living on a house boat ?

Question

i am looking into buying a house boat in sitka alaska it would be moored in the harbor .can anyone tell me what it is like to live on one ? thank-you,

Answer 1

I have owned several houseboats in my life. We often spent weeks at a time on them in the spring, summer, and fall. We would visit during winter, but did not stay long. Spent several Thanksgivings and Christmas holidays on the boats and it was a unique experience. I plan to retire in another few years and live on a houseboat full time in Tennessee.

A Yahoo search for "houseboat living" (include the quotation marks) yields 1,470 results. If you do the same search, you will have plenty of practical advice to explore. There are a lot of good sites.

Good luck with your plan.

Answer 2

I never fully lived on one but my parents owned one and we stayed on it for weeks at a time. We also stayed on it every weekend year round... it get's cramped sometimes.. depending on the size. Ours was a 20x84- 3 bedroom 2 bath. We also had several friends with houseboats and we could see the problems they experienced first hand.

I do advise looking at several different options. Sometimes it only costs about a thousand dollars more to have one custom built rather than buying pre-built. Sometimes it's even less to do custom built.

Do NOT get a boat with a wooden bottom- too hard to maintain. Fiberglass isn't really advised either, for a houseboat.

It is best to make sure whatever you get has maximum living room space and an open kitchen- it will help it feel less cramped. A flybrige is nice if it has the ability to steer from it. Lots of closets & cabinets will become a blessing, along with a washer/dryer capability (make sure you use eco-safe suds!).

A boat with the ability to access the entire hull from inside the boat is a blessing too, along with roomy engine compartments, b/c they do have problems and you want to make sure you (or someone) can easily get to the problem. Make sure you get one with two motors, as one sometimes will go out. Two engines also makes it easier to control the boat.

You'll want one with a HUGE gray water and holding tank.. the less you have to empty the holding, the better. And remember to use dissolveable toliet paper, as it will make the holding tank easier to pump and you won't have to unclog toliet paper in order to pump it.

-Importantly- make sure you can afford to maintain, dock, and upkeep the boat. A boat can cost a lot to maintain. With regular maintaince, that cost is reduced. Most places charge a few hundred a month to dock your boat there (you'll want a place with electric and water hookup. Most docks average a 400-1000 a month rent, here). You might want to check and make sure they have room available for a new boat. The waiting lists on boat slips often extend for years. A lot of people sublet from other slip owners, but people will often overcharge to make a profit.
Also make sure you regularly run your boat. Even if you never leave dock, make sure to run your engines about once a week, for at least 15-30 minutes.
Also make sure you know how to control the boat. A lot of people go from no boat or a small boat to a huge houseboat and have no idea how to control them. They are harder to control than smaller boats, especially when winds catch you. I've seen many a person have their boat rammed up on shore, into the docks, other boats and more. Especially during storms when boats often break loose (even with great knots. Make sure you check your knots FREQUENTLY for wear and tear and stretching. Nothing it worse than a boat breaking loose from dock).

Also, if you plan on living on it, make sure you have a wonderful heat/air system (in Alaska you probably don't need the air but you will need the heat), good insulated walls (6" walls are best) and a heated/cooled engine compartment. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are recommended to, especially if you are running a generator.

Hope this helps with your decision.

Answer 3

no but it's somehting I've always wanted to do.
Sounds like it oculd be fun