New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
Household as Solution
to High Cost OF Living

! sorts on Long Island Sound offer good
anchorages. II the lady Of the house
I likes the simple lie. then off To some
wooded inlet where peace and quiet
reign" with "A wardrobe for home wear
containing only TWO bathing suits.
For children the life Is perfect. except
for the danger. hut those who cannot
swim soon learn. SO that this danger ~
almost eliminated The shallow draught
of these boats. rarely over one foot. ana
often only six inches. enables one 10 tie
up to the bank or haul on the beach. so
that the boat floats only at high tide,
making the houscboat safe for the
Youngsters as any country home near the
water
To the business man the houseboat
offers a SIX months home with comfort
and a choice Of location that no other
means can give He has more room and
more comfort than the man with the
$1,000 yacht. with only a triflng past
II the trouble and expense lie can locate
within a Few minutes travel Of the city
on the west bank OF the Hudson, ;he
many bays and inlets of New Jersey ana
Staten Island. Gravescnd Bay. Sleeps
head Bay. Jamaica Bay Far Rockawdy.
or any Of the many bays on Long Island
sound n he finds these locations too
crowded he has the choice of Barnegdt
Bay. Great South Bay. peconc Bay, the
upper reaches Of the Hudson and the
Connecticut River. 81 he wants a vaca-
ton on distant shores. BuzZard's BAY
rfFfs4 md n
tucket. Lake Champlain and the Thou
sand Islands can bee easily reached AZ
small cost FOR towing
\ small motor boat serves very well Tor
towing where distances between saf" an
chorages are not too great and wind ana
sea are calm. The houseboat sailor. beng
never IN a hurry. can always choose ms
weather conditions for towing.
The early morning swim. followed by a
vigorous rub and a generous breakfast
sets one up FOR the days grind IN the
city. and the cool. peaceful evening sends
one early To bed. either In his room or IN
the open air on the awning coyered upper
deck. 30 matter how plentiful the mos
quitoes on shore. the houseboat man. an
chored "A couple Of hundred feet out
knows nothing of them. and he ire
auently enjoys temperature ten. and
even fifteen. degrees lower than that on
the adjacent land.
Possibly the lack Of interest OF the
American In houseboats is due TO the fact
that most Of the small ones that he has
seen have been makeshifts built on old
bulls or built with light wooden hulls,
with the Inevitable bilge odors. leaking.
pumping, patching and caulking. but
one can now have his boat designed ana
built by experts to meet his particular
requirements. and new methods make II
possible to build hulls OF steel, with
welded joints. making leaks impossible
and giving the boat a life OF forty to NIFTY
years. with ordinary care.
The economy of houscboating il evil
denced by the low cost of such boats.
prices ranging from $50 up. For example.
boat having accommodations for from
six to ten persons, with large rooms
and steel hull. can be built for less than
5000. the only cost of upkeep being a
coat of paint each year and the cost Of
hauling out and launching, which would
| vary, according TO location from go TO
so Some Of the households about New
York are not hauled out. but are kept I'm
commission throughout the year and used
az permanent homes.
In view of the low FIRST cost, the absence
| OF ground rent and taxes and the small
! cost of upkeep. it seems that the house
boat should 90 far toward reducing the
cost of rent. even though used only half
of each year