Hello,

I have a fishing boat I'm repairing. Don't need another.

I come from a family of campers. We usually progress from no tent to tent to popup camper to travel trailer as we age.

I am thinking a houseboat would be cool. Just a small one. Rig it up with electronics, and I'd wake up and get right to fishing with my first cup of coffee while still in my PJs.

Not sure how doable this is financially. Just thining.

Anyone here do this?

Josh

Why not consider making your own ?   There's lots of interest in micro campers and tiny houses going on these days...  a tiny houseboat would be pretty cool imo....

 

Check out this guys campers... something like that built on the deck of an 18 foot pontoon would be easy to do...

 

http://casualturtlecampers.com/

I joke about it a lot, but don't think I would actually ever do it. I just don't see them as practical (especially around my location). I've gone the cheap popup, bumper pull, RV direction and learned the hard way you definitely get what you pay for most times it those scenarios.... They nickel and dime you to death. Can only imagine what a floating one would be like... 

 

My thoughts, If you can't afford a Lake of the Ozarks Yacht, I suggest keeping the tent packed and the bass boat hooked up! 

http://tinyhousetalk.com/micro-houseboat-you-can-build/

 

As long as you can tow it easy enough and (cheaply?) dock it overnight in sheltered water, this thing might have some appeal.

Way cool, too.
http://tinyhousetalk.com/diy-micro-camper-that-doubles-as-a-micro-houseboat/

If construction is not your thing there have been plenty of ideas of combining a used pontoon boat and a  mini camper...

 

Buy one of these for about $3000:

 

and find a used pontoon boat....    hire somebody to cut the trailer off and weld the box to the pontoon frame.

 

You'll still have plenty of deck fore and aft to make into a decent bass boat layout.

 

This is the ideal IMO..   The Aqua Casa.

http://www.berkeley-engineering.com/AquaCasaHouseboat.html

I live at the end of Lake Champlain and growing up, there used to be plenty of houseboats around.  When I was a kid, I always thought it would be cool to have one and spend days at a time on the lake fishing.  I saw one this summer, and I think it's the first one I've seen in thirty years.

 

I think it would be a piece of cake to build one on a pontoon (or better yet, tritoon) boat, or even just clear the deck of a pontoon boat and pitch a big tent or one of those pop-up ice fishing shelters....

 

Tight lines,

Bob

there are a ton of houseboats on lake fontana in western NC and MANY of them look homemade.

If you already have a camper of some sort I'd suggest a Pontoon. I got one last year and we love it. My family won't get on my Triton but they love the Toon!

If you already have a camper of some sort I'd suggest a Pontoon. I got one last year and we love it. My family won't get on my Triton but they love the Toon!

 

The weenie wagon!