What are the pros and cons of a house boat?

Question

it'd be cool living on the canal

Answer 1

cons: drunken boaters surrounding you, mosquitoes, Wakes from people not observing no wake rules. Having to hook up your your gray water tank to dump your waste on the dock.

Leaving your car/truck/motorcycle on shore in the parking lot. And what do you do with your rowboat while in town?

Answer 2

the pros are there is a lot of room and comfort for the footage they make good liveaboards if you don't want to cruise a lot.

The cons are they suck in heavy weather, rough water and the cabins are not constructed very sturdy. Most of them have gas motors in or on them. If it is in salt water and a inboard outboard kiss the outdrives good bye after a few years.

If you are going to hang out in the inland waters they are fine, but if you are going to venture out it had better be calm weather. You can get caught off guard and have to come home through weather that is not sutied for a house boat.

Answer 3

I am a full time live a-board boater... and throughout my 60 years on this planet... all my adult life I have owned boats... a few sail, a few cruisers, a houseboat; and now I live a-board my sternwheeler "SummerWind" (which is much like a houseboat).

I personally love it!  Would not trade anything for this "boat" or this life-style.

I could go on forever about the "pros"... but most of them, well, if you love the water, the sunsets, sunrise, the beach, the sea breeze... you can figure out the rest...

In addition to all that... (being a guy) I love not having a yard to mow, leaves to rake, etc. etc. and living a-board is (at least in my opinion) about the least expensive way to live on this planet... no property or school taxes, no garbage or sewage taxes, etc. etc.  

but... on to the "cons"...

For one... on a boat, (no matter how big - it seems) you just never have enough room for "stuff".  You have to give up an awful lot of "stuff" when you live a-board.  I find myself making shoping decisions based on whether or not I really have a place (or a good use) for it on my boat.

Now my sternwheeler will go everywhere I want to go... I mostly travel "America's Great Loop" on a continual basis...

A regular "houseboat" will not do that... so if you want to do some travel in it as well... then the decision of where you dock it,  is very-very important.  

I have all the convienances of any home...  washer, dryer, refrigeration, central air & heat, satallite TV and Internet, cell phone... I have a full size bath & shower, a wonderful galley (kitchen area) and I even have a fireplace... or, as my oldest son puts it...  "Dad, SummerWind has everything but an elevator."

Yes, people always ask me about hurricanes... (I just remind them they are more likely to get run over by an 18 wheeler then I am by a hurricane... even though my home port is Galveston, Tx.  I just love life, my kids and family and friends... and they all have a way of "collecting" on my vessel... wouldn't have it any other way...

Can't encourage you enough...

You can learn more about my vessel "Summerwind" at:

>  www.sternwheelers.org  <

Happy & Safe Boating!

Answer 4

Pros -

Living area is decent, due to it's square shape.

Upkeep is simple, because it's built similarly to an apartment.

Cons -

Hard to handle, compared to yachts and other vessel types.

Have high death rates due to carbon monoxide from generators and gas engines.

Everything else is typically to taste.

Answer 5

Pro

1. View

2. u can be rocked to sleep

3. Wake up to the sound of seagulls

Cons

1.Mold can grow

2. If u have a car the salt in the air might ruin it

3. Hurricanes

Answer 6

The cellar can be very damp, and you need regular out of the water inspections and maintenance

Answer 7

Capt John,

Nice post but I own a 4200 squre foot house sitting on 8 acres of land an I STILL have run out of room! Kids have left, but they seem to always have junk that they need us to "keep till they get a bigger place!"

Having never lived on a houseboat, but always wanting too do so, I can think of MANY pros, such as less taxes (in my area-none),  views,  no yards to mow/maintain, and so on.

The only "con" I can come up with is I can't talk my wife into moving onto a boat with me (that my be a "pro" for some, but after 32 years, I still like her).

insellec....,

Maybe you could look around if you are serious and rent one for a time. Then you could answer your own question. What may be a con to some might not be a problem for you.

Go for it!

Answer 8

you mention "canal" so I'll assume you mean UK canal system, most other answers seem to be thinking coastal waters

cons:

Its very difficult to get a residential mooring

you still need planning permission ( and councils refuse virtually all applications unless you are applying as part of a marina )

BW are clamping down on continuous cruisers who are not really cruising.

Bw and councils are clamping down on residential boats with no planning permission

costs: boats depreciate. Although house prices are not climbing at the moment, they will not drop as fast as the depreciation on a narrowboat

pros:

Its a bit cheaper than a house - you can liken the cost to renting a small flat

easiler to sell a residential mooring

generally quieter if you are in a marina or have a private off-line mooring

Answer 9

pros: the sound of waves/water lull you to sleep

          being right there with nature

          

cons: having to clean the boat, empty c**p frm the boat etc

          gassing up the boat....expensive

          the constant feeling of rocking when you are not on the boat

          the sound of water makes you want to pee.....haha

Answer 10

best  

not at risk from flooding

bad

risk of sinking

Answer 11

Pros-

You would live on the water

Cons-

Hmmm

Cramped

Easy broken in to

dampness

small furniture

No garden