Seattle Floating Homes and Houseboats Guide - Part 1

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats - Part 1 - Floats
Understanding a floating home or houseboat starts with the most important part - the float. No matter what style floating home you have, it needs to stay on top of the water. Here is a simple breakdown of the typical floats you'll see:
Raft - This is the most basic and traditional type of float. A bunch of logs are tied/strapped together in the water, and you build your house on top of it. Seriously, that's it. There are floating homes on Seattle's Lake Union that have been floating on the same logs for 60 years. Logs do eventually sink, but it's a slow process and you can see it coming. Just strap another log underneath and keep floating.
Pontoons - Two long floats are placed lengthwise along the bottom of the house. They sit at the outer edges of the home and are connected by a smaller support structure in-between. These can be fiberglass, steel, plywood, or many other kind of materials. They can be hollow or filled with a foam product. Pontoons are great for a houseboat that needs to be towed.
Barge/Scow - Essentially, borrow the hull of a ship and convert it to the float of your home. Some barges are built new, but many are salvaged. Old wooden and metal hulls work fine, and most have a bilge pump in the hollow interior in case of leaks.
Box flotation - Large boxes are built from wood, metal, or even just styrofoam and strapped/attached to each other. This becomes a large dock to sit the house upon. It can be sealed empty boxes or foam-filled.
All of these systems have advantages and disadvantages. The deterioration of the materials is the most pressing issue for many saltwater floating home owners, but those lucky enough to live on Lake Union don't have these worries.
Sam DeBord and Brian WiegandSeattle Real Estate BrokersSeattle Waterfront HomesSeattleHome.com (206) 552-8820