hi everyone

Discussion in 'All Things Boats & Boating' started by draderman, Jun 13, 2009.

  1. draderman
    Joined: Jun 2009
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: bc canada

    draderman New Member

    greetings all! im new here. im building a houseboat.


    hi all. just thought i would introduce myself. my name is jay and im a 31 year old mechanical insulator from the kootenays, british columbia, canada. while all of my friends are mortgaging over priced property, ive decided to take a different route.

    [​IMG]

    in the 50's bc hydro built two dams on the columbia river and the space between became the arrow lakes. when i was growing up, my aunt had a cabin on lower arrow lake, which is up the valley about 25kms from my hometown of castlegar. i love the lake, and i figure im better off living on it rather that just driving up there every weekend. im single, and after a few failed relationships and a few broken hearts my intention is to stay single. so i cant think of a better "fit" for my lifestyle than to be where my heart has always been - on the lake.

    to make a long story short, im in the process of designing (or trying to) a houseboat that i can live on all year round. ive looked at buying a houseboat, but none of them seem to fit my needs unless i spend a half million dollars. besides, i have the time, and cant think of a more rewarding project. im considering going with solar and wind power, so i dont have to rely on the marina as much, and am also brain-storming ways to combat the winter months. im really happy i found these forums and am looking forward to getting ideas and advice from the fine people that post here. thanks!
     
  2. Guest625101138

    Guest625101138 Previous Member

    Does the lake freeze over?

    Rick W
     
  3. masalai
    Joined: Oct 2007
    Posts: 6,818
    Likes: 121, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 1882
    Location: cruising, Australia

    masalai masalai

    Enjoy your project - post progress reports for rabid criticism & unwelcome comments or praise, depending on the mood of the respondent rather than the effort or whatever you have done - The main thing is that it suits your need and imagination - It looks really still and sheltered so wind may be out? as a power source - I like solar panels with a backup (fallen timber to feed a stove and run a small steam engine to trickle charge batteries?) - PM Boston, as he seems keen on steam/wood-chip boilers....

    Don't forget to "camoflage your houseboat" so the rangers may not notice you, and you can watch the wildlife - which should abound in that environment...
     

  4. draderman
    Joined: Jun 2009
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: bc canada

    draderman New Member

    no the lake stays water all year round. it must be due to the fact that it goes from river to lake to river again, because the neighboring christina lake is 3 times as wide, and it freezes every year. the temperature on the lakes surface can drop to -10c so the snow would collect on the surface of the boat. im considering a peaked roof that reaches right down to the surface of the water.

    well, when the weather is nice and sunny the wind is low - none, but on a cloudy day the wind does pick up quite a bit. the lake sits in a narrow valley with large mountains on each side, and some days the wind gets blowing pretty good.

    i hadnt considered steam; thanks for the idea. a lot of the new commercial jobs ive worked on are using radiant heat, which is basically hot water from a water heater circulated through a back-and-forth back-and-forth array of 1" tubing buried under a half inch of concrete in the floor. its said to be very efficient. i was thinking i could extend the tubing from the floor up the sloped roof and if the outer shell of the boat was made of something that absorbed heat, like aluminum, it might keep the outer surface of the boat above freezing and melt snow on contact, to keep it from accumulating.

    [​IMG]

    thanks for posting!
     
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