To say that Rolland Bartle loves houseboating might not do justice to the depths of it. In the late summer of 1996, he and his wife, Ruth, stood looking at their dream boat, a gleaming, 55-foot KingsCraft home cruiser moored along the Tennessee River around Decatur, Ala. For them, the boat seemed perfect—100 percent aluminum construction, excellent handling on the water, and a brand they had owned and loved before. Until they went inside, the deal seemed solid.

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