspects are entirely voluntary other than emergency repairs at sea.
It's also vital to have ample funds, of course, but you only need ample for the proposed lifestyle
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My daily blog on the current financial crisis is at:- http://davidscompass.blogspot.com No PMs for now ybw1.20.lemain@spamgourmet.com
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Skents
regular
Reged: 18/01/2005
Posts: 204
Loc: SW UK
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Personally I would say it depends on whether you are talking about "sailing skills" or "recognised sailing skills" - two entirely different issues.
If you mean someone's level of seamanship (whether that is measured by the RYA or not) then I would say it is really at the heart of the issue. Let's face it - there really isn't much point in being a liveaboard unless you like sailing. You can travel the world in a campervan or rent apartments here and there and see the world perfectly happily.
Most of us accept the drawbacks of liveaboard life for one reason - we love travelling by boat and that means we like sailing our boats. We may not be America's Cup trimmers or tacticians but we like to sail.
It's certainly true that unless you are wealthy you really do need to be able to sort out your boat and her gear or alternatively live without some of the tempting gizmos but, at the end of the day, if you can't sail your boat with confidence you won't enjoy sailing and if you don't enjoy sailing then there's probably not much point in being a liveaboard.
Houses have been beautifully designed to make nice homes for humans....boats were made to sail - the accommodation will always be secondary. It makes no sense to accept the limitations of boat life unless you want to exploit its advantages.
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www.theiguana.co.uk
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LadyJessie
regular
Reged: 21/11/2006
Posts: 1150
Loc: the Med
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That is a 'duff' question and cannot be replied to as stated; the response would be of no value. Delete the word 'recognised' and you might have a valid question. Sailing skills for a liveaboard is 100% important when you are on passage. (This excludes the 'liveaboards' that are permanently moored in Brighton marina). But it does not matter how you acquired those skills; an RYA course and quals could be very good, just as real life experience will also teach you what you need to know if you pay attention.
Then, when you have reached your destination, yes a practical ability to do your own maintenance will be very useful as well. They are not mutually exclusive, as you infer.
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KellysEye
regular
Reged: 23/07/2006
Posts: 759
Loc: Bonaire
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As ever it depends what sort of sailing you do. Those who spend all their time in first world countries, with marine facilities and chandlers nearby, and who have the money, can get away with sailig skills and little else.
Long distance boats get off the beaten track where there are no chandlers, no marine facilities, nobody even knows what a watermaker is (for example) and in some places there is absolutely nothing at all. These people (including us) need the skills listed or we could be in deep trouble (and don't forget the spare parts).
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Dockmaster
regular
Reged: 18/03/2008
Posts: 149
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There is only one way to learn - through experience and a good way to get experience is to buy a boat and live on it when things go wrong either sailing or boat issues which they will you learn from the experience - none of us know everything and we are all learning all the time !
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I could have done anything if I'd had the talent !
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AndrewB
regular
Reged: 07/06/2001
Posts: 3482
Loc: Cruising California
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So, you don't rate sailing skills, eh Captainslarty? Keep well away from me please. I've had too much trouble already sharing anchorages with know-nothings who drag down on me or ding me on the way out. Of course they are uninsured - who in their right mind would cover a guy with no sailing skills?
I don't care whether you have the piece of paper, but you'd better be up to Yachtmaster standard for successful long distance cruising. Because first and foremost you are out there sailing. Being able to fix your engine, electrics, plumbing, electronics etc is useful but you can and ought to be able to get by without.
(BTW I don't understand the implication about unrealistic close-quarter skills taught on RYA courses. Mine taught very realistic skills - doing things I'd never dare try on purpose in my own boat).
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