Yep, it's been a long time.  A lot has happened since my last post.

I'm even closer to retirement, but at the same time, farther away.  Kay has had some major health problems and is currently retired on disability.  Unfortunately, I don'y have that good of a retirement plan (less than $100K in a 401K, and what I'll get from Social Security).  I can qualify for retirement in a couple years, but since I won't be old enough for Medicare, I won't have insurance.  I can work for 5 more years (+/-) and get Medicare, but then if I stick to it for 2 years after that (about 7 years from today) it would be substantially more money every month from S.S.  So bottom line, unless I win the lottery, I'll be working at least 5 more years, and maybe 7.

Seven years is a LONG time in some ways (roughly 1820 more times for the alarm clock to drag me out of bed so I can deal with rush hour traffic to make someone else money), but on the other hand, when you think about finding where you want to relocate to, what you're going to live in, etc., it's not all that long.

Those that have looked at my blog here know that several options have crossed our minds.  I go from one idea to another.

I'm looking at boats again.  I have several things on my mind though.  Kay's mobility is way down.  While houseboats are generally easier to access than most other boats, in most cases there is a pretty good hike from where you can get a car down to the boat.  Even if your boat is the same height as the dock, there is frequently a space between them and usually some motion between them.  Neither are easy to overcome when you have mobility issues.

Also related to Kay's health is the availability of health care.  Some few marinas are in or very close to major population centers, but those marinas tend to be busy, crowded, and either trashed ot or expen$ive. Even if you have a marina close to the hospitals, that doesn't do you any good if she has issues when you're away from the dock, and houseboats are not speed boats.  It can take a while to get back to the marina and get docked.

A houseboat also means that you are stuck at one lake, and since many lakes only have 1 or 2 marinas (frequently with LONG waiting lists to get in) so you may be stuck with crappy neighbors.  That was a problem with our last houseboat.  Yes, you can move them, but it costs thousands of dollars and frequently results in damage to the boat.

Alternatively, you could put the houseboat on a river. Unfortunately, my experience with rivers is less than satisfactory.  They tend to flood in the spring, sometimes to the point that you can't get to the boat.  During the summer during dry years, the water level may be low enough that the boat is grounded. Then there is the mud and debris in the river.  Pretty much by definition, a river is moving water, so that tree that fell in the water 100 miles up-river is floating down to ram the boats and dock down river.

You might be asking "Why not put it in the gulf or off coast?". The fact of the matter is that most houseboats just aren't made for the type of waves and weather they would be subjected to on the coast.  Even if you got one that could handle it, the maintenance cost skyrocket.  Just pulling the boat out to have the bottom cleaned costs over $1,000, and that needs done every year or 2! Not to mention the extra corrosion caused by the salt.

The thing is, the lack of mobility and bad neighbors isn't limited to houseboats.  Houses are even less mobile and just as subject to bad neighbors.  But at least house don't sink, need less maintenance,and get city utilities.

My thoughts will continue in a few days...

Building a boat

This blog was written some time ago, but apparently I never made it public, so here it is now.


Nope, not me. I don't have the time or skill set to tackle that project, but looking at the Small Homes or Tiny Homes I mentioned in a previous blog has me thinking it could be neat.

I think of the Kingscraft houseboat and all the "wasted" space. Just the hull area alone. While planning would be needed to avoid moisture problems, there was 35 feet of space that just held a couple tanks and some wiring and plumbing. Looking at the sleeping space some of the folks were using in the tiny houses, how many bed areas could have been packed in there? Since the hull was in the water, the sleeping area would always be nice and cool.

Another idea related to the hull (and maybe less disastrous in the event of water in the hold) is just more readily accessible storage there. We used the bow storage area and even a little in the engine compartment (tools, extension cords, wet/dry vac, etc.). The easiest would just be more hatches to access the hull and maybe some type of bracket or shelf to hold storage containers. A more intricate idea (if possible?) would be some kind of shelving unit that can raise out of the floor to access it, and shove back down into the floor to put it out of the way.

A third trick, and another design problem that I don't know if it would even be possible, would be a track system so devices like coffee maker, toaster oven, microwave, stove top, were on a vertical track like an escalator. Press a button and the track goes around until the appliances you need are on top and the ones not used at the moment are under the floor.

The mini-loft sleeping areas also make me wonder about an added "cuddy" on the roof for sleeping. Vents from the main cabin (combined with high r-value insulation in the cuddy) could maintain temperature in the sleeping loft. Possibly a hinged roof with a screen cover could allow sleeping under the stars if you didn't need the AC or heat. Granted this would have a disadvantage in rainy weather since you might have to go through the rain to get to bed, or stairs into the roof loft would take up valuable inside space in the main cabin.

I'm a lousy artist, but I'll have to see if I can come up with a couple pictures to show what I mean.

If anyone is reading this, a bit of feedback will make it easier to keep this up.