MsPerky

As I said in the economy thread, I'm about buying a houseboat at some point. I like the idea of having a little place on the water that moves around. We are right by the Potomac River, which of course runs into the Chesapeake Bay, so it might be fairly easy to have one. Of course, there are the berthing expenses, maintenance, etc. I used to have a pontoon party boat when I lived on a lake with my ex. We had lots of fun on that boat with friends, swimming and socializing. A houseboat would be one step up from that. This one really appeals to me. I looked under $100K but those were quite old and not that great. What does y'all think?

http://www.buyaboat.net/boat_listings.aspx?boat_id=398

valentine

Yay for you Deb. Hope you're successful in your search.

DrCloud

There's a recent thread about a hybrid car/airplane. That's new technology (it's been science fiction 'til now), but it still makes the point: as a hybrid, it has severe compromises from both the perspectives of being a good car and of being a good airplane.

My opinion is that houseboats are similar -- you get neither house nor boat, but a hybrid full of bad compromises. As a house, it's high-maintenance (like all boats); as a boat, it's not very sea-worthy (like a house).

Think long and hard about this, Deb. HPH

MsPerky

Yeah, I'm sure there's a downside. Not something I'm planning on anytime soon.

boltonblue

I vaguely recall something about house boats in Seattle area which were really floating houses on a dock.
At the time there was a huge tax advantage to being a boat in that you didn't have to pay property taxes, only the boat registration.

Vanishing Point

I've only done houseboat rentals and I would recommend the catamaran hull type for it's smoother ride/stability. Your only limitations are your pocketbook.


http://www.all-about-houseboats.com/...directory.html

DrCloud

HPH

Zippy

Travel channel had a show on houseboats today (go figure). It was called Fantastic Houseboats, but I couldn't find it on their website.

They did have a nice diddy for around $2M.

dlq04

You certainly couldn't get a boat or cabin that big and that nice for anywhere near that price. But I don't think my little John Deere tracker will pull it out of the water for winter.

Kyras

Deb, do you have info about the bathroom? I've never used a houseboat but had always had a series of three motorhomes and a 5th wheel trailer, when I was married. After the first motorhome, with a tiny bathroom and shower, we wanted a decent bathroom. That became one of our most important considerations.