Here's a design idea

[CaptJack]

I have noticed that most houseboats have a tendency to steer like a piepan. I talking boats with outboard engines from 30 to 50 feet is my experince area. I being an old sailor and having built a few small unpowered boats and sailboats they all have one thing in common, a keel. It may not be big but it's there. I'm wondering why you couldn't add about a 4" full length keel to the flatbottom houseboats. your not going to lose that much adding 4" of draft. Any one see a problem there?
Input please! ???
CaptJack

[s/v Faith]

As a kid I spent half my life living in Louisiana.  I used to build all kinds of 'rafts' usually of whatever happened to float by.

  The best raft was one built of pilings that drifted down a canal near the favored swamp near the house.
It was one of the best because the piling we used in the center was actually 2 pilings bolted together.  The small (6"? 8"?) keel made it much easier to pole it along the bottom without having to go back and forth as much.

I am sure that any keel would be better then none.

  Life was much better when we found an old discarded pirogue, it was rotted to the extent that bailing was a major part of using it... but we went much farther out into the woods with it.   ;D

[AdriftAtSea]

That should help quite a bit IMHO.

[mrb]

As a kid I spent half my life living in Louisiana.  I used to build all kinds of 'rafts' usually of whatever happened to float by.



Where abouts in Louisiana,  seems as if a few of us have spent time there with some fond memory's.

[mrb]

CaptJack

The keel idea would be a great help.  There was a site on interned where a guy built a long narrow cross between a river boat and a house boat ( very shallow draft) and he Incorporated a off center centerboard which did wonders for keeping it on track.

BTW welcome to site. Hope you get the info you need, let us know what your working toward. Always interested in whats going on on the water.
mrb

[CaptJack]

Thanks for all the input. I to have built many boats, always with a keel. I guess now the only problem is finding somebody to Install it. the way I've got it figured if you use a rubber gasket or epoxy seal between the bottom and the keel it could be riveted on to an existing boat.

[Amgine]

Being from the headwaters of the Mississippi I've seen a lot of river houseboats. Some of the versions with better steering are those based on two pontoons, rather than the flat-bottomed barge design.

That said, the boiers often seem very similar to the winneboatos, with a shallow keel and lee boards and a sailing rig. They also appear to be rather handy at steering.