Where to find small houseboats?

by Shirley Price
(Santa Barbara, Ca)

Where can I find a small houseboat (22 feet or less) that can stand ocean water? We have a slip on the California coast and it can only have a boat 22x9.5 feet in it.

We had built a top onto a skip jack and used it as an art studio for many, many years. Recently the harbor patrol decided that all boats in the harbor had to go 2 miles into the ocean and back in order to remain in the harbor. When we started out they came aboard and said we were too tipsy to go and would have to remove structure, which we did.

So now we have an open hull and no art studio. Our studio was a cutie, take a look at it on our website for elbertprice.

I have been a houseboat enthusiast all of my life, starting out on a large barge houseboat at the age of 2 in Johnsons Bayou, Louisiana where it was used as a winter home for my trapper grandfather and my grandmother.

We built several houseboats in Louisiana where we lived until 1981. One was 32 feet long, built on two pontoons that we built from marine plywood and treated lumber. It had a small house on it and the front was large enough to carry a Volkswagen.

I understand that there was at one time a small houseboat called "Lil'Hobo" but I cannot find anything like that any more. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Shirley Price

Reply - Answer
Well Shirley, I can sympathize with your dilemma, and can understand the feeling of not having a floating houseboat studio.

I was in Atlantic City, and the marina there was doing the same thing, making sure that all the boats in the harbor, especially the houseboats could go out into open water, then back to be able to stay a member.

As to finding a small houseboat, I would start by looking at the Trailerable Houseboats page.

You can also read the small houseboats page to see what can help you there.

Hopefully others will share and post comments that can help you.

IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com