Places To Park A Houseboat On The Mekong?

[jubby]

There could be another possibility.

I do suspect (but could be wrong) that there are many more River boats (Lao Slow Boats) Tourist Boats than there are Tourists.

I suspect there's a waiting list for the boats to get on the scheduled Tourist routes and thus are many boats Idle waiting for their time slot. I also suspect these boats 'just' make a living and so you may be able to negociate a price direct with the Owners. Luang prabang wouldn't be a bad place to start looking .

It would also be a brilliant Place for a Mooring in my opinion.

You get a Crew that has a vested interest and its probably considerably cheaper and less hastle than owning your own boat.

Get yourself a Nice free standing Tent and call that home whilst you move between vessels.

[jaideeguy]

There could be another possibility.

I do suspect (but could be wrong) that there are many more River boats (Lao Slow Boats) Tourist Boats than there are Tourists.

I suspect there's a waiting list for the boats to get on the scheduled Tourist routes and thus are many boats Idle waiting for their time slot. I also suspect these boats 'just' make a living and so you may be able to negociate a price direct with the Owners. Luang prabang wouldn't be a bad place to start looking .

It would also be a brilliant Place for a Mooring in my opinion.

You get a Crew that has a vested interest and its probably considerably cheaper and less hastle than owning your own boat.

Get yourself a Nice free standing Tent and call that home whilst you move between vessels.

Jubby, That angle crossed my mind, as you say....there arean excess of these boats [and their captians and crews] looking for work. Cargo hauling on the river is a dying lifestyle with all the new and fast roads on both sides of the river, so there has to be a surplus of boats. Also, tourism is so seasonal and fickle that they can't depend on that to make a living any more. sorta like all the tuk tuks waiting for one 100baht fare.

Luang Prabang is on my list of places to go and may do the slowboat tourist route from Chiang Khong just to see for myself.

[jubby]

There could be another possibility.

I do suspect (but could be wrong) that there are many more River boats (Lao Slow Boats) Tourist Boats than there are Tourists.

I suspect there's a waiting list for the boats to get on the scheduled Tourist routes and thus are many boats Idle waiting for their time slot. I also suspect these boats 'just' make a living and so you may be able to negociate a price direct with the Owners. Luang prabang wouldn't be a bad place to start looking .

It would also be a brilliant Place for a Mooring in my opinion.

You get a Crew that has a vested interest and its probably considerably cheaper and less hastle than owning your own boat.

Get yourself a Nice free standing Tent and call that home whilst you move between vessels.

Jubby, That angle crossed my mind, as you say....there arean excess of these boats [and their captians and crews] looking for work. Cargo hauling on the river is a dying lifestyle with all the new and fast roads on both sides of the river, so there has to be a surplus of boats. Also, tourism is so seasonal and fickle that they can't depend on that to make a living any more. sorta like all the tuk tuks waiting for one 100baht fare.

Luang Prabang is on my list of places to go and may do the slowboat tourist route from Chiang Khong just to see for myself.

I can thing of worse things than being moored up in Luang Prabang for sure

Not done the Slow Boat from Chiang khong, I prefer the speedboat

[jaideeguy]

Phitsanulok is the only place in Thailand where houseboats are legal, as they have been an important aspect of regional culture since long before the drafting of modern municipal law. People of Phitsanulok still gather on houseboats and raft houses along both sides of the Nan River in the city, and adhere to a traditional way of life.[5] There is even a floating houseboat museum along the Nan in Phitsanulok, which allows tourists to experience the Nan houseboat culture first-hand.

from wikepedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_River

True??

Yet there are houseboats on the Kwai river in Kanchanaburi according to a poster on first page, who live aboard for 4 yrs and I viewed photos on the link he provided....floating pontoon boats.

[dindong]

Wouldn't mind taking a few days on this boat.

http://www.cruisemek...ips/mekong-sun/

http://www.cruisemekong.com/cruise-ships/mekong-sun/factsheet-mekong-sun.pdf

Edited September 29, 2010 by dindong

[bifftastic]

Wouldn't mind taking a few days on this boat.

http://www.cruisemek...ips/mekong-sun/

http://www.cruisemek...-mekong-sun.pdf

Wow! Nice!

4 days for nearly 71,000 baht, maybe if I win the lottery

Beautiful boat though.

[marcgee]

There are many of the exact boat in the pic. at Chiang Saen along the bank across from the stores on the river

Many appear to never move, and are being lived on by THAI OR Chinese

They are about 90x20 ft with a very rough cabin and steel hull with massive bumper rail for crash mooring.

there must be big power to push them along at about 15km against a 15km current.

I've been thinking about it also as I loved that life in Canada for 7 yrs aboard my highly finished 2 story 50x 13 ft houseboat

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE VALUE RANGE??

marcgee

[marcgee]

There are many of the exact boat in the pic. at Chiang Saen along the bank across from the stores on the river

Many appear to never move, and are being lived on by THAI OR Chinese

They are about 90x20 ft with a very rough cabin and steel hull with massive bumper rail for crash mooring.

there must be big power to push them along at about 15km against a 15km current.

I've been thinking about it also as I loved that life in Canada for 7 yrs aboard my highly finished 2 story 50x 13 ft houseboat

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE VALUE RANGE??

marcgee

[justSumGai]

This one?

Yes, that's the foto that I struggled with attaching for hours.....every time I tried, thaivisa timed out and didn't upload.

Now......wouldn't that be a nice roomy boat for conversion??

Thanks bifftastic!!

my god that's huge. WAY too big, I can just imaginge maintaining that. Good lord. For me I'd be happy with a third that length. The draft on that plus length would make it fun to even turn around in some waterwaysI would like to dink around in. That's bigger than the house I live in

[greasemonkey]

Can I dip my oar in? ( Man, I'm on form tonight:D)

Jubby said he had taken the speed boat down the mekong.( I would quote him, but they just come up blank???)

I also have done this, thrilling, but spectacularly uncomfortable trip.

Just loved watching the pilot stripping the carb and washing the jets in the river. wonder what would have happend if he dropped one?

I was under the impression the speed boats no longer run. they were cancelled a few years back. Am I mistaken?

It also crossed my mind, that it would be interesting to travel the length of the mekong, downstrem from the source in China, down to the outlet. Cambodia I think.

Two journalists went up the mekong a couple of years ago, and apparently got arrested about a mile from the sourse.

Sorry a bit of topic, just some thoughts.

Edited October 4, 2010 by greasemonkey

[my friend I]

There could be another possibility.

I do suspect (but could be wrong) that there are many more River boats (Lao Slow Boats) Tourist Boats than there are Tourists.

I suspect there's a waiting list for the boats to get on the scheduled Tourist routes and thus are many boats Idle waiting for their time slot. I also suspect these boats 'just' make a living and so you may be able to negociate a price direct with the Owners. Luang prabang wouldn't be a bad place to start looking .

It would also be a brilliant Place for a Mooring in my opinion.

You get a Crew that has a vested interest and its probably considerably cheaper and less hastle than owning your own boat.

Get yourself a Nice free standing Tent and call that home whilst you move between vessels.

There are plenty of excess boats in Laos. Check at the boat co-op in Luang Prabang. Its on the riverbank fairly centrally located. Also boats tied up going south of there as little or no work since the road has been improved.

The Mun River would be an ok place to park. A guy lives on a boat right in Ubon city in front of the new market. There is a dam between Ubon city & the Mekong tho so you would be restricted to one side or the other.

Edited October 5, 2010 by my friend I

[jaideeguy]

There could be another possibility.

I do suspect (but could be wrong) that there are many more River boats (Lao Slow Boats) Tourist Boats than there are Tourists.

I suspect there's a waiting list for the boats to get on the scheduled Tourist routes and thus are many boats Idle waiting for their time slot. I also suspect these boats 'just' make a living and so you may be able to negociate a price direct with the Owners. Luang prabang wouldn't be a bad place to start looking .

It would also be a brilliant Place for a Mooring in my opinion.

You get a Crew that has a vested interest and its probably considerably cheaper and less hastle than owning your own boat.

Get yourself a Nice free standing Tent and call that home whilst you move between vessels.

There are plenty of excess boats in Laos. Check at the boat co-op in Luang Prabang. Its on the riverbank fairly centrally located. Also boats tied up going south of there as little or no work since the road has been improved.

The Mun River would be an ok place to park. A guy lives on a boat right in Ubon city in front of the new market. There is a dam between Ubon city & the Mekong tho so you would be restricted to one side or the other.

Seems like there should be an excess of boats.......brings up a couple of questions.

You say in Laos.....so purchasing it in Laos and bringing it into LOS, you would have to pay customs and duties?? wonder how much on a 2nd hand boat??

And mooring on the Mun river...can do for sure??

Wonder about the trip downriver from Luang Prabang all the way to the Mun......long way and lots of rapids??

[boatguy]

Forget the Mekong…get whatever rig you want and stay on any of the many rivers in Thailand…I just sold a raft I lived on for four years on the Mae Klong River (think up and down from Kanchanaburi (Kwae Yai, Kwae Noi))…loved it, miss it…needed the dough or I'd still be there…(many photos at: picasaweb.google.com/pramaprow)...

WOW, those photos were GREAT. I just found this subject thread. I'll read on.

[boatguy]

Forget the Mekong…get whatever rig you want and stay on any of the many rivers in Thailand…I just sold a raft I lived on for four years on the Mae Klong River (think up and down from Kanchanaburi (Kwae Yai, Kwae Noi))…loved it, miss it…needed the dough or I'd still be there…(many photos at: picasaweb.google.com/pramaprow)...

WOW, those photos were GREAT. I just found this subject thread. I'll read on.

Hello pramaprow,

I would really like to download or copy your photos to my computer...any problem with that?...and/or how do I do it?

[boatguy]

There have been other threads on this subject that never yielded any solid results and only little discussion. A topic that the 'Gypsy' in me has long dreamed about here in LOS where there are many rivers navigable and ownership of land is impossible . Google doesn't have much info either' date=' but I still dream and wonder if others are dreaming the same or maybe some are 'living my dream' of buying or renting a houseboat on a major river where you can pull ankor and go somewhere when you want a change of scenery.

Google does tell me that there is nearly 1,000miles of navagable river above the falls of Cambodia and I have seen stretches of it along the Thai side, having driven most of the Mekong riverside roads in LOS in Issan and the north.......beautiful scenery.[/quote']

GREAT thread you've started here. Several years ago when I was visiting Thailand to meet my current wife I did a survey of some boat yards for building yachts. This thought of living onboard a Bali or Thai style houseboat entered my mind as well. I even started a few subject threads on the matter on some boating forums in the USA. Here's one:

Bali, Thai Style Houseboat

I'm now in the process of moving over here, so my thoughts ventured back to this idea once again. Just the last two days I gathered together a few ideas on the building of some Thai style houseboats over here. I know it requires a lot more due diligence to study the possibilities, but it just might make some sense for both waterborne craft, and waterpond craft considering the potential mobility aspect and the number of farangs I here of losing all of their investments in some structure that gets put on land they don't own.

I look forward to hearing of your latest research on the ideas, and hopefully I'll have a bit more time to consider the subject as well....I'm just going to have to find time to fit it in between plans to move here, and some yacht design consulting I'm doing.

[jaideeguy]

Pramaprow's 'hut on pontoons' is inspirational......I'd settle for life on a lake, and I have traded a couple of emails with him, but he is a recently ordained Monk and I don't want to intrude on his life. If I do hear anything relevent or constructive, I'll post [with his permission of course].

It seems that there are a few houseboats on the lake above Kanchanaburi and i'm trying to find out if they are legal. Maybe I'll post on the central Thailand forum to see if anyone can confirm.

My first/main concern is the legality......then the project. And the practicality......river/lake water levels, ownership of land if moored to land. disposal of waste, security concerns etc....

I would think that if you started from scratch and built your pontoon raft and built a simple lite structure on it, the cost of construction would be less than 200,000thb

[boatguy]

Pramaprow's 'hut on pontoons' is inspirational......I'd settle for life on a lake, and I have traded a couple of emails with him, but he is a recently ordained Monk and I don't want to intrude on his life. If I do hear anything relevent or constructive, I'll post [with his permission of course].

It seems that there are a few houseboats on the lake above Kanchanaburi and i'm trying to find out if they are legal. Maybe I'll post on the central Thailand forum to see if anyone can confirm.

I wonder also if a posting on the central forum would bring more response. I actually didn't know your original posting was just on a locale forum. I found it doing a 'search' for houseboats.

If you chose to post this sort of subject on the central forum I would suggest supplying a link back here to your original posting as it sets a good tone for the subject matter at hand. I've found this quite helpful both when starting a forum discussion myself, as well as reading other's forum subjects. Helpful if they provide links to related subject matter, either past or present.

I'll have more material to add to the discussion where ever you decide to continue it.

I'd go a slight step forward and suggest a 'cottage on pontoons'.....just big enough to spend a few weeks at a time on down at the seaside, but not too big. I'm going to live in Khon Kaen, but I need an escape to the water. Construction needs to be lite weight, without resorting to exotic materials we use in the boating industry. However there are some methods of combining materials for strength and rigidity that can be borrowed from the boat industry. With the wide range of new building materials available to home builders there is a definite possibility to select some that do very well on a floating structure.

Wonder what the maximum legal with of a towed load aboard a trailer is in Thailand?? (floating home built off-site?)

BTW, did you see those other floating luncheon huts I had photos of on that website I referenced above? Here are a few of them, but I'm having trouble manipulating such items in this new iMAC computer I have.

Edited October 8, 2010 by boatguy

[boatguy]

Can't find the particular posting, but I'm sure someone has brought up the subject of canal boats of Europe. Here is a nice long subject thread dealing with some of those vessels.

I'll start you off in the middle where I made some postings:

Dutch Barge Cruisers

Then back to the first page: Dutch Barge Cruisers

....and then you've got to love this quote

"Houses are but badly built boats so firmly aground that you cannot think of moving them. They are definitely inferior things, belonging to the vegetable not the animal world, rooted and stationary, incapable of gay transition. I admit, doubtfully, as exceptions, snail-shells and caravans. The desire to build a house is the tired wish of a man content thenceforward with a single anchorage. The desire to build a boat is the desire of youth, unwilling yet to accept the idea of a final resting place.

It is for that reason, perhaps, that when it comes, the desire to build a boat is one that cannot be resisted. It begins as a little cloud on a serene horizon. It ends by covering the whole sky, so that you can think of nothing else. You must build to regain your freedom. And always you comfort yourself with the thought that yours will be the perfect boat, the boat that you may search the harbors of the world for and cannot find."

Racundra's First Cruise, Arthur Ransome, 1923

Edited October 8, 2010 by boatguy

[kumsamut]

bring enough food!!!

[anotheruser]

You will be dealing with the boat mafia if you want to have any say in your business on either side of the border. I have some boats but get away with it because nothing is in my name and as such it operates as a Lao business. I would be especially careful up north where there are a lot of fingers in the pie. I didn't read all the posts in this thread but as somebody who is doing it already I would be very careful whose toes I step on.

Your enthusiasm for traveling waterways is also what got me excited to do the same, however maintaining boats and making money is quite another story. I am actually planning to get out of the business as it is so much work and such a small gain. There is also quite a bit of liability you assume if you start running larger boats, one accident and you are finished.

Last year the river went dry and many people lost boats, many much more experienced than I am. I am not saying don't do it but if you do proceed with caution.

As I said I didn't really read this thread as it is late at night here but I wish you the best should you try to do such a thing and don't hesitate to pvt me if you have any questions about running boats in Laos. BTW I would register in Laos as it is much more laid back in the sense of a business climate.

[bahnhof]

Wondering if any of the contributors in this thread ended up living aboard on a river in Thai or Laos?

Back in the old, mostly cold country I lived aboard for a few years. Though I won't likely be doing it again I definitely recommend this alternative way of living.