A subject like DIY houseboat plans inspires strong feelings in lots of people, on both sides, for and against.
Putting emotional feelings aside, it is best to take a look at each side as logically and cool-headedly as possible.
It is best to examine the positions both for and against together with the reasons given for these positions.
Having said that, let's look calmly and analytically at the positions held and the reasons in support of both sides: Ready to go? Let's start then.
First the positions in favor as well as the reasons supporting: The very first point in support of building a floating home, from plans, will be saving money over buying a manufactured vessel.
Most of the time you can trade sweat equity for much of the cost involved in buying a ready-made houseboat..
The second point in favor can be the pride of building something yourself, in this case a boat that is both beautiful and practical, as a vacation or even a full-time home..
The third positive point is that you will know your live-aboard craft inside and out.
You will know intimately every nook and cranny, and will know instantly where to look if problems develop that need to be fixed.
A fourth support point in favor will be the admiration you will gain from family and friends, that you were able to do something as seemingly difficult and challenging as building a home -- for that's what it is -- from DIY houseboat plans.
Lastly, your fifth point in support will be that the project itself will give you many hours of pleasure and a break from such mindless and unproductive activity as vegging out in front of the TV.
And on the reverse side, for balance, the con side, against: The leading point against building your own houseboat is the time involved.
Obviously, you can spend a few hours on Craigslist or browsing the boat manufacturers' websites, and a few days checking out some likely vessels, and within a week or at most a month find a suitable houseboat that you can own as soon as you plunk down enough money.
Building a boat, even with the best of plans, will take considerably longer.
The second point against is going to be any self-doubt you may have about your skills or you ability to follow DIY houseboat plans and actually arrive in the end at a finished vessel of which you will be proud, and that will meet your needs.
A third significant point against is the resistance you may get from family, friends and others.
There may be people in your life who will resent the time your are spending by yourself in the garage working on that "stupid boat.
" (The obvious antidote to this is to enlist their help in the building!).
A fourth point in contra will be the lack of a warranty if there is a problem with your finished DIY boat.
With a new manufactured houseboat, you could make the builder correct it, thanks to a warranty.
If you are the builder, you will have to take care of this yourself -- even if it means disassembling part or all of the vessel or spending money on additional materials.
The fifth and last, but not necessarily the least, consideration against is you may just prefer shiny, new things that you can pay others to deliver, over things -- such as a vessel built from DIY houseboat plans -- that require your labor.
If you always buy your food in the supermarket, and have never once been tempted to grow your own, then this "con" may resonate with you.
Now each side has been heard from and the pros and cons are stacked up, in favor and against.
So, in the final analysis, is using DIY houseboat plans a good thing? or a bad thing? We've got a "yes" response to both questions! Building your own houseboat, as opposed to buying one, is apparently both good AND bad! It will have to be left up to you, the reader, to make the decision.
Which side, the good or the bad, has the preponderance of weight of opinion? I know that in my case, there is no question -- I would much rather build.
And I have done so! I also have the advantage of knowing that with a good set of plans, anyone can build a live-aboard boat that will float, that will look beautiful, and that will be easier to construct than you can now imagine.
But it's ultimately up to you.
Why not get some of the less expensive houseboat plans, look them over, and then decide?