Summer Houseboating - My Building Project

(Photo from Bravadayachts.com)

If you have been with 

Purple Chocolat Home 

for very long you know we love 

boating at Lake Powell 

in the summer.  

We have had two houseboats and the one that

we call our "new" houseboat is now twelve years old and

we are now ready to retire that boat and are in the process

of building a new boat like the one above.  Many of the

boat manufacturers have gone out of business with the 

changes in the economy but 

Bravada  Yachts 

which is based out

of Phoenix are still building beautiful houseboats.

Since we can easily fly in to Phoenix we

were able to visit about once a month to check on the

building process.  The hull starts with a huge piece

of aluminum which is then bent up to create the bottom

and sides of the boat.

Then floors and walls are framed in similar

to home construction.

With side walls added, it quickly starts to look

like a houseboat. Plumbing, electrical,heating and cooling

are next followed by cabinets, baths and kitchens.

Up to eight or so boats are under construction at once

and as you look back through the living room of ours

you can see other boats along the line.

The design process is fascinating as most buyers

are from out of town.  The designer Tracey (the co-owner with her

husband Jim)

sent a questionaire and some pictures to define colors and

styles and then had some options laid out to look at.

The whole process took an afternoon as we first

chose color and style, then went through fabrics, lighting

options, carpet, floors, tile, etc.  Hubby had spent quite

some time designing the basic floor plan to maximize

the number of staterooms but small changes could

be made while we were there designing the interior.

It was nice to spend a night in Phoenix and be able

to sleep on some of the picks and return, review

and change a few things.

We started the process in January and the boat was

to be in the water June 1st.  As with most building

projects, things were running a little late, and the boat

was to be in the water last weekend.

This was the boat when I saw it last weekend as we

were putting up mirrors and filling kitchen cupboards. 

There was still plenty of work to be done and she wasn't

in the water yet.  

Outdoor furniture had been delivered and the housboat

employees were opening the boxes and getting

the furniture set up.  (I was thrilled not to have to do that!)

The temperature was about 104 and there was

no air conditioning inside, so hanging mirrors in

 the staterooms was sweltering.  It isn't

finished yet as hubby and youngest son are

down in Page, Arizona working again

this weekend, but here is a sneak peek of the

salon.

As you can imagine, cooking and eating is a big part

of our boating experience and there is a great indoor

kitchen (a huge upgrade from our first houseboat where

we used a marine fridge and a camper sized stove)

And also a wonderful outdoor kitchen on the 2nd level.

These are just a few tempting shots.  I will follow up

with another post when the project is finished.

I hope that will be quickly as we have a couple's trip

planned for her maiden voyage in a little over a week.

I will be sharing this with

Seasonal Sunday

Metamorphosis Monday

Feathered Nest Friday