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AIR-Quarius · 12-30-2007, 05:41 PM

I was watching some trick truck episodes tonight and got the wild idea to design and construct a pontoon house boat made with an airstream...have it big enough to walk around it and fish...do ya'll think the weight of the trailer would be supported?

Janets Husband · 12-30-2007, 05:58 PM

I was just on the Tin Can Tourists site and a guy did it with a 25' Silverstreak.
Looks like a lot of work but it can and has been done. Good Luck.

oldbaggy · 12-30-2007, 06:08 PM

These are constructed in a pretty funny way- the body, which is what you want- is connected to the floor, which you need- and the floor is bolted to the frame- which is way too heavy.

Get an older one, the ones that are more flat on the bottom- like an early 60's with a lighter weight interior. Pull the belly pan, die grind all the bolts off that hold the floor to the frame. Jack it up, bolt it to your flotation apparatus, you're off to the races!

I was thinking about doing it, thats why I researched all this mess.

Zeppelinium · 12-30-2007, 06:35 PM

Yippee, and you can get rid of the wheel wells, too!

I wonder what it costs to sit out on Lake Powell for weeks? (and look up, way up, to the high water mark....)

Zep

Jim Foster · 12-30-2007, 06:40 PM

We have a home in the Sacramento River Delta. We had a houseboat there for 27 years. In the late 70s or early 80s there was a company in Stockton, CA that had pontoon barges on which they would put your self contained RV, whether it was a trailer or small motorhome. The unit was then chained to the barge. The barge had the controls outside, in the left front corner, and were pushed by a inboard/outboard unit. They were about 35 or 40 feet long and 13 or 14 ft wide with a railing all around.

Our houseboat weighed about 17,000 lbs loaded. The pontoons were round, 33" in diameter and 40ft long. The boat sat with half of the pontoon above the waterline.

Yes, you could make such a boat. The problem is the landing which must be able to dock the barge and let you back the RV onto it and allow for the barge sinking down into the water during the transfer of weight. It takes a ramp, like on a small ferry boat.

Ever see the small ferry boats at Balboa Island, CA?

Zeppelinium · 12-30-2007, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet's Husband

I was just on the Tin Can Tourists site and a guy did it with a 25' Silverstreak.
Looks like a lot of work but it can and has been done. Good Luck.

just went to the TCT site and only found a "join" page and the history on their "wiki." Is there something at TCT like we have here? Where did you see the pontoon project?

thanks, Zep

dwightdi · 12-30-2007, 06:50 PM

Here is a pontoon airstream houseboat that already exists.

safari57 · 12-30-2007, 07:07 PM

Wow, that's an oldie too. Maybe someone needs to de-pontoon it. I love the looks of those years. It would take a lot of work to redo the windows to original but given the few of those years out in the world it would almost be worth it.

Barry