Just a Floating Apartment?

[Tuffy]

I would love to live aboard a big beautiful ocean bound vessel, but then reality sets in. I am committed to a real job and really can't afford said ocean bound vessel. But, I would LOVE to live on the water. Compared to buying and maintaining a fully functioning boat, how much less expensive would it be to buy a boat that can't leave the marina on its own but is otherwise a good looking floating home?

I know that might seem silly, but to be honest, I have plenty of outlets as far as being able to spend time on the water without having to live on a boat. That being said, I can't afford a house that sits on the water and a less than fully functional boat might be a viable option.

Go ahead. Laugh. Make fun of me. Call me funny names, but baby, just call me.

 

[jwnall]

Hey, that is pretty much what I bought my boat for. I call it my "floating beach house."

 

[Tuffy]

I meant FLOATING APARTMENT!

Not floaring apartment. Dang typing.

 

[CPseudonym]

I meant FLOATING APARTMENT!

Not floaring apartment. Dang typing.

Thought so, fixed it

It's not a new idea, the floating apartment that is. Live aboard slip in your local marina is the real wildcard. Best to visit the local marina and find out that situation right up front to be sure it is feasible.

 

[Spraygun]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a floating condo. There are plenty of affordable boats that are made of wood. Those can usually be had pretty cheap . They are usually fairly large too. Quite a few here on the Texas coast. It'll be hard to buy a boat to that doesn't run at all. It usually will run a little bit. Not that you'd want to take it out. I wouldn't take one out. The bigger problem is there so many complex systems on board. Like air conditioning, ( aka life support system in Texas )electricity ,toilets things like that. It is doable. Check out yachtworld.com

 

[Giggitoni]

If you find a boat that's too beat up you'll have a tough time insuring it. That may become a problem with your marina, which is usually a requirement.

 

[Tuffy]

So, what is the difference in cost if I buy a boat that can't go out? A little or a lot?

 

[AusCan]

A lot. But usually still less than the cost to make it seaworthy.

 

[CPseudonym]

Your Great Loop boat requirements and restrictions

Here is a link to a webpage that talks about cruising the inland waterways of America. It also has some of the best entry level information about picking boats in general and budget thoughts. Although this deals primarily with cruising and not marina living it is still very relevant.

 

[Tuffy]

So, realistically, what is the difference in cost?

 

[psneeld]

Look at houseboats...usually the cheapest for the most interior room.

Many can be had in the $10,000-$20,000 range....inexpensive to keep as they are well suited for Home Depot style maintenance issues.

http://www.boattrader.com/browse/houseboats/texas/SortBy-price.asc/Page-1

sort low to high on price

 

[FF]

A boat has lots of compromises to simply be a functioning vessel.

Just as its better to drive nails with a hammer than a microscope ,

its far better as suggested to get a houseboat to be a home afloat .

Easier to buy , sell and maintain.

Vastly more room for the size (slip cost) and bucks.

Welcome aboard!

 

[swampu]

Wait till a good storm hits and there will be floating apartments all over the place. You will see them on the news, bobbing around and laying up against a bridge getting beat to peices. Sadly most of those run but the owners didn't even try to prep for the tide or wind. As for price a decent would be under 10k. Hell you can buy a good running floating apartment (ugly boat) for about 15k. Good luck

 

[Tuffy]

Is a houseboat seaworthy enough for Corpus Christi Bay or the ICW? I never thought of that. I thought a trawler was the best option. I know that I can get a sailboat for a good deal, but a trawler would have so much more space. I guess a houseboat would have a lot of space, but thought they were only for lakes.

 

[psneeld]

Houseboats span a fairly wide spectrum of build quality and though I hate the term "seaworthy" as it's more a function of the captain than boat...they also span the spectrum in qualities that make them suitable for use on more open waters.

Many houseboats have survived just fine on intracoastal passages and many do the cruise up and down from the Mid- Atlantic states to Florida and back every year.

While never a great idea...I have seen some in pretty sloppy conditions, shipping water over the bow and right up to the sliding glass doors. They didn't sink but I'm sure the carpet may have gotten wet.

As I said...some have better rougher conditions features...just pick one you think will be suitable for your areas of cruising.

 

[Phil Fill]

Many marinas do not allow house boats, project boats so be aware. Most marines are zoned only to navigable vessels that can arrive and depart under its own power and meet the state requirements. Also marinas do like project run boats.

That being said we bought the Eagle to be a dock condo with no plans to live on it and or leave the dock. The cash flow between a boat ready to use live on and a fixer upper in the total turn around cost is about the same. The cost of owship, mooage insurance normal up keep is about the same and the month finance payments vs the month up grade maintain cost could be about the same.

So don't look at just the initial cost of the boat but also the cost of ownership and total turn around cost.

 

[Tuffy]

To be honest, I wasn't looking for a boat to put a lot of time and money into. I wondered if it was possible to buy an inexpensive boat that was comfortable to live in but would never actually get underway. Not a fixer upper. A leave it as it is.

 

[Spraygun]

Corpus Christi bay is almost always to windy to do many things.But there is the R dock where some boats go to die in some cases.There was even a couple of house boats there.One if them was occupied sometimes. You're going to have to set a budget and get out there look around.

Sent from my Galaxy SIII using speech to text.so some words may not be perfect.but it's easier.

 

[Spraygun]

I meant to add that was the R dock at Corpus Christi city marina. If you live there you know you can't get on the docks themselves. But the afternoon and evening staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Sent from my Galaxy SIII using speech to text.so some words may not be perfect.but it's easier.

 

[Tuffy]

I can easily see the first time cost. The big unknown is the cost of ownership.

If I bought a fully functioning vessel, the first time cost would obviously be higher. But, would the cost of ownership be higher, even if you don't count the cost of fuel, assuming that I don't go anywhere. If I bought a boat, fully functional or not, is it safe to say that the maintenance of the hull and interior would be the same? If I rarely, if ever, took the boat out, how much maintenance, in addition to the hull, would be required?

 

[mahal]

If you really don't plan on taking the boat out, a houseboat, as suggested by psneeld, is very hard to beat. They are more similar to a house than a trawler of the same size would be and much cheaper to buy and maintain.

 

[Codger2]

..... a houseboat, as suggested by psneeld, is very hard to beat..

Ditto!

 

[Tuffy]

In that case I will look for a good houseboat.

Has anybody ever heard of someone renting a liveaboard to try it out before actually buying?

 

[CPseudonym]

Has anybody ever heard of someone renting a liveaboard to try it out before actually buying?

Renting or chartering for a few days to a week is common. However if you mean month to month, similar to an apartment that is very rare. A boat owner would have nothing to gain.

 

[ksanders]

Look at houseboats...usually the cheapest for the most interior room.

Many can be had in the $10,000-$20,000 range....inexpensive to keep as they are well suited for Home Depot style maintenance issues.

Page 1 of 3 - New and Used Houseboats for sale on BoatTrader.com - BoatTrader.com

sort low to high on price

If all you really want is a waterside condo than a houseboat or a floating home is perfect.

Bigger inside than a seaworthy boat, and more "house" type systems. For example no need for 12 volts if you are plugged in all the time.

I've seen floating houses in the PACNW (IE BC and southeast alaska). They do not pretend to be seaworthy, they are just that, floating homes.

 

[OFB]

Oldfishboat too river side condo conversion

I first met this old girl while living aboard in the same marina that she was moored. One afternoon I noticed she was a little low in the water. I walked over to talk to the current owner that had her for sale. He had just brought a wet dry vac down. But as I walked up to him and the boat she just dropped into the water with the dock lines holding her up. The head had just gone under and wa la she filled fast. She had been out sea trial a week or so prior with a prospective buyer running around the river. But something was "left open, and something was turned off. So the portable pump went to work .

She was then pulled out of the water lifted up and converted to a riverside condo. Power and fuel tanks pulled out. Home depot cabin built onto boat.

Then purchased by Mom in law where she lived for many years. Surveyed / insured with good solid place to moore.

The only real issue I had was insurance. In that most underwriters do not offer this kind of "cross over " policy. Its a boat yet not , its a float home yet not. However insurance eventualy happened.

I could push pull it around with the 12 foot livingston. For any long hauls I could add balast along the keel inside ( drums of water ).

She is still here in this marina. Has now gone through one owner that lived aboard after Mom and is now used by some one in the airline industry for a base away from home.

Cheap and effective :lol:

Is what it is.

 

[Tuffy]

OFB,

How big was that boat and how much did it sell for? This is exactly what I was initially asking about, although I will still look at house boats.

 

[Capthead]

Be careful of buying a boat that can't run. Here you are required to prove your boat is operational or you cannot have a liveaboard slip. There are many reasons a marina would have that requirement anyway. Like everybody says, what starts in CA moves on to the rest of the US. I'd check around first. Just an FYI

 

[ksanders]

The real issue you're going to have is a place to dock your floating apartment. finding a non seaworthy boat is easy.

Most harbors I've seen (and read the moorage agreements to) exclude boats that cannot and do not leave the harbor under their own power.

The reason they do this to keep derelict boats out of their harbor. People, ie other boaters want to see nice looking, boats in the harbor. Derelict boats in general are not welcome in any harbor.

 

[Baggiolini]

Be careful of buying a boat that can't run. Here you are required to prove your boat is operational or you cannot have a liveaboard slip. There are many reasons a marina would have that requirement anyway. Like everybody says, what starts in CA moves on to the rest of the US. I'd check around first. Just an FYI

Ditto that, in Monterey the rules of the marina say that your boat must be navigable. They have made a few go out and circle mile buoy. I can't help but think the maintenance will kill you. It's got to be cheaper to rent an apartment that isn't going to sink. On a boat, everything goes wrong eventually. If you don't find joy in maintenance, it won't be a lot of fun.

Just my two cents