House boats?

fishisabonus · 01-23-2004, 12:49 AM

Some friends of mine want to rent (maybe buy) a house boat. They asked me if I could help. I said I would try.

He works in Troutdale, OR and they would like to stay on the Washington side of the river, so places like Scappose are pretty much out. But any contacts at this point would be a start, just so it is in the Portland/Vancouver/Woodland area. Any hints as to where to begin would help! They don't want to deal with RE agents because of the pressure, same goes for rental agencies.

As for me, they are very good friends and when I FINALLY score my sweet very own boat (summer I hope I hope I hope), it would be very comfortable to do my camping/fishing from their back yard! :grin:

Any ideas appreciated..

love2fish · 01-23-2004, 04:50 AM

fishisabonus,

There is a houseboat moorage in Ridgefield and another one just up from the ramp at the end of lower river road in Vancouver. They always seem to have a place or two for sale. Both of those are close to some prime fishing spots :grin: .

love2fish

Silver Hilton · 01-23-2004, 07:49 AM

Be sure to check for water in the basement. :grin:

My niece and nephew are building a houseboat, to be moored in the Hayden Island area. Don't know much about it, sounds like a hassle. But some other relatives of ours who are (non-fishing) boat nuts live there and absolutely love it.

fishisabonus · 01-23-2004, 02:37 PM

They can handle it or I wouldn't be helping them to look. She is the one that I use to skip school with to go fishing. We would scale cliffs to get to our favorite spot.

foxer · 01-23-2004, 03:18 PM

I have heard that there are occasionally issues with condenesation/moisture/mold on the "houseboats". Other than that, I would love to do one of those. Maybe find one for rent for a while?

fishisabonus · 01-24-2004, 01:56 PM

Yes, I know financing is tough for them. You need really good credit to boot. What I have seen of in the past was the owner carries the contract.

Those are really good hints from Hare's ear. They are really wanting to rent for starters... test the waters in more ways than one.

My folks had a beautiful 47 ft boat.. that they spent summers on in Alaska. It was fully equipped, freezer, washer/dryer.. you name it. But the one thing that got old was everything always feeling damp. Tough break.... I guess. :smile:

Hare's Ear · 01-24-2004, 11:35 PM

Maybe they should rent before they buy, just to see how they like it.

I came close to purchasing a floating home this summer. Here are a few things I learned:

1. You should use a real estate agent, especially one that knows floating homes. There are a few around.

2. There are only 3 or 4 banks in the metro area that will loan on a floating home. Finding them may take some time. The experienced real estate agent can be a big help there.

3. Mortgage rates for floating homes are the prevailing mortgage rate + 1%, more or less.

4. Minimum down payments are 25% to 35%.

5. Homeowners' insurance is roughly double the cost of a similarly priced home on land. Coverage is similar, except you probably won't be covered by damage caused by the home resting on the river bottom during low water.

6. A home inspection should include a diver who inspects and videotapes everything below the water level.

7. Review the moorage by-laws and minutes of owner/tenant meetings. The place I was looking at allowed any exisiting owner, in seniority order, to claim the new buyer's slip. If they claimed the slip they had to pay to move the new buyer's home. But this means you might not have a slip in the location that you originally intended.

Those are the big things that come to mind. My wife and I are still looking for a floating home. Maybe this coming summer we'll find the right one.