A few questions about houseboats.

[guffguy]

Hey everyone, my name is Jon. I am a senior in high school and I was given a budget project in my economics class. We were given fictional family scenarios with fictional fixed incomes, and with that money we had to buy houses, cars, food, clothes, exct. Well I decided to buy a houseboat to live in, because I figured it was cheaper than a house. So here's where you guys come in. I have just a few questions about houseboats or basically any boat in general that I couldnt find anywhere else.

My boat has a Johnson 125 outboard. I believe that is the engine, and I was wondering what fuel it used? And how much it needed to be filled and how often? Would I need oil? How often would I have to use that if so?

I also need to know how long the battery is expected to last, would it be safe to say that it wouldnt have to be replaced within a year?

Are there any other...ummm...utilities or things that you would have to pay for on a monthly or regular basis on houseboats?

Thank you all for the help, I really appreciate it. And if any of you have any extra tips or pointers, please share them with me.

Thanks again,
Jon

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

ok, Jon. you live on the boat, is it moored in the river, and you get to it by dingy, does it have a generator, or is it in a marina, connected to shore power for electricity? how often do you take the boat out for a run. when you say house boat are you talking about a cruiser type, or barge/pontoon type. is it wood, fiberglass, or aluminum.

are you thoroughly confused yet. these are the thing you have to consider before buying a live aboard.

this is going to be a fun project. get back.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

Consider also, things like solar cells and turbines for power generation. Many live-aboards now get equipped with enough renewable energy sources to power the lights and a/c. The outboard will be a gasoline model, a two-stroke will require a gasoline and oil mix which is often in two seperate tanks, mixed at the motor; a four-stroke is like a car engine with the oil in the motor itself needing to be changed at regular intervals. How much fuel and oil you need would depend on how much you travel in your "home".

You could also consider a large sailboat or catamaran; cost of living decreases significantly there...

 

[QC]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

Jon,

If you give us some of the requirements of your project I am sure we could help you get an A. Since it is economics, you could score some major points if you did a true analysis of points that tashasdaddy and the studlyone have made. An example is tashasdaddys note about shorepower (electricity at the dock) and studly's wind turbine or solar cells. If you take the rate of use (you gonna watch TV on your houseboat?) and the cost of the shore power, you can make a quick evaluation of the time it would take to payback those other investments (the turbine or the panels). Do you know how to use Microsoft Excel? I can get you a file I think that could help. Again, how detailed is this expected to be and what's your budget amount?

On truly older houseboats the Outboard would charge the house batteries and there is no AC power. That type may even be cheaper as the initial purchase price is gonna be dirt cheap . . . If you just read books by flashlight and rarely charge the batteries, fuel use for that purpose would be pretty low . . .

 

[Bondo]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

And,........

Depending on Where you live,..........

You'll have to consider the effects of Winter........

 

[pjrogers]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.


Hi Jon: The replies you've received so far supply more questions than answers. On the theory that you are just looking for some information for your hypothetical budget, here are some data:
1) The outboard uses regular gasoline. Your instructor might be impressed if you cite prices from a marine fuel source rather than a regular gas station - in some areas marine fuels are not taxed as heavily as road fuels;
2) The outboard uses 2 cycle outboard engine oil. The conventional gas to oil is 50:1, meaning for every, say, 50 liters of fuel you add 1 liter of oil to the fuel.
3) The engine will burn a lot of fuel when pushing the houseboat. You would be doing well to get 3-4 mpg.
4) Assume the battery will be used to start the engine only. Yes, it will last more than one year. It is safe to assume it will need to be replaced every three years.
5) If you moor the houseboat at a marina, your cost will be a multiple of the boat's length - you could call your local marinas to find out their actual prices, or you could assume $5-$7 per foot. A 30' houseboat would cost $150 - $210 / month. You would pay for your utilities too, like electricity, propane (for stove and furnace), and to have your waste water removed. Assume the houseboat is poorly insulated - take the average cost of electricity and heating for a 1000 sq ft house from your local utility's web site, divide the electricity by 1/3 (your house boat is 30' long by 10' wide, so 1/3 the size of the sample house) and use the heating costs as is. Insurance is another requirement - the marina will require you to have 3rd party liability coverage and you'll probably want at least fire and theft insurance.

If you anchor your houseboat, you'll need to buy a tender to go back and forth from shore, and you'll need to simplify your lifestyle b/c you won't have electricity from the grid or waste water removal. For simplicity's sake, I would posit only the marina scenario in your project.

Good luck with it kiddo.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

do not forget annual maintenance on the engine. Call a local marina for rates for that. You will (or should) have more than one battery. The engine requires one battery solely for starting purposes and running the bilge pump to pump water overboard that gets into the boat. 12V lights and other accessories should be powered by a separate deep cycle battery (sometimes two connected in parallel) so those accessories do not drain the starting battery thus leaving you stranded. License/Registration fees and insurance (liability and damage) cannot be overlooked either. Boats do not generally appreciate in value over time like realestate so you will need to figure that cost as well.

 

[deejaycee_2000]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

... and keep in mind the fuel prices, going up 2night over hear again ... when will it end ......

 

[guffguy]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

Wow, thanks for the replies guys. Let me give you some more information about the project.

Ok, so I bought (fictionally) this boat:
http://buyaboat.net/boat_listings.aspx?boat_id=260

and I'm planning on docking it at a marina in arizona (so there will be no winter effects) not to far from Pheonix.

Now the project said I was a single father with two kids on a yearly salary of $45,000. What I have to do is create a monthly budget and a yearly budget for the family. I have to figure out how much I need for clothes, food, car payments, taxes, and all that fun stuff, but all I need from you guys is help on my house, or in this case, my houseboat. Now my teacher doesnt know much about houseboats, so I dont need to get too technical, but I would like to "wow" her. So I'm basically going for simple, with a little extra something that would make her think I really studied up on it...lol.

Your responces have confused me a little on what the engine and batteries all actually do. The engine runs the boat obviously, but if you dont plan on moving all that much, would the engine need to be fueled all that often? Basically, does it have any other purposes? Same question for the batteries.

Assuming that everythign was in fairly good condition, is there anything that needs to be repaired or maintained within a years time that hasnt beent alked about yet?

Thanks pj for the info on the marina prices. Now, I get to chose what job I have. If I pick a job AT the marina, would I get some sort of discount possibly? I ask this just to see if its realistic.

Thanks guys again for the help. I really appreciate it

 

[guffguy]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

Alright! Sorry guys, but i changed my boat. My sister said the other one was too small and that this boat is more realistic

http://buyaboat.net/boat_listings.aspx?boat_id=237
^ Thats the new link.

Alright guys, this is a completely different boat with a different engine and power source, does anything change with these? I know i'm sounding intrusive but I could really use some help and I'm thankful for all the input you guys gave so far.

 

[Bondo]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

You Shouldn't be Listening to your Sister,........

Your Mortgage is going to Kill you on a $90,000.00 boat,.... How much ya puttin Down,..??
The 1st 1 is Only $22,000.00.......

Dockage goes by the Foot too,..... That's Another 8' Longer.......

If you Don't go Boating,..... You don't even have to Start the motor,.......
That'll be $0.00 in Gas,+ Oil,+ Maintance........
That leaves Dockage, Phone, Lights, Water, Sewage, Insurance, Cable, etc, etc,....

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

Nice ride! You need to call the marina and find out what your docking fees would be, find out if utilities are included. Get an online quote from Progressive on the insurance.

No, you won't be using much fuel if you keep it at the marina; you will have to keep fuel stabilizer in whatever fuel you keep in the tanks, and you'll still want to run the motor occasionally to make sure it will still run when you want to take chicks out (you don't want to be a single dad forever do you?) You may also have to move to a waste station occasionally to empty septic tanks. It would be a good idea to have the motor serviced annually, change the lower unit fluid etc. The marina probably offers an annual service which would be something you could call them about. 45K isn't going to go too far with 2 kids in tow, truck payment, boat mortgage, and slip fees; can you get child support from the mother?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

not to co

 

[guffguy]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

That leaves Dockage, Phone, Lights, Water, Sewage, Insurance, Cable, etc, etc,....

Alright, I got the dockage, phone, electric (lights), and insurance taken care of. Do you guys have any estimates on how much water and sewage removal cost monthly?

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

Should be something the marina can quote for you. Let us know what you come up with on this... May be time for a move

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

The payment on this rig with 10% down and payments over 25 years will run you $521 per month. $521 x 12 = $6252 per year. Your lender will probably require you to carry insurance (very expensive insurance if you get it from them). Your $45,000 per year salary will also not be $45,000 but probably closer to half that when you consider federal and state tax witholding, your Social Security deduction, your health and dental insurance costs. Also, since you have two kids to support you will probably need to contribute toward their health insurance as well as any other child support. So far you have not even begun to calculate a vehicle payment, food, clothing and other daily living costs. Based on your take home pay, the first boat was $127/month and therefore far more practical for a floating bachelor pad. Yes - I know, life's a kick isn't it! If you really wanted to impress your teacher, buy a fixer upper home, live in it during the fix up time, then sell it for a tidy profit plus appreciation. Boats do not generally appreciate.

 

[flashback]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

kinda agree with silvertip, the only advantage you may be able to benefit from is not paying property taxes..and lawn maintainance.. but the other expenses will more than make up for that... you need to put a coat of paint on the bottom every so often and that can get expensive... but all this is relative to location.. sounds like a fun project and if your teach isn't to hip to the boating world, then you might get away with it...I had a 50 footer I lived on for about 3 years and the dock rent alone was more than taxes on a small house.. If you can loose the dock rent then you may have a fighting chance..

 

[QC]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

In CA you have to pay poperty taxes on boast . . .

 

[hibbert6]

Re: A few questions about houseboats.

How old are the kids? Can they swim, yet? Your teacher may be asking you to pay for a funeral....

Dave