Exterior wall on a houseboat

[miry]

I don't mean to be rude, but have you really thought it through from multiple angles? I think it lacks quite a few things to be usable.

1
What's the idea with just such a framework as you have on your drawings, and is it longitudinal or transverse that is whole? Because as you've drawn it, I can't see what is supposed to absorb the moment from the waves when they affect the pontoons.

You should also consider that the longest length I've seen at lumberyards, which is the longest standard length, is 5.4m, so having 6.1 or 8m means you'll have to splice, making it much weaker.

2
Have you considered how much power an independent building requires in terms of water pump, fridge/freezer, TV/computer, lighting, and then the question is if you're going to use electricity for cooking and heating, the energy consumption will be quite a lot more than you can get from solar and wind. But if you're planning to hook up to the grid via an outlet at a dock, that's a different story.

3
How are you going to deal with water and sewage? Will you fill a large tank with fresh water, in which case you'll need a motor that can handle it, or will you purify water from the lake, which will also require energy? And what kind of sewage system will you have? If you have a closed tank for everything, you'll need to consider that it will get heavy and need to be insulated to prevent freezing. If you have a 6m3 tank, which would weigh about 7 tons when full, it will severely burden the boat and take up a lot of space, so everything using water should be on the upper floor so it can flow down. If you place it on the lower floor, you'll have to pump sewage up to the tank, which will be challenging, and the little electricity you can get from wind and solar isn't much. According to wind maps, the average wind is around 5-6 m/s in Stockholm but is usually measured at 80m above ground, so it's not useful for estimating how much electricity you can get from wind.

With a 6m3 tank and living alone, the average consumption for someone in an apartment is 200-230L/day, so in a month, the tank will be full, needing emptying. A solution could be having a small grease trap for greywater and a vacuum toilet to extend the time between emptyings. Still, it's space-consuming and needs to be protected from freezing. This must be lower than the floor, and you don't have room for that according to your drawings.

Or are you thinking of using a chemical toilet and draining the greywater directly into the lake?

4
How have you planned to solve heating? In winter, it gets really cold even if you've insulated well, and the cold is biting down by the water, so have you thought of wood heating? In that case, how will you handle cooking? Firewood takes up a lot of space and requires monitoring, so you need decent storage tanks, which also weigh a lot, or do you think you can manage on electricity? In the winter, you might not have enough electricity some days to have more than a few LED lights on, or you might need to be in the dark and run the circulating pump for 10-20 minutes throughout the day for heating.

5
You wrote you wanted to find an electric motor for the boat. With what electricity? Say you need some kW of power for the motor, and running on solar energy alone (I doubt you'll often get a charge from a wind turbine when likely sheltered, plus it requires wind to generate anything).

(Check the link at the bottom for an idea of how much electricity you can expect.)

http://solarlab.se/solpanel/solceller/12volt/solcell-50w.html

If you have a 10kW (14hp) boat motor and need to use it to empty the tank or refill water, you'll need a 50w panel to charge batteries all of January to run for 6 minutes. If there's a current where you're planning to dock, it'll be very slow, and you might need an hour round trip. As a result, you'd need 500W in panels if you don't consume any electricity at all that month. If you need a fridge/freezer, it consumes about 0.7-1kWh/day, meaning from November to February, you won't have electricity for a fridge even with 1000W in panels, which is an investment of around 50k SEK. Then you want lights, a TV for a few hours a day, and a computer, say around 400W (TV+computer), for 10 hours, that's 4kWh, making it possible to manage with 1000W in panels at best May-August.

So having an onboard diesel engine to start up and charge the batteries is my suggestion; this will mean you don't have to skimp too much on electricity in the winter and can couple it to an axle for propulsion.

I won't go into the crushing effect ice can have since if you look at boats with 4-5mm thick steel hulls, they're dented when ice presses against them, so can your pontoons withstand ice capable of bending steel without issue?

Are these things you've thought about closely, or have you completely forgotten that there are complications with sewage, water, and electricity if you aim to be self-sufficient?

And what's the whole idea with the project? Housing while studying? Fun living on a houseboat? Planning to sell ad space and earn some money? Living off-grid?

 

[husbåt]

don't want to be mean, but have you really thought from multiple angles as I think it's missing quite a few things to be useful

1
what is the idea with such a framework as you have in your drawings and is it longitudinal or transverse that is whole? because as you've drawn it, I can't see what is supposed to take up the wave moment when it affects the pontoons

then you should also consider that the longest length I've seen at lumberyards and which is the longest standard length is 5.4m so having 6.1 or 8m will mean you have to splice it which makes it much weaker

2
have you thought about how much power an independent building requires in terms of water pump, fridge/freezer, TV/computer, lighting and then there's the question of if you are going to use electricity for cooking and heating the energy consumption will be quite a lot more than you can get from sun and wind
but do you plan to connect to the grid via an outlet at a quay place that's a different matter

3
how will you solve water and sewage? will you fill up freshwater in a large tank and then you need to be able to get there with a motor that can manage it or will you purify the water in Lake Mälaren which will also require energy
and what type of waste system will you have? if you have a closed tank for everything, you should expect that it will become heavy and need to be insulated to not freeze, and if you have a 6cbm tank which becomes about 7 tons when full, it will weigh down the boat terribly and be bulky, so you'll have to have the toilet and everything else you use water for on the upper floor so it can run down, because if you place it on the lower floor, you'll need to pump the sewage up to the tank, which will be difficult, and you should probably expect that the little electricity you can get from wind and sun isn't much, and, well, according to wind maps, the average wind is about 5-6m/s in Stockholm but it's usually measured at 80m above ground, so it's not something to use when estimating how much electricity you can get from the wind

and with a 6cbm tank and you're living there alone, the average consumption for someone living in an apartment is 200-230l/day, so in a month you'll have filled the tank and need to have it emptied
but one solution could be to have a small sewage separator for grey water and like a vacuum toilet so you can last longer between needing to empty it but it also requires space and needs to be kept from freezing so still, you're faced with the problem that you have to have it lower than the floor and, based on your drawing, you don't have room

or have you thought of using a chemical toilet and then draining the greywater out right away?

4
how have you thought of solving the heating? because in winter it gets quite cold even if you've insulated well, and it's biting cold down by the water too, so have you thought of burning wood? and if so, how will you manage cooking? wood takes quite a lot of space and needs to be monitored, and then you'll need decent accumulator tanks which also weigh quite a bit, or do you think you can manage with electricity? because in the winter you won't get enough electricity some days for more than a few LED lights or you may have to be in complete darkness and run the circulation pump like 10-20 minutes throughout the entire day for heating

5
you wrote that you wanted to find an electric motor that you could run the boat on
with what electricity then? let's say you need a few kW in power for the motor and we’re relying solely on solar energy since I think it's rare for you to get a charge on the wind turbine when you likely lie in the lee and it usually needs a fair bit of wind to even start charging

(check the link at the bottom to see roughly how much electricity you can hope for)
[link]

so if you've got a boat motor of 10kW (14hp) and you need to run it so you can empty the tank or fill up with water, you'll need to, with a 50w panel, charge the batteries the entire month of January to run for 6 minutes, and if there's a current where you plan to put the boat, it's going to go very slowly and you may need to run for an hour round trip, so you'll need 500W in panels to manage if you don't consume any electricity at all during that month
while say you have a fridge/freezer that consumes about 0.7-1kWh/day, and it means that from November to Feb. you won't even have electricity for a refrigerator even if you have 1000W in panels, and we're talking about around or over 50k in investments there, and then you want lighting, which adds a bit, and if you have a TV you watch a few hours a day and a computer on top of that, say about 400w (TV+computer) say 10 hours, that's 4kWh and it's a long shot you manage with 1000W in panels May-Aug.

so having an integrated diesel engine that you can start up to charge the batteries is my suggestion then you don’t have to scrimp on power so much during winter and also be able to connect it to a shaft so you can get propulsion with it as well

and then I won’t delve into the crushing effect ice can have because look at boats with 4-5mm thick steel hulls, they’re dented when the ice has pressed against them, so will your pontoons withstand ice that can bend steel without problems?

so are these things you've thought over more closely before, or have you completely forgotten that there's a bit of hassle with sewage and water and electricity if you’re going to be completely self-sufficient?

and what is the whole idea with the project?
housing while you study? fun to be able to live on a houseboat? the idea of being able to sell ad space and earn some money that way? live off-grid?

thank you for taking the time to analyze my project

a friend told me that the standard length of wood was 8 or 10m, which made me go with that without thinking about it, now I'll check how it really is? thanks
(now I’ll have to spend 10 hours+ redoing the drawing sigh)
but can you order wood specially made at 8m?

I thought this way with energy. there are three things that need power in the house, the refrigerator (which uses 88Kwh per year), a water heater of 30-50l and heating during the winter. there will be no need for a water pump because all things that need water are below the water heater and there is a 1000l tank on the roof for cold water. an average person uses about 120-160l of water per day, so by having a water-saving dishwasher/washing machine and living very water-efficiently, I end up below 100l/day. and the water tank is filled weekly at a quay.

the sewage will be routed so that all greywater is stored in a small tank below the boat and emptied into the lake at night. toilet water will end up in a septic tank which is emptied weekly at a station.

I have decided to have a diesel engine instead of an electric motor because, as you say, it is not practical. because the ad spaces will be part of my income, I will be cruising around the Stockholm area to be seen, which means I charge the batteries while driving around. (the diesel engine's generator charges the batteries)

I will have between 10-20 gel 115ah batteries, which should be enough to last a week without turning on the diesel engine.

the ice issue I haven't solved yet, but I've seen pontoon boats out in the lake during the winter, and plastic is much more flexible than steel.

 

[pbengtsson]

Fun project.
If you have a buoyancy around 3 tons, I would keep the dimensions down as much as possible.
It quickly adds up in weight.
All wastewater must go into a closed tank, so you'll need to rethink this.

 

[John J]

I was thinking about energy. There are three things that need electricity in the house: the refrigerator (which uses 88Kwh per year), a water heater of 30-50l, and heating during winter. There won't be a need for a water pump because everything that needs water is located under the water heater, and there is a 1000l tank on the roof for cold water. A normal person uses about 120-160l of water per day, so by having a water-efficient dishwasher/washing machine and living very water-efficiently, I will use under 100l/day. And the water tank is refilled weekly at some dock.

1 ton placed at the top? Doesn't sound smart at all.

Weight should be placed as low as possible.

I haven't solved the ice issue yet, but I have seen pontoon boats out on the lake during winter, and plastic is much more flexible than steel.

The ice problem can be easily solved with an air pump that bubbles out from a pipe around the boat every 5 minutes.

 

[miry]

Nevertheless, if you want to have cold water in a tank, you will need to properly insulate it, like with around 200mm of insulation all around, to prevent it from getting warm in the summer and freezing in the winter.

When it comes to weight, it becomes heavy quickly when we're talking about tanks, like water tanks and septic tanks.

And heating water requires some energy; we can say roughly 1Wh/degree/liter, so raising the temperature of 50 liters of water by 50C would be about 3kWh, which is over two and almost three of your fully charged 112Ah batteries.

And when it comes to how you plan to go once a week to empty the tank and refill it with water, you should consider that there might be ice, and if you don't have a proper hull that can break through the ice, I think it's quite difficult to get to the places you need to go, and then you'll be stuck where you are, possibly in the current.

So it can get messy if you have a boat that's stuck somewhere or can't reach where you need to empty the tank or refill with water, or can't reach land to get to school. May I ask what you'll be studying and where?

(You mentioned that you would study but I didn't see what).

And do you have any experience in HOW to build for stability and what forces affect the whole thing?
(Both when it comes to boats and ships, and how ice, waves, and wind affect them, and how houses and other static constructions should interact with dynamic loads).

And you didn't mention how you would heat and particularly what kind of budget we are talking about.

I can see many ways to carry out such a project in my mind, but I don't think you can come close to achieving it with the weights and construction methods you are considering, or to being self-sufficient in energy and getting by with water. If it were in Malmö, sure it would likely work fine with the little ice there, but up here it's a bit more of a problem when temperatures can drop and freeze boats quite quickly and have crushing effects. And yes, many docks can handle ice since they are flexible, but it's not a panic if a pontoon starts leaking a bit, whereas in your case all your work and large expenses would be destroyed.

So make sure to try and get help from people who know both how to build a boat and how to build a house, and how to solve problems with balance when wind and waves affect everything.

And you haven't said what the actual goal is with your project.

Because if you're going to have a visible advertising sign and residence, I can't think of many options other than having a mobile advertising sign. And if it's for living and being self-sufficient, you won't be that way doing it like this, and then it's easier to make a residence out of a truck bed or what is the idea with this project?

 

[husbåt]

If you have cold water in a tank, you'll need to insulate it properly, like with 200mm of insulation all around, to prevent it from getting warm in summer and freezing in winter.

Regarding weight, it quickly becomes heavy when we talk about tanks like a water tank and a septic tank.

Then, heating water takes a fair amount of energy. We can say roughly 1Wh/degree/liter, so raising the temperature of 50 liters of water by 50°C would be about 3kWh, which is over two and almost three of your fully charged 112Ah batteries.

And when it comes to your plan to go once a week to empty the tank and refill with water, you should consider that there is ice, and if you don't have a proper hull that can break through the ice, I think it would be quite difficult to reach those places you need to, potentially leaving you stuck in the current or wherever you find yourself.

It could become complicated if you have a boat that gets stuck somewhere or can't reach where you need to empty the tank or refill the water, or come ashore so you can get to school. And may I ask what you're going to study and where?

(You mentioned that you would study, didn't see what)

And do you have any experience on HOW to build to achieve stability and what forces affect the whole thing?
(Both when it comes to boats and ships, and how ice and waves and wind affect them, and how houses and other static structures should interact with dynamic loads)

And you didn't mention how you would heat and especially what the budget is about.

I can see many ways to pull off such a project in my thoughts, but I don't think one can get close to achieving it with the weights and construction methods you thought of, and being self-sufficient in energy and managing with water. If it were in Malmö, it might work fine with the little ice there, but up here it's a bigger problem when temperatures can drop and freeze boats rather quickly, causing crushing effects. And yes, many docks can handle ice as they are flexible, but then it's not panic if a pontoon starts leaking a bit, whereas in your case all your work and big money would be destroyed.

So make sure to try to get help from people who understand both how to build a boat and how to build a house, and how to solve problems with balance when wind and waves affect everything.

And you haven't said what the main goal is with your project.

If you want a display sign and housing, I can't think of many alternatives other than having a rolling billboard, and if it's for housing and being self-sufficient, you're not achieving that this way. Then it would be easier to make a home out of a truck bed, or what is the idea with this project??

I was thinking of having 170mm insulation, and if that's not enough, I'll have to come up with another solution, maybe water cooling

I've been considering the placement of the tank and finally realized it was a very bad idea to have it on the roof. Firstly, the tank would weigh 25% of the boat's weight, and having it at the top wasn't such a smart idea q(;^p.

I'm aware that water heaters consume a lot of electricity, but they don't have much standby consumption, the power it takes to maintain the heat. When you think about it, it's a lifestyle question; if you take a short (3-4 min) shower, brush your teeth with cold water, never wash dishes by hand but let the dishwasher do the job, etc., I believe I could manage on 15 liters of hot water per day.

In winter, I plan to have a marina spot because it's cheaper and I can get it closer to the city. So in winter times I'll have access to electricity and water.

I'm planning to use regular electric heaters for heating because I don't have space for an accumulator tank or wood stove. But in winter, I'll have electricity, and in spring and summer, I won't need heating to the same extent as in winter.

I'm studying social economics in high school and live in Stockholm, and I'll come ashore with a rubber boat that I tow behind the houseboat.

I have no experience in building houses or boats but I'm good at physics, so I understand how the different forces affect the boat, except for wave forces, which I don't really know how they will affect the boat. My theory is that the pontoons have a maximum load of 3600kg and my boat will weigh around 4000kg with water tank and one/two people onboard. This means the pontoons will be underwater and function as a sort of keel, which will counteract the forces of the waves so it will only feel like you're driving on a slightly bumpy road with a car. (I'm just planning to sail in the Stockholm areas where there are almost no waves except waves from other boats)

Now I come to the goal of the project! About a year ago, I was made aware that there is something called a houseboat. As someone who truly loves everything related to water, I became completely captivated by the idea of living on water. A few months later, I started sketching a houseboat. After two months of sketching, I had a really nice houseboat, but I didn't stick to my budget and knew the boat would cost over 1 million.

When I was considering how to solve this problem, a good friend suggested I could start a cafe that floats on water. After a lot of writing business plans and budgets, I went to the new business center for advice, where they were amazed at my idea for how the boat would be built. (I had written everything from how logistics would work to how to hire people)
They told me to go to Innovation Stockholm because this construction technique wasn't ready to be built with and needed development. So before the summer, I attended an introductory meeting with them, and later that day, I put the construction technique idea on ice.
Because I had completely lost focus; it was a houseboat I wanted to build from the start .

So now I'm here, back to basics with wood and no advanced solutions to problems that cost too much, but a boat that works year-round and preferably withstands 4 winters. d^_^b
Later, I will return to the construction technique, but first, I want a home:blushing:

It got a bit lengthy, but a big thank you to you, miry, and others who have criticized my project as it has led me to solve several major design flaws, keep it up!!d^_^b

 

[husbåt]

does anyone know the KG/m3 for Planhyvlat impregnerat virke
type:
http://www.beijerbygg.se/templates/BB_ProduktListingFlera.aspx?id=36580