Jake Doggett and James Little purchased a 24-foot pontoon boat in Hanover, NH for $4,000 on Facebook Marketplace and converted it into a houseboat in Massachusetts. The pair initially estimated the project would take three months and cost $10,000, but the build ultimately took one year and ran to $40,000.
Weight proved an early obstacle. The boat's original design supported only 5,000 pounds, but construction materials exceeded that capacity. Doggett sourced a donor pontoon boat, removed its pontoons, and added dock floats to increase buoyancy.
The completed houseboat includes a three-burner stove, solar-powered refrigerator and freezer, propane shower heater, and a dining table that converts into a bed.
Mooring options in Massachusetts created another hurdle. Towns like Newburyport and Gloucester maintain waiting lists of 10 to 30 years for mooring balls. The pair found space in Essex, where renters pay $25 per night or roughly $750 monthly for a mooring ball.
Doggett spent only five consecutive nights on the boat. Little decided to relocate to Florida for work in the equestrian industry, prompting both to sell. The houseboat now lists on Facebook Marketplace for $140,000.
Doggett plans future builds, considering either another travel vehicle for ski and hiking trips or an off-grid home on purchased land.