When Jeff Ferns returned to Auckland a year ago after travelling abroad with his wife Caroline and their toddler, he took one look at sky-high property costs and knew he had to get creative.

"We sat down and looked at the figures, and decided the best thing was to live on a boat," he says.

For the past nine months the family have lived aboard their 42-foot launch at the Hobsonville Marina, a move which frees them from the crippling mortgage costs many of their friends grapple with.

Chris McKeen The Fern family aboard their floating home. Daughter Gemma wears a life jacket whenever she is on deck.

Their lifestyle is one that's becoming increasingly common, with marinas around Auckland reporting increases in "live aboards": the term used to describe people who live on their boats and use marina facilities like laundries and showers.

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Chris McKeen Jeff sets to work to prepare an evening meal.

Hobsonville Marina manager Shane McInnes estimates there are "upwards of 90" people living aboard boats in the marina, which he says is around 10 per cent more than the same time last year.

The 44-berth Fairway Bay Marina at Gulf Harbour is at full capacity, with eight berths occupied by live aboards. Grant Clothier, who helps his wife Bronwyn Fraser manage the marina, says they get five or more enquiries a week from people seeking berths, many of them wanting to live aboard.

Clothier and McInnes believe property prices are partly responsible for the increased demand. As well as young people like the Ferns struggling to get into the housing market, Clothier says they see a number of older couples who are choosing to "get a good rent for their homes, and have a change of lifestyle."

Chris McKeen Jeff Ferns with wife Caroline and daughter Gemma on the pier at Hobsonville marina.

The Ferns bought their boat for just under $100,000. They pay $480 rental a month to the owner of the berth (this sort of sub-letting is not uncommon with marina berths), and a "live aboard" fee of $11 a day. This gives them access to marina facilities like a laundry and shower, and secure car parking. Water is provided and there is a mobile pump for emptying the waste holding tanks on their boat. The boat is connected to a power meter, and they pay their own electricity costs, which Jeff says are not high: in the summer they paid under $30 for three months. All of this adds up to around $850 per month – and Jeff says some of their friends with houses pay almost that amount per week on mortgage repayments.

Living aboard is "a bit like living in a large camping ground," says Jeff. There is a good sense of community with other live aboards at the marina (including other families), who swap advice and tips on boat maintenance. Caroline commutes to her job as a retail manager at Pumpkin Patch LynnMall, taking their three-year-old daughter Gemma to daycare at Lynfield on the way. Jeff works locally, doing maintenance at the marina and nearby boatyard. They have a lot of support from Jeff's family in Auckland, and can take the boat out cruising in the weekend. If they want to visit the city, they can catch the Belaire ferry, which takes 35 minutes from the marina. "We're comfortable. We don't feel in a rush to move," says Jeff.

Gemma wears a life jacket on the marina or when she's on deck and takes her evening bath in a tub in the bottom of the boat's small shower. "She's growing up with a different perspective on things like safety and trying to save power," says Jeff. He thinks living aboard makes the family "more conscious of what you're doing."

Chris McKeen Caroline and Gemma at home. The family did a cull of their possessions before moving aboard.

The boat has four single berths and a double berth. Space-wise, it works pretty well, Jeff says, although the couple miss having a garden.

"But if we had one or two more kids, we'd definitely have to look at getting a house – or a bigger boat."

Like to live aboard? Here are Jeff's tips on making it work:

* Choose your boat carefully, and get it surveyed before you buy it. Maintenance and repair on a run-down boat can be scarily expensive.

* Look around for the right marina: chose one that is sheltered and that has the facilities you need nearby. Jeff and Caroline liked the parks and schools near Hobsonville. Fees at marinas vary: usually they are higher for bigger boats.

* Consider carefully whether this is the right choice for you. It helps if you're the sort of person who keeps on top of maintenance and gets straight onto doing any necessary repairs: "On boats, if you let things go, it can get expensive." Being a minimalist also helps when you are living in a small space.

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