Building a Trailerable Houseboat - with simple plans for a quick easy build.
by Lee Wynn
(Durham, NC, USA)
Building Plans for a Trailerable Houseboat (1/12 scale model)
I've started planning and building a trailerable houseboat that is designed to be quick and easy to build. After years of procrastinating, I have decided to build myself a house boat.
The above photo is a very rough 1/12 scale model that I made to gauge the look, shape, and proportions of my design.
Width . . . . . . . . 8' 4?
length . . . . . . .26' 0?
Draft . . . . . . . . 4?
Deck House . . 7' 8" x 17'
Head Room, Deck House . . 6' 6?
Cover over front Deck head room . .. . 6'
sides around front and rear Decks . . . 2'
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . 3750 lbs
Electrical . . . Dual 12V DC / 110V AC
Water . . . . . . . . . . . Hot & Cold
Sleeping Capacity . . . . . 4 adults
Power . . . .. . . . . . . 50hp
It will sleep two couples in separate private quarters front and rear. It will also be trailerable since my wife and I plan to take to the road and explore some of the wonderfully waterways that we have in this country.
The hull is an up sized version of the flat hull used on the Lisa B. Good houseboat free plans. The Lisa B. Good hull appears to be somewhat over-designed and heavy, but I believe it is one of the easier and quickest build around. Also enough flotation foam will be added to keep it afloat if the hull is accidentally pierced.
The interior design of the Deckhouse is from a set of Huck Finn cabinet plans that I purchased from Glen-L many years ago. That is all for now. I will post pictures when I start the actual build.
A couple questions for the experts:
* Will adding a couple of skegs on the flat hull help it track better? Advantages/disadvantages?
* Is Titebond III a good structural glue to use?
* What's the advantage and disadvantage of a more aggressive rocker hull?
Lee Wynn, Durham, NC
Reply - Answer
Well Lee, congratulations on your decision to start to build a trailerable houseboat for yourself. Better now than never :)
During the building process, try and take some pictures and document the process or steps, as I am sure that there will be many folks that would love to read about it.
Now onto your questions:
In my personal opinion, adding skegs to a flat hull will help with the slow speed tracking.
Titebond III is an excellent glue to use, and has some exceptional characteristics.
Now about rocker hulls, I am not an expert on the rocker hull design, but you will find some more detailed information and theories on the advantages and disadvantages of rocker hulls here.
Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their building a trailerable houseboat plans and experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.
Thanks again for sharing, IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com
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