Retirement Houseboat or Floating Home

That work shop was in NZ and was given to me at no cost including the power by the owner who said he was not using it which was next door to his larger boiler making heavy duty work shop.
He also gave the use of a large office with living conditions also at no cost.
I worked for Frank some years earlier and when asked him if he would rent the empty work shop to me he said I can have it for free because it was not safety certified from a recent huge earth quake, it also had a large gantry crane I needed to turn the barge.

Frank said I was his best worker he had come across out of the 60 people he employed at that time as I worked for him contracting on a shut down paper mill which he paid me big $ and would let me stay behind and keep working on my own as I needed money for the start of my Myark inventions.

What I did because the money he paid me was huge is when the other workers went back to their luxury hotels with meals while it was snowing, I worked on as I slept in my car with my dog Flash because Frank offered me the cash he was going to pay upmarket hotel so I could be with my dog and when every one arrived the next mornings it was like the story called the Elves and the Shoemaker although I did have for my meal during that over time some really good cookies
His name was Frank Moody who died a few years ago while he was building a large yacht to sail sola around the world in his retirement but died of cancer during that time.
I went back to thank Frank for his incredible kindness and honor but he died just before hand.
Frank was a person that took no prisoners but if you show honor he would give you his heart.

The picture is the office Frank gave me to use to design the barge and to live.

 

So sad he was not able to experience that dream.

I'm driving a long way north in a few days just to attend an annual 'the boys dinner', because you can never tell if an old friend will still be there next year.

 

A Houseboat that Sails?

...new subject thread that some may find interesting

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/houseboat-sails-57000.html

 

Just this morning I saw a short report on TV news about the greatly expanding number of liveaboard houseboats (narrow boats as they referred to them) that are appearing in the canals of London, and surrounding areas.
for instance...

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/27/business/international/in-london-houseboats-offer-alternative-to-high-rent-but-new-problems-emerge.html?_r=0

http://houseboats.apolloduck.co.uk/regions.phtml?rid=84

 

Brian,

Between end of June until the second week in October 2015, I camped on a 1968 Freeman 22 Mk 2 & cruised the River Thames between Maidenhead & Henley-on-Thames.

http://www.freemancruisers.com/boats/model/freeman22mk2/

They are very cramped inside, but in the 1960's, we Brits were a lot slimmer. That's not the case now.

http://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/freeman-22-mk2-boat-for-sale-6676.html

I said I camped, because with a small portable gas cooker & a Porta Potti, the on-board facilities were primitive, so I looked to riverside hostelries for sustenance. I had thought I would gently pottter from pub mooring to pub mooring, Disappointingly, they are few & far between, so after cruising as far as Oxford, I came to the conclusion the the Bounty would serve as my port of origin.

http://www.thebountypub.com/gallery.html

There is generally an overnight charge of £5-£8 for mooring on the Thames, anywhere near a town, but the Bounty allowed me to stay moored up as my home from home. It was marvellous!

However, the Water Gypsy life on the Regents Canal in London has no appeal for me. Berths as scarce & expensive. There are too many rogues & thieves. All in all, living on a narrow boat is more stressful than expected, however there are some compensations away from the "smoke". Keith & Jo Lodge maintain a series of blogs about their adventures.

http://narrowboathadar.blogspot.co.uk/