Planning to build a houseboat.

Does seem to be about what i'm looking for. tho the materials for something like that aren't likely to be affordable.

may have to settle for something i can use to spend weekends on the great lakes with.

 

I like blue: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2012/Kuranda-motor-sailer-2450518/saint-john/Canada#.V1Ijjtq9KSM

Don't know how you feel about it though....

 

nice boat.. better be for 75k

 

Myabe this is more your aim

http://www.tadroberts.ca/services/small-boats/sail/harry126

 

I'm speechless. From a 14' wide houseboat and hauling with a pickup truck, anyway, even a free steel boat isn't cheap to keep or use.

I can tell you our repair for one of the two transmissions on a 50' Sea Ray was just over $8,000.00!

A boat is a hole in the water in which you throw money, the bigger the hole the more money it will take to fill that hole.

Going to the PNW, I'd take a cruise and just sit back and enjoy. Next option, rent a boat or charter if you can.

I see your plans changed, to hang around the Great Lakes. From there you could cruise for a lifetime in a much smaller boat, just stay closer to shores and watch conditions.
I think you're in one of the best boating areas in the world and we seem to be wanting to go where we aren't.

That 26'er Rwatson posted really fits the bill!

You'll need permits and may be an escort to haul that 11' beam.

Here are some things I had to consider about big dream boating/sailing;

An acceptable boat for the intended use, safety comes first.
Age and physical abilities, not just mine but those on board as well.
Building a boat takes skills, physical strength to carry 1/2 inch ply around by yourself
Budget, buying a boat is only half the cost. Building costs more than the same one you can buy.
Sailing may not be much cheaper than motoring, rigging and sails wear out, but so do motors.
Storage, moored, dock expenses, trailer and vehicle, zoning or neighborhood covenants can be an issue, can you have a 26' or 30' boat on a trailer in the yard or carry on construction activities? (Need to buy an F-350 just to pull the boat, not me)
Then experience, do you really know what you're doing, because your life and that of others depends on it!

This is by no means an all inclusive list of considerations, but for me a smaller boat would is a better boat, just big enough for the intended use. All of those matters I mentioned play in the mix, what I want to do and what I can do are two different things, after awhile take what you can do and then want to do that.

You may end up like me, I'm going to build a small boat for limited purposes, I'll buy a larger one for the great adventure, one I can sell when I'm done with it.

IMO, most boat owners with something 30' or bigger for more than 5 years probably has a boat they would sell! We do, LOL.

 

Start studying boat design to get a feel for how to design for very small spaces. If you want sustainable, you want small. Small boats often do not have traditional furniture, or a lot of floor space. Read up on European canal boats. Or even look at the interiors of motor homes. Consider what a 1000 square foot motor home would look like, and you'll have some idea how excessive this size is.

Approach it from the opposite direction. Consider what functions you need from it, and how much space that will require, rather than assigning a size first.

 

In the narrow, low windage hulls I would personally prefer (for more "economical" cruising rather than speed) it would take a hundred footer to even approach a thousand, including engine spaces.

Four hundred and a bit still takes a 60 footer.

If people were 3' tall it would be a lot easier to build a well appointed cruising boat, that's for sure.