make houseboat from scratch

[kajakmonster]

is it possible to make a houseboat ? a simple design

 

[DrHenley]

Take an old travel trailer and put some pontoons on it.

 

[Captjim_NM]

Take the travel trailer, remove as much weight as possible, then find an old pontoon boat. Add a third pontoon to be able to carry the weight. There are some companies that make pontoon boat kits.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Take the travel trailer, remove as much weight as possible, then find an old pontoon boat. Add a third pontoon to be able to carry the weight. There are some companies that make pontoon boat kits.

Or just find a tri-toon to start with. They are becoming more popular these days. I'd be careful with using an old travel trailer though, the balance points are different.

 

[user 6208]

I wonder if there are different considerations with boats than campers. Particularly in the area of moisture.

Campers may be more susceptible to the continuous presence of moisture than a boat may be. I think boats use different types of plywood (starboard?) and non-ferrous metals whereas a camper doesn't have to.

Mold and corrosion are probably worth considering when moving something from land to water use.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

I wonder if there are different considerations with boats than campers. Particularly in the area of moisture.

Campers may be more susceptible to the continuous presence of moisture than a boat may be. I think boats use different types of plywood (starboard?) and non-ferrous metals whereas a camper doesn't have to.

Mold and corrosion are probably worth considering when moving something from land to water use.

Having recently torn apart and then rebuilt a cabin cruiser a few years back, I can tell you that you are correct (I also have an RV and do maintenance on it) You could get by for a few years without it, but, it is a bit different.

 

[Oddcaliber]

I wonder if there are different considerations with boats than campers. Particularly in the area of moisture.

Campers may be more susceptible to the continuous presence of moisture than a boat may be. I think boats use different types of plywood (starboard?) and non-ferrous metals whereas a camper doesn't have to.

Mold and corrosion are probably worth considering when moving something from land to water use.

A bit of nautical nomenclature. Before the modern rudder boats were steered by a stearboard located on the right side of the boat. Nothing to do with any kind of wood. Port side or left is where the boat would tie up to the pier. Not trying to be the grammar police here but just giving you the proper terms.

 

[Arcticdude]

If I was going to build a house boat, I'd start out with triple pontoons. Then build the structure and cabin out of aluminum. It's light and easy to work with. I'd build an engine room and put in a small inboard marine diesel engine with duel fuel tanks in the outboard pontoons. Then add fresh water and grey/black water tanks. And a couple propane tanks for the stove/oven, BBQ, generator and cabin heat.
I think this would be a fun project to work on.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

If I was to do a houseboat, considering costs and labor, I would buy an old one with good bones and then refurbish it instead. Sometimes people are almost giving them away. My ranch hand was looking to buy one a couple of years ago, so he could have his own place to entertain. He vacillated between buying the pontoons and building from scratch and rehabbing. He decided rehabbing would be more cost and time effective.



https://www.smartmarineguide.com/L50248761

 

[user 6208]

A bit of nautical nomenclature. Before the modern rudder boats were steered by a stearboard located on the right side of the boat. Nothing to do with any kind of wood. Port side or left is where the boat would tie up to the pier. Not trying to be the grammar police here but just giving you the proper terms.

I was refering to this: 1/2 in. x 48 in. x 96 in. White/White King StarBoard 796333 - The Home Depot

It's a plastic that can serve many purposes, including replacing plywood.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

I owned a boat when i was younger. I always said: "If you're out of work buy or build a boat. You'll be busy until the end of your days"

 

[Arcticdude]

I've owned boats all my life. Back in the 50's and 60's my dad, 2 uncles and grandfather all owned commercial fishing boats. I was too young to remember any of it. My current boat is a 16' aluminum jet boat. In Alaska I had a 21' jet boat and loved it. It had a heated cabin, full electronics, down riggers for salmon fishing and shrimp and crab pot pullers. I'm currently working on building 2 wooden boats, a 10' John boat for trapping, and a 16' drift boat for salmon and steelhead fishing.
I'd like to have a pontoon cabin boat to use in the lakes. Last year my kids rented one for my birthday. It was a lot of fun.

 

[EveryMilesAMemory]

There are so many options it becomes mind boggling at times

What type of water are you planning on keeping this houseboat on? That should be your first priority. Pontoon style house boats are really only good for calm lakes.

Do you plan on moving it? Meaning will it need to be trailerable? This again changes a bunch of decisions.

If you plan on being on anything other than a lake, look for a small cabin cruiser style boat and refurbish that to your liking. C-Dory, Parker, C-Hawk are all capable offshore boats that 2 people could live aboard,

We really wanted one, found a used Catamaran Cruiser for sale out of Tennessee, bought it and trailered it back down to Florida. Spent a few years playing on the Gulf Coast with it and sold it because it would get really scary in any of our typical summer storms where waves were thrown in.

Now we own a small C-Hawk that has a overnight style cabin. Way too small to live on, but will make do to get in and out of a storm.

Here are a few blog posts from times we camped on our houseboat so you’ll get a feel for it

Water Camping | Every Miles A Memory

http://everymilesamemory.com/housboatin-on-the-suwannee-river/