Using Boat as a Camper

[BLDFW]

Anyone use their boat as a camper making it usable all year round?

I bought my boat 16' runabout because of it's unusual layout. The helm is all the way forward which leaves 10' of rear deck open to the back seats and engine compartment. There's plenty enough room for two air mattresses side by side on the floor.

I've ordered a new 6'wx8'l bimini top which will reside on a 4' slider allowing the top to be moved forward or rearward or centered. The plan is to use the bimini frame to support a custom made "tent" that will drape over it and fasten on all four sides thus enclosing the entire interior and rear engine deck. Between that and the 4 interior seats, it will be quite comfortable, high, and dry. A reinforced ladder will provide the necessary access and I plan on introducing a reverse plug so the interior can be wired with normal power outlets to be used where an external power source is available.

Ah, I can feel that AC (or heater) now!

 

[ziggy]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

Anyone use their boat as a camper making it usable all year round?

kinda sorta.... what i don't do is use it year round. lakes around here freeze in the winter. that said. sounds like ya got a good idea to me. full encloser is the way to go for sleeping on board for sure. i've not gone so far as to hook up electricity to mine either. though i've been out when a heater might be kinda nice to have. at least a defroster... anyways. i camp/sleep onboard, whatever ya wanna call it on a small runabout too. i didn't have to do much to make what i have full encloser though. it was all set up for me... i don't use a air mattress either. my seats fold down into lounges.. but what your talking about sounds most doable and i'd bet most enjoyable after ya get the plan worked out...

this pic is in the rain. note ya can see the water saturation on the aft curtain. still pretty dry inside.

i think go for it. i been sleeping on board all summer this year... it's great...

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

I have a small v berth cuddie ... used it a few times as a camper wish i had a camper style cover but I cant find one for my boat and to have one made would cost more than the boat is worth.... we also sleep in the cuddie on the river a few times a year. Its just enough room for 2 people. its a nice gettaway the portable potty comes in handy also... + Ill have a place to sleep if the wife ever kicks me out of the house LOL
Denny

 

[rbh]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

the boat does sleep six so I guess it could be a rental
I just worry about kids playing with the controls
but really its just a good place to go and have a quiet beer, even if its not on the water.
rob

 

[BLDFW]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

My last boat before the Explorer was a 25' Bayliner Cruiser that could sleep 4-5 comfortably but it felt a bit big to be hauling around the country side so after 7 years I decided to downsize for increase flexibility. Now I'll be able to take it anywhere.

Hey Ziggy! I've always like the hardtop style of your boat. It's pretty sharp!

 

[ziggy]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

thanks for the compliment man. i hope yer idea works out for ya. it really has been an enjoyable summer sleeping onboard for me. not bad for not having a cruiser anyways. your venture will be worth it too assuming it works out for ya. i bet this summer i've been full enclosed 2/3's of the time overnight, maybe more even. either too cool, windy and too cool, or being rained on. full encloser really opens up opportunities in boating that w/o the encloser the experience would not be fun at all. yer boat looks like a real good candidate (lots of open space) for sleeping on board too. man, ya could put cots in there and sleep off the deck even. go for it and good luck...

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

My brother and i use to do a 2 week fishing trip and ATV trip combo. He pulled the boat and i pulled the ATVs. On the week we rode the ATVs we parked the boat in the campground and used it like a motor home. The boat was a 28ft sea-ray with all the convinces of a motor home. We did get a lot of inquiries about our living quarters. But that was part of the fun.

 

[BLDFW]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

My brother and i use to do a 2 week fishing trip and ATV trip combo. He pulled the boat and i pulled the ATVs. On the week we rode the ATVs we parked the boat in the campground and used it like a motor home. The boat was a 28ft sea-ray with all the convinces of a motor home. We did get a lot of inquiries about our living quarters. But that was part of the fun.

28ft?? Wow! Now there's a lot of boat to be hauling around! I'm sure it was quite the camp fire conversation piece

 

[hvachillbilly]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

21ft pontoon enclosed on three sides camp on lake mead all the time of corse the air matress is in the frount no worries bout rain here in the desert but use is year round would love to post pic but its like 761kb guess my camera to good huh lol

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

for your power why not go with a on board battery charger and a inverter in the watt range, now you can run you ac appliances off battery when afloat, or just plug in the charger to the camp ac, use led lighting for longer duration, you can run a dorm refer no problem and small microwave, and a fan, radio off the battery. carry a battery pack, or dual battery system.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

the only downside i see is that my boat is not all that easy to get into when its on the trailer because it sits higher than when in the water. maybe you guys have different setups. I do have full camper canvas that i havent used yet, i still need some hardware for the factory bimini.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

Don't ever do multiple day trips but I sleep in my boats all the time while catfishing. Just like rocking a baby to sleep. I use one of the flouresent D-cell lanterns. On one bulb it'll burn a couple of nights.

 

[BLDFW]

Re: Using Boat as a Camper

the only downside i see is that my boat is not all that easy to get into when its on the trailer because it sits higher than when in the water. maybe you guys have different setups. I do have full camper canvas that i havent used yet, i still need some hardware for the factory bimini.

On my boat it would involve a ladder and entering from the rear deck. I installed some support posts which the folding ladder slips down on when in the water. (Pardon the crud on the boat! I just pulled it from a corner in the marina where lots of crap piles up when the wind kicks up. I had not yet cleaned it.)

When the boat is on the trailer, the ladder doesn't reach all the way to the ground so I'll need to do create something to support the ladder from the bottom or perhaps dispense with that ladder entirely in favor of a taller wood one that is somehow attached to the boat for safety and has more of an angle. Still trying to figure it out.

The front of the enclosure would snap to the windshield while the sides would attach to the bimini top frame. Access would be to the rear with an extension over the back deck and a zippered entry above the ladder.