I�m considering purchasing a house boat, I was looking at where to put it and have not decided yet. Lake of the Pines is one place I was looking at, texoma is an option but very expensive I�ve heard, do any of you have any experience with houseboating and keeping your boat in the marina .
Also any houseboat purchase advice would be greatly appreciated, I�m an experienced boater but this is something new.

Between house boat cost/maint. and marina slip rental buy yourself a lake front lot and build a nice dock to relax on.

I have a house boat... unfortunately it's because my boat hasn't left the house in several weeks.

The big [censored] roach - water bugs are crazy on the house boats , plus they don't pay any rent and multiple.

I'd never make it then. The ones here in N. Texas are punks compared to the ones we had in Corpus. I hate those bastages and I've been known to tear a room apart to kill one.

A 60' slip would be around $8000 per year at Texoma. Depending on the size of your houseboat, even more. A lot of people who want the full time water experience buy condos/ dockominiums with a slip for a cruising boat. At least you can resell the condo and get something in return.

Lake lots and slips are extremely expensive to build, and no I cannot afford Texoma that�s why I�m looking at smaller lakes, that make it more affordable

http://grandpappy.com/

Are you planning on living on it?

Save your money until you retire. Then buy one on the Tennessee River and live in it full time. You can travel all the way from Knoxville, TN to the Mississippi River. PH might even let you overnight at his place.

Before you commit to purchase,try renting one for a while. Houseboating is not for everyone.
All boats are holes in the water that you pour money into. Houseboats are just a larger hole.

I am retired I plan on living there 3 to 4 days a week maybe for five months out of the year only.

If I were you, I would definitively get a house boat and throw crazy parties on it.

Dockominiums are pretty nice, get you a nice boat to cruise around in, Texoma is fine.

I would go with a Dockominium with a Bassboat or Striper boat on a hydrohoist. I have never owned a houseboat but I bet the maintenance is like trying to maintain both an old boat and an old RV at the same time.

I've owned a couple on lake Travis. Sharpe 80x16 and 86x16.. They are a lot of fun. Lived full time on the last one during my divorce. Really not that much maintenance. Not anymore than any other large boat. They hold there value very well since most manufacturers went out of business in2008. Good buys can be had on lakes with a lot of them. Slippage is outrageous. Now on lake Travis around 1800 month. You pay for the length of boat not slip unless boat is shorter than slip. 35' in a 40' slip you pay for 40. 86 in a 60 you pay for 86. It was great fun when the kids were growing up. Glad I did it. Won't do it again. Lol. Good luck. If you are serious and want some experienced info shoot me a pm. Good luck. JD