I think it would be hard work but I would give it a try in one of these.

I lived and sailed this, full keeled William Atkins Eric top'sl gaff cutter,for 15yrs before moving here.
It was a great life but hard and not cheap.

The company I work for has a number of boats of varying sizes. The one thing they have in common is that they are a bottomless pit gobbling up money.

hanno wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:59 am The company I work for has a number of boats of varying sizes. The one thing they have in common is that they are a bottomless pit gobbling up money.

Sounds enticing!

About a year ago there was a guy living on a boat in Kampot. Looked like a converted fishing boat.

Tarndog wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:04 am

hanno wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:59 am The company I work for has a number of boats of varying sizes. The one thing they have in common is that they are a bottomless pit gobbling up money.

Sounds enticing!

There are serious things to think about and consider, price in the first place, are you going to consider a well kept 2nd hand boat or have a new one made. either way in this country it would be rare to get your monies back if you decided to sell. Running cost, and the up-keep and the maintenance. Cooking and washing would be easy if you like doing a bit of DIY. In some places I would not jump in the river due to the very strong currant's. Tried that one and regretted it very fast. Thinking also you could be alone. I would also doubt any type of insurance too.
Theft also has been mentioned, and being alone maybe another factor to think about. Law I would think about looking into, don't quote me but if you have a boat here, you can not take it out of Cambodian waters that easy, or you can't enter another countries waters.
So where you going to sail? And at what costs, where would you moor with or without cost. Thing is not so long ago the authorities were talking of moving boat people from certain area's.


Do it yourself maintenance.


This is a friends boat that he had made in a Cambodian boat yard some years ago.


On the boat in the mangroves.


Then into more open waters, thing here you need to know your way around, navigation in these waters see many boats grounded.


This was a pair of sea fishing boats taking shelter around Koh Kong Island due to the sea on the other side being to strong and choppy, we know because we tried but turned back for the night.


This would make a nice houseboat, but probably too expensive to think about.

hanno wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:59 am The company I work for has a number of boats of varying sizes. The one thing they have in common is that they are a bottomless pit gobbling up money.

That is realistic, and also one of the main drawbacks of people wanting the type of adventure, maintenance is simply just expense, the work can't be avoided, or the results maybe that the initial outlay for the boat is wasted, due to the monies spent on the investment is now sitting at the bottom of the river.
Most of the boats here of a good affordable size are made of wood, this entails lifting them out of the water once a year and having the hull treated. This may not be too bad depending on how old the craft is, and how previously it's been looked after.
Two of my friends a few years back, would pay between $300 -$500 for this work to be carried out.
The subject of living on a houseboat.
I don't know if I would like to spend the time in the same place. I have seen the village people living in their stilted house's in the mangroves. To me they seem very tight nit communities almost living on top of each other.
Today I took a ferry from Chbar Ampov.



Only a short journey to the other side of the Mekong river, it was very pleasant not doing the useual route of the traffic in busy Phnom Penh. $1 was the price for 2 adults and the moto. Here we can see houseboat's. It maybe feasible and money saving, rather then living in a built up area in the big city. But it's also not the same has living on the river Thames.

My muslim brother in law seems to like his boat and his livelihood.
But then, yeah - It's not for everyone.

I think if somebody wants the boat life, they could get two of those fiberglass canoes, and make a catamaran with them. Get the largest size. You could make a lightweight deck. I suggest putting a top on it like the top of wagons in the old times. Kind of like the people living on boats have, but taller.

It would be fairly small, so some people would not want to live on it full time.

It would be good for exploring the rivers.

You could make it light enough to lift it off, if you ran onto a sand bank.