Jim Stansbury, his wife Cherie, and dog Molly have been
houseboating for almost ten years now. He and his wife used to own a cruiser
before they bought their first houseboat, but then realized that a Houseboat
appealed to them more. They enjoy having more room, and the amenities of a
house right there, and feel now that they are older they can stay put more than
when they were younger.
The Stansbury's have owned the same 1978 Summerset
since when they bought it ten years ago from Terry at Houseboats Buy Terry.
They have made major changes to their boat since then though. When they bought
the 1978 Summerset it was in rough shape. They spent a lot of money, time and
energy making it nicer over the years. It is 58' long 14' wide and has a 12'
cabin. The name of their boat is Cumberland Home.
They keep it at Conley Bottom
on Lake Cumberland in the same exact slip as
when they bought it. Jim and Cherie love the boat and especially love Conley Bottom.
It has a great view of Lake
Cumberland and is a great
dock. They have made lots of friends. In fact, three really good friends that
live up the road. Jim says, "Dock friends make houseboating fun. We feel at
home and part of a family at the dock." When Jim and Cherie first stepped into
the houseboating community they said how everyone was very helpful and had lots
of great advice for them as newbie's. Last year Jim spent 130 nights on the
boat and this year so far he has spent 40 nights and plans on a lot more. The
Stansbury's live 2 hours and 45 minutes away from the dock. Houseboating life
is very fun to them and love every minute on the dock.
An interesting fact about Jim is he is a wine connoisseur.
He conducts wine tastings and workshops on the lake to fellow friends and
houseboaters.