GL: Houseboats.

[Kurt Reno]

Dan Said: >>I finally got the wife to agree to sell everything and move to the
water. But
she would rather buy a houseboat instead of sail or trawler. Any reason we
couldn't live on houseboat and run the river sytems on the west side of loop?
Such as Tenn-tom, Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio, etc,etc. Maybe after a couple
of years if she likes it I will sell houseboat and buy the Trawler. I really
respect the info everyone in the list puts out there.
Thanks
Dan<<

If no one else will say it, I will.  Given the constaint of staying on the
rives as you set forth, there is absolutely no reason why you can't live and
travel on a houseboat. Most here cannot imagine anyone being satisfied with
cruising only the rivers but there is years of crusing just in what you
mentioned. Only you can decide if you will stay in the rivers.

Like other boats, most houseboats built are low quality entry level boats that
wind up in the used markets in various states of delayed repairs. Like other
boats, some houseboats are very good quality and hold their value
exceptionally well.   Houseboats are the prefered boats for the majority of
cruisers on the rivers because of draft, usability and cost to aquire.  Most
feel there is no sense in buying way more seaworthiness than is necessary.
Most houseboats are seaworthy enough for what you are proposing.  Some are far
more seaworthy then others.  Houseboat has a bad name so brokers will not
refer to them as such.  They will call them everything else but a houseboat.

Fuel burn is always sighted as a concern but, fuel costs should be looked at
on an annualized basis instead of a per mile basis.  If you go 2000 miles a
year and burn an average of 1mpg then your annualized fuel bill at 3.50 per
gallon will be $7000.00 You might go more than 2000 miles at first but you are
likely to take a more leisurly pace after the first 6 months.  Some houseboats
do as well on fuel burn as the majority of semi displacement trawlers out
there. I would not be concerned with gas or diesel  either way.  Gas is
usually cheaper and easier to get on the rivers while its the other way around
in salt water.

Should you decide to expand your crusing grounds and go far north in the
summer and far south in the winter, crossing open waters and traveling upwards
of 5000-6000 miles a year including places with cheap diesel, then a trawler
makes a lot more sense.  Frankly my wife would just as soon we stuck only to
the rivers and canals and skipped open water.  For her, a houseboat would work
just fine.  For now I will keep my full displacement trawler on Lake Erie, not
exactly house boat friendly territory.