Sailing days over? How about a house boat?

[TomY]

This one was built in our neighborhood. It's a Bruce Devlin design for a retiring sailor. 36' long with what looks like about 11 or 12' of beam. It's built on a Scow hull - transoms at each end - so it carries the beam from end to end. I estimate it has about 300 square feet of living space (that's a lot for a 36' boat, any boat!)

Devlin designed the hull and the house, the owner designed the 'interior'. The owner is a musician with many many sailing years behind him.

Very commodious with a kitchen and lounging area in the widest aft half. Forward is a stateroom with a walk around, full double, bed. I like that it has ample storage. Nothing worse than living space without ample storage(that's not 'living').

200 gallons of water, a refrigerator(in drawers), with batteries and solar charging to take care of it. With the composting head that's installed, you could spend many days onboard.

But unlike most houseboats, that are really barges that often are towed, this one has 2 50hp outboards for power. Not anything you'd get down the coast in (unless you had plenty of time to wait for weather) but you can get around in sheltered water, pretty well.

Interesting in that the hull parts were cut by CNC router, and the sheets were delivered, ready to assemble and glass.

https://maloneboatbuilding.com/present_work.html

 

[Rick486]

Beautiful boat! Only thing is a "composting head..". Yechhh

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Beautiful boat! Only thing is a "composting head..". Yechhh

The people who own them swear by them. Ecological and practical. Nothing pleasant about a traditional head and holding tank either. Poop and pee are what they are. Perhaps we should have open minds.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Beautiful boat! Only thing is a "composting head..". Yechhh

Actually, properly installed and cared for, they are pretty decent- no odors at all. Otherwise you get to find, and pay for dump statiions

 

[Will Gilmore]

Poop and pee are what they are. Perhaps we should have open minds

Open minds and closed nostrils.
Houseboats are cool. They need to have a sailboat tied up to them. Rooftop deck provides nice living space. Putting green, volleyball, picnic bbq.
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Mary Lou]

Interesting. Ought to be good for poking about Penobscot Bay in comfort. Sounds like the systems are pretty simple too. If I recall correctly, the story was that the original Jeannie Teal "spent a good deal of time at anchor."

 

[Ron20324]

Looks like a French canal barge-boat.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Not anything you'd get down the coast in (unless you had plenty of time to wait for weather) but you can get around in sheltered water, pretty well.

Maybe
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/15/mysterious-canadian-houseboat-washes-up-on-irish-coast/

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[BlowMeAway]

The people who own them swear by them.

I have a buddy that’s owns a camp on Pitcher Pond, near Belfast, ME. He has a composting toilet and swears at it all the time. Last season he rented a porta-potty unit.

 

[TomY]

Beautiful boat! Only thing is a "composting head..". Yechhh

After talking to pleased owners(a few friends) and research, I think it's a system I can handle. I think I'll be installing one on my boat this winter.

3+ decades of marine toilets, hoses, holding tanks, pump outs(and discharging overboard), stuffed heads, and oh yeah, "Yechhh,.,..", there's been a lot of that! I'm ready for a new way.

On this houseboat, a big reason for a composting toilet is freedom. It makes this boat less dependent on needing to find support(fuel, power, water, pump out facility).

A marine toilet and holding tank would be it's weak link in it's self sufficiency.

 

[TomY]

Open minds and closed nostrils.
Houseboats are cool. They need to have a sailboat tied up to them. Rooftop deck provides nice living space. Putting green, volleyball, picnic bbq.
- Will (Dragonfly)

I'm a design builder and I couldn't help but imagine how I would have designed the houseboat, for my use.

My first thought: Life support system for a daysailer (I'd have to sail to be on the water).

In the design, I'd want what makes being on the water in my sailboat so satisfying. That would mean allocating more of the houseboats volume to outdoor space. Larger 'cockpit' on each end. Perhaps a fully opening rear wall allowing the interior to feel open to the outdoors. An outdoor shower, seating, room to move.

I think as a sailboat becomes more of a dwelling space, it loses it's appeal (for me), as a sailboat.

Conversely, turning a dwelling into a sailboat (which I would try to do), I can see my interior shrinking on the floor plan!

Then there is the roof on the houseboat,...don't even get me started,...

 

[TomY]

I have a buddy that’s owns a camp on Pitcher Pond, near Belfast, ME. He has a composting toilet and swears at it all the time. Last season he rented a porta-potty unit.

Not everybody is happy with them. But I've found very few disappointed owners compared to those that wouldn't go back to a conventional marine holding tank.

As an aside, I had an insurance survey done this fall and asked the surveyor if a composting head affects the boats value. He couldn't find any reason it would but said there is an increase in finding them on the boats he's surveying.

 

[NYSail]

Open minds and closed nostrils.
Houseboats are cool. They need to have a sailboat tied up to them. Rooftop deck provides nice living space. Putting green, volleyball, picnic bbq.
- Will (Dragonfly)

Saw this pad in Brooklyn a few weeks ago

 

[Will Gilmore]

Conversely, turning a dwelling into a sailboat (which I would try to do), I can see my interior shrinking on the floor plan!

Funny, but I was thinking, add a set of Lee boards and big rudders and put a sail on top, not too big, just enough to move in a good breeze. Something simple.
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[chrischesley]

Off and on, I've thought about approaching the 'floating summer cottage' from the opposite direction. In my dreams I have a self propelled, floating dock that is anchored/moored. This dock would be big enough to hold a dinghy on davits, well sound insulated generator and a large fuel, water supply and waste tank. Self propelled to get it from one place to another, (and a fuel dock / pump out). Probably it would have a 'shed' for a wheelhouse and to stow dinghy accoutrements such as a rig. It would be smaller than a houseboat but large than a marina slip to tie up to, and aesthetically designed.

Like Tom, I'd still need to be able to sail. Having my boat alongside this 'base station' as well as a slightly larger sailing boat/dinghy for messing around than I'd normally take with the mother ship, would be a highlight.

 

[Will Gilmore]

http://www.houseboatmagazine.com/2017/12/iceberg-houseboat

The iceberg houseboat.
- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[walt]

I sail a Hobie TI (sailing trimaran two person kayak with the penguin pedals) a fair amount and an option that somewhat sounds attractive to me is a trawler (floating RV) up in the San Juan Island / Puget sound area with a Hobie TI along for sailing/ exploring. The TI folds up to about 18 foot by 5 foot wide (amas collapsed) and it would be nice to be able to completely pull this up on the trawler. Trawler gets you to interesting spots, Hobie TI for sailing and exploring plus exercise. I probably wont do this.. but it sounds interesting at least.

 

[BruceB1]

As a recent converts to the “floating RV” concept, I can say that the idea of a houseboat although interesting, wouldn’t be our first choice. Sure, it would be a lovely way to spend time on the water but all things considered, we like exploring new places.
One of the reasons we (ok...I) wanted to make the switch to a trawler was that we have a desire to explore further and further away. We loved our Sabre. It sailed very nicely, it was comfortable for its size and it was simply a good boat.
When using it to sail to Bermuda, it was awesome.
When sailing in Penobscot Bay, cruising between anchorages short distances away, it was a delightful way to enjoy the water. When moving longer distances, sometimes dead to windward, it was not always such fun...
We used our tug on the west coast for 5 weeks before trucking the boat home. We then proceeded to live aboard for the next 5 months.
For the 1 additional foot of length of the hull, I simply can not believe how much more comfortable the tug is to live aboard.
When we used to come back from a 5 week cruise to Maine on any of our sailboats, I was always happy to return home. Home where I could stretch out....
I have no such desire to leave the tug, not even after 5 months. Yes, it is that comfortable!
Add to that the ability to cover ground in comfort, inside from the pilothouse or outside from the flybridge and life gets pretty nice. If we want to burn the fuel we can move at speeds 2 and even 3 times what the sailboat could attain and if we keep speed down to the sailboats speed, we burn similar amounts.
A houseboat is really about living in an area on the water. A sailboat should be for sailing and a trawler is for exploring new places. If crossing oceans, I’d want a sailboat...for the obvious advantages sail brings to that use.
We will take our tug down the ICW next fall, spend some time in Florida and the Bahamas and then bring her home. We are planning to do some or all of the Great Loop in the next few years and then I hope we get the opportunity to get the boat back to the Pacific Northwest as we really want to see more of the area and Alaska.
Can’t do that in a houseboat. I’m pretty confident we could live in our trawler...
Bruce

 

[dLj]

I think trawlers are a great way to go. Always like the Diesel ducks with their small sail plans on them to help out when needed. If I could afford one, that could be a great retirement boat...

dj

 

[Juanona]

As an aside, I had an insurance survey done this fall and asked the surveyor if a composting head affects the boats value. He couldn't find any reason it would but said there is an increase in finding them on the boats he's surveying.

I’m one of those who has converted to a composting head, and will never go back. But I kept the Lavac head (which I loved, as discharge toilets go), holding tank, and associated fittings which I cleaned up and would sell with the boat if I ever take that step. It would be relatively straightforward to reinstall them if the prospective new owner chose to do so.