Big Boat Needs Home

[TheNiche]

OK, so as some of you might recall, several months ago, I was looking for a change of pace as far as my housing situation is concerned. It's been slower in coming than I would've liked, but it may have worked out really well, and I think I've got an angle on my uncle's Alaskan crabber, currently docked in Oregon.

It'll take forty grand to bring it through the Panama Canal and up to Houston, but because the feds say that nobody can ever use it for fishing or seafood processing ever again (including casting a line over the side or cleaning a catch), its basically worthless. It'd be scrapped, but the feds make you pay out the ass to dispose of oil-based lubricants and such, enough that the sale of all of the scrap steel and machinery wouldn't cover the fees. My uncle would just as soon give it to me as to sink it in international waters.

This is a 95-foot long, 30-foot wide steel-hulled vessel with an 8-foot draft, designed to handle a crew compliment of up to a dozen men and carry many thousands of pounds of king crab on long hauls. I had previously been looking at something along the lines of a 38- to 44-foot sailboat; but the stuff I'd actually be willing to live on was priced from $60k to about $120k. This is $40k, and I'm all about value.

But the logistics of a sailboat liveaboard are easy. You lease a slip in a marina and treat it like an upscale RV park. The logistics of a vessel this large are not easy. But HAIFers are resourceful. I'm seeking answers to two fundamental questions: 1) Where/how in the Houston area can I keep it? 2) Where can't I keep it so as that I don't bother looking? I'm willing to live along/on/near the Houston Ship Channel or in Freeport, if that's possible and economical. I'm not willing to live at Smith Point or Port Bolivar. Location and convenience are more important than breathing benziene or butadiene.

Advance thanks to anyone able to help!

[plumber2]

How tall is it?

[TheNiche]

How tall is it?

That, I don't know. It's got a couple cranes, so I suspect that clearance could be a problem in some places.

I'll post photos when I get them.

[memebag]

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was. Remove all fingerprints and ID numbers just in case.

[KatieDidIt]

HIghway 6 could always use another Seafood Restuarant and Raw Bar in a Boat..........

[editor]

Are there still all those fishing vessels across from the Kemah Boardwalk? You might be able to store it there cheap and inconspicuously.

[ricco67]

So what mods are you planning on making this thing? maybe take down one of cranes and modify the insides a bit? maybe make a large room out of it?

HAIF party anyone?

[TheNiche]

Are there still all those fishing vessels across from the Kemah Boardwalk? You might be able to store it there cheap and inconspicuously.

Anything related to commercial fishing is expensive; that's why this particular boat is essentially worthless on the market. ...having said that, I might be able to pull something like that off in Freeport through my own contacts. Good idea.

Keep em' coming.

[crunchtastic]

Wow! That's kind of big! Seriously, I understand the value, but to live on it, reasonably close to town, (you would still commute to job, I take it?) I do believe your better option is rehabbing a smaller, older sailboat. Assuming you found a space for it, that's a whole frigging lot of maintenance. Remember, that crew of 12 even if they only went out in season, spent a great portion of their time just keeping the rot at bay.

I guess first question is will you strip out the fishing gear and sell it up there? The cranes, cages, winches, etc. I would do that first. You could get it down here, gut the engine and turn into a barge, essentially. That's some money, though. I'm willing to bet you can find slip space on the ship channel (pier probably not consisting of anything more than pylons). I have no idea how to go about that other than just get down there and drive around and ask. There's a ton of cut-ins.

Is 40K the price to fully crew it through the Panama Canal? It's too big to put on a flatbed and drive it down. Not quite least but last, fishy smells can be deal killer. Seriously. When are you going up to take a look at it?

Speaking of watercraft, have you taken your Buffalo Bayou float? I read too late, otherwise I would have signed up. I've done the trip, not quite so far as that. It's nice.

[Jeebus]

the feds say that nobody can ever use it for fishing or seafood processing ever again (including casting a line over the side or cleaning a catch)

Why?

[TheNiche]

So what mods are you planning on making this thing? maybe take down one of cranes and modify the insides a bit? maybe make a large room out of it?

HAIF party anyone?

I'm going to acquire photos tomorrow. I'll have a better idea of the layout then, and a sculptor does not design his work to fit any other setting than the site in which it will be displayed.

As of right now, I can say that the layout is that the bridge is forward of the main deck and that the sides of the boat are perfectly parallel rather than arcing, which makes building any additional superstructure over the holds almost ridiculously easy. There's probably sufficient ballast and stability to go up 3 stories, although that'd mean that I couldn't ride out a Cat 4 in the open Gulf any more and expect a decent shot at survival. It'd also mean that I'd be looking at a 6,000sf enclosed living area, and I just don't need or desire that.

A party would be acceptable, but it may be a long time in coming. This could be a work in progress for several years. Perhaps, if it all works out, there could be a gritty 'before'-party, followed a while after by the 'after'-party. I don't know yet. I've got a lot of things to work out before declaring even an intermediate victory worthy of partying.

[ricco67]

Well, I'd hold onto the cranes during the building process, it would definately make things easier.

Why not build into the hold? I'm sure the fish smell will go away. One day. Maybe. Light a match and it's all good.

I'll contribute a couple of bottles of Grey Goose to build up your bar

[TheNiche]

Wow! That's kind of big! Seriously, I understand the value, but to live on it, reasonably close to town, (you would still commute to job, I take it?) I do believe your better option is rehabbing a smaller, older sailboat. Assuming you found a space for it, that's a whole frigging lot of maintenance. Remember, that crew of 12 even if they only went out in season, spent a great portion of their time just keeping the rot at bay.

I guess first question is will you strip out the fishing gear and sell it up there? The cranes, cages, winches, etc. I would do that first. You could get it down here, gut the engine and turn into a barge, essentially. That's some money, though. I'm willing to bet you can find slip space on the ship channel (pier probably not consisting of anything more than pylons). I have no idea how to go about that other than just get down there and drive around and ask. There's a ton of cut-ins.

Is 40K the price to fully crew it through the Panama Canal? It's too big to put on a flatbed and drive it down. Not quite least but last, fishy smells can be deal killer. Seriously. When are you going up to take a look at it?

Well, actually, the boat had been docked in a secure marina off-season and there was pretty much no crew for the better part of each year. There hasn't been much attention at all in the past two years, since the permit was sold, and its been in fresh water, so it really hasn't mattered.

It's all 5/8" steel, except for a really solid wooden deck, several inches thick, supported by steel ribs. Minimal mildew, if any. The kind of stuff I can handle pretty easily. Sailboats have lots of nooks and crannies; this has a lot more expansive smooth surfaces.

The bottom would need regular attention. Zinc is important to prevent rust, although if I could get it up the ship channel, the less saline water would much reduce that issue. Bottom jobs here and then are also inevitable--and this is a frickin' big-ass bottom job--but sailboats have a lot of other very elaborate and expensive systems that this won't, which tend to fail. Where maintenance is concerned, I think this might be more, but not very much more. The fishy smell doesn't concern me. If my cousin can clean out an old barge that hauled crude oil to haul sand without contaminating it, I can clean out the fishy smell...difference is that the fumes from doing so probably won't send me to the hospital. The fact is, though, that if worse came to worse, I actually like fishy.

I won't turn it into a barge; if I wanted a deck barge or hopper barge, I'd know where to buy it, and pretty cheap, but that's not my preference. The gear and cranes will go, but the winches and 637hp engine stays. I want to be able to go anywhere in the world I so choose. By all means, call me neurotic, but the sense of a freedom I'll probably never take advantage of carries immense value.

$40k is about the price to get it here, including having some repairs before the voyage, and allowing my uncle take a couple of months to pilot it to Houston, stopping at various ports along the way. He's a-ok with piloting, he just wants to have some fun in the process. Fair enough. Can't say I blame him.

Speaking of watercraft, have you taken your Buffalo Bayou float? I read too late, otherwise I would have signed up. I've done the trip, not quite so far as that. It's nice.

It was all planned out and the other person had to cancel at the 11th hour. This weekend could be tough, as I'm not sure what day I'll be back in town. Possibly the weekend after next, weather permitting. I'll be sure to PM you as things firm up again.

[TheNiche]

Why?

Long story short, you, U.S. taxpayer, paid him and my grandfather, co-owners of the permit, several million bucks for the promise that they'd no longer fish for king crab or that the vessel would ever be utilized for fishing (commercial or sport) or seafood processing (commercial or sport) ever again anywhere in the world.

I'm sure that the politics driving this are convoluted as hell, but the justification was made on the premise that king crab was being overfished. I smell a rat, but whatever...Uncle Sam's payment is ensuring that my financially-incompetent parents that can't help but spend two dimes for every one they earn are able to retire like no one else, in Mexico, when they ultimately get the inheritence...and that beats me paying for my dad's vodka tonics 'til the day he dies of alcoholic cirrhosis following protracted Medicare treatment.

Pissed yet? You damned well should be.

[rapturematt]

I have a father-in-law that owns a marina in Morgan City, LA. He works on boats like that, so I know it will fit there, but I am sure that is to far for you.

[crunchtastic]

You must like fishy a lot, Niche. I swear, you guys, I do not get it sometimes. My BF wants to live on a river barge in Tennessee. I would prefer the small sailboat in the BVI, but I guess that's far too traditional.....

I keep picturing the Gorton's Fisherman, or bad Red Lobster ads. But you'd look funny in yellow rain gear in the middle of the sludgy ship channel.

[Jeebus]

Pissed yet? You damned well should be.

Nah, I grew up watching my neighbors get agriculture subsidies, and all without ever planting a single seed. I'm used to it.

[RedScare]

I am hesitant to rain on your parade, since I love the idea, but you are SEVERELY underestimating the maintanance of a 95 foot steel hulled boat. Marina fees are just the beginning. Virtually all marinas charged by the foot. Hull maintanance is very expensive, even if it is only performed every several years. Think $10k or so for a scrape and repaint. No matter where it is moored, whether salt or fresh water (or brine), the environment is very hostile to boats. Whether the price paid is in cash or elbow grease, it will be substantial.

Again, I hate to be a pessimist, but a 2,850 square foot boat is a money pit of epic proportions. I have always wanted to convert a tugboat to live aboard status. Just the initial guestitmates of converting a 40 foot tug was enough to kill that fantasy. Good luck.

BTW, got any pics of this thing?

[gwilson]

The amount of maintenance required to keep this boat much less live on it (not to mention the retro fit you'd have to do and the extremely deep cleaning to keep you from smelling like bait all the time) and the cost of mooring it would be exorbitant.

That said, I suggest you call some marinas and find out how much they'd charge. That boat is going to take a lot of power to live on, so your electric bill would be ridiculous.

This concept really intrigues me though. I love the idea of living on the water.

[editor]

Based on the description of the vessel, it's drought, height, capacity, girth, engine specifications, and power it seems obvious that there is only one logical use for this ship:

Off-shore pirate radio station.

Radio HAIF is on the air!

[crunchtastic]

Yar!!!

If you're gonna sink your money into it, this is the only thing that makes sense. A cot and a command center--what more do you need? Talk about pimpin' your ride! Maybe some chili pepper lights. Maybe.

[gwilson]

Based on the description of the vessel, it's drought, height, capacity, girth, engine specifications, and power it seems obvious that there is only one logical use for this ship:

Off-shore pirate radio station.

Radio HAIF is on the air!

Lest we not forget a secure staging area to fend off the zombie invasion.

[editor]

Lest we not forget a secure staging area to fend off the zombie invasion.

I, for one, welcome our new zombie overlords.

[jm1fd]

Based on the description of the vessel, it's drought, height, capacity, girth, engine specifications, and power it seems obvious that there is only one logical use for this ship:

Off-shore pirate radio station.

Radio HAIF is on the air!

Or an off shore pirate data center....although the constant motion could well play hell on the disk drives.

[TheNiche]

BTW, got any pics of this thing?

All identifying marks digitally removed.

Specs from 2003 survey: 98 ft. LOA, 30 ft. beam, 10 ft. draft, built in 1978

Engine Room: 12-cyl. 650hp Detroit Diesel, 12 knot cruise speed, two aux. generators, 3-phase electrical

View of main deck

Out of water, long time ago.

[TheNiche]

You must like fishy a lot, Niche. I swear, you guys, I do not get it sometimes. My BF wants to live on a river barge in Tennessee. I would prefer the small sailboat in the BVI, but I guess that's far too traditional.....

I keep picturing the Gorton's Fisherman, or bad Red Lobster ads. But you'd look funny in yellow rain gear in the middle of the sludgy ship channel.

River barges are very popular in Europe. And my rain gear is dark green colored light duty stuff, but that's all I need at the wharf. This isn't the Bering Sea we're talking about.

The only downside to the British Virgin Islands is the exchange rate. Well, that, and all the other tourists.

[TheNiche]

I am hesitant to rain on your parade, since I love the idea, but you are SEVERELY underestimating the maintanance of a 95 foot steel hulled boat. Marina fees are just the beginning. Virtually all marinas charged by the foot. Hull maintanance is very expensive, even if it is only performed every several years. Think $10k or so for a scrape and repaint. No matter where it is moored, whether salt or fresh water (or brine), the environment is very hostile to boats. Whether the price paid is in cash or elbow grease, it will be substantial.

Again, I hate to be a pessimist, but a 2,850 square foot boat is a money pit of epic proportions. I have always wanted to convert a tugboat to live aboard status. Just the initial guestitmates of converting a 40 foot tug was enough to kill that fantasy. Good luck.

To keep it in tip-top shape, the hull needs a bottom job once every 18 months...or just to be hauled out on to dry land, where the hull would probably just about outlive me, even with minimal maintenance. I can perform a lot of the work, but the special zinc-ladden paint is still really frickin' expensive. That's the most serious cost driver where maintenance is concerned. But I agree, unless I want this to be a commercial venture of some sort, this is looking increasingly tricky. I *could* just bring it here, set it on land, and wait for the next hurricane to wreck a bunch of rigs in the gulf, then do a quick-and-dirty overhaul and lease it at $4,000+ per day for several months.

I'm starting to get a sense that finding a place might actually be easier than I'd thought at first. There's a lot of vacant or underutilized waterfront property in southeast Texas, and if I were just to set anchor, I could pretty much just install solar and then make Offatts Bayou my home and get away with it.

[TheNiche]

The amount of maintenance required to keep this boat much less live on it (not to mention the retro fit you'd have to do and the extremely deep cleaning to keep you from smelling like bait all the time) and the cost of mooring it would be exorbitant.

That said, I suggest you call some marinas and find out how much they'd charge. That boat is going to take a lot of power to live on, so your electric bill would be ridiculous.

This concept really intrigues me though. I love the idea of living on the water.

The smell really is not a problem. It can be eliminated.

Electric for my own use has to be ship-to-shore, solar, or wind. Running the generators is overkill, as I don't have to constantly operate electronics or a nearly 3,000 cu. ft. freezer. Galveston Bay isn't the Bering Sea, and the entity typing this post, wanting to live in the hold, is not in actuality several thousand dead Alaskan king crabs. I also can't afford two gallons of diesel fuel per hour to run the generator.

I don't think I could ever consider a commercial marina, at this point.

Or an off shore pirate data center....although the constant motion could well play hell on the disk drives.

Gyroscope solves the problem, although in a vessel as large as this, wave action isn't felt nearly as much.

[Daniepwils]

The upkeep of a boat of that size is just insane for most people. It would be cheaper to buy a new sailboat or boat and resale it every 5 years -- I have a long time friend that has done this for the past 15 years with his Beneteaus. He says at about 6+ years you will have more and more main. on a boat, so why not put that money into a new boat in which you can resale for a reasonable price (bearing in mind the economy is good for it at the time).

If you have the funds and there is some personal value attached to it, why not! I think that would be pretty damn cool to live on a ship like that. But where would you live? (please don't say Kemah)

[TheNiche]

The upkeep of a boat of that size is just insane for most people. It would be cheaper to buy a new sailboat or boat and resale it every 5 years -- I have a long time friend that has done this for the past 15 years with his Beneteaus. He says at about 6+ years you will have more and more main. on a boat, so why not put that money into a new boat in which you can resale for a reasonable price (bearing in mind the economy is good for it at the time).

If you have the funds and there is some personal value attached to it, why not! I think that would be pretty damn cool to live on a ship like that. But where would you live? (please don't say Kemah)

Not Kemah. It could make it under the 146 bridge into Clear Lake, but couldn't leave the main channel, so that's out of the running. Possibilities currently include Offatt's Bayou, Galveston Ship Channel, Freeport, Port Bolivar, Oak Island, Cedar Bayou, or the Houston Ship Channel. Unless I just set anchor in Offatt's Bayou, I'm limited to predominantly industrial areas with deep water access.