House Boat and why I want one.

Dan · #1 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 12:28 PM

House Boat and why I want one. Michigan Mike posted this; Mini-home (Really cool thread)

As I was replacing the the heater coil in an ancient electric oven that could tell storys from the Great Depression. I was behind it and only pulled it out enough to get behind. About 2 feet of space to work. Carol's mother had to clean behind the stove before I got the back off. LOL. So gonna have a glass of lunch. Then go down and finish removing the coil. And make a mess again...

My next (inlaw free) home

She is a sweet woman whom I love dearly. just venting.

OK, end of rant

Dan · #2 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 03:06 PM

Coil is out and shopping for the part. Day dreaming about that house barge. Sell hot dogs and drinks off the porch. Build a bike or two to sell to yacht folks. Boat people love MBs. Portable transportation thing. Great target market. Watch the sunset from a porch swing. Cold beer in one hand, Carol's in the other. Just about have Her talked into this. (not really but part of the day dream and her humoring me)

Not that we will any time soon as her Mom needs us around.

hiker472 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 04:04 PM

Ya know that is one cool looking little house boat!!

I wonder though, what happens when a bad storm comes in and waves get real high? Thinking of a boat like that on Lake Superior in a bad storm would give me the eebie geebies!

But again, that is one cool looking house boat...........just think of it, no sewer bills, and when the microwave goes, dump it over the side like they do on the Mississippi!!

Just kidding!

Dan · #4 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiker472

Ya know that is one cool looking little house boat!!

I wonder though, what happens when a bad storm comes in and waves get real high? Thinking of a boat like that on Lake Superior in a bad storm would give me the eebie geebies!

But again, that is one cool looking house boat...........just think of it, no sewer bills, and when the microwave goes, dump it over the side like they do on the Mississippi!!

Just kidding!

LOL! years back the Coast guard got busted for changing the batterys on buoys and just tossing the old ones over.

The storm thing is a valid point. Those shingles would be gone fast much less all those "purty" windows. Would never work on any thing other then a lake in a valley. Have some thoughts on this. Deck would actually come up and cover the forward bulkhead and sides. Cambered roof. Telescoping second deck that could be lowered in weather or for transport. If a second deck at all. Could be just a patio sort of deal.

Dunno. But your 100% right. Now I have to figure out "pretty" for Carol with out getting us wet in the bad way.

I delivered a boat from CT to Puerto Rico that was meant for lakes, bays, sounds and rivers only. NEVER AGAIN!!!!! LOL, second day out almost died for the second time and thought NEVER AGAIN!!! We were still insight of NJ. Then things got scary. Miss them days

**Bikeguy Joe** · #5 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 05:21 PM

That houseboat would sure beat living in a van down by the river.

TexasDav · #6 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 07:30 PM

My uncle was going to loan me and my wife his pontoon house boat to stay in over the weekend once. My wife is deadly afraid of the water. He assured her that the pontoons were filled with foam and the boat was un-sinkable. I had just sat down in the captain’s chair after a long demo from my uncle on how to operate the boat. A ski boat passed right in front of me and its wake came over the deck in the front. My uncle said let off the throttle, this caused the boat to dive under the water, He yelled hit the throttle and this pushed the whole boat under water, We had just enough time to kick it out of gear and scramble to the upper deck as it was going down fast. We all, me my wife my two nieces, my uncle, and my aunt were hanging on the rail as we seen the props leap out of the water at the rear. And when we were up to our waist in water our forward movement stopped and we slowly came back up to the top of the water. My wife was not a happy camper and we did not stay on the boat.

Dan · #7 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 08:41 PM

Wow Dav. Glad every one made it OK!

I hate pontoon boats. Only way they can work well is in a pool with no other boats or wind making waves. When I first started with the floating hot dog cart/convenience store idea, Carol wanted to get one. Made sense. Roof and large flat deck. But they are not good. Always float even upside down. We took a ride on a tourist one on the Erie canal. Is a small river like body of water threw mountains. A small boat passed slowly and rocked our world. We ended up buying a lil 17 foot deep V boat.

**Ilikeabikea** · #8 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 11:08 PM

One of the best vacations we ever had was renting a house boat at Branson Mo. and staying out on Tablerock Lake for a week. In the day we would cruise around the lake and at night we would go up into a cove a tie up between two trees. It was a blast. The worst part was filling that sucker back up with gas when we brought it back. We burned a LOT of gas. We had some pretty good storms a couple of nights but didn't really bother us. We could could get up on the top deck and sunbathe in the day. At night we go out on the front deck and grill steaks. It was so peaceful and relaxing. I would live on a houseboat in a second if my wife would agree. But alas, women seem to want a permanent nest on the ground.............................

Dan · #9 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 11:53 PM

Ilikea, I am finding offering storage space is a big help with what in my house has today became "The discussion" Also saying how it will always be warm is getting points!

eDJ · #10 (**permalink**) 01-13-2009, 12:12 AM

Where I live on the river there used to be a site several miles down from here near the locks
and dam were an old relic of a "Shanty Boat" rested. It had washed up, way up from the
normal river pool stage during the 1937 flood. It seems people have always enjoyed living on
the water in floating homes. Even today people have these big River Queens, and Gibson's tied
up in marinas for their weekend home. They rarely take them out anymore, just on memorial day, july 4, and labor day. Sometimes if the fuel isn't too expensive they will do the fall folage excursion but all of them navigate upstream as far as they can and then just drift back to their slip.

Nearly 100 years ago the shanty boats could pay a riverboat captain to tow them back up towards
Pittsburgh from where ever they were. Many of the would buy items at the glass factories along
the river and float down stream from town to town selling the stuff till they ran out and repeat
the trip. Some boats were barber shops, some photographers, some did sewing etc.

Here is a painting of an old shanty boat like I saw when I was a little kid. It was being used for
storage when I saw it but looked about like the one in this painting. (only sitting on blocks in a field)

A book I enjoy looking at in the Public Library is titled "Floating Homes" by Ted Laturnus.

But there are bunches of such books.

Here is the painting of the old Shanty Boat like was common from the 1800's up to the 1940's.