Houseboat hull design

Don't give up on your barrel idea just yet,.... but don't fill them with foam.

I would suggest you go up to that "search button" and enter several different words at different times,...such as "barge", "raft", "houseboat", etc.
You will come up with an amazing amount of ideas...lots of reading to wade thru, but I bet you get some other ideas. :idea::idea:

BTW, how about bamboo....lots of that over in Asia
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/retirement-houseboat-floating-home-23987.html#post381985

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/retirement-houseboat-floating-home-23987.html#post382079

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/retirement-houseboat-floating-home-23987-3.html#post424272

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/142352-mae-taeng-dam-all-house-boats-are-not-created-equal/?&p=5033468#entry5033468

 

Well great ideas and advice, yes you'd probably be better at pushing a barge than pulling it as I mentioned, but don't know what service boat you may have, don't think my I/O cuddy would do well with tires over the side as a tug.

I mentioned getting a real boat and I agree that building something that is more boat than barge will serve you much better and it will be cheaper in the long run.

Styrofoam will get water logged over time, so much so it sinks. In my area boat docks were built with logs of Styrofoam in the 60s and the logs had to be changed out regularly, but I don't know how often. Here, the Corps of Engineers doesn't allow exposed Styrofoam or any type of foam in the water, and that's fresh water, I'd think sea water would be worse. Foams that are exposed break off in chunks and become floating trash, you can still find it along the banks. By itself, it's not good stuff.

It will also get water logged inside a container. You won't be able to inspect the condition of foam inside a barrel either.

Look or search for dock floats, they are some type of hard plastic that are made for boat docks and they come in different sizes and shapes. Not as cheap as a barrel, but they have bolting attachments built in to attach them to a wood or metal frame. Putting any money into a vessel think about maintenance and repairs, replacing parts as an ongoing expense. The price of these floats is initially, cheap in the long run.

But if I were to do this I'd forget barrels too, build a catamaran or tri-toon or one of the designs mentioned above.

 

The polyurethane foam I recommend comes in a cardboard box containing two plastic bags of liquid and a double plastic tube connected to a throw away mixing/spray valve.
a helper shakes the box and the applier sprays the foam on or in where you want it. We always buy a bag full of the spray valves, very cheap.
It's VERY hard foam. very rigid. and sticks very tenaciously to whatever in touchs when sprayed. and doesn't absorb water. and forms a tough skin outside surface.
Clean up of over spray VERY difficult because it adheres so tight.

I have sometimes had to hunt down and capture a barge abandoned by it's tug in a storm.
If the barge was damaged, we'd tack (weld) on some expanded steel mesh over the hole/s and spray the foam on about 6 inches thick.
I have seen barges still operating years later, with the "temporary" foam patch my crew applied when we rescued the barge.

As to molding I know nothing. I was thinking you would build a wooden box with bottom, sides, ends and internal bracing/engineered strength members.
Spray the foam in. It is very strong just by itself.
Flip the box over and what WAS the wooden bottom is NOW your deck.


If small craft are your available power, put 3 boats in front pulling and a couple of boats "tailed" on, just floating behind, but available to pull astern as brakes to stop tow.

the boats pulling in front should all be the same length towlines, so if they come together, it's boat bumping boat, not crossing over towlines.

the center boat does all the navigating. the two 'wing" boats just pull and steer to keep the same distance to their side, off the center boat. Good luck