Mini-home

[NEAT TIMES]

Hi Mike. Went Home To Wisconsin In July For A Bout 6 Weeks. My Brother Inclosed His 26 Ft Pontoon - Now A House Boat. It Was Really Fun. We Spent Several Days On It Fishing And Eating. Slept On It One Nite. He Has A Propane Cook Stove on the houseboat. We Ate Fresh Walleye And Crappie, Perch And Fried Potatoes Etc, With Beer Or Soda!! It Was Really Peacefull And Quiet On The Flambeau Flowage. Caught Some Musky`s, Released Them. He Caught A 49" Musky Last Yr On 6 Lb Line And Wire Hook (walleve Rig), He Had It Mounted. I Bought 2 Pontoons When I Got Back To Fl. A 28footer -no Motor Or Trailer For 1500. Seats Are Ruff, But Dont Need Them Any Way, For House Boat. Then I Got A 18 Footer With Engine And Trailer, Was Planning On Taking The Engine Off And Putting It On The 28 Ft. The trailer is his fish/hunt camp. On his game camera he gets pics of deer, bear ,turkeys, racoons, fox, coyote, squirl, rabbits, and one wolf. Last fall a moose and elk were spotted near his camp, first time that i know off. May have been common in the 1800`s.

 

[NEAT TIMES]

Mike, Here Are Some Pics Of My Project Pontoons, Hope I Get It Done, I Accomplish Less And Less As Time Go`s By. The 28 Ft Is A 1998, I Don`t Think You Can Buy One For Less. I Pd 100 Extra And He Left New Stero System In It, With Amp And Remote Radio /cd Control. Lol. I Did Not Know They Had Remotes For Radios. Used My Offshore Trailer To Haul It Home. Ron

 

[Michigan Mike]

Hey Ron,
Double Wow!! You got a super buy on that 28-foot pontoon. I think that's the perfect size too. You can build a 15-foot cabin on it and still have room for a front and back fishing "deck" (or should I say fore and aft! lol). Don't forget to document the build with lots of pictures and post them so the rest of us can drool. Thanks for the pic's and fish stories too. You and your brother are my new heros!

 

[NEAT TIMES]

Hey Mike, My Mon Is 89, She Enjoys The House Boat And My Step Dad. I Think They Were On It Today, Less Than 10 Miles From Their Home. Its Over 60 Miles From Our Home Town, But My Brother Spends A Lot Of Time Up There. You Could Go To Map Quest. Ladysmith Wisconsin. The Flowage Is 8 Miles North Of Town, Its Between 2 Dams On The Flambeau River. The Flambeau River Flows Thru Ladysmith. My Brother Has Been Bow Hunting, But Said Its A Little Warm Yet. Should Have Taken More Pics Of The House Boat, Interior. Its Pretty Basic But Compy. The Windows Have Little Awnings On Top Of Them, So The Rain Do`s Not Spatter On The Sills And Get You Wet, Where The Rod Holders Are. Has Screens For All The Windows And The Front And Back Have 8 Foot Wide Double Sliding Screens From Sliding Patio Doors. Tarps Roll Up Above The Screen Doors. Has Plastic Covers For The Window Screens. There Are Two Large Rubber Maid Type Tubs ( At Least 35 Gallon Capacity) In The Rear, One For Minnows And Other Is Live Well For Fish. They Have 12 Volt Auto Pumps . The Frt & Rear Lites Are Solor Powered. Hd 12 Volt Tv W/dvd-cd Plaver, Mostly For The Grand Children. 2 Yrs Ago He Put In Well And Septic At The The Camp. The Game Camera Took Pics Of Black Bear Tearing Down The Bird Feeder Recently. Now You Got Me Pumped Up Again. My Pontoons Have Been Sitting Over A Month. A Lot Of Us Think Of A Houseboat Because Of Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn. Mike, I Looked At The Links, A Lot Of Space Saving Ideas. Will Try Post Some More Pics. Later Ron

 

[BarelyAWake]

Kinda a while ago now (3 years) - I lived on a lil 23' foot sloop, it was an experiment to see how I liked it...

I loved it.

Wandering the ICW (Inter-Coastal Waterways) and the east coast I decided I needed a larger (33') craft capable of transatlantic crossings, not to mention a real galley and head.

Unfortunately I made a few other poor decisions and Murphy has had his hand in things and here I am, stranded ashore and wondering if I'll ever get back on the water.

Still - should anyone be considering living on the water, go for it! It's by far the best thing I ever did and I'll be afloat again at some point

 

[Michigan Mike]

Here's a neat small house blog ... lots of links.

Tiny House Blog - Small House Living

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[fasteddy]

I always thought that a house boat with a paddle wheel would be the ultimate.

Steve.

 

[Dan]

Me 2 Steve! My first ship (M/V New Orleans) was a pretend paddle wheeler and I have been thinking about this for a good while. Paddle wheels are really wasteful of energy as the individual paddle to offer any real propulsion has to be almost vertical. But if you had a "show-wheel" that could be raised in transit, what an electrical generator! Moving water is very powerful and easily converted to speed. Tie it to 1 or 2 truck alternators and at anchor, you could run a small restaurant. (Or my lil goal of floating hotdog cart/convenience store)

But absolutely, would look so cool! Have to do the funky smoke stacks!

 

[fasteddy]

Dan, your idea of a floating hot dog stand/c store was on a site I saw on the web. Was looking at a fellow who has a book on hot dog vending and how to start it up and some one had done just that on a pontoon boat and was going to have a second one the following year to keep up with the demand.
Seems all the, what a great idea, ideas come as you retire.

The sternwheeler I wanted to build is called the Lady of the Lake by William Atkin a boat designer. Got the info off the web.
Now I'm going to shoot the SS checks on restoring a bicycle.

Mabey I could ride the bike down to the hotdog stand/C-store on the Lady of the Lake and be a very happy man.????

Steve

 

[Michigan Mike]

Hey Steve ... Hey Dan ...
Here ya go (smokestacks are opptional I guess) ....

Atkin & Co. - Lady of the Lake

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[Dan]

Was it this guy Steve? Hot Dog Cart News (with the book?) There is an amazing profit margin with Hotdogs! My original plan was do every thing with propane. But if it could be done with free electricity, 2 cool. Also paddle wheels just look awesome on a boat. More novelty, more folks cruise over for a look, more "traffic"
If your interested (or any one) I have a detailed biz plan for the floating hotdog cart. Was written for NY Harbor and inflated numbers, but the premise is sound. I had written it for a biz grant.

Folks laughed at me. I want to build a MB trailer that carries an inflatable kayak and a cooler to resupply in the mornings. The town would not let me do it last year as my 30 yr old boat has carpeting. No kidding. But could put a cart on dirt or a parking lot and get a permit. Same folks wanted me to pay a grand to bid against myself on a spot in a park for a cart. I asked "what if I tell my self what I am bidding and out bid my self? SNORK

 

[Dan]

Kinda a while ago now (3 years) - I lived on a lil 23' foot sloop, it was an experiment to see how I liked it...

I loved it.

Wandering the ICW (Inter-Coastal Waterways) and the east coast I decided I needed a larger (33') craft capable of transatlantic crossings, not to mention a real galley and head.

Unfortunately I made a few other poor decisions and Murphy has had his hand in things and here I am, stranded ashore and wondering if I'll ever get back on the water.

Still - should anyone be considering living on the water, go for it! It's by far the best thing I ever did and I'll be afloat again at some point

That is awesome BA. The ICW. South bound when cold. North bound when warm. EEEMMMmmmmm. My retirement plan A. Could some one please tell Carol it is a good idea!? lol

...and if you had a work shop onbord, imagine how many MBs you could sell? They are perfect for that life.

 

[fasteddy]

Thats my baby Mike, Wish I could do it. Just don't have the zip to do it any more.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

That is the site Dan. He wrote a book on how to set up your business if I remember right.
I wish I had the steam to do it. It would pay for a few months in the sun.
Why is it when you have a plan some one thinks that they can make money off it before you do.

The other plan was to boat bum up and down the east coast. That didn't work to well either.

Now it's down to a winter bike rebuild and that hill looks a little steep.

Steve.

 

[BarelyAWake]

That is awesome BA. The ICW. South bound when cold. North bound when warm. EEEMMMmmmmm. My retirement plan A. Could some one please tell Carol it is a good idea!? lol

...and if you had a work shop onbord, imagine how many MBs you could sell? They are perfect for that life.

LOL yeah Dan, no doubt! I met a guy with an onboard workshop & brewery in his 40' sloop - he had gone through 3 wives but his boat was still goin' strong!

With the MB thing, when I first started out I had a rack mount engine MB - but I soon pulled the motor off it as it was VERY cumbersome trying to get the bike in and out of the dingy to make shore runs. If you're gonna dock alla time they're fine but I was sure to drop the thing overboard sooner or later as I choose to avoid docks and anchor out instead.

They want good money to tie off to docks lol, much of the ICW has free dockage/power/water however - it was only when I strayed away from the actual ICW that dockage got pricey.

The Great Loop;

Being a liveabord is a great way to live, if ya wanna yap about it sometime defo gimmie a holler!


More pics to tempt and tease;

 

[Dan]

" I met a guy with an onboard workshop & brewery in his 40' sloop - he had gone through 3 wives but his boat was still goin' strong!" snork snork

I ran out of money (again or still?) But was thinking a folding, rack mount MB. Stows easy and is sort of portable transportation. Put a Honda 35 on em. You know how it is, if you don't go into town for groceries, beer etc, you end up paying big bucks at what ever is closest to shore.

Yer killing me with the pics! lol. Really are enticing. I wanna go and go now! Carol, not so much. Gettin' cold up this way dontcha know. Ayup

 

[Michigan Mike]

And then there's this ...

www.thewaysidechapel.org/towboat.jpg

(Pic is from thereifixedit.com)

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[Dan]

And then there's this ...

www.thewaysidechapel.org/towboat.jpg

(Pic is from thereifixedit.com)

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LOLOLOLOL! I love it!!!!!!!!!

(Does it have a stove? snork)

 

[fasteddy]

Dan, every time I see Barely A Wake's pictures I start to shake and shiver. We were suposed to moved from Ontario to Florida in 1952 on a Nova Scotia built 36ft Ketch.
By the time we got ready to go it was late October and my parents sold the boat to the guy who bought our house and we drove.
Always wonder what we missed.

I lived in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a lot of years and when I woke up every morning I looked out and saw Mount Washington. Half the mountain had snow on it by the end of Sept.
Here the grass is green and a lot of the flowers are out still. About the only season change is from dry to lots of rain in the winter.

Mike, there was an 80ft tug in Seattle for free. Motor needed a rebuild and some work on a couple of the bulk heads but you throw a tow line on her and you are the new owner. All wood and close to 100yrs old. Just a classic.

The deal breaker for me was the 4,000gal fuel tank. At $4.00 a gal Canadian.
The Canadian Customs would dip the tank and charge you for the fuel comming in to the country as you imported the boat with a tank that size..
What a live aboard that would have been. No idea of just what the engine rebuild would have cost but I'd guess it would start at $30,000 with no repairs to the head or block.

Steve.

 

[Michigan Mike]

LOLOLOLOL! I love it!!!!!!!!!

(Does it have a stove? snork)

Dan,
I had a hunch you'd like that one! (Better not show Carol. lol)

Steve,
The tug sounds great. Maybe you could rig an outboard on it.?

BarelyAwake ... post more pics for us landlubbers to drool over ... you da man!

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