Living on a houseboat
 

Anyone ever done it, or stayed on one overnight?

I'm thinking about downsizing. I built a dock at my parents' house, because when they have passed on, that is the house I will live in. They are both 80 and getting to the point where they need a little more help than they used to. I was thinking I would eventually need to move back in with them, although I was hoping it would be several more years from now.

However now is a good time to sell my own waterfront house. I found an 852 sf 2BR houseboat I can park down at my new dock and enjoy waterfront living in a whole new manner. This dock is on an inland bayou and is as sheltered as it gets.

Pics
https://apps.auction123.com/ImageVie...=3331760&sID=0



Aside from a long walk from where I would park, what are the pros and cons of living on a houseboat? I lived in my 300sf RV for seven months and loved every minute, so the close quarters is no big deal. Heck, some of my 2 BR apartments are smaller than this houseboat.

It's 55' long and 15.5' wide. I know it will rock and roll a little from passing boats. It may take some getting used to.

:waiting:

There could be lots of benefits other than a beautiful place to live. Would it help you to be able to invest what you get from your current house for later?

I would use any leftover cash from the sale of my house to pay off a few other investment property mortgages, which would save on the interest and increase cash flow.

So yes, it would make sense financially.

Lots of pics at the link above. It really looks great online.

Plus it comes fully furnished as seen in the pics.

Here is a pic of the dock as was is being built, several weeks ago. It's nearly completed now. The upper deck is 29' by 35'. Over 1,000 sf.

Downstairs is a 10' by 30' deck that is carved into the hill. In the picture, the workers are putting in that deck. There is a 6' high retaining wall all around it. I'm going to add a big outdoor kitchen on that deck like you've seen on tv. There will be a massive 46 by 47' hip roof over the entire thing including the outdoor kitchen.


https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/...682-image.jpeg

The houseboat would be moored on the right of the ramp that leads down to the lower deck.

https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/...683-image.jpeg

Here's the sunset I would see every night from the upper deck.

Smells kinda fishy to me.... :spam:

WTF are you talking about?

I could live on a "boat" like that....more like a floating house than a boat. Does it have a motor or is it a pull toy? I lived on a sailboat for two months and you get used to a little rocking pretty quick. That thing probably wouldn't move much anyway.:thumbs:

https://images.auction123.com/23073a....jpg?wtrmk10nw

Make sure you get a survey done and check the size of the holding tanks on board. Emptying the septic might be a pain in the :moon: if it's too small...:ack:

Boat looks good. Does it have its own power or is it strictly a floating barge which relies on shore power to provide power? From the looks of it there is no propulsion power. How much draft does it have? Would you have to dredge the area at your parents house to have it fit? Like someone else asked, what are the sizes of the holding tanks and condition? What are the power requirements for the place? You would have to run a dedicated service for the shore power to the boat. Probably have to install a sewer line with a pumping station to go and a potable water line to the boat. Another thought would be the bilge pump with a battery back up. Not sure what a local or state regulation would be on discharge of the bilge water.

It would be a cool place to live. The rocking on a boat like that would be minimum, a 15 foot beam should keep it some what stable. I know some of the best sleep I've had is on a ship out to sea with a little rocking motion on it. Put me right to sleep every time.

Good luck with the decision.

You're house will smell like fish from living on the water. :D

It was a joke. Hey... I tried... What can I say?

No motor
Full marine survey will be done by a competent marine architect
Holding tanks are around 900+ gallons. The toilets look normal flush toilets. Not marine heads.


Strictly floating
50A 240 VAC Shore power - we were running 200A service down there anyway
27" draft- it weighs 31,000 lb. can bring it just about to the sea wall.
No dredging required
We are going with a macerator and a 1" sewer pipe up to the house septic system.
We are installing fresh water, natural gas, 200A electric, modern high speed internet coax, telephone line and an empty 6" conduit for future expansion
Parents already have high speed wireless internet and DirectTV so I'll tap into all of that.
I see big boats with bilge pumps running all the time at the marinas down here.
I think it wouldn't rock too much either. No big boats go by in this bayou since it's not a through route. One way in and out. Just ski boats and jet skis.


:cool1:

What do you do with all your current furniture and stuff? My main concerns with this are Hurricane related, how will the boat fare in the event of the next Maria, and where will the bulk of your stuff be stored? What is insurance like on that boat? Do you pay property taxes on something like that?

Long ago, when I bought a sailboat (a Cal 27), the couple I bought it from did exactly what you want to do.....they bought a Cal 30 and planned to live aboard for a year or so. They sold their house in North Houston, put their stuff in storage, and lived on board, at the marina. Of course, your situation will be different, as you'll have a residential style bathroom and kitchen, as well as more space.

http://www.troll.me/images/futurama-...-isnt-fish.jpg




https://pics.me.me/when-you-went-int...d-19860503.png





https://cdn.boldomatic.com/content/p...t-tas?size=600

As I said I'll be downsizing. I'll get rid of about 2/3 of my stuff. No big deal. If I can't sell it or give it away, I'll toss it.

In a hurricane any owner of a boat such as this will take it to a protected inland bayou... which is where it would already be permanently moored. I'd need to come out and adjust lines as the storm progresses, same as any other boat owner would need to do. In this situation a big plus for me is that I would be at the residence (which has a 45kW whole house generator!), not on the boat, but close enough to keep an eye on it and take measures as need be. Any other boat owner with no dock has to simply anchor the boat as securely as possible and hope for the best. They wouldn't be able to come out during the storm and make little adjustments. That could be the difference between coming out relatively unscathed and losing the boat entirely.

If I need to store anything I'll do so in a spare bedroom in the main house. They have 3700 sf and my parents live alone. Plenty of storage room.

I don't know what insurance costs. I may decide to self insure it if it's too costly. No property taxes on the boat, although the boat dock is listed as an Additional Feature line item on their Ad Valorum Bill.

why not just live in the main house and skip a step?

This seems much, much cooler.

:cool1:





Being a single man, it would be pretty lame/awkward to take a woman home and have to tell her I live with my parents. :ack:

This seems like a good compromise. I save money and have a cool place to live on my own.

Plus I can always sell it when it's time to move into the main house for good.

"my parents are getting up in their years, so I live with them to take care of them as needed."

"awww, what a sweet, caring man."

Yes there's that... but this seems like a lot more fun than living in one of their spare bedrooms.


:yesnod:

Privacy. Easy water access.

http://blog.ebayimg.com/motors/blog/...00-740x480.jpg




:hide:

Plus telling her to be quiet because your parents are in the next room might be a turn off. :leaving:

Had friends down the Waccamaw river in my mid 80's S.C. high school days that lived in a houseboat. Had every appliance they wanted & plenty of room. The roof was one big deck. Had an onboard gas generator that would run everything when needed (power outages), but had electricity run for normal everyday use. Had a Mercury 40 hp outboard with the tiller handle to move the boat if needed.

They had a couple light poles sunk in the river at the ends of their dock that stuck out of the water a good 20 feet that they used for mooring. They never had any issues, even during hurricane Hugo when my fathers 38' boat sank 1/4 mile down river. :yesnod:

There's also the issue of depreciation to factor in. Saving money on property taxes sounds great, but I'm assuming that would be no different than a mobile home......it will depreciate over time, which will offset the savings achieved.

It's a 2008. Current owner is the original owner.

They took the biggest depreciation hit. I'll take some loss too, but it is cheap living, right in the water. With my pontoon boat docked next to me. Plus 1725 sf of covered outdoor living space. With 825 sf heated and cooled living space.

Heck even if it costs me $80,000 to get it all set up, and I live in it for 5 years and I sell it for $20,000, that is only $12,000 per year.

That's $1000 per month including utilities.

Can't beat that with a stick.




:smash:

I almost bought a houseboat when I was in my 20s. Being in Silicon Valley, the thing that made it cost prohibitive was what it cost to dock it anywhere in that area. If you've got a free place to dock it, I think it's a great idea. The other thing that made me hesitate was the parking situation, but you've got no problem there, either.

I can't see a downside to it. You've taken care of all the necessities for shore hookups. Sounds like a hell of a bachelor pad.

Sea Six, do you have to raise the boat out of the water every few years to clean the hull, etc.? If so, that seems expensive.

Bottom work every three years. It's about $3000- $4000 every time. Plus about $250 to tow it there and back.

Not a deal breaker.

Cheap living on the water is always good! It sounds like you have covered all the bases pretty well. The only thing that I would make sure of is zoning for it. I would double check that it is all legal and that there isn't the possibility of pissed off neighbors who could raise hell with it.

You are not really living until its in a boat down in the river. :seasix:

Some good points mentioned above, particularly zoning and maintenance issues.

Could be a nice gig and the numbers certainly seem to work out.

My Dad and step Mom lived aboard their boat (57' w/ 3 bedrooms) and they only lasted 6 months before they got sick of life abroad and having no home base. Of course you'll have a home base.

Only negative I see would be hurricanes but it's not a hell of a lot different than surrounding homes.

Hell, go for it and see if it suits you. :cert:
Scott

Surprise Muthafucka!

*Martha Fokker

Wow, wow, wow, wow wow!
 

It's even more beautiful in person. Just amazing.

I actually looked at four floating houses and found an even better one that is at a lower price. This one is a one bedroom one bath vs the two bedroom one and a half bath. The bedroom is quite a bit bigger than the master bedroom on the other house. And the bathroom is much bigger, which is good because I don't need that extra half bath. This bathroom has a big double vanity sink. And the air conditioner is a larger 3T unit that is brand new.

I'm going to get actual estimates for everything- moving it, bottom work, verify I don't need any permits, etc.




And it looks like the owner will let me rent it for a week so I can see what it's really like to live on it! :hurray:


Can't wait.

:)

personally i'd opt for a yacht.

The price is right. https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/...358138722.html Cheap living...

no matter where you live, if you wake up and step onto a wet floor, you have a problem. :rofl::rofl:

Pffft. He can buy this one and still be in America.

https://houston.craigslist.org/boa/d...352931683.html


I'm guessing the slip fee is $ 350 or so, based on length.

This one looks like it's been well maintained. Could be fun.

https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/boa...290348440.html

Viking builds a nice boat and the owners I've talked to at marinas love them.

But...

Gas powered 43' cruiser with that much wood work is an absolute nightmare. :lol:

That and $50k for a 1977?

https://media1.tenor.com/images/d621...itemid=5354831

I lived on a 509.5' long, 66' beam houseboat (with guns and missiles) for quite a while. Does that count?

Sounds like it could be fun.

The thing to really be careful of on those older Vikings is the transom and stringers. They used wood encapsulated in fiberglass for the stringers and over time water tends to get into the wood causes rot over time. Vikings are notorious for that. The same thing goes for the transom.

How much should a 1977 Viking go for?

I'll be getting a marine survey so if there are any issues we will know in advance.

And how big of a boat can be single handed? I'm fairly certain 43 feet is out of the question.

It really depends on condition and how much immediate work needs to be done on it. It most importantly depends on how much you want it.

While diesels are more desirable in a 43 foot boat I actually would prefer the gas power in a 43 Viking. The diesel options were either Detroit 671n's or Cat 3208's. It isn't a fast boat with either of those options and the cost of rebuilding or fixing diesels is $$$$$$. It's a lot cheaper to fix gas engines.

It depends on the helmsman. I've seen one guy handle an 80 footer with no problem.

Very nice and Very tempting...

Single handing is my issue right now. As you know, i was supposed to already be on the great loop by now in probably a 50 footer, until my plans got destroyed.

Another issue is im a big dude. 6'6" and about 240. cant really get comfortable in something much smaller.

Have talked to some people about it and they say its all about how quick you can get to the side cleats. I cant tell on that viking how you get to and from the flybridge.

EDIT - can catch a hint of steps on the starboad side. that looks very doable. Damn tempting!!

How long does it take to do the Great Loop in a power boat such as this?

Why is the time to the side cleats an issue?

:confused5:

If you rush you could probably whip it out in three months. Most loopers take their time and do it in about a year.

The spring(side) cleats are the key to securing the boat with lines. They keep you from hitting the seawall in front and if necessary you can maneuver the boat with the motors to secure the rest of the lines.

What he said. It's roughly a 6000 mile trip depending on route and side trips. Leisurely you travel about 140 days, traveling one day every 3 or 4.

Dumbass question here; but why would you spend that much for maintenance on something that doesn't even move under it's own power? I'd get something with a engine at least.

Just my slightly inebriated opinion. :cert:

The main thing is that I'm looking for a place to stay, on the water, rather than a means of conveyance. I already have a pontoon boat on a lift right next to where the house will be.

There is far more square footage on the floating home than on a boat. Probably three times more. And it's a real home with a real flushing toilet vs a marine head, a real kitchen instead of something that's so cramped it is a pain to use, etc.

Having the thing towed to where the bottom work will be done is not a deal breaker, at least not to me.

At some point in the future though, you will be moving into the manor house. At that point you have a floating guest house. A houseboat that moves however, gives you vacation and weekender mobility.

You could literally have a skank in every port and none of them know where you really live.

That's why I was looking at yachts last year. Of course, that ended when the wife found out. :slap::leaving:

You have to add that to the monthly rent though.

Yes and he will be singing Brandy...:lol:

Ohhhh, they'll find you........:leaving:

Kinda getting more interested in yachts like the one in my above link.

If I had one with side thrusters I could take it places.

Hmmmm.

had someone way more knowledgeable than me check that one out. he says it shows very well, but is a project boat. im definitely not looking for a project.

You don't need thrusters. Just learn how to handle the damn thing.

Any 40 year old boat is going to be a project. :cert:

I looked at this one today.

It's incredibly clean and well maintained. Both the previous two owners are local and available to talk about the boat.

He's taken this thing on some long trips, to the Bahamas, south Florida, Kentucky, etc.

Used 1986 Sea Ranger 40 Sedan, Shalimar, Fl - 32579 - BoatTrader.com

Is it overpriced? What would be a reasonable price?

'Nuther 'un.

44' double cabin with a good sized aft stateroom.

Used 1986 Marine Trader 44 Sundeck, Bay St. Louis, Ms - 39520 - BoatTrader.com

Being 6'5" I could never live the house boat lifestyle.
I'm gonna do it on a 42' Bennetau for a few days next July in the San Juan Islands though.
A few days is one thing, but to actually live on one? I just couldn't. For me, the inconveniences just outweigh the enjoyment.
I look forward to hearing what you get, and hearing about your experiences on it, over the next few years.
Some people love it, but for some people, it just a passing fancy.

Like the second better. Both overpriced though.

Keep looking...

Just like home, even has a lawn to mow...

https://weburbanist.com/wp-content/u...green-roof.jpg

Rather than walk away from a boat I like if it's overpriced, I like to make an offer.

What do you think it's worth?

I would ask you what the market is on those boats, but truth be told, there is no market for either of those boats. That's not to say they are bad boats, they may not be. However, there is only one way to look at a 30+ year old boat: It's an old boat and nobody wants them. Harsh, but if you are going to buy a boat that old, you need to know that going in.

If you are going to live aboard a boat, I would suggest looking at something in the 55+ foot range. Anything below that is too small for living aboard full time.

:cert:

:iagree:
Where you live affects the price too. He's probably trying to recoup a lot of the electronics, gizmo's, and repairs he's put on the boat over the years as well. If it were me, I'd check to see how long that boat has been up for sale, as well as other 30 year old boats that are comparable. If you can, find out what a dealer would pay. Then I'd lowball the shit out of him. I mean low, maybe half. (you can kind of gauge that on what a dealer would pay, go lower if you can) When he's done screaming or laughing, give him your number and let him know that you will be buying a 40+ft boat, it can be his or it can be another one. Negotiate with him and let him bring you up on the offer. But whatever the case, I wouldn't give much more than a dealer would.

Awesome advice.

Thanks guys.

wheres the boat dealer kid? bet he could help.

Did you ever get a houseboat? I have a buddy that’s about to buy one, I think he’s nuts.
:lol:

2 year old post. I'm thinking he may either be living on it or gone?:D:lol:

Just asking is all
:lol:

:D not sure what happened to him or the boat?:lol: just saw the date of the post.

Sea Six might be Sea Sick.

Surely someone on this forum will know where he is. We got folks here that know everything about everybody. I like the guy! I hope he is ok.

:iagree:

Sup mofos


:smash:

No houseboat. Still may do that one of these days though.

Clark:kimblair:

:cert:

Had not seen you post in a while. What are you up to these days? Doing the RV thing?

Dude! Need coffee?? :needcoffee:

Let me correct my earlier post. I used to like him. But now, he's messin with us!!!

I used to like him too.

I mean I still like him, but I used to too.

I would like to go on record stating he is not that one guy.:seasix:

I have not left to go RVing but I'm about ready to. Finishing up a kitchen and master bat remodel in the house before I leave.

Actually yes I did run out of what you sent me! I would love another batch. How much do I owe you for another one like you last sent me?

So I've got that going for me.

:cool1:

Up until he got married one of my best friends lived on his. Stayed there from April til October. Lived at his parents guest house during the winter. He loved it. Did it for years.