Hello all,

I have been lurking around for a while, and decided it was time to ask for some help.
I just bought a 1973 holiday mansion (well kind of).  What I actually got was some 40foot pontoons, a rotten deck, and a pair of 1973 outboard motors.  The recent storms around here took out the old Mansion.

Now, I've been in the construction business for most of my life, but building a houseboat has really got my brain working overtime.  I know that weight and weight distribution are key factors.  So what I am thinking is this:

1. Use steel studs for walls -  they weigh less than a 2X2 but give the full strength of a 2X4 wall.

2.  Use comercial grade expanding foam insulation - not only does it seal out all air and water infiltration, but it also acts like a "glue" to bond wall studs and sheeting together better.

3.  For the roof - 1/4 to 1/2 inch of Rino Liner - a friend of mine used it on their pontoon boat, and it is awesome.  (don't know about the weight though).

I can't think of anything else right now, but please give me any thoughts or opinions you have.  Oh yea, the boat is 42 X 13.  and any ideas for the layout are welcome too.

Been there, done that. Will I do it again? NO!!

Rebuilding an old houseboat (or building a new one) is a very daunting project. Sometimes it's like pouring money down a hole (you'll never see most of it again); sometimes it's just an exercise in frustration. In all cases it's an act of Love or Lunacy (not sure which, or maybe they're the same).

Building the "house" is the easy part, like any house it's just a box. It's the "boat" part and all the subsystems (electrical, plumbing, power, etc) that will drive you to tears.

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Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw

Amelia on this forum is doing just as you are dreaming. Look her up and ask if it is a good idea. I believe for her and her husband, it is a hobby and/or pass time.


Also Campo on this forum has built one and is now planning to build his second. They will chime here, I am sure, so stay tuned.

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Banana Tom

Hi, Fixerupper-

Should you build a houseboat? Well, that depends on WHY you're considering doing that. Is it to save money? (Bad plan, IMO. Go buy a decent used one and fix it bit by bit as you can scrape together the money. That way you have the major systems in place, and if you play your cards right, all you'll have to do is fix minor -though possibly expensive -bits and pieces, and redecorate.)

Are you considering building your own because you love to work with your hands, have construction skills and ambition, and think it would be fun to spend years and thousands of dollars on a crazy dream, doing it your way, and besides, you're retired, and you'd be underfoot and in constant domestic hot water if you didn't have a Project? Now, I have to say, THAT idea has merit. I have to say that because that's what my husband is doing, much to the amusement of everybody who knows anything about boat-building. Would it have been MY choice? Heck, no. I'm a rag-bagger at heart. I'd buy a nice big old sailboat and fix it up. Alas, that's not an option at this house, as the other one of us is prone to seasickness, and doesn't enjoy life on a 30-degree heel. As the boatbuilder here says, his major reason for tackling this very long project, which is far less than halfway done, is to find out why nobody ever built one like this before. He's finding it out, one challenge at a time.

We're figuring ours to be laid out bassackwards- with the salon/galley/dining area to be astern, overlooking a back porch, because from what we've seen, that's where a lot of the boating party happens. Did I want grandkids leaving wet towels on my bed on their drippy way forward to forage for snacks? I did not. Therefore, the path from the swim platform to the head and the fridge will not pass the master stateroom. There'll be a panoramic view from the inside helm, a walkway all the way around, and steps from both forward and aft, to the big top deck and fly-bridge. It'll be powered with a couple of high-thrust outboards, and will be agonizingly s-l-o-wwww. So, what's time to a couple of retirees, anyway? Speaking of which, we've probably got another couple of years to figure out how to deal with those horrendously complicated systems Willie refers to. While that's being figured out, I have the consolation of knowing my dear one has something to do with his time besides chase (other) wild women, drink himself senseless, or work himself to a way-too-early grave. Meanwhile, I'll be out at the airport.

The joy, they say, is in the journey. Now your job is to define the journey!

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Amelia
Edenton, NC

I've partially re-built a couple of smaller boats, and I love working with my hands. I still want to build a boat from scratch. From what little I have done and know, it is tedious, expensive, and can drive you nuts......I say go for it Like Amelia said, it's the journey....my journey will probably end at the looney tunes farm.

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Riverliver

I for one only feel the crazy temptation to try one particular type. CATAMARANS> It seems to me that to make your own molds to cast your own cats wouldnt be that hard. And then of course build your platform and cabin on top.
Now I realize that you cant shoot from the hip in engineering this when it comes to weight and displacement BUT I'm sure you can break it down pretty easy.
I also dont see why it is not affordable. As many times as I put it on paper it seems that it would be (ALOT) cheaper than buying a new one. I probably just started some crap now. I hope no one from CAT CRUISERS INC is reading this.

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Boatless at the moment
www.spboatsales.com

Ours is a catamaran, and I'm looking out the window as the wind's gusting to 25 knots and the chop on the bay's averaging two feet. The boat's rocking gently, but seems entirely stable, as nice a platform as we could ask. We didn't do fiberglass for two reasons. One is that ours was never intended to be anything but a one-off effort, and if you're going to all the trouble of making molds, why not use 'em several times? The second reason is that my husband spent a hot, itchy, miserable college summer in a truck-body plant working fiberglass. He swore if he ever saw the stuff again it would be waaaaay too soon. Instead, the pontoons were made of fancy plywood, painted with industrial enamel, and partly sheathed with copper roofing. Copper has gone way up since we did that, but it's nice to see how clean the bottom is.

As for cost, those brand-new floating double-wides ARE expensive. You're buying snazzy jacuzzi tubs, tray ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and granite countertops, custom cabinetry, and smoky mirror bar-back decor. And you're paying for boat-show floorspace, ads in glossy magazines, and commissions here and there. That's great, if you're wealthy, in a hurry, want it fancy, and don't have a lot of preconceived notions about how you want it different from what the companies normally build.

We definitely think we will have ours finished the way we want it for a lot less money than those brand-new show models. But we're building a boat, with simple cottage-ish decor, not a Park Avenue condo on pontoons. We have no hope of impressing our dozen best friends with a luxury weekend tied to the dock. There'll be room for a friend or two overnight, but not a crowd.

Like cars, I get the feeling that houseboats depreciate in a hurry. Correct me if I'm wrong, you boat-dealers, but it looks to me as if a perfectly nice gently used houseboat can be had for a tiny fraction of what those shiny new lake-palaces cost, and maybe half what our home-built will cost when all's said and done. And the buyers of those used boats will be on their way by our dock this summer, waving merrily at a certain boatbuilder who's still trying to get the electronics and plumbing installed properly. But that boatbuilder, assuming he does get it finished, will have some good tales to tell of the adventure.

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Amelia
Edenton, NC

thanks for all your replies,

I have already bought the boat in question, and I will not be building the "whole thing".

The boat comes with the pontoons, engines and controls, water and fuel tanks, and I think that the hot water heater is still there too.

I got the boat plus 7 months mooring for $800, and it is at my favorite marina.  I am thinking that I can build the "house" part for about 12K and end up with a real nice boat.

Amelia -- No I am not retired, but I already feel the need to keep at least one project going for my own sanity!  Plus I think I would rather invest 12- 15K and know exactly what I've got rather than spending that much without knowing what is behind the paneling.


And yes, I really do like working with my hands, and I am a pretty good plumber, electrician, and carpenter.

That sounds like a great head start, Fixerupper! I'm intrigued by the metal studs- one big time-waster here has been having to sort through piles of twisty 2x4s looking for straight ones. You'd be way ahead of the game there, wouldn't you?
Keep us posted on your progress!

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Amelia
Edenton, NC

The metal studs are intriguing; and Amelia has a point; warped lumber is a waste of time and money, not to mention a pain... If they're strong enough for exterior walls and hurricane codes I'd guess they'd work for a houseboat. The Rino liner has already been tried, and I think it's pretty well received. I'd be concerned about the expanding foam, though, as in my experience it has a tendency to push things apart.

How about structural foam panels? If I were to do it again I'd give them a serious look...

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Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw

Go for it.  I built a 40 footer in my front yard in Pittsburgh, Pa.  It was a real potty project.
OOps I meant party project.  Lots of fiends OOps I meant friends helped ,with a lot of beer.  I made it to Cincinnati from Pgh.   (500 miles) and I could not wait to trade it in on a real boat.  Which I did.  If I had it to do over again---NO---I would fix up a good used boat.  But on the other hand, you have different fingers.  OOps, I meant it will be a great project which you will never forget.  Go for it.

clarencio 

How is it that the city didn't give you trouble for the boat in the front yard? I would have already done it if I knew the city wouldn't b_+_+ch.

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Boatless at the moment
www.spboatsales.com

I lived out in the boonies and the neighbors thought I was a little weird but no one was bothered by seeing this monster in the front yard.

clarencio

Fixerupper,
My very good friend and I talk boat building all the time. I actually gave him my sail boat, he is re-doing it now, and will give it back some day when he is done with it. He has built a small boat before, re-built a small boat and now this sail boat. Next year or so, he will be buying plans to build a 48 foot trawler. I have some plans now for a 30 to 38 foot trawler. We plan, draw, talk about systems, re figure, draw, etc,etc. I like your idea about the steel 2x4's, we have discussed that in our plans also. Expandable foam can be bought in slow rise, fire rated types for filling walls, or spraying walls. Your just doing the house, and I would think that is very doable. My suggestion is this, buy a couple of boatbuilding books that discuss your building techniques, to be sure and do it right. Steel is ok, just bed it correctly. Foam is ok, just get the right stuff, and etc. I admire anyone who builds.
Now one more thing. My wifes Uncle built a pontoon houseboat out of wood, built the pontoons different than anything anyone had seen before, everyone said it would not work, but, it did work and work well. He painted the plywood. It lasted for years. He offered to give it to me several years ago, but the dry dock fee was way more than I wanted to pay.

So..... go for it my friend.

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Riverliver

For $800 you can't go wrong. Here's what you do.

1. Flatten her. Make the deck over the logs smooth.
2. Coleman makes a fine family tent that will fit perfectly.
3. Or, lash down a nice inexpensive 5th wheel trailer fully loaded.
4. Install rod holders, buy beer, go fishin' and enjoy.

Skally

ps: I built mine also.

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Chance Favors The Prepared Mind!

Maybe a storage shed????

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Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw

The idea on the foam insulation is to use the kind that you spray while the walls are still open on one side.  2 inches should provide about a R12, and provide plenty of bonding between the steel studs and the outside siding.  I am thinking about using the regular aluminum vertical  mobile home siding for the outside walls.

and yes, we have been jokingly kicking around the idea of tents and camper trailers.

right now my biggest problem is how to get it out of the water and to my house.

Fixerupper,

Good luck with you project. I built my boat completely from scratch. After seven years, more money than I care to admit, and more challenges than I ever imagined the "Miss Sandi" is my weekend dream. The bragging rights are worth more to me than all the frustration, money, and time I've invested. It sounds like you have an idea of what you want. On another note, I prefer Vertical Vinyl Siding as opposed to Aluminum. Its cheaper and virtually maintenance free. Steel walls are a great idea as well as sprayed foam insulation. Where will it be docked?

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Sincerely,
Jason

Miss Sandi

you might consider building a trailer too, unless one lifetime launch is all she will need

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"Come OOON Back............

dalehollow is right , a trailer would be a good idea , you may want to try floating it a few times during the process to check weight distribution and what not . a lot of times you can find old mobile home axles that would work for this . Also I was curious what type of sheeting you would use since moisture is a concern . I have kind of kicked this idea around some too ,but would have to build it at my son's house to have room and he's not too close to water .