How can I build an inexpensive houseboat?

Question

How can I build an inexpensive houseboat?

Answer 1

A serious question - deserves a serious answer.

Here is how I did it...

http://boatwrights.org/SummerWind/Summer...

Course, the term "inexpensive" leaves the bank's door wide open.

If you mean "cheap" then get some 55 gallon barrels.  There are places all around (me - anyway) that sell 55 gallon plastic barrels for $10 apiece.  With about 30 of them (15 on each side) you could build a decent platform for about a 40' x 10' houseboat.  Add another 15 and you could make it a 40' x 16' houseboat.  Better limit yourself to 8 1/2 feet width (legal road limit without permits) - if you have to trailer it to the water...

Depending on what you mean by "inexpensive"  -  I strongly suggest however, you go to:

http://www.glenl.com/

and take a look at their houseboat plans. They have one "the Huck Finn" which is very (in my opinion) inexpensive to build - that will give you two long tapered hulls (fiberglass over plywood) that makes a very nice easy powered, easy to manuever houseboat. - I think you can build these hulls for at least half the cost of what it would take you to buy equal length aluminum pontoons off a junked pontoon boat. (unless you got real lucky and bought them off someone that had no idea what they are worth).

It is really quit easy to build your own.  Check out my site and you will see for yourself - there are progressive pics with descriptions.

Happy & Safe Boating!

Answer 2

You can BUY a nicel 35 foot houseboat for $5000 to $10,000 and that is a LOT cheaper than you can build one... and you can even license and insure it without a big hassle

Answer 3

click here and got almost to the bottom of page

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

Answer 4

All you need is an old barge, and a mobile home!

Answer 5

Get an ols pontoon boat, put a used camper on it........redneck yacht club.

Answer 6

OK, First off Inexpencive and Boat dont play well together, theirn is nothing inexpencive about any Boat, But Id start with Pontoon,s and Build up from their On Paper first, then call around forn the materials needed, and get out the coculator your going to need it.