Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at info@houseboatkits.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
This is dependent upon many factors, however our prototype cabin was assembled by a person of average mechanical ability in approximately 40 hours. We had the help of three people for about one hour to set the roof structure in place, with the rest of the assembly process accomplished totally by one person. At this point, all four walls and the roof are completed, the rear door installed, the front sliding glass door is in place and all windows are installed.
How many hours to build the interior? It's entirely up to you. The interior components as illustrated, are relatively simple to assemble and again were put together by a single person (me) of average ability. We invested significantly more time into the interior than we did on the cabin structure, as certainly every builder will. If you choose to have a professional build and finish your cabinet components, you will save considerable time and spend additional dollars. If you purchase pre-made aluminum bow and stern railings, you will save time and spend money. The railings on the factory boat were cleaned, repaired, modified and painted from those on the original used pontoon boat. We invested as much time on these railings as we did on the entire cabin structure, but our only cost was hacksaw blades, steel wool, paint, rivets and band-aids. It probably was false economy, however we have made it a point to finish this boat as economically as possible, using as much material from the original boat as possible
See the Pontoons/Platform page
You will need basic hand tools to assemble the cabin kit, such as screwdrivers, wenches, sockets, files, and a good electric drill with quality bits. For the interior you will also need woodworking tools as well. A power miter saw is an invaluable asset as it relates to building the interior components and making perfectly square cuts on the wooden framing parts. A table saw was very handy , as well. Again, the more of the interior that you farm out to others (and pay for), the fewer tools you will need.
Assembling the cabin kit requires ordinary skills in measuring, accurate drilling, leveling and the use of wrenches, files, metal snips and a pop rivet puller. The skills required for building the interior are dependent upon how involved your interior design becomes. The interior on the demo boat as you see it, required no more than ordinary woodworking skills. A skilled woodworking craftsman might not accept our level of quality on the upholstery and the cabinet work, however it is fine as far as we're concerned and it didn't take long to finish it.
When we receive your 50% deposit, we will give you an estimated availability date as well as crating and shipping costs. Typically, your kit will be available approximately 30 days from our receipt of your deposit. We require payment in full prior to release of the kit.
The kit can be picked up at our warehouse facility in Ocala Florida.
Dimensionally, the kit part scan fit on a 6'X8' trailer with the long channels being cut in two pieces and spliced during assembly. Avoiding the splices (non-structural), the 12 ft cabin will have 16 ft channel lengths (standard roof overhang). Longer cabins will have correspondingly longer un-cut channels. Total weight (uncrated) approximetely 600 poundfs.
Crating and shipping is available through a separate vendor. Their price to produce the crate and package the kit is $1,000. The shipping cost, using 1000 miles as an example is $1,600.
For those who wish to do so, our cabin structure can safely support limited upper deck usage in calm waters at slow speed and at anchor. We strongly recommend a 600 pound limit on the upper deck, with the weight being reasonably disbursed. To avoid potential denting of the top skin of the roof panel by chair legs etc, we add a 3mm aluminum composite material (ACM) sheet, which is the same material as the outer cabin walls. A non-slip application should be added. Welded aluminum 24”railings, an aluminum ladder and hardware are included in the upper deck component package. These components add 220 pounds to the overall weight of the boat.
Through experience with dozons of these builds, we recommend a minimum of four feet of rear deck space and at least six feet of deck space up front. With these dimensions, the the 12 ft cabin would need at least 22 feet of open deck space. The 16 ft cabin at least 26 feet with the 18 ft cabin requiring 28 feet. Having said that, the more the better.
The interior height is 81 inches or 6'9". If your pontoon boat deck is 8'6" wide, the interior cabin width will be 8'0". For 8'0" deck widths, the cabin interior width will be 7'6".
The standard roof overhang is 6 inches at the aft end and 18 inches forward. Additional roof length is available as an option with support struts if required.
Added cabin height and width is available
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