Switch to houseboat?

Retired JSO wrote:
We were boaters back in the 90’s. With our 30’ cruiser, we travelled to the Bahamas in 1993 for 10 days Green Turtle Cay and Marsh Harbor. $45 a night at Green Turtle and $52 a night at Marsh Harbor. Fuel cost from NE Florida, $1800+. Until, 1997, every weekend on the St Johns and Nassau/St Mary’s River. No camp fees while River camping but fuel about $200 a weekend plus $150 a month docking fee. Camping is, by far a lot cheaper than boating.

We did this also out of Miami in the early 70's and 80's on my fathers 31 ft Bertram, it was a lot of fun. Bimini, great and little Isaacs, diving and fishing.We just anchored on the lee side of the small islands. Gas was the biggest expense a lot more than a MH and campground fees.

If I was going to do what you want to do I would get a trailer able cat type pontoon boat like this https://www.catamarancruiser.com/8x31-lil-hobo-trailerable. It would offer the best of both worlds. You could tow it with a truck to a CG and use it like a trailer and when there is a lake you slide it off the trailer into the water and find a quite cove to sleep and fish in. When I camped at Lake of the woods in Canada they also rented these types of boats at the CG and people would sleep in them over night as well as fish.

We were boaters back in the 90’s. With our 30’ cruiser, we travelled to the Bahamas in 1993 for 10 days Green Turtle Cay and Marsh Harbor. $45 a night at Green Turtle and $52 a night at Marsh Harbor. Fuel cost from NE Florida, $1800+. Until, 1997, every weekend on the St Johns and Nassau/St Mary’s River. No camp fees while River camping but fuel about $200 a weekend plus $150 a month docking fee. Camping is, by far a lot cheaper than boating.

We vacationed on a rental houseboat with three other couples on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. It was a good time. BUT....

We used a lot of fuel for both the boat motor and the diesel generator. Cumberland, like many lakes in that region, is an impoundment with very steep, rocky banks and few level places to get off the boat, so you're on board for the duration. Our rental was 65' long and 15' wide. We saw privately owned boats that were floating palaces, up to 100' long and with three decks. A trailerable boat is of course much smaller and more restrictive.

Bottom line, it was fun, but it seemed like it would get tedious after a while. And no way is it cheaper than RVing.

I grew up on boats. When I was young when school got out we would take off on the boat and not come back until school started back up. My dad and uncle used to build wood boats many years ago.
The last one they built was a 36' with a fly bridge. I had my own 16' glastron in a slip at the marina at 14. At 15 me and my best childhood friend stripped a 18' wood Thompson and many coats of varnish that thing was sweet. I got out of boating in my early 30s and switched to rving. We were burning 20 gal of fuel a hour. Marina overnight slip rates right now are as much or more than a campsite. I was always a DIY type and never had to spend big$$ on repairs.

$50 a night is about on the high end of average! You can find cheaper out there but you are going to get cheaper!

And if you’ve ever owned a boat, you are not going to save any money!

no way its cheaper but "whatever floats your boat"

Some years ago friends of mine that had a houseboat always used the expression: BOAT= Break Out Another Thousand....every time they stepped aboard.

I suspect that 'thousand' figure is at least double or triple today.

TNGW1500SE wrote:
Has anyone ever considered switching to a houseboat? I'm getting tired of these 50 buck a night campground fees. Everyplace we go there's a nice lake to stay on free. W'd stay for a month or so. I'd have to pay for pump outs, maybe a launch fee or two, run a generator some but other than that, why not???? Once I sold the class A and put that down on the boat, the savings in CG fees would pay for the boat wouldn't it?

When all is said and done, in the long run, I can't think of any houseboat that would be cheaper to own/operate than a similar sized Class A motorhome of similar vintage. Now, . . . . . if you want to compare a houseboat to an aircraft, . . . . . you may have a valid point.

Chum lee

We were at Denton Ferry RV Parkon the White River 2nd week of June and a couple set up across the drive from us were in a cabin cruiser type boat. They just had a 3step folding ladder on the back to enter/exit and by the way they setup/closedup they camp in the boat often. First time I have seen this but may be more common along coast or Great Lakes area
When I was in business had a customer had a luxury houseboat on Lake O'Pines they lived full time in tied to a marina dock. This thing was huge, house AC system, beautiful boat. They just had dock rent & electric. Marina on CoE land so they didnt pay any property or school tax on this thing either.