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.