Building a trailerable pontoon houseboat.

by Larry
(Tennessee River, Alabama)

When it comes to building a trailerable pontoon houseboat, I knew that I could build it out of aluminum. Well, time flies, and after a lot of welding, the three pontoons have been pressure tested and are just about ready.

You will notice in the photo, that there's a V shape at the bottom of the two exterior pontoons, as I believe these to help in tracking, or directional stability.

In order to help with the building process, a jig was made in my shop, this way I could build the superstructure between the floor and the pontoons.

You will notice that there is a space between the floor framing and the pontoons, this is where it is the safest to mount the tanks for propane, gas, and the septic holding tank.

When it comes to balancing the load, so that the houseboat floats level, I will be able position or adjust the placement of the tanks. On of the best features with this design is that the floor can be insulated for year round use. I have planned and designed it so that I can trailer this houseboat around if I so desire.

I'll post more as work progresses. Thanks, Larry.

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Reply - Answer
Well, Larry, I can see that you're a very fortunate guy to have a great looking shop to build your houseboat in. I'm sure many of our readers would love to have all the tools, welders, and a setup like that.

Just a quick note, I hope that the V shape on the bottoms of the two exterior pontoons are going to provide enough slow tracking or directional stability?

My reasoning is that on some of the aluminum pontoon houseboats that I have seen usually have some form of small keel welded along the length. Maybe others more knowledgeable on the subject will comment on the tracking aspect.

I agree with your design philosophy about putting the tanks below the floor, and ventilated outside, this will be easier to position for balance, and for repair or maintenance.



Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their houseboat 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 all-about-houseboats

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