Thinking about a Houseboat

Ted

Ted

The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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iFlyNothing
When we last joined Ted, he was thinking about an oil derrick, bought an F-350, sold his Kenworth and boat, and was thinking about what to think about next. Let's see where this one goes...

After close to 3 years and well over 30 pages and 1,000 posts, the "Thinking about a Boat" thread had to come to an effective close when I sold our Sea Ray to @jesse . It was a good boat for us for the time, but was getting to the point where it just wasn't working with the kids. They were running around too much and so it was getting aggravating. So we were thinking about maybe going with a pontoon boat, as the big deck that those have affords better children-running-around-ness. I'd also floated (pun intended) the idea of having a larger boat that we could actually all sleep aboard, but thinking more along the lines of a twin engine boat (express cruiser or the like) that had some speed associated with it.

Conversations continued and the idea of a lake house as there are plenty available around here for reasonable prices.

But, lots of problems with a lake house. Most notably, it's another property that needs to get taken care of with grass to mow, trees, etc. So the conversations continued and the idea of a houseboat came up. One of my friends who has one is a big fan, and the idea seems to make a lot of sense for what we want. Gets a good combination of pontoon boat and lake house in one. Obviously we'd have a slip for that. Take it out on the lake, park it somewhere for the weekend, come back when we feel like it.

I've never been on a houseboat before, but it seems to be a nice blend of the different ideas we had that might be the right compromise. I figure it would likely require some sort of additional watercraft (a jetski comes to mind) to balance things out.

So, PoA peanut gallery, what say you?
 
Can you rent one for a long weekend to see if it's for you?
 
Can you store a house boat in a boat house?
 
Last guy I knew who had one ran it aground and sank. Unless you never plan on moving it, it's a difficult thing to maneuver and takes some real skill.

Cheers
 
I am water rat more than an airborne rat...Houseboats are the most fun you can have on the water. It is a great focal point to bring together family and friends and even just a day trip can feel like a vacation. A lot more people are willing to come hang out on a houseboat vs a day on a ski boat or other watercraft...especially families. Parents can kick back, BBQ, and drink while the kid play in the water. Lost of inflatables, paddle boards and water toys are a must with a houseboat. Nothing better than sitting in a floating inner tube off the back of the boat at sunset with a beer in your hand waiting for the BBQ to fire up.

I owned a 45' for quite a few years and spend many a summer on rentals, and yes they require constant maintenance and TLC to keep from becoming a derelict. Best thing you can do is spend the money on a boat survey (a prebuy inspection) to ensure you are not buying a lemon and someone else's deferred maintenance problems...there is a lot that can lurk below the surface.

Top get the full usage, you typically will want a smaller boat to access the houseboat. Most pull away from the dock then just go tie up on the shore somewhere remote as a base camp then use the smaller boat as shuttle folks and play with during the day.

My dream is to have a seaplane that I can just land on the lake and taxi up to my houseboat!

...but yeah, if you are not familiar with houseboats already...go rent one for a few days first.
 
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The Missouri lakes have rental options if they don't have them where you are. Might be worth a weekend trip.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
So, PoA peanut gallery, what say you?
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Just last week Leslie brought up the idea of a houseboat. I know someone that tried living on one for a few years in the Atlanta area. Even there, the winters made it horrible. Walking the ramp from the boat to the dock was always a challenge, especially in the cold wind and rain.

And if you think a cottage has a lot of maintenance, "you ain't seen nothing yet". Well, perhaps it won't be quite as bad in fresh water, but still . . .
But I am still thinking about it. At least for part of the year. And in Florida, that part can be a lot longer than further north.
 
X3 Skier said:
Last guy I knew who had one ran it aground and sank. Unless you never plan on moving it, it's a difficult thing to maneuver and takes some real skill.

Cheers
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yes, and if one of the engines fails, you'll have asymmetrical thrust and it can roll over. be prepared and practice your drills ;)
 
Shawn said:
I am water rat more than an airborne rat...Houseboats are the most fun you can have on the water. It is a great focal point to bring together family and friends and even just a day trip can feel like a vacation. A lot more people are willing to come hang out on a houseboat vs a day on a ski boat or other watercraft...especially families. Parents can kick back, BBQ, and drink while the kid play in the water. Lost of inflatables, paddle boards and water toys are a must with a houseboat. Nothing better than sitting in a floating inner tube off the back of the boat at sunset with a beer in your hand waiting for the BBQ to fire up.

I owned a 45' for quite a few years and spend many a summer on rentals, and yes they require constant maintenance and TLC to keep from becoming a derelict. Best thing you can do is spend the money on a boat survey (a prebuy inspection) to ensure you are not buying a lemon and someone else's deferred maintenance problems...there is a lot that can lurk below the surface.

Top get the full usage, you typically will want a smaller boat to access the houseboat. Most pull away from the dock then just go tie up on the shore somewhere remote as a base camp then use the smaller boat as shuttle folks and play with during the day.

My dream is to have a seaplane that I can just land on the lake and taxi up to my houseboat!

...but yeah, if you are not familiar with houseboats already...go rent one for a few days first.
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i believe "he who shall not be named" does this kind of stuff and might be of help. he'd for sure have some opinions on it
 
JOhnH said:
Just last week Leslie brought up the idea of a houseboat. I know someone that tried living on one for a few years in the Atlanta area. Even there, the winters made it horrible. Walking the ramp from the boat to the dock was always a challenge, especially in the cold wind and rain.
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Yeah, living on one and vacationing on one are two different ballgames. Living on a floating always had but of a lure for me until after a two nights on the boat with only a mild storm and even just 12" swells. I was like "F-This, get me to a hotel!"
 
Bill Jennings said:
Can you rent one for a long weekend to see if it's for you?
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Yes, and that's probably something we'll do to give it a shot. Or con our way into spending the weekend at our friend's houseboat, which might be better since he can then show me the ropes so to speak.

SixPapaCharlie said:
Can you store a house boat in a boat house?
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Yes. But only if the boat house is bigger than the house boat. If the house boat is bigger than the boat house, that won't work.

X3 Skier said:
Last guy I knew who had one ran it aground and sank. Unless you never plan on moving it, it's a difficult thing to maneuver and takes some real skill.

Cheers
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You forget who you are talking to. I've been known to drift long bed crew cab pickups with trailers attached in the snow.

In all seriousness, certainly the size is a reasonable concern and consideration. But we'd be looking at taking it out, parking it, and being there for the weekend most of the time.

JOhnH said:
Just last week Leslie brought up the idea of a houseboat. I know someone that tried living on one for a few years in the Atlanta area. Even there, the winters made it horrible. Walking the ramp from the boat to the dock was always a challenge, especially in the cold wind and rain.

And if you think a cottage has a lot of maintenance, "you ain't seen nothing yet". Well, perhaps it won't be quite as bad in fresh water, but still . . .
But I am still thinking about it. At least for part of the year. And in Florida, that part can be a lot longer than further north.
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We'd be looking at it as a summer thing, not an all-year, and especially not if there was frost or snow on the ground. Figure probably about 6 months of use out of the year, with 3-4 months of that being the optimal time period. Certainly I wouldn't expect a houseboat to be maintenance-free, but it's a different kind of maintenance. We have 11 acres at our home and that's enough land we have to take care of and the like. A houseboat gives us the advantage of having the structure itself (and supporting systems, of course) that require support, but not the property to deal with. And instead of going out on the water, the water becomes the destination, which is really the whole point. Go fishing, tubing, etc. etc. Having a couple of jet skis with it seems like a good way to round it all off. @jesse can come visit and bring his boat, too.
 
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Bill Jennings said:
So here's this beautiful (to me) meld of aircraft and boat, but they hose it up by hanging a window air conditioner on the thing Lol.
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You gotta have SOME redneck in there...
 
Should have kept the Kenworth. Just add a used low-boy and keep the houseboat at the house for the winter.










That way you can do all those never ending repair and upgrade projects from the comfort of your own home ;-)
 
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weilke said:
Should have kept the Kenworth. Just add a used low-boy and keep the houseboat at the house for the winter.

That way you can do all those never ending repair and upgrade projects from the comfort of your own home ;-)
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I once sent my wife an eBay ad to a 65' Sea Ray that came with a Kenworth and trailer.

For something that size, trailer boating is not of interest to me. Just leave it there year round.

Besides, if I get another Kenworth I want something much, much newer. And much, much nicer. Oh, and that doesn't have the wheels falling off of it... literally.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I once sent my wife an eBay ad to a 65' Sea Ray that came with a Kenworth and trailer.

For something that size, trailer boating is not of interest to me. Just leave it there year round.

Besides, if I get another Kenworth I want something much, much newer. And much, much nicer. Oh, and that doesn't have the wheels falling off of it... literally.
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That wouldn't be 'trailer boating' . Just a way to move the boat to free dry storage within walking distance of your shop.
 
Houseboating is certainly something you'd want to try a few times for a week or more to see if it suits you. They can certainly be a blast because you always have all of the comforts of home whether tied up at the dock or anchored out in a cove. Most of them will need two engines to operate efficiently, and many have bow thrusters to assist in getting them to turn in less than a football field of length. Gensets are necessary to run the multiple HVAC systems and other stuff on the boat when not on shore power. I'm not familiar with the maintenance aspect, but I'd assume it's a cross between a camper trailer and a twin-engine cruiser. Lots of fittings/rubber hoses to inspect and keep in good condition, several house batteries, two engines and at least one big genset to maintain, then all of the normal plumbing/roof leaks to watch for like you would in an RV camper. A tender boat or jet ski would be just fine, and many houseboats have a davit to lift small craft onto the deck when not in use. I don't think I would personally do the houseboat thing other than as a vacation rental, but they are big on some lakes in AR/MO/OK, as well as KY/TN. Definitely not a rough water kind of boat though, so take that into consideration on what lake you normally retreat to. LOTO or Grand Lake (OK) have too many go fasts and large cruisers making wakes that would toss a houseboat around.
 
Bill Jennings said:
So here's this beautiful (to me) meld of aircraft and boat, but they hose it up by hanging a window air conditioner on the thing Lol.
Click to expand...

Haha. I won't argue with ya there. Could have at least used one of those travel trailer air conditioners with the semi-aerodynamic covers.

Aside from that, I think it's really freakin' cool.
 
A houseboat. Combine the build quality and systems of an RV with the corrosion issues of recreational boats.
 
MIFlyer said:
yes, and if one of the engines fails, you'll have asymmetrical thrust and it can roll over. be prepared and practice your drills ;)
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Just a matter of choosing one with good rudder authority. :)
 
But....you're gonna need a vehicle or a piece of equipment to operate to go with it. Like say a track loader or a bigger rig to pull it....maybe even a water toy? :D
 
Why not just park the houseboat in the yard and pretend you're on the water? Same experience. Plus it's much easier to make a beer run.
 
Ted,

A house boat is cheaper than buying a summer cottage at a lake or beach. Sounds like fun!

We are going to look at a Moody 34 while in Sint Maarten this week. Maybe our winter home if the bride likes it.
 
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Park it at watauga lake near me and I will go halves.
Seriously I would buy one if I had the management in place to rent it out and cover most of the expenses.
 
GMascelli said:
Ted,

A house boat is cheaper than buying a summer cottage at a lake or beach. Sounds like fun!
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Not sure about that. They don't make any more lakefront. The dirt under most lakefront cottages appreciates while all fiberglass boats depreciate. Between berthing, haul-out and the depreciation, the operating cost for one of the real house boats (40-100ft boxes on a lake) are pretty high. A cottage you buy with a conventional mortgage and most of them are pretty simple as homes go.

Buy a house boat because you want the house boat life. Not to save money.

(House boat here means a recreational house boat. Not the permanent structures you'll find on some lakes in WA and on the Columbia River in OR)
 
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