LAKESIDE
MAGAZINE
A home away from home
By Denise Sinclair
10-19-2005
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For many lakeside residents, their boats are their home away from home. Some even live on their houseboats full time.
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Charlie Young has owned his houseboat since 1989. He docks it at Rabbit Branch Marina on Logan Martin Lake in Cropwell.
Young said he and his wife spend time on their houseboat from spring through summer.
The couple lives in Birmingham and comes to the lake to live on their houseboat Thursday through Sunday.
"If the weather is good, we’ll take the boat out into a slough and tie it up, spending time there relaxing. It helps me relax, but it is also a lot of work to keep it up," he said. "Today, I was just cleaning it. It is not all play and relaxation. It requires a lot of hard work."
The houseboat, he said, is smaller than most — 14 feet wide by 60 feet. Young said he has seen a houseboat on Paradise Point that is 18 feet by 97 feet.
The boat has central air conditioning and electricity when it is tied up at Rabbit Branch Marina. Young uses a generator for electricity.
As summer comes to a close, Young will start winterizing his boat.
This will include emptying lockers of perishables, freeze proofing the toilet pumping out the holding tank, emptying freshwater tanks, draining the water heater, etc.
Milton Berryhill, owner of Rabbit Branch Marina, said his facility offers sewage pumping, storage for boats, fuel and electricity.
"We can store about 25 boats — from 40 feet to 80 feet," he said.
The average cost of houseboats depends on the size and what each has to offer. Berryhill said boats can range from mid-$20,000 to $160,000.
To tie up or store your boat at his marina, the cost is $100 a month, regardless of size.
The owner pays the electric bill, which can run from $10 to $15 to $100 to $150, he said.
Some houseboat owners, he said, leave their air conditioning on all the time.
When it comes to gas, the price per gallon is about the same as auto prices. Various marinas around the lake have gas prices from $2.50 to $2.80 a gallon.
It costs $150 to $200 to fill up gas tanks on a houseboat. Most owners, Berryhill said, fill up two to three times a summer.
Maintenance work is also available at the marina, he said.
Berryhill has owned the marina for 20 years. He also offers dry storage for boats.
"We have 50 mobile homes to rent, most are for the weekend or vacation time," he said.
The marina business, Berryhill said, is good six months out of the year. "We work hard those six months," he said.
Other marinas along the lake have some storage facilities for boats, but most don’t have the facilities for houseboats.
For example, Surfside Marina has space for regular boats but no houseboats. The monthly fee there is $65. The marina also offers fuel for boat owners, but no sewage pumping is available.
According to most boat experts, the best place for your boat to be during the winter is out of the water, under cover, in a climate-controlled boat storage area.
The first step in winterizing should be to make a checklist of all items that need to be accomplished before leaving your boat until spring. Check the owner’s manual of your boat and motor for manufacturer’s recommendations on winterization. If you are a new boat owner, perhaps you could ask the assistance of a friend with experience in winterizing or hire a professional to do the job.
The time and effort spent on this will have an effect on your boat’s performance and save you time, effort and money next spring.
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About Denise Sinclair
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Denise Sinclair is news editor for The Daily Home.
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Contact Denise Sinclair
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