Handicap Accessible Houseboats?

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Handicap Accessible Houseboats?

by Jeanne
(Auburn Hills, MI)

Are there any handicap accessible houseboats out there? If so, are any of them renovated by the owner(s)? If you've renovated a houseboat, and made it handicapped accessible, I'd be very interested in hearing from you.

My boyfriend and I are planning on moving to Florida, and we want to live on a Houseboat. Because of my disability related needs, he's planning to buy a houseboat and remodel it to meet my needs.

If you know of any resources in this area, I'd also appreciate hearing from you. All help is appreciated. Thanks, Jeanne

Reply - Answer
Hi Jeanne, that's an important question since there is a definite need for more handicap accessible houseboats. Maybe more of the houseboat manufacturers will start making the small changes to fully accommodate the demand.

If your buying a new houseboat, I imagine it would be fairly easy for them to modify the layout to work for you.

If your looking at used houseboats for sale, I imagine that you will have to plan on making the layout changes.

Hope some of our readers will be able to share their experiences and comments here.

Hope this all helps,
IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

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Handicap Accessible Houseboats?

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Modifying Houseboats for Wheelchair Access
by: AR Boater

We owned an early 70's model 28 foot pontoon houseboat when my wife had her auto accident that left her a paraplegic.

We had to remove the rails around the front deck and have a metal fabrication shop widen the access gates to accomdate the width of her wheelchair.

We had a mobile home repair company replace the cabin door with a wider door. The head was too small to bother with, so we didn't attempt to make it accessible.

A few years later we decided to move up to a larger boat - it was a 38' Stardust cruiser. We gutted it and made it as accessible as possible, but this particular design had the step down between the living area and the galley.

Due to the roof lines, it just wasn't practical to make it all one level. We used 2x10 boards to create a ramp to move her down to the lower level. It was less than ideal since she had to have assistance going from one level to the other.

We sold that boat several years ago, but I really miss our times on the water. Would love to hear from anyone in wheelchair that has rented a houseboat.

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Houseboats that are handicapped accessible?
by: Amelia

What are your needs, Jeanne? Are you wheelchair-bound, or can you negotiate stairs at all? What's the minimum-width you can tolerate for a passageway? Is it important to be able to go places with your boat, or is just living on water enough?

Most manufactured houseboats seem to have rather narrow passageways, narrow doors, and some stairs, often just two or three, in order to cram all the bedrooms people want in, but I've seen a few that are built to look like cottages on aluminum pontoons, complete with peaked roof and picket fence.

Wish I could remember the brand. They usually have quite a nice open floorplan that might work well for you, but I shouldn't think they would be suitable for much weather, saltwater or wave action.

On the other hand, if you have lots of time and money, you could probably buy a used houseboat with a sturdy hull, and gut the thing to get rid of the steps and enlarge some of the little bedrooms into ones that would have wide doors and room to turn around in.

You'd also want to re-do the galley and head, to lower the countertops, have room for your legs to fit underneath, and install grab-rails as needed.

It would be a huge job, but I'll bet you could have exactly what you need, and a fun project as well.
Best of luck to you!

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Handicap Accessible Houseboats
by: Jeanne

Thanks for the reply about handicap accessible houseboats. Surely there are those out there who have a need (needs) for accessibility in a houseboat.

Again, if you've had to renovate a houseboat or any other type of boat to be handicap accessible, please post your tips and comments. Jeanne

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