Retirement Houseboat or Floating Home

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Greenseas2, Aug 25, 2008.

  1. brian eiland
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    Here is a fashionable tented structure that might be simplified so it could be added onto Myark's foldable base structure?

    http://www.tomahouse.com/ProjectArea/Monserrat/monserrat.htm
     
  2. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    Just got back from another trip to Thailand where I visited a couple of interesting places. This one was at the floating market town of Amphawa just southwest of Bangkok. Saw a number of interesting vessels including this unusual one,..... that if enclosed and enlarged just a little bit, sure reminds me of this 'modified' Pilgrim concept
    DSCF2980.jpg

    Then a bit more enclosure...
    DSCF3016.jpg
    DSCF3017.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2014
  3. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    River Kwai

    Another place we visited was up near the 'Bridge on the River Kwai' in Kanchanburi Thailand. I had heard that they had lots of 'floating houses/rafts/cottages/resorts up in that area. I found a LOT, and for now with just post a few preliminary photos.
     

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  4. Pericles
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    Location: Heights of High Wycombe, not far from River Thames

    Pericles Senior Member

    It's unfortunate, but in the UK, the seashore between high & low tides is the property of the Crown, which means that technically, a pass port is required for traversing this border. There is no freedom without responsibility.

    Hence, houseboats are regulated out of the reach of most people & most especially, on rivers & canals. The floods we had on the R. Thames "liberated" the mooring lines of quite a number of vessels, but the occupants of those who did not abandon their craft, then faced difficulties in reaching shore in order to re-provision. OTOH, a flooded house is contaminated with sewage & could be uninhabitable for months & months.
     
  5. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    On the Water Experiences

    These guys make the 'on water' experience look easy.

    While the story is about football (soccer) , check out the environment and creativity of these guys.

    Every little bit of water is used.

     
  6. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    Thai Rice Barge Home

    Cruising around on a river near the floating market area of Amphawa, I spotted this house on the land. At least if a BIG flood comes along, as often happens in Thailand, he may survive better than many others.
    DSCF3014. house ,boat bottom.jpg

    DSCF3015, house, boat bottom.jpg

    Looks like it may have been built around an old style Thai Rice Barge (more images)
     

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  7. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    Living on a Lake in Chiangmai

    Over in Thailand again, and this idea of a floating house / cottage / whatever has resurfaced. So I'm going thru a few forums over here and look at this reference that has just turned up.....WOW

    64040d1392553368-bali-thai-style-houseboat-lakeview-morning-ps-jpg[1].jpg

    64041d1392553393-bali-thai-style-houseboat-img_6795-660ps-jpg[1].jpg

    64042d1392553405-bali-thai-style-houseboat-img_0784-660ps-jpg[1].jpg

    64043d1392553419-bali-thai-style-houseboat-img_6801-660ps-jpg[1].jpg


    Living on a lake in Chiangmai
    Mountain Float
     
  8. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

  9. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
    Posts: 5,067
    Likes: 216, Points: 73, Legacy Rep: 1903
    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

  10. brian eiland
    Joined: Jun 2002
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    Location: St Augustine Fl, Thailand

    brian eiland Senior Member

    ...oh yeah, we need some coffee,..... after that night at the bar

    64069d1392725180-bali-thai-style-houseboat-2925254_58_z-660-jpg[1].jpg

    64070d1392725253-bali-thai-style-houseboat-2925254_49_z-660-jpg[1].jpg
    64071d1392725500-bali-thai-style-houseboat-dusk-lighting-jpg[1].jpg
    64072d1392725580-bali-thai-style-houseboat-2925254_61_z-660-jpg[1].jpg

    ...and since we are in Thailand, we need another massage
    64073d1392725596-bali-thai-style-houseboat-2925254_68_z-660-jpg[1].jpg
     
  11. Rurudyne
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    Rurudyne Senior Member

    Pretty.

    Couldn't you adapt SOF techniques to construct the sides of a lightweight superstructure and help keep the CG low? Use a flame retardant low density filler sewn in place between the outer and inner skin for insulation and some sound reduction?
     
  12. brian eiland
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    brian eiland Senior Member

    What is SOF technics?
     
  13. Rurudyne
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    Rurudyne Senior Member

    Sorry, skin on frame.
     
  14. wannadriveaboat
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    wannadriveaboat Junior Member

    Are you talking about something like a tent?
     

  15. Rurudyne
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    Rurudyne Senior Member

    Yes and no.

    Rather using the taut waterproofed (doped) fabric, inner and outer layer plus any insulating batten material sewn in between, as the walls stretched over a frame attached to whatever is supporting the roof (which would probably be regular construction). It probably shouldn't look like a tent being the idea. Windows of glass suitable for a boat, for example, could be framed in place rather than use clear fabric if one were keeping to a tent in appearance.

    Doing so would probably be more suited to a boat with canvassed decks than lots of brightwork, or so I would suppose (I could just hear the jokes about running out of money after laying the pretty deck...).

    The context was those "slow boats" which are, it turns out, shovel bowed scows that kinda remind me of massive punts. When I looked around on the net it seems that the type does come with fully enclosed cabins, but they seem to be rather bare or else lightly built cabins in what I saw. I suspect that this is to keep the CG as low as possible.

    Instead of building a superstructure entirely out of wood I just wondered how this other building technique might be used instead since it tends to be light weight. This way more headroom could be achieved without necessarily compromising stability or requiring as much ballast. This approach may well be less expensive to build as well based on what I've read about skin on frame.

    Of course, OTHER issues are introduced (some SoF fabrics have shorter life spans than others and no telling how durable they would be compared to plywood) ... as always there is no free lunch.
     
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