house bouse on a pontoon boat

Please help,
This is my first post, I have a 21 ft. Suntracker pontoon boat with a 50 hp motor, I want to build a cabin on it that my wife can stay in on the weekends.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated , drawings, website and any information would really be great !

Thanks in advance,
Michael C. Smith
Harrison,TN

 

Look at similar threads at bottom of this page.

 

Here's a conversion I like. It was done on a 24' pontoon boat. I'll post the site with the photos and a description and some other posts the fellow put elsewhere in reference to the boat. He has two posts on the thread shown, #3 and #5.

Click on the blue "Pontoon to Houseboat Conversion" below.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/pontoon-houseboat-conversion-18963.html

 

Best idea I've seen is using 2" square tubing for the frame and structural insulated panels,the kind used for walk-in freezer etc;thin alum sheet with foam in between,very sturdy but lite weight.Can post pics as soon as I figure out how.

 

pics of boat

Hope I did it right.This thing has light weight windows and roof was designed for sunbathing.I spec fished overnight in the winter on lake Okeechobee and it was like a motel on the water.I like it so much I'm converting an older 20 footer I bought,his is a 24 footer.

 

Pics

ezrollin,
would it be possible for you to send me some pics , to my e-mail address: 4x4ryder@comcast.net , so I could see them better and get a little better Idea how to start ?

Thanks in advance, Mike

 

What is the diameter of the pontoons in the pictured boat?

 

The pics you see are of my brother inlaws boat.He is taking the rearside windows out and replacing them with sip so he can add modified foldup cots on both sides.I'll email him and have him send me some pics.I've just got the railing and seats etc cleared off my boat and I'm removing the "carpet" from the deck,a tedious process,so I can recover it with an epoxy type paint with a non slip additive.I can tell you his boat borders on looks like a factory build piece and he's altering it to fit his needs.We fished for specs on Lake Okeechobee last winter with only a lantern for heat and could'nt have been more comfortable.I will send you some pics as soon as I get them.

 

Thanks

Thanks !

 

He said they were 30 ft long and 21.5" x 19" He is going to add a third pontoon because he intends to make his more like a house boat,with water storage,permanet gas lines etc. and will be carring more weight. I think his deck is 26 ft.

 

My bother-in-law suggested I document my build since it is ground-up and would cover the complete process.My boat is a 20' Palm beach and has a 90hp 4 stroke Suzuki 2005 [low hours] and came with a little used[boat was on lift] magic tilt tandem galv. trailer.The wood deck is sound but the carpet was shot and the chairs were starting to split,perfect boat for this type of project.At this time I have removed everything from the deck except the console which will remain in the stock location. I have removed 1/3 of the glued down carper using first a scraper used for floor tiles and then with a belt sander with rough grit,what a pain!My actual deck is only 8' wide and 18' long with a 16" step-off at the motor.I've chosen to keep things as portable as I can,using a portable propane stove,ice chest etc. and a porta-pot out back.I have drawn a set of prints scaling the layout.The front deck will be 6'1" with over head cover,the cabin 9'6" and 2' at the back for the porta pot and possibly a shower and will still have the 16" step-out for motor maintainance.Yes,this is compact quarters but the 9'6" gives me room for a 6'6" bunk on each side with dry storage underneath and a 3' space on each side one of which will be taken by the steering console and the otherside will have a table top for the stove and cooler underneath.Will post pics of progress shortly.

 

Just be careful with the weight distribution. You don't want to end up like this guy!



Adding a third tube between the pontoons might help with load etc.

 

I can tell you that the boat I have pictured is very stable and planes well.The material is light weight and quite sturdy.The frame is 2" square alum. tube and the structual insulated panels are foam sandwich between two alum sheets,very light weight.Probably not much heavier than all the seats and benches I've seen on some boats.

 

pontoon houseboat 4x4 ryder

I have been thinking of doing the same thing. I have seen a pop up camper with the axles removed and fastened to the top of a 24 foot toon. It looked pretty natural when they trimmed the bottom of the camper to cover the wheel wells. It was light enough to get away with just two 24'' toons. it worked out well because the local lake has a few low bridges that a tall boat could not pass under. Not to mention the pop ups are made to be light weight. Less wind resistance when trailering

 

I Like The Windows

I am very interested in your design it has the one feature I want in mine as well. The wrap around windows. Is it possible for you to send me some better pics & specs on how u put it all together I have a 26 ft pontoon & want to keep it as light & as open as possible. Any help wud be appreciated. I live just a bit north of u ( well maybe more than a bit) in a small fishing town of Port Dover on Lake Erie in Ontario Canada.
y email is guygilchrist@kwic.com...............Guy