What about a shantyboat

[capt_caveman]

I love this shantyboat so simple but livable.
would make a good home base you got to see it guys!!

 

[MrNoodly]

There was a time I considered living on some type of boat, but then I realized I could only go where there was navigable water. And then there's the old saying that a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money. And there's the whole sinking thing...

 

[highdesertranger]

check these guys out. the Moron brothers and their shanty boat.



boats are expensive, you could buy a nice van for the cost of just that outboard they have on that fine vessel.
highdesertranger

 

[capt_caveman]

check these guys out.  the Moron brothers and their shanty boat.



boats are expensive,  you could buy a nice van for the cost of just that outboard they have on that fine vessel.
highdesertranger

I like that lol 
 Its all hand built ( looks like you built it with your feet ) LOL.....

 

[Whit30]

Thread makes me smile

 

[Florida boondocker]

If your in the Orlando area you can rent a shanty boat, i'll put the link below
Michael hand built it and i can tell you first hand it's a great way to send a few days

i rented it for 3 day and explored the St Johns River and had wonderful time. Meeting people up and down the river everyone waved, many stop and ask questions and i've never sleeped better in my life. 

Hearing the frogs, crickets and even the gators at night while your camped in a floating shack, sleeping on the water is peaceful , i would tie up along the river

http://www.shantycraft.com/ website for rental 

here's a few pic i'll try to find more, a few on there website are pic i took and you'll see my review Jeff Testimonial

 

[Rabbit]

Thank you for a nice trip down memory lane. Seeing those two videos some years ago is what started me down the path that led to the idea of living/traveling for long periods in an RV and then eventually this website.

For what it's worth, I was/am already an experienced (fishing) boater and it was this experience that finally made me decide not to go there. For one thing, after a few weeks the waterways lose their novelty. Second, you can't easily carry along a land-vehicle that would allow you buy groceries/fuel/whatever at reasonable, non-marina prices or at retailers that offer a greater selection of goods. Third, you can't go fast enough to avoid severe weather, or in some cases even rapidly-changing seasons. Fourth, except for the extra-nasty and treacherous Missouri River (I've boated one of the lower stretches of it, and know) it's practically impossible to get out west. Fifth, going against the current is hard, slow, fuel-guzzling work in anything cheap and low-powered (like I was looking at), and even buzzing about on a lake burns lots of gas since boats tend to be much less efficient than cars and trucks. Sixth, natural events like floods and low-water seasons can strand you for weeks and even months at a time. I'll also add, though only this forum and Bob's videos made me think of it, that in a boat you also can't go to high elevations to avoid the heat. And I bet cellular reception absolutely sucks down in the basins where the water is, as well. Especially in rural areas.

But, hey! You don't have to ever worry about paying for a slot to drop anchor, and once you're there you can stay for a week, a month, or a year if you like. And there's all the free fish you can catch to eat as well. So there are indeed positives as well as negatives.

For a very long time I pondered a shantyboat, to the point that my first exposure to solar power was an investigation of possibly running an air-conditioner aboard such a boat during summer (difficult but I think possible) and, when the AC unit isn't needed, perhaps charging the batteries for a low-powered trolling-motor based electric propulsion system for use on lakes or going downstream when there's no wind. But in the end the negatives outweighed the positives, at least for me. For others, it just might be a pretty wonderful way of life.

 

[Parkedinavan]

I live in the PNW, up by Seattle, lots of people anchor their boats and call them home. Row to shore then drive to work.