Floating Houses

These great little floating houses/houseboats are not in any particular order because I just couldn’t say one was better than another . . . They are all unique. A tiny floating house—and much more! If you want to build one of these floating homes, Check these out. Yes . . . you can build a floating tiny house!

The Darwin

the “Darwin and is owned by Chris Carr in Saugatuck, Michigan. Chris built it following the “Riverwalker” design by George Buehler. It’s a floating Houseboat, a riverboat, and probably one of the best ways this summer to spend an afternoon or a weekend.

the darwin narrowboat
the darwin narrowboat

Triloboat by Dave Zeiger

I really don’t know how to describe the “Slacktide.” It’s a big square box that floats and outfitted with the right rig, sails just fine. But you have to see it to believe it. The headroom might be just a little too low, but what it misses in comfort, it makes up for in ease of construction. This isn’t just a fair weather houseboat, it’s a tiny home that floats. They have taken on some rough Alaskan waters too. Dave Zeiger has put an amazing amount of thought into the design. It’s much more than a floating house. If you are thinking about building one of these tiny houses that float or even a great little sailboat, check out this site. Their website is full of information on the boat and how to sail her, along with some great accounts of some of their trips. He has put some nice videos on YouTube also. Check out the site at Triloboats

triloboat
triloboat

Lotus Eater.

Rob Reiheld built a beautiful houseboat on Albemarle Sound. This site has some super good pictures of the houseboat building project. As tiny houses go, this one is huge.. and quite spacious. It could easily be a full-time floating home. Using only his mind, and no written plans to start, he designed and constructed a 50′ long and 16′ wide houseboat called “The Lotus Eater.” He built the boat over a span of several years with the help of his family and his site chronicles some of the many problems and pitfalls he encountered. But in the end, the ship is really great looking. It may be a bit too big for most backyard floating home builders to attempt, but he definitely pulled it off. VISIT at Rob Reiheld’s Houseboat

lotus eater
lotus eater

courtesy of Berkley Engineering

Aqua Casa.

If you want to build a little tiny home houseboat this is one qualifies as one of the top tiny homes on the water. This is a small houseboat you can even pull behind your truck and . . . it will double as a camper! A real tiny floating house. Designed by Berkeley Eastman, this is more than a little houseboat, it’s a work of art. On his site, there are plans for several different boats, but my favorite is the Aqua Casa , but don’t leave his site without checking out the CapeCodder. It’s a lot bigger than the Aqua Casa, but is still buildable by the average guy. Also, check out Mini-tugs. Most of these are trailerable. VISIT Berkeley Engineering

aquacasa
aquacasa

Water Lodge by Glen-L.

Glen-L was designing great tiny floating house / small houseboats before they were popular. This is another simple design. Yet it has everything you need to spend some fun time on the water. It’s may be too small to live on for extended periods, but it would sure be great for week-ends or even a couple of weeks. While you are at the Glen-L site, look around. The Glen-L website is one of, if not the best site , for the home builder. They have got information on everything from dozens of plans to materials, construction techniques. They even have a great section on the different types of boat building wood. You can spend days reading all the great articles and still come back for more. Visit Water Lodge by Glen L or look at the Water Lodge Too Its an extended version with an additional 4′ of length. The added room would be well worth it.

Millie Hill by Sam Devlin

This is another of my all-time favorites. This floating house is designed with the home builder in mind. It’s the kind of project you can build and put your own personal stamp on it. The Devlinboat.com site even has downloadable stud plans for a buck! At 8′ 2″ wide and 20′ long you can even come up with a trailer to pull it home. On a trailer, it’s a movable tiny home and on the water its a houseboat That would really make this a handy boat to have. At the Devlin site, you can also see dozens of other interesting plans. check out his great book on stitch and glue building.

River Rat by Atkin and Co.

An interesting plan that’s more complicated than a simple barge hull, but you can also go a lot faster. totally self-contained, it can speed a party of four around at a design speed of 17.5 mph with a 25 HP motor. That can be very useful when you get in some fast-moving water. I like the convenient front helmsman area. This gives great line-of-sight for the pilot. At 8’x20′ this is another trailerable houseboat that can be enjoyed all season and then easily pulled out in the winter. visit their site

Pontoon Houseboat Odyssey.com

This isn’t a specific boat, but it’s a really good site to learn about pontoon houseboats. The slideshow below shows what can be done when you set your mind to build your own floating tiny home. The restoration is really great and the final boat is one to be proud of. 

Brandy Bar

This boat is one of the most talked about and “dreamed of” little houseboats. Originally launched in Portland, Oregon back in 1988 this tiny home on water has continued to capture the imagination of almost everyone who is interested in small houseboats or in building a little floating home. The article originally was published in Mother Earth News back in 1989 is a great read . The only drawback is the numbers they quote. Prices have changed a lot since 1988. According to Bryan Lowe at ShantyboatLiving.com, the boat was still afloat somewhere. His story on the Brandy Bar contains some great pictures of the boat out of the water, as well as additional info on the boat. You can get the plans from Mother Earth News site.

The Recurring Dream It’s one thing to dream it, but to actually build it? As tiny houses go, this is one of the neatest out there. It takes skill, persistence, and creativity and Than Monk in Oregon, proves he has it all with this beautiful little floating tiny home, the Recurring Dream. Just finished last year, he, and his family are enjoying their new home. Check out all his videos on Youtube and Facebook 

Some other video and picture sites of boat building

Solar Powered Boats New technologies can save bucks on gas

canal boat Don Brubaker’s Canal boat building project

Mary Elizabeth Building a Triloboat with pictures and info

The Jani-J you tube series on homebuilt craft

Check out “Captain Keith” More interesting stories about houseboat building and living costs

Maggie Fazeli Ford has an interesting report on houseboat living costs around Washington, DC

The costs of an English Narrowboat trip , with neat pictures

Tennessee Houseboat living information

An Atkin designed “Retreat” houseboat in New Zealand

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