How do I get started building a houseboat?

[joefaber]

Eric,

I'm a bit confused,

....to turn them into bona fide houseboats, as opposed to "floating homes."
This is a legal advantage because houseboats fall under federal boating act laws,
whereas houseboats don't because but they get encumbered by local ordinance rules.

which fall under the Fed law?
is it the houseboat (motorized)? and floating homes (non-motorized) by local?
or vice versa?

the advantage of multihulls is that they are hard to capsize,
need less power to propel compared to similar length/beam craft
and have more the usable deck area than similar length/beam craft.

also, if three hulls are used,
the utilities & power plant could be placed in the middle one.

=====

i've attached a rough idea for something a DIYer would be able to build
mostly from off the shelf (HOME DEPOT, Ace Hardware. etal.) items.
the designs are clunky and would manuever slugishly, but,
should be able to handle up to about 10 knots on inland waterways.
any observations/critiques/suggestions are welcome.


unclejoe@happyhippie.com

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by Eric Sponberg

We started with a totally rectangular barge made out of plywood and fiberglass. Eventually, my client's desire was to build a fiberglass hull and add power to turn them into bona fide houseboats, as opposed to "floating homes." This is a legal advantage because houseboats fall under federal boating act laws, whereas houseboats don't because but they get encumbered by local ordinance rules. This can be a real problem if the local community doesn't like houseboats in their area. Floating homes can get outlawed really quickly and easily.

Here are some Rhino images of the fiberglass hull. The plans for this hull are proprietary to my client so they are not for sale. But if anyone would like to talk with me about houseboat designs, you may contact me privately.

Eric

I don't understand what you are saying in the underlined part above.

For a hull size and shape like you posted, what structural element does the most to keep it from being flexible in the fore and aft 'twist' sense?

[Boston]

there is undoubtedly a legal description drawing the pertinent distinctions
Ild be surprised if those distinctions didnt vary from state to state
but it sounds like old Eric has put you on to a key consideration

best
B

[Eric Sponberg]

Originally Posted by joefaber

Eric,

I'm a bit confused,
which fall under the Fed law?
is it the houseboat (motorized)? and floating homes (non-motorized) by local?
or vice versa?

the advantage of multihulls is that they are hard to capsize,
need less power to propel compared to similar length/beam craft
and have more the usable deck area than similar length/beam craft.

also, if three hulls are used,
the utilities & power plant could be placed in the middle one.

=====

i've attached a rough idea for something a DIYer would be able to build
mostly from off the shelf (HOME DEPOT, Ace Hardware. etal.) items.
the designs are clunky and would manuever slugishly, but,
should be able to handle up to about 10 knots on inland waterways.
any observations/critiques/suggestions are welcome.


unclejoe@happyhippie.com

First, Federal Law. My client is building his houseboats in production. They are bona fide recreational vessels. Therefore, he has to register as a boatbuilder with the US Coast Guard and follow the provisions of the Federal Boating Safety Act and other laws as detailed in Title 46 of the US Code (46 USC) and Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations (33 CFR). His vessels have to comply with the safety and equipment provisions of these Codes. My client also intends to keep his houseboats in his own marina here in Florida.

If my client built merely "floating homes" and not bona fide vessels, he would not have to comply with 46 USC and 33 CFR for recreational vessels. But he would have to comply with the local ordinances regarding the construction of houses as if they were built on land. Ordinances vary from county to county, from city to city. Sometimes, they can be enforced arbitrarily. If local communities do not want floating homes in their areas, they can enact and enforce ordinances regarding their design and construction that make it very difficult to comply. You have to get your floating home inspected by the local building inspector, and if he does not like what you have, he can NOT issue an occupancy permit.

However, since these are genuine recreational vessels, local building ordinances do not apply--there are no local ordinances that can supplant federal boatbuilding laws, which do apply. Federal laws, in a case like this, are actually easier to comply with than local ordinances. The houseboats are moored in an approved marina. You could also keep one at your own dock if you have one.

If a houseboat as a recreational vessel is used for a commercial purpose, it might also have to come under the jurisdiction of Title 46 CFR which governs commercial vessels. Local ordinances may apply regarding the operation of commercial properties. I have not gotten directly involved in that yet, although I have had approaches from people who would like to use a houseboat as a restaurant and as a liquor store.

I will say that one has to be careful of stability and flotation for houseboats. Federal laws can apply in some cases. Most local communities do not have any provisions regarding floating home stability. And in a hurricane-prone state like Florida, you have to be careful that a floating home does not flip over in a hurricane. The best local ordinance and building standard that I have come across is the one established in Marin County, California, where the town of Sausalito has a vibrant floating home community. I have seen these repeated by and large in Alameda, CA, and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, but Marin County's is the most complete, and so I follow these.

I'd also like to address the comments about pontoon hulls (multihulls). First, hard to capsize: If we take my hull as an example (which I showed in an earlier post), it is 16' wide and 52' long. It has a displacement of 32,820 lbs. Its center of gravity is 0.98' feet above the deck. The hull is 4.67' deep. Its draft is 1.15', giving a freeboard of 3.52'. It's metacenter (KM) is 21.96' above the keel, giving a GM of 16.32'. If we keep everything the same and trade out the hull for a multihull arrangement according to your diagram for the same area (length and beam) with the same house, weight, freeboard, and VCG, and with pontoons that follow your design--3 hulls each 2' wide (we'll make them the same draft for ease of calculation), we end up with the following: Draft is deeper, 1.64' vs. 1.15'. The moment of inertia of the waterplane is less, therefore KM is less, 20.90' vs. 21.96'. Therefore, GM--stability--is less, 14.76' vs. 16.32'. For the same dimensions, therefore, the multihull version is less stable (eaiser to capsize) than the full hull version as I proposed.

Need less power to propell: Probably, I will grant that, although it would be a very much more involved calculation to determine precise powering requirements.

More useable deck area: Not so--they are the same: 52' x 16'.

Utilities and power plant placed in the middle hull: Same is true with my houseboat, all utilities go in the hull. But in my version, you have lots more room to get around the equipment. In the multihull version, you have only 2' of width overall in the central hull, which is not very wide at all. Engine mounts themselves are 22.5" on center, and many engines are wider than 2' overall. It would be really difficult to get good equipment into such narrow spaces.

Eric

[joefaber]

Eric,

Thank you for the clarification.
I'd forgotten that craft built for sale fall under the USGC/Federal regulations.
Mine is a DIY perspective and the regs aren't as stringent.

As to multihulls,
I should have prefaced that the comparison is with traditionally styled (tapering toward the bow) hulls.
mea culpa.

I admit that two feet (22.5" actually) is too snug to place petrol fueled engines.
Using an electric scheme for propulsion, however, it is more than ample space for the envisioned drive system.
----
With a draft @1.15 feet, shouldn't the displacement of the elegant hull you posted earlier be 25 ton+?

[Eric Sponberg]

Originally Posted by joefaber

Eric,

With a draft @1.15 feet, shouldn't the displacement of the elegant hull you posted earlier be 25 ton+?

Actually, the displacement calculations come from my detailed weight estimate, weight and center of which were input into the hydrostatics program, and the program balances the hull at the correct draft, heel and trim. The overall width and length of the waterplane are actually a bit narrower and shorter than the overall width and length of hull. Also, the hull has deadrise and round bilges. Draft is measured to the hull centerline, the deepest part. All in all, these factors balance out to 32,820 lbs displacement = 14.65 long tons.

Eric

[david@boatsmith]

Hi Boston, Just read your post on boatdesign.net about Elco stlye houseboats. Reuel Parker has several designs of this flavor. He's online at parker marine enterprises. Cheers David www.boatsmithfl.com