Planning to build a houseboat.

This thread seems to be proceeding along a familiar path, where pipe-dreams meet reality, and the results are usually not gratifying.

 

Well, maybe its not a lost cause. We all have to start out from somewhere, and it took me a long time to get up to speed.

Hopefully the new starters will keep asking lots of questions and learn heaps. Good luck to the OP

Ah, the beauty of the internet....

 

Lots of dreamers where boats are concerned, which is OK unless it becomes a safety issue.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Houseboats aren't passage makers, but instead harbor queens (at best), intended to live on a slip, with occasional romps into very calm waters. You plans suggest you need considerably more than a houseboat (pontoon hulled or other wise). I have a set of riverboat designs that are much better suited for your needs, but even these are limited to nearshore operating condisions, though far superior to a typical houseboat.

I'd agree you need a real powerboat and the trawler would seem the obvious economical choice. It would seem you need to gain some deep water experience in larger power craft, to develop you ideas, needs and desires in a boat that will offer the features you'd require for this type of adventure.

Building new 50' yachts just isn't economical in today's market, considering the huge gut on the market of used boats. For a fraction of the price of building new, you can pick up a neglected production boat that needs some cosmetic upgrades. Further searching will reveal "fixer uppers" that need a engine or updated electronics and you can get this for a song, because the owners know in their current condition they can ask for much.

Look around and see what is available in your area and develop a solid list of priorities the boat must meet, to ring the bell on your desires list.

 

There are no problems, only solutions of varying value.

-how to build a build this boat for under $20k -find someone who didn't listen to us and can't finish the boat they started, offer to get it out of their yard for a reasonable fee.

-He has skills, boat repair is in demand and pays well. Plus it leaves him perfectly positioned to scarf up a great deal on a used boat he knows how to fix.

We may not have much control of reality here, but we have a very good grasp.

 

Birdseed:

I'm not yet 40 but have been on the BC Coast since I was a kid- so a lot of years experience.
I wouldn't even think of taking a pontoon houseboat out.

Not being dramatic: in my times being up the coast I have assisted the CCG 11 times in trying to locate bodies from overturned -inadequate- vessels.
I have overheard on the radio another 25 or so incidents of desperate situations.

Spending $20k to buy or build a boat would be cheaper than the funeral expenses of your family.

Do not try this.

 

There is a lot of water between these 2 models

 

The chimney in the top pic means it was the de luxe model.

 

Its not a chimney - its a periscope

 

The super de luxe version then !

 

One is a boathouse and the other is a houseboat. Neither look to be seaworthy.

 

Yesterday,English Bay in Vancouver.Was calm,a bit of chop.

A 40 kmh westerly blew up and in a few minutes was maybe 3-4' (was a couple kilometers from the water but could see a lot of white) waves rolling in.
Any houseboat would have been pounded,but the kite surfers were loving it.

BTW my previous post-those 25 were incidents that were within an hour,many more outside of that range.

 

So, I did some research into obtaining a boat that needs repair. I actually found a nice jamestown that i can get for free, needs a carpet and hull fixed/replaced. Was a decend deal, but I can't find a trailer that would be capable of pulling it.

But the wife and I have decided that we would rather have one @ 102" wide, trailer able. There are a couple companies that build them this way. Ill be able to take it to local lakes, and lake michigan. Won't have to worry about permits and needing a bigger truck. so we would get more use out of it.

It won't be able to be more than 28' long. Which sucks, i was hoping for 35, but itl work.

Iv got a hull design thatl basically be a catamaran.

using bs1088 marine ply, 1 layer cop mat and 1 layer woven cloth using epoxy, and a Douglas fir frame, the hull will cost a little under 3 grand. maybe less if i can use the scrap better.

1/4" ply is f'ing expensive. moreso than the 1/2, but the 1/2 would weigh more and be harder to bend into shape.

Speaking of bending, I saw a guy do it by putting plastic bags around the wood then boiling water (steam) into the bags, then just bent it that way. seemed to work pretty well. what do you think? If i did try it with 1/2" thick ply, think it would be too hard?

but yea, back to building, as if I got something else, it would just be too much to maintain. permits every year, having to obtain a bigger truck. even the ones around 12k weight are just too much for my truck.

 

So, I did some research into obtaining a boat that needs repair. I actually found a nice jamestown that i can get for free, needs a carpet and hull fixed/replaced. Was a decend deal, but I can't find a trailer that would be capable of pulling it.

But the wife and I have decided that we would rather have one @ 102" wide, trailer able. There are a couple companies that build them this way. Ill be able to take it to local lakes, and lake michigan. Won't have to worry about permits and needing a bigger truck. so we would get more use out of it.

It won't be able to be more than 28' long. Which sucks, i was hoping for 35, but itl work.

Iv got a hull design thatl basically be a catamaran.

using bs1088 marine ply, 1 layer cop mat and 1 layer woven cloth using epoxy, and a Douglas fir frame, the hull will cost a little under 3 grand. maybe less if i can use the scrap better.

1/4" ply is f'ing expensive. moreso than the 1/2, but the 1/2 would weigh more and be harder to bend into shape.

Speaking of bending, I saw a guy do it by putting plastic bags around the wood then boiling water (steam) into the bags, then just bent it that way. seemed to work pretty well. what do you think? If i did try it with 1/2" thick ply, think it would be too hard?

but yea, back to building, as if I got something else, it would just be too much to maintain. permits every year, having to obtain a bigger truck. even the ones around 12k weight are just too much for my truck.

 

Made some digital reproductions, to scale, of the hull.