What boat for an Old Lady????

[Shepest]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

Hey what do you all think about this one????? Yeah it's not huge but would be a good for a long weekend and maybe a two week vacation for me. And it's Trailerable.....
2014 8'x28' Houseboat Trailerable with Trailer Better Than Bass Tracker | eBay

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

It looks pretty nice. Just keep in mind that it doesn't have a motor. You would need to get an engine. You would probably want an absolute minimum of a 50 HP motor to just putter around in calm weather. In reality it should probably be a 90-115 motor minimum.

A new engine will be no less than $10-12k. A nice used one would be $5-6k. Plus you would need to get controls and someone to install the engine. Expect at least another $500-700 to be actually ready to go to the lake.

 

[southkogs]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

Never thought about one of those earlier in the thread! :facepalm:

There are several on the lakes here in TN, and they're kinda' cool. Just like you say, trailerable, good for a weekend for one or two people. Not a bad way to go.

Do a little Craigslist searchin' - and even expand your search out to another major lake area. Towing one back a couple hundred miles might save you a thousand bucks or better of purchase price.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

That boat looks to be in good shape, but as others said you should have it professionally inspected before purchase. I like the fact that it doesn't have a motor because it sounds like you need a new one. If you aren't handy with repairs and maintenance, then you need something new and reliable.

Being trapped in a 28ft boat is not everyone's cup of tea, but if it works for you then go for it. You might consider a small towable dingy so that you can anchor away from small docks and boat up in the little one. Not all places can accept a 28' boat.

 

[roscoe]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

You need to make sure there is a bank of house batteries to operate all the electrics.
A small generator would help too.

A refrigerator would be on my list, not a cooler/icebox.

Towing that any distance is going to take some truck.

 

[Shepest]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

OMG! I thought, "he must be joking." Looked up some motors and they cost as much as a new car. Holy Cow! am i out of touch or what? The last OB motor I bought was 35 years ago. It was a 30hp Merc and I got it for less than $200. Man I am shocked. I think I'm going to throw upuke:

 

[AChotrod]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

OMG! I thought, "he must be joking." Looked up some motors and they cost as much as a new car. Holy Cow! am i out of touch or what? The last OB motor I bought was 35 years ago. It was a 30hp Merc and I got it for less than $200. Man I am shocked. I think I'm going to throw upuke:

Cheapest way to get a good sized used motor most the time is buy another boat with a good engine. Steal the engine and controls and sell the hull and trailer to get some money back. Its a bit of a hassle but will normally be the cheapest route. Just make sure to have a mechanic look over it. New motors are ridiculously expensive.

 

[chrome dome]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

ad does not mention hot water service or shower or even a toilet either, which a boat like that should have...does say 'bath' though...may have them though but could be on the optional extra list, need to check,
30 gallons does not seem like a lot of water, if it does have them

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

It's been a number of years since many houseboats were made. Many companies went out of business, and few companies remain. Most houseboats being built today are 60' to 115' aluminum hull barges with large two story structures, and they're manufactured around Lake Cumberland and Somerset, KY. Prices are expensive to a fortune.

At your age, an old houseboat would not be an option. You might can find some rental units coming out of service, however.

There is a Middle Tennessee company building affordable houseboats called CatamaranCruisers.com. They're almost up to 5000 units delivered, and many are in rental use over in the Bahamas.

If you're interested in the nautical life, you really need to decide where you'd like to live. And Kansas is not the place for houseboating.

The best inland cruising (bar none) in the U.S. is the Tennessee River. It's navigable 650 miles from Paducah to Knoxville. I live on Wilson Lake @ Muscle Shoals. I also like Guntersville Lakes for one of the premier lakes in the U.S. You're not land locked on these lakes like you'd be at Lake Lanier outside Atlanta. And there's always plenty of freshwater lakes and rivers in Florida.

It sounds as if you have some lifestyle decisions to make.

 

[Shepest]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

Lifestyle decisions are tempered with financial possibilities. Due to some stupid mistakes in my youth…. A long marriage to the wrong guy, not prison…. … I will not be retiring for another 10 to 15 years. And I don’t want to wait till then to Start houseboating. I love my present job and the people and make pretty good money, and I Like Kansas. (yeah, I know, weird) Contrary to popular belief, there are houseboats in Kansas. There is one lake about 45 minutes from work where they dock boats year round, don’t know if anyone lives in them year round.

Being land locked is one of the reasons I’m leaning toward a trailerable houseboat, so I can visit other lakes. Oklahoma has a number of big ones. Yeah I would have to invest in something that could pull it but I’m due for a newer vehicle in another year anyway. AND if I were to get one of those boats that they refer to as a “camper on land or water” any traveling I would be doing I could sleep in my boat.

Guess I’ve made more decisions then I realized…….. Thanks everyone for your insights.

 

[Shepest]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

Ok here is another question from someone who has never driven a houseboat. I grew up on a very old 21' cabin cruiser. It was an out board with a 40 horse Merc on it. Needless to say it did not move very fast, so our father let us drive and dock often. That been 45 years ago. I have since owned and driven ski boats but nothing really big. My question is, if I plan on doing most of my boating alone what is the max size of houseboat I could handle by myself? I'm mostly concerned with docking.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: What boat for an Old Lady????

I once had a 32' cruiser I used alone mostly and with a little practice had no problems docking in the ICW. You will not have the tide to deal with. Don't let size matter. Have someone show you and then practice. In a short time you will be a pro.