| A houseboat is a redesigned boat to be used | | | | Houseboating is a popular recreational |
| primarily as a human dwelling like a regular | | | | activity for all age groups of people, on |
| house. The most common pontoon type is a | | | | houseboats ranging from 30ft. to more than 70 |
| floating house mounted on top of a pontoon. | | | | ft. luxury houseboats. Houseboating is a |
| | | | great experience because : |
| Most houseboats are not motorized, because | | | | |
| they are usually moored or kept stationary at | | | | 1. Great variety of natural terrain depending |
| a fixed point. These houseboats are common as | | | | on lake and time of year. |
| permanent dwellings in Southeast Asia; | | | | |
| whereas in places like Australia and Europe | | | | 2. A lot of water-based recreation choices |
| they may serve more frequently as secondary | | | | when you go on a house-boating trip. Fishing, |
| homes or vacation homes or for tourism | | | | waterskiing, camping, hiking, power-boating, |
| purposes. | | | | exploring, sunbathing and just relaxing are |
| | | | some of the things you can do. |
| On Murray River in Australia there are many | | | | |
| motorized, pontoon-based houseboats with two | | | | 3.In some places on a smaller houseboat you |
| or more bedrooms; some of these houseboats | | | | can navigate lakes leading to more secluded |
| have levels or storeys. Some are privately | | | | areas. |
| owned as either a primary place of residence | | | | |
| or as a holiday resort. | | | | 4. On luxury houseboats, you can get all |
| | | | amenities as in a posh hotel such as hot |
| These are also available for rent with | | | | tubs, big-screen TVs, fireplaces, DVD |
| accommodation for four to twelve persons. | | | | players, and deluxe accommodations with |
| Europe offers some of the costliest | | | | private rooms. |
| houseboats in the canals of Amsterdam, | | | | |
| Netherlands, which even has houseboat hotels. | | | | 5. As houseboats can accommodate from 4 to 15 |
| In India, houseboats are common on the | | | | or more people, it's very common to share the |
| backwaters of Kerala and on the Dal Lake in | | | | cost of a houseboat vacation between multiple |
| Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. | | | | families or groups. |
| | | | |
| Houseboating in the United States became | | | | Some of the most popular house-boating lakes |
| popular only in the 1940s; the Lake | | | | in US are on Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Lake |
| Cumberland in Kentucky is considered the | | | | Shasta, Lake Cumberland, Lake Amistad, |
| birthplace of houseboating in USA. Presently | | | | Trinity Lake and Lake Mohave. |
| there are motorized houseboats with over 2000 | | | | |
| sq. ft. of living space at places like | | | | Houseboat rentals are generally calculated on |
| Seattle on Lake Union and Portage Bay. Most | | | | per trip or week or monthly basis. In each |
| houseboats are designed and built for | | | | scheme which you choose, the type of |
| traversing inland lakes and waterways only. | | | | facilities offered and the size of boat will |
| | | | determine the final price you pay. |