Motor bicycle and house boat travel

NEAT TIMES

NEAT TIMES

New Member
Silver Bear & Fast Eddy
& all

Attached some updated pic`s of "House for Battered Fish". Still a work in progress, but close to done.
Designed to live on for long periods or park where ever as it is on it`s own trailer.

It is sheeted with 1" thick sheet`s of insulation and covered with 7/16" plywood. All seams are sealed and then painted with 3 coats of rubberized paint. The flat roof has not leaked after several months of heavy rain storms.

The 2x4 roof rafters are 12" on center to support a few people. Maybe hunting Deer, Hogs or Grizzly!! lol The roof is boxed for 24 x 24" vent/access hatch, but not installed yet.

Have small carry on 4 stroke generator that runs the 5000 btu ac.

The 6`3" long table is on hinges and will swing down flat against wall. The 3 legs have 1/2" oak dowel`s in them that go into table outer edge and come out. Now am planning to have removable light chain or cable`s to attach to table ends at nite and the fold up cots will fit under the table. The cook`s cot will be in the walk way, as he "should be" first to rise!! Lol

Will have a removable cutting board that hangs over the water for fish cleaning etc with water pump on rear of pontoon to keep things clean.

Bought a new "Wi Fi" enabled laptop to stay connected and will carry a motorized bicycle!! Of course!

In the maiden voyage pic, that is my son in law in my Cobia Boat as back-up, don`t want to paddle a house boat very far.

Silver Bear and Fast Eddy

Will most likely bring the 18 ft pontoon up this year and leave it in Wisconsin at my brother`s fish camp. To keep his house boat company! Lol. Will spend my remaining winters in Fl and nice summer days and maybe hunting season in Wi. Hoping to drag the house boat up next year and leave it there. This has been my plan/hope for yrs, may happen this yr!!

Have a 2000 26 ft Catamaran the the last Huricane tore the top off etc. The ins co paid out $70,000., I bought it for $700 with two complete 150 hp salt water Johnson`s= seized up. Bought it several years ago. Will make a nice house boat if one is left in Wisconsin.

It has a lot of goodies in the hulls. Toilet, shower, holding tank with maserator , fresh water tank, 2 lg fuel tanks. The hulls are deep, safe for far off shore.

I definately have too many idea`s for a 73 yr old kid!! Whew

trying to share, not boast.

Ron
 

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Wow Neat Times looking good! I remember when you first started you have come a long way with the house boat. .wee.
 
Dave
As I sent you a pm, did not include pics. Dan sent me a email, so I emailed him some pics, as a after thought, hoped he mite forward them to you. but I know you are both busy.

I was great hearing from both of you, a treat for this ole fellow. Yeah, bought the pontoons in 2009!! I have gotten slow, but still dependable!

Thanks for the Thumb`s-Up!

Ron
 
Boy, that's the life. You did a great job on the house boat, very clean and well thought out. Motorbikes and boats, how good is that? Yes, I have similar ambitions on a smaller scaled budget. I want to set up my cabin pontoon boat for sleeping over, walleye fishing at night and so I can go on fishing trips for as long as I want. There's nothing quite like sitting on a boat's deck at night with a show of stars or moon, loons calling and water lapping against the pontoons. Good for the spirit, my friend.

I don't expect to get a lot done on mine this summer, but will get started anyway. Mostly I want to replace the rotting deck and make the aluminum extension for the bow so I can mount the sail rig. I'd also like to pull the engine from the lower unit of a 1950's Evinrude and see what I can come up with to marry the lower unit to a vertical shaft 6.5 hsp Harbor Freight four stroke Predator I picked up last summer for this purpose. Should be easy to start, economical, quiet and slow as mud, but good for trolling. If it doesn't work out I have a 15 horse of the same vintage and also OMC.

Help me out if you can here, bud. I'm in need of controls for forward neutral & reverse... also steering hardware of the old type that used pulleys. If you have this stuff, I'll trade you 5,000 rainbow chub minnows or even more mosquitoes which you can dry and feed your pet turtle. Hope you can make it up to Ely while Steve is here. He comes at the beginning of June. I'm also twisting Tinsmith's arm to come up for some rest and relaxation from his job.

When are you heading to Wisconsin? I took a bath & shave in the lake this afternoon. Dang cold water (I was talking in a high voice for awhile there), but sure feels good after. Winters in the north suck, but summer is heaven... woohoo!
SB
 
Ron, I am soooooooooooo envious.
I had a photo that I used to have as my screen saver on my computer at work before I retired. It was of a small camping trailer that had the wheels removed and placed on a little barge type flat boat. It had a small outboard, a sun deck on the top with a bar-b-que grill and the old guy driving it was sitting in a hammock chair hung from the rear of the overhead sundeck, his hand on the tiller of the outboard. There were a few fishing poles hung from racks and a large fresh water container. I used to sit and look at that picture and wonder if I could make it work for me and live out my final years living on something like that.

Your houseboat is far and above the one in that photo. I know I could make that my final home. Every man has a fantasy that he might or might not realize. Looks like you're pretty close.
Thanks for sharing.
Tom
 
TOM
I had it on my list to pm you about this thread. I think I told you about when in 1965 was moving back to Wisconsin from Tuson & "Pheonix" (close ?) , just before we got to Denver the Elk were all over the Mountain sides. Thought I would like to live there. I shot some Jack-a-Lopes from the car! I hear they are endangered now!! Did see Head Mounts in Restuarants. Think the one`s we shot were Doe`s, did not see any Bucks!! ha ha lol You fellow`s in Co are full of it!! ha ha

Ron
 
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That is nice and spacious inside. Got say just a bit envious(^) Like the way the poles are set up. Wish I was there with you! You don't have any fish singing the thyme song from Grease?
 
Ron,
It occurred to me that if the guys in Colorado are full of it, they learned it all from the houseboat guys in Florida.

Have to agree with everyone else that, that houseboat is sweet. Would like one myself and just as soon as the next 8 bikes, trikes, velocars are done then I'm on it.

I'll probably be at the lake the beginning of July. The trike is about to get me started drinking again with all the troubles I'm having and I still have to get the tri-cars done.

Thank Heaven I'm good looking as well as old or I couldn't stand it.

Steve.
 
Goat

I remember Grease & John Revolta ( a favorite actor) but not the theme song. I do have the wall mount of Billy the talking Bass (bought for 2 bucks at Good Will Store) but can`t afford the 4 c cell`s he needs- this month. "Thro me back in the water" That will be cool on the "House for Battered Fish"!

One reason for the 2x4 studs= the Pantry Shelves for soup cans etc. You can see some over the windows. They are painted white now and more of them. Did you notice the red pole holders in the window sills and the wedges holding the windows or screens in ?

The long wedges support the windows etc more and stay put "more gooder" (learned that from SB & F Eddy! lol) The wedge pins are 3" long and the hole is drilled thru the 2x4. Take the wedge out and push the pins in flush for removing the windows. Screwed cup hooks into the other end of the oak wedge pins and pinched the gaps closed, left the gaps open on the wedges to hang them on the pins, out of the way.

The alum frame around the glass has a alum water deflector pop riveted and siliconed on the bottom edge to keep water from running in between the glass and 1/2" plywood lip that holds the window in.

The $1.95 red spring steel rod holders will get cut off 1/2" below bottom of window sills and theaded 1/4"nc for wing nuts so the don`t get pulled out during "Fish On". Also worried that someone could cut their leg with them sticking down so far. Will use them in the deck railings also, really need the wing nuts there.

Cutting a 12" dia hole in the floor for Summer Ice Fishing in Fl. Will cut hole to fit a 12" furnace duct plug. Not sure what dia yet. If it gets chilly in the cabin from the wind in winter months, will have alum pipe with flange made to stick into the water.

My brother in Wis catches more fish thru the hole some days, they may like the shade.

Glad to hear from you guys and the nice remarks, was hesitant to post this thread, feeling better now.

My intend is sharing, not to boast.

Ron
 
I used to fantasize about scaring up an old DUKW amphibious truck, and turning it into an RV. Other people have done this before and made it work. I've always like the idea of owning an all-wheel-drive, amphibious, go-anywhere, RV.
Uneven gravel road's the only way there? No sweat.
River flooded? Who cares.
The man at the gas station said you'd have to drive half-way 'round the lake? What he doesn't know won't hurt him.
Google a DUKW. They're friggin awesome. (...once you get 'em workin' good.)
 
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