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Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:55 am
by Doc67
A friend of mine, one of the more sensible ones, is seriously considering buying a boat of some kind and having it refitted as a house boat. I owned a speedboat many moons ago and found it a pain in the ass and a bit of a money pit.

But a houseboat sounds interesting...It sounds like a romantic way of living for a while. It also sounds like it could be a disaster. Can't make up my mind.

Has anyone had any experiences or knowledge of this in Cambodia?

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:24 am
by explorer
Think about security. As soon as you leave it, someone may attempt to steal something. Dogs may be an answer to this.

Think about where you can park it.

It would be fun to explore Cambodia along the rivers. You could do this with a small live in boat.

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:35 am
by Doc67
explorer wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:24 am Think about security. As soon as you leave it, someone may attempt to steal something. Dogs may be an answer to this.

Think about where you can park it.

It would be fun to explore Cambodia along the rivers. You could do this with a small live in boat.
I agree, lots of security issues. a GPS tracker might work to go and find it. but it wont stop it from going walkabouts in the first place. As for the dog, they will probably steal him too...

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:58 pm
by markd
the dog will be eaten & youll have the washing up to do from poochburger

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:55 pm
by Anchor Moy
These ones are not nice looking, but you could lock up and go.

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 9:53 pm
by explorer
I suggest getting a boat you can travel in. Not one which is designed to stay in the same place.

I would have something like the people who live on the river, maybe bigger. People passing by casually will not know it is owned by a foreigner, which reduces the chance of theft. You could even use some second hand materials to make it look like you are poor.

Image

You could go for a similar design, but taller and bigger.

Another option is to join two together and make a catamaran.

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 9:57 pm
by explorer
Someone I know was planning to buy a houseboat, but the person who made them now has health problems, and no longer makes them. I dont know the name of the person or company.

I suggested he could park it with the Cham who live on boats. He said he never would because of the noise that is broadcast from the mosque.

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:04 pm
by explorer
An American built a boat in Sihanoukville, to live on. It was a wooden boat designed for the ocean. He found the weather so rough that he parked it in the dock a lot of the year, and paid for it. It may have been cheaper to rent a room. He later had health problems and decided to return to the US. He tried to sell the boat, but had no interest. The price was reducing every month. If it did not sell he was planning to sell each item individually, for example, sell the generators individually.

So think about resale. You may have something you can never sell.

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:08 pm
by explorer
It is common in Cambodia to see people building wooden canoes.

I have also seen larger wooden boats being built, but not very often. I cant remember the price, but it is probably not too much for a person wanting a house boat. You could buy two wooden hulls and make a catamaran house boat.

Re: Living on a Houseboat in Cambodia

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:45 pm
by explorer
Better still, look for a boat that a foreigner wants to sell. If you come across one that has been on the market for awhile, it may be cheap.