As a live aboard cruiser for three years on our boat Rising Star I have come across many people who were able to live the cruising dream even though they were not wealthy. Many worked for a few years and then took off sailing for a couple, then to repeat the cycle again while the boat was hauled out in a boat yard somewhere and stored.

There are some money making things you can do to make the "cruising kitty" go farther if you don't mind working just a bit. Here are some money making live aboard sailor's part time jobs that I have come across.

If you have skills as a barber or hair stylist there is always a chance to make a few dollars in an anchorage when the word gets out. All you need is a few basic hair cutting tools, clippers, scissors and combs and brushes.

I have gotten many decent haircuts aboard a fellow cruisers boat when I found out that they cut hair.

Yoga instruction, Pilates instruction and massage therapy services are also a good way to make extra income and friends as well.

Another skill that is always in demand is boat mechanic. If you have engine repair skill, fiberglass repair skills, boat electronics knowledge,, etc there is always money to be made in a faraway port where some cruisers's boat has problems. You will just need to keep on hand the tools of the trade and a well stocked supply of spare parts.

Sail repair is popular, you just need an industrial sewing machine and enough power onboard to run it.

Painting and varnishing is always something in demand and is one way that I have earned extra money while anchored in Latin America. Picky boaters will always trust a fellow American especially if they see that his own boat is well varnished.

Cleaning boat bottoms may not be everyone's bag but I enjoy putting on scuba gear and being underwater anyway and it is good upper body exercise. I used to charge a dollar per foot plus my air fill, but I think that rate has gone up a bit.

There are all kinds of ways cruisers can make extra money, even including writing articles on Hub Pages if you can get to an internet cafe that is cheap enough. I keep in touch with lots of our old sailing friends and one of them who is living on his 32' catamaran in Cruz Bay, U.S.V.I., is making $500 per month writing for a number of "revenue sharing sites" including Hubpages and Xomba. His articles, mostly about the Caribbean and sailing are featured on different sites that share Google adsense revenue. He uses a high speed internet connection that he is picking up from a house on land. In many anchorages you can find an open wireless network from shore to connect to. See my article on Hubpages on how to get free high speed internet on a sailboat here. How to get free internet on a sailboat

Hubpages is a revenue sharing site and it is easy to join. You can earn money from sales of Amazon.com merchandise as well as from e-Bay. See the tab at the top of the page to join. For information on joining revenue sharing sites see the links below. (I really wish these sites had been around when we were living on our boat).  Here is a page listing different ways to legitamately make money online: Online income methods

I have met people who proofread childrens books, write romance novels, even a licensed dentist who had a full dentist's chair and office aboard his 52' .yacht! Your imagination is the only thing limiting you.

If you are serious about staying on the water and extending the time you spend cruising then it just may be possible to do so by doing some odd jobs along the way, including work on shore.

I once spent three months in the USVI helping build a municipal sewer plant. While I only made $8.00 per hour my boat was anchored only 100 yards from the jobsite. As well as being an easy commute it was a visual reminder that my work was optional and was paying for me to be leaving the job when I saved enough.

Good Luck and happy sailing.