Re: Shopping for a houseboat
Most will be closed systems. Alot have straight inboards, that is what I would want if purchasing. If you can find a deisel, even better. If your serious about buying one, have the boat pulled that you are interested in and have the bottom checked over really well before purchase. You can make the deal contingent on what they find when they pull the boat and the cost can go towards the sell. Some will already have documentation from when the boat was pulled and what repairs were made and what repairs that should be made. Make sure you follow up on the paper work with the marina that did the work before buying. That is really the only way to insure your buying a good boat. Many houseboats have very apparent flaws in design and each name brand will bring different issues. Also the cost of upkeep and use is something you should know before you buy. The boat will need to be pulled depending on where it is located every 4 to 5 years for inspection and barnical removal etc. I have seen some not be pulled for 10 years, this will ruin the bottom and cause major damage.
If you are talking about a poontoon setup, I know very little about them.
Again, each manufacturer and each year will have different issues, find the boat your interested in and do a search on different forums of issues with that particular boat. If you can find one that has a live aboard, most these are going to be maintained better than your seasonal boater. Good luck. Budd
