Budget Houseboat: A Free 1973 Hal Kelly Trailerable Plan
Hal Kelly's 1973 20 ft plywood houseboat offers 300 sq ft of floor, sleeps two in comfort and is trailerable.
The Budget Houseboat promises a floating holiday home without a big price tag. Hal Kelly designed it in 1973 at 20 ft (6.1 m) long and 9 ft (2.7 m) wide, built from plywood and powered by an outboard. It sleeps two in comfort and can take a family of four on vacation, with 300 sq ft of floor. Better still, it is trailerable, so you can tow it to new lakes.
Budget Houseboat at a glance
| Detail | Budget Houseboat |
|---|---|
| Type | Houseboat |
| Length | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Beam | 9 ft (2.74 m) |
| Capacity | 2 in comfort, family of 4 on vacation; 300 sq ft of floor |
| Construction | Plywood; trailerable |
| Power | Outboard |
| Designer | Hal Kelly |
| First published | Mechanix Illustrated, March 1973, p. 57 |
| Plan sheets | 10 |
Living aboard on a budget
Plywood construction keeps both cost and complexity down, and outboard power avoids the expense of an inboard installation. That is how the plan earns its budget name. It is a practical way to turn a modest budget into a floating cabin, and the simple materials keep the build manageable for a careful home builder.
300 sq ft of floor is a lot of room on a 20 ft boat, enough for a family getaway. Being trailerable means you are not tied to one marina, and ten sheets give plenty of detail. It is an inviting project. It suits a family that likes to roam.
The original plan sheets
These are the 10 original sheets from 1973, scanned from the magazine. For building, use the full-size PDF in the download section below.
Who designed it
Hal Kelly drew the Budget Houseboat for Mechanix Illustrated, March 1973, page 57. Kelly's designs were a fixture of do-it-yourself magazines for years. The ten sheets cover hull, cabin and layout.
Before you build
- Check your local towing limits for a 9 ft wide trailer load before you start building.
- Keep to sheltered water, as a houseboat is built for calm lakes and rivers.
- Ventilate the living area well and fit detectors if you plan to cook or heat aboard.
Download the plan
The complete 1973 Budget Houseboat plan in one file: all ten sheets, ready to print at full size.
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