by David Beach
LOA 38 ft., BEAM 16 ft.,
This houseboat is a veritable home afloat. It is designed for real living—for fishing, for parties or for basking in the sun on the spacious upper deck
There probably is not a single reader of this page who doesn’t dream a bit now and then. A goodly number, maybe most of the people, are not going to build a boat; but they are going to dream about having one. Some of us dream about sailing to Tahiti on a gaff-headed ketch, and some dream about cruising Down East to Fundy in a salty dragger conversion. Others, I’m sure, dream of high-speed frolics offshore in a spray-tossing runabout. How many of us dream about life afloat in the manner of the man who built his home by the side of the road where he could watch the world go by? Not many have, I wager, but there will be more and more each day these pages are read and studied. The design accompanying these words is, as the poet said, “the stuff that dreams are made of.” It was designed from the gray smoke that makes hazy the work-a-day world, and should provide a rosy glow to much of the play that a lively imagination does with the dreams we all have. It does not take much imagination to place the angular structure of Dockside-Too across the end of a pier, or moved just off the channel between two clusters of stakes. Even tied to the dock or in a slip at a large marina. She can be almost anywhere, and you can visualize her decks alive with guests or quiet as a lazy couple recline in chairs in the sun on the upper deck. Dreaming can be easy with a subject like this for stimulation. Shall we stimulate a dream or two? Let’s look first at the outside of this craft and then at the interior, and see what develops. As can easily be noticed, this is no gently curving boat with graceful flare and overhangs. A houseboat is a home afloat, primarily, not to be driven into the teeth of a nor’easter. It is therefore a house on a barge—-square and boxy, with rails, overhanging roofs and square windows. But note that there is full access all around her deck edge, with walkways along the length and decks on the ends. Note also that these decks at the ends are opened onto by wide folding doors that extend the size of the spaces enclosed by the deckhouse structure. Lefs now step aboard. The access is from the dock or dinghy to the small boarding areas at the main deck level on the stern end. Why the stern, when both ends of the hull are alike? I don’t know why this should be the stern, except that the bow is generally drawn to the right; so if these boarding platforms are on the lefthand end of the drawing, that must be the stern of the houseboat.
Now that we have gone up the few steps to the upper deck, we should gaze about. The deck is well above the water, and you can look over the trunks and cabins of most of the boats about you. If you are moored away from the shore, you have an excellent view all around. Now, sliding back the screen door, you can enter the deckhouse lounge or salon. The inboard profile view shows that it can be fitted with contemporary-design furniture, which the architect likes, or it can be furnished in the traditional yacht style with wicker and tubular furniture. The deckhouse is well windowed. Large picture windows have sliding sections at each end for cross ventilation, while on the forward bulkhead, sliding windows provide for ventilation in that direction. Take note of the overhangs all around, as these keep the sun out and permit the breeze to flow through the area even when there is rain. Venetian blinds or drapery can provide privacy when you need it.
A feature of the deckhouse salon is the full-width shelf forward that extends the interior space without changing the floor area. A fine place for the television set, an end of books, a vase of flowers or some sculpture. Extending into the salon to starboard is a small U-shaped railing over the stairwell from the main deck level. This rail is constructed with a single strap of metal bent in a vertical zigzag, capped by a varnished hand rail. Outboard, to starboard, is a companionway to the lower level, and we’ll go down that to the galley-dining area.
This space, on the main deck of the barge hull, is a large area, as it must accommodate the dual activities of food preparation and food consumption. The design of the area is straightforward, right out of the small-residence stylebook. There is a long counter with built-in stove and double sink, some working space, some lockers beneath and overhead and a modest refrigerator. The food-preparation area faces a full-length expanse of windows, just above counter height so the cook will never want for scenery. When the sun gets too low, the blinds can be dropped to cut down the glare.
The area remaining can be arranged in many ways. Some may think that a built-in dinette or nook is a better idea than the single pedestal table with individual chairs. Dream on . . . and see if you can think of how to build a dining counter or bar into that space. it can be done, and quite properly, if you like to take your meals that way. Even afloat on a vacation, the architect likes to sit at a table, so that’s how it was drawn. Okay?
Note that the galley counter, which is covered with a decorative plastic top such as Formica, is fairly flush. The stove is shown set in a recess, with a hinged cover that folds back when the stove is in use. The double sink is a stainless steel one, right out of the Sears catalog. The cabinet work on the counters is exactly the same as in the kitchen ashore, and the lockers are just as spacious. Recessed lighting in the cabin ceiling puts illumination where it is needed and can be either incandescent or fluorescent, to suit.
The heavy-duty vinyl floor coverings which are available now would be just right for this area, and the color or pattern can blend harmoniously with the rest of the room. The table and chairs shown are quite modern, of the single-pedestal type, and the chairs have colorful cushions to accent the white plastic of the seats. Put a couple of candles in hurricane lamps on the table, and the crystal and silver will sparkle as they would ashore. You’ll really enjoy a formal party with another couple. Champagne, everyone?
The last area is down the stairs, beneath the railing of the upperdeck salon. These stairs, with their white rubber treads, descend to a smallish vestibule having two doors. The door straight ahead opens into the bedroom. Maybe it should be called the “master stateroom,” but it is more properly the bedroom. The plan view shows the double bed, with end tables and bed lamps. The room air conditioner is set in the wall over the head of the bed, with the circulators set not to blow down on the occupants. There is ample room for a vanity table, a pair of low dressers and even a couple of chairs. This stateroom could even hold a small desk if the owner desired or needed one.
Off the forward end of the stateroom, through a pair of louvered doors, is a spacious walk-in closet. This will provide ample stowage for a wardrobe, certainly so if shelves for linens and the like are built as desired. Way back in this closet is a smallish door into the “hold,” the crawl space beneath the kitchen-dining area. It is in this space that the mechanical equipment of Dockside-Too is located. More about that later.
The other door from the stateroom opens to the bathroom. This is no ordinary “head,” as you’d expect in a conventional cruiser or small yacht, but a spacious bathroom with all the fittings and fixtures of comfort ashore. There is ample room, and much can be done to decorate this in distinctive fashion. The architect considers that the large fiber-glass bathtub should be the focal point, and the color impregnated therein will set the theme for the rest of the room. Imagine a light pink tub, with a red rug on a white vinyl floor. Picture a pink Formica counter top and white walls . . . or even a dramatic colored curtain across the window. The opportunities for subtle or dramatic decor are presented in this bathroom space. Note that all the fixtures are identical with those in your house ashore. Again, the hardware department in the big store at the shopping center has all the necessary fittings.
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