Sailboat Living (+short Term Rental)

A boat anywhere is incredible!
Having it as a floating Tiny Home (and a place to rent out) adds a whole other dimension!!

In 2014, I converted a boat that had sat for 10 years in Madison in Wisconsin into a tiny home along the Chicago Riverfront. The boat paid for itself and the mooring in only a couple of months on airbnb (a 2016 ordinance makes boats illegal to airbnb in chicago :)

Here's how I transitioned my boat into a home.

The boat had spent 30+ years on the water in Madison Wisconsin. I named the boat Monona for the lake where it was kept before it landed in storage for 10 years.

The trimaran is a 1978 Tristar 25. A 25 ft boat with a 13' beam. Incrediblely it only has an 18" draft. An Ed Horstman Design, a book of plans are available on amazon to build your own!

I was the third owner and loved that two boat builders had owned the boat before me. Even still I had a series of project to make the boat sea worthy. Including patching wholes in both the pontoons. --the boat is a trimaran with a main hull and two side pontoons.

Interior and cockpit both needed a lot of attention.

Here is my process for the refresh:

1. Sailing Equipment - move to the three main drawer or milk crates and offload
2. Cushions/Fabric - wash all materials. bleach all foam. allow to sun for 2+ days.
3. Wood Boards (flooring/drawers/bed surfaces) - remove/wash/paint
4. Deep Clean - all interior surfaces with a soapy water or bleach solution
5. Paint - interior wood that is already white
6. Epoxy - use a West Systems 207 Epoxy to coat/protect all exposed wood. The 207 protects against UV damage and lasts more than one season.
7. Sink/Stove/Cooler - clean everything thoroughly. For the stove I cleaned all components in white gas and found new gaskets in the drawer.
8. Electrical - disconnected panel and installed a new battery with 15 watt solar panel. (mine was from harbor freight. this 20 watt model with controller looks like what I would purchase today)
9. Lighting - interior lights were in standard outlets with 12v bulbs. A separate string light system rain between one of the deck supports.
10. Head - cleaned up the existing portable toilet, looked like this model. I thought I'd need to replace but it worked fine. Their was also solution already aboard.

The interior provided for two twin beds. One could easily be used as a storage/living area as you'll see in the next step.

It is comfortable to stand for a person up to 5' 10" in the boat. The windows ring the interior and makes for a very comfortable space. Both beds can be folded back to make a very open living room.

The entrance from the cockpit drops you right into the galley. Some of the earlier photos showed the details of the stove and the sink at each side.

For hosting I would prepare a few items for guests. you can see how I provided one sink basin of essentials and a welcome basket. The guestbook received over 80 write-up that first summer.

Living on the water is something I miss. If you have the chance or can pull together a Tiny Home of your own in a marina I highly recommend it!

Certainly a bit of effort if you are like me and don't want to pay a premium.
Hope you find this post useful and that it's easier for you to get on the water!

Thanks, Jeff

Considering Airbnb? Here's my referral code, www.airbnb.com/c/jeffp440
----as of Sept 2018 you receive $40 off and I receive a credit of $20. Cheers!!

Message direct if you have any questions about the process of cities legislating against airbnb. I found it frustrating to get good information but learned about the process in Chicago.

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