houseboat living

[zacharoo]

I have a family member who is thinking of living on a houseboat in the La. swamp. Anyone out here got any info on a propane refigerator frezer and stove and water heater on a houseboat. He will be trying to use rain water to bath wash dishes and use in toilet. Can rain wter be used in a hot water heater. How much propane should he get in 100 lb. Bottles for cooking water heater and a 12  cubic foot new propane icebox? He is going to live in it all year and during hunting season we will have 4 others there on weekends. We willlater try to set up a solar pack for running a few appliances during summer? Lots of ideas and no experience. Help!!! House boat will be about 35 to 40 foot .
Zacharoo

[Ranger99]

is this something that he's building?
i would reckon that one ready to go could be
bought with less hassle than trying to build
and transport one. we often fish in terrebonne
parish in south la. and there is usually several
big house barges in different parts of the marsh
and canals. they don't try to power them around,
they are towed to a spot. you might try looking
in louisiana sportsman magazine for houseboat
info and vendors.


has this family member ever spent a night in a
loozeeann marsh?
i've hunted and camped and fished all kinds of
places. big hills and a few mountains, creek and
river bottoms, east texas swamps, semi desert
west texas mesquite flats.
but i've never been in a more miserable insect
infested place than south lou. marshes.
at night it's really tough. there's also those
buffalo gnats that sting and leave a red spot
like a burn mark that doesn't go away for a while.
if you're in a boat in the daylight, you can pull
away and outrun a swarm, but at night on your
barge, you'd pretty much have to stay inside.
i guess you could get used to it after a while.


also check lehmans for non electrical appliances.

[SHOOTALL]

If you look most appliances will give you their projected useage. Rain water is distilled water + what it picks up on the way down +what falls in it. It should do fine in a heater if the big stuff is strained out. You may want to remove the check valves in the inlet and outlet if equipped so they won'tstop up. The toilet can be flushed with any water as a school I attended use pond water for flushing the comodes, straining it first. You might be talking alot of tanks to haul and propane is expensive. You might look into a generator for some use. Then the switch to solar would be easier. Some of the portable diesel generators are easy on fuel and run long on a tank full which can be altered with a larger tank for even longer run times. I would filter all water used for bathing and food . Maybe even treat it. With the generator he can get a small heat pump window unit and live in comfort to a point.

[Oldshooter]

I'm thinking a small generator to run some led lights and charge batteries that a solar rig could help with.
 
Propane friges might be the ticket and water heated with exchangers during cabin heat could work
 
You know I had relatives that lived in the Basin on rafts for years with no electricity. They all died off.   

[pastorp]

There are a lot of float houses in southeast Alaska. The older ones used logs for floats but new ones use the poly culverts filled with foam for floats. They are towed rather than self powered. They use rain barrels to collect water to us on board. And propane to power a demand hot water unit. It keeps no hot water in a tank but rather heats the water as it runs through it. Most use 12 volt lights. With a battery pack & diesel generator set up you can run the lights reliably. Heat & cook with wood.

Regards,

[BBF]

Forget the 100 lb propane tanks. Way to cumbersome to move and refill. Go for 40 lb.Toilets can be flushed with waterever water the boat swims in.Drinking water will take some extra careful filter and possible chemical treatment.
 Skeeter screens are a must to have. Marine Diesel Gen Sets are very expensive. You can buy a lot of fuel for the money saved by going with a gasoline powered unit . This being a houseboat an RV type propane water heater is fine, they require a pressure water system to function which is very simple to do using a 12 volt pump system. If you need heat, the same arrangement is needed, all running on 12 volts.
 
ANYTIME Propane is used on a boat it requires positive ventilation and I would install a leak detector with probes on the lowest point(s) of the hull. You will be a much happier boater by using as large a deep cycle battery( multiple) as you can install with a "smart" charging regulator.
 
As most bottoms are mud or sand you need anchors of the Danforth type( big flukes) and get at least three of them. I'd go all chain rode.

[Bigeasy]

Almost sounds as if he should buy / build a suitable pontoon base with a flat deck, then find a clean, used 25 foot camper.  Remove the wheels / axles, and bolt it down to the deck.  Add a generator, deep cycle batteries, power inverter, and propane tanks as needed...
 
Larry

[BBF]

Almost sounds as if he should buy / build a suitable pontoon base with a flat deck, then find a clean, used 25 foot camper.  Remove the wheels / axles, and bolt it down to the deck.  Add a generator, deep cycle batteries, power inverter, and propane tanks as needed...
 
Larry

I've seen someting like that in a govt. marina. I'd be worried about winds. Even a real houseboat doesn't handle higher winds well. A contraption like you mentioned is probably even less able.
 
GlenL Marine sells plans for different types and size of houseboats, have a peek.
 
BTW If I was younger and would live in a year round pleasant climate I'd be thinking the same.

[45-70.gov]

two   things get my attention


how do you dispose  of waste water and other waste??


maybe an onboard water heater/incenterator


why can't generator exhaust be used to heat water??

[Oldshooter]

You know I put a demand water heater in my new home last year. It works wonderfully. May be too expensive initial cost wise but some sort of demand heater that could serve dual functions might be the ticket.
 
There are many places in the LA. swamp that could provide place for old fashion latrine. 

[Ranger99]

if it could be done on the q.t. maybe. . . .
as far as i'm aware one cannot discharge
grey water or sewage into any body of
water anywhere in the u.s.

[45-70.gov]

what about  a land based septic system  to pump  into
say  one hooked up to some ones house trailer  close to the water?

[Ranger99]

i think that depend on local zoning
or codes . i know around here septic
has to be an aerobic system, so many
feet from surface water, so many feet
from a water well, etc.
it could probably just be done however,
but i sure wouldn't want to get caught.
i don't think they'd throw the book, they'd
throw a set of encyclopedias

[mannyrock]

 
  But what about River Pirates?   (No joke.)
   I can't imagine anything more scary than sleeping on a small boat at night, tied up some where. 
  About 10 years ago, a young couple from up north was floating down the Mississippi River on their honeymoon.  When they got to Memphis, they tied up on the riverbank on the opposite side of the River  (the Arkansas side) to sleep. 
   They were both murdered that night, on the boat.
Mannyrock

[pastorp]

Pirates are a fact of life on the high seas, and in many third world countries. But in most of the USA, with the same precausions a person takes while traveling or at home I believe the danger from pirates is very small. 

I've lived in some high crime areas both rural & urban. You must just protect yourself. Don't trust anyone. And never give anyone the advantage. A dog aboard is a good idea as well.

Just like sleeping in a rest area, be alert to danger and don't let anyone get very close to you.

[Oldshooter]

  But what about River Pirates?   (No joke.)
   I can't imagine anything more scary than sleeping on a small boat at night, tied up some where. 
  About 10 years ago, a young couple from up north was floating down the Mississippi River on their honeymoon.  When they got to Memphis, they tied up on the riverbank on the opposite side of the River  (the Arkansas side) to sleep. 
   They were both murdered that night, on the boat.
Mannyrock

Having made my living on that river for years I can tell you that the west bank of the Mississippi river at Memphis is a strong hold for crime, drugs and the like, Those people were probably the victims of opportunist druggies looking for a financing for a fix.
 
Like Pastrop said, you have to be aware of your surroundings and

be alert to danger and don't let anyone get very close to you.

All that being said 94 % of our nations waterways are a good, safe and relaxing place to be. Sorry if I strayed from the OP

[BBF]

Some of my best and most relaxing anchoring out times were in Louisiana bayous/canals.

[zacharoo]

Have been looking at used factory rigs. It seems cheaper to find one away from Louisiana and pay to ship it than to buy locally. He will travel to find a good one. must have SCREEN ON WINDOWS!!!! for the La. bug problem. Will have own propulsion on boat even if very slow. Is cheaper for insurance and high Louisiana deductable for hurricane season. May play out right or go with wind still up in air as far as lease tearms for hunting area we lease. Have a lot to think about before jumping in to it . He is widowed and retired.
Zacharoo

[Ranger99]

you might also try boattrader.com if you
haven't already

[SHOOTALL]

You know I put a demand water heater in my new home last year. It works wonderfully. May be too expensive initial cost wise but some sort of demand heater that could serve dual functions might be the ticket.
 
There are many places in the LA. swamp that could provide place for old fashion latrine.

we install alot of them with good results but the one complaint is when power goes off there is no storage tank full.

[pastorp]

That's true for a home unit Shootall, but the RV  motels operate on 12 volt. We used one at a remote youth camp located off the Yukon river a few years ago. We used 12 volt battery to pump  water  from a trash can into the propane fired demand hot water heater. A gas pump was used to pump river water as needed for shower use. Of course the nearest electric out was hundreds of miles away.

Regards,

[Oldshooter]

Do you need electricity of some sort to make the heater fire as in a flow meter.

[pastorp]

Old shooter, in a RV or marine use they fire on 12 volt but the camping type we made in bush Alaska we lit with a match. 

[Oldshooter]

we lit with a match.

could have went hy tech with a bic lighter.  thanks pastorp

[pastorp]

Considering where we were at I think having hot running water is pretty hi tech. Most village homes still use honey buckets in those article villages. 

I tell folks about life in a Alaska bush village but they just don't get it till they visit.

Regards,

[SHOOTALL]

the 12 volt idea is a good one but will the 12 volt system hold up to that kind of use ? To be honest a 100 ft coil of 1 inch black poly pipe on the roof would work in the warm time of the year.

[pastorp]

It worked in my Winnebago, and in my cabin cruiser, and since 1996 out on the yukon every summer.

You know since we worked that system out you can now buy a portable set up just like it from Cabelas.

And yes a passive hot water system would work fine in sunshine areas. But not the arctic.

Regards,

[Oldshooter]

You know since we worked that system out you can now buy a portable set up just like it from Cabelas.

And yes a passive hot water system would work fine in sunshine areas. But not the arctic.

cabelas huh, thats cool, ..............so is the artic I guess.      brrrrrrrr!!

[Ranger99]

that'd be kinda tough, waiting
six months to bathe 

[BBF]

Even a gardenhose coiled up and exposed to the sun can get you scalding hot water. When you operate on RV or boat water tanks you just don't run the faucet while you brush your teeth.
BTW the good  solar panels although not cheap do put out a fair bit of amps and have no trouble powering a bunch of LED lights, keep your deep cycle battery up to run whatever pumps you need.