I'm intrigued by a British company that's offering waterborne offices for use in marinas, on riverfronts, etc.
They're not powered watercraft, but appear to be basically barges with a modern lightweight superstructure. They seem to be as well equipped as any small business office.
The company's presently designing a studio apartment using the same basic hull.
If it's equipped to the same level as their offices, it should make a great place for a weekend getaway to a marina or river. A single person might even live there full-time, albeit without too much space to expand or throw a party - except on the roof! They don't seem too pricy: the office unit sells for £74,950 (about US $117,000) plus tax, while a bare-bones unit without furnishings sells for £64,950 (about US $101,400) plus tax. Not cheap, but certainly not unreasonable at today's prices.
I'd love one of those as a writing getaway. I could moor it somewhere on the Cumberland River or Old Hickory Lake (or one of the other lakes in the area), and have a waterborne hidey-hole. Write for a few hours, step outside and jump off the deck for a refreshing swim, barbecue some lunch on a portable grill set up on the roof, then take a nap before getting back to work. Sweet for summertime use! Perhaps it's time to set up a blog tip jar?
Peter
Having lived on a houseboat:
ReplyDelete1) They're a bear to heat in the winter.
2) You have to pay to get your terlet flushed.
3) They are not easy to drive: No keel, underpowered, and huge "sail area" means you generally putter from point a to point b when the weather is calm and hope to be safely docked before the breeze picks up.