Iconic Mahone Bay Houseboat Cottage - No Property Taxes!

There is no better place to spend the summer in Nova Scotia than on this houseboat. Whether you're retired, a new couple, a bachelor who loves to entertain, or a family who wants a place to bring the grandkids, the houseboat opens a unique cottage lifestyle in Nova Scotia for a great price (and without property taxes!).

Wake up and do yoga on a roof covered in IKEA RUNNEN tiles. Motor your HYDRO FORCE inflatable dinghy with a 9.9 Mercury motor to the Mahone Bay Civic Marina where you can take advantage of their facilities. Have an electric car? It was charging overnight in the FLO charging station conveniently located in the parking lot. Stroll over to The Barn for the best coffee in the area. On the way back, pop into one of the many little shops or grab some burgers at the grocery store for an afternoon BBQ. The day is yours and everything the South Shore has to offer is minutes away.

You could spend the day tanning at Backman's beach or head into Lunenburg. Or maybe you just want to recharge and binge your favourite show. You can spend the day lounging on the crazy comfortable IKEA HEMNES pullout day bed where you get high-speed Marina WiFi from the EXTENDER attached to the roof. This also allows you to stay all summer if you work remotely. Have friends with boats? Use the houseboat as the anchor for a raft up. Friends a little too tipsy to drive back to the city? Pitch a tent on the roof. The houseboat takes glamping to a whole new aquatic level.

BACKSTORY:

I bought the houseboat in the spring of 2021 as an inexpensive alternative to buying real estate when the market was booming. The houseboat was originally built by Drew Moores, a local musician and his father. The structure is firm, built with local 2x6 hemlocks that will last forever. When I bought it, it looked very different. I gutted the interior, painted the walls white, installed new wood floorboards with a custom milky grey finish and a brand new IKEA kitchen. The countertop has a unique angle that helps keep the small space feeling roomy. Inside features the IKEA HEMNES pullout daybed that's extremely comfortable to sleep on. It goes from the size of a twin mattress to roughly a queen size bed when extended.

Outside I installed a new roof, which will last another 15+ years with annual maintenance of the seals. On top of the shingles, I covered the entire roof with IKEA RUNNEN deck tiles that 'click' together and are easy to replace when broken. At the start of every season, I clean and restain them in one afternoon.

I also painted the entire exterior and have extra paint for touch-ups. Not seen in the photos, but I stained the grey deck the same colour as the Ikea tiles (a cherry brownish).

I enjoyed a glorious summer on the houseboat in 2021. It was by far one of the best summers of my life. I work as an actor and film producer and was fortunate to play a major role in season 4 of The Sinner, which filmed in Lunenburg. I used the houseboat as my home base for three months and enjoyed every minute of it. There's no power on the houseboat so living on it is like glamping on the water (more on power later). I'd motor friends out to explore the islands on weekends, have BBQ's, raft ups and lots of relaxation time. It was really, really, really dreamy. If you're a writer, you'll finish your book here, I promise you.

Unfortunately, when I pulled the houseboat out of the water that summer the wooden skids attached to the bottom that are used to launch it and store it on land had rotted out over their lifetime (I think the houseboat is around 15 years old). I tried to replace the skids the following year, but my solution didn't withstand the pressures of launching. We still managed to get it into the water in 2022, but I knew I had to find a solution to safely haul it out later that summer. My intention that year was also to install a 300W solar system to power a 12V 55L DOMETIC FRIDGE, 12V lights, outlets and charge a 100ah BATTLE BORN 12V DEEP-CYCLE LITHIUM ION BATTERY, and 12V MARINE WATER PUMP. I purchased all of the components, but I was hired unexpectedly on a film that shot in Ontario that entire summer, which kiboshed my renovation plans. Fortunately, my friends were able to still enjoy it :) That's one thing I absolutely LOVE about the houseboat; it's an awesome asset to gift your friends when you're not using it.

When I returned to NS at the end of that summer in 2022, a storm forced me to haul out the houseboat suddenly and without having a proper cradle/trailer yet in place. This resulted in the complete destruction of the back deck. For reference, in the main photo of the houseboat, the back deck is the one with railings. It's a completely separate dock that attaches to the main boat. All the wood is still there, but it needs to be rebuilt or redesigned. The houseboat still doesn't have a proper launching mechanism and is currently resting on the 26 PVC BARRELS that the house floats on, instead of the wooden skids, which normally elevate the house so the barrels don't touch ground. Also to note, although we all call it a "houseboat", really it's a house raft. There's no motor. It's made to live on a mooring or tied up to a dock. During launch, a boat pulls the houseboat out to the mooring.

A month later, in early fall 2022, I decided to move to Montreal where I now live. Last year I didn't have time or the resources to travel back to NS to do the repairs and I don't foresee getting back this summer either. Thus it's time for me to pass the houseboat on to a new lucky owner.

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

-HOUSEBOAT: front door (w/ new key pad lock), back door, three single-paned windows, 2 year old roof, WiFi extender mounted to the roof, new IKEA kitchen cabinets/black countertop, IKEA HEMNES pullout daybed with two twin mattresses, IKEA duvet, white sheets, and assortment of pillows. IKEA RUNNEN rooftop deck tiles, brand new custom wood floors, stainless steel boat ladder, 26 x PVC barrels, metal ladder to the roof, custom wood bench with interior storage, extra wood from destroyed back deck).

-KITCHEN: Fully stocked kitchen from IKEA including plates, bowls, dishes, cups, thermoses, bed and breakfast tray, Tupperware, silverware, garbage x 2, flower vase). The kitchen does not include a sink, but the design allows for a bistro-sized one. I just never got there; however, did get all the plumbing (see note on 12V water pump).

- A HydroForce Inflatable Dinghy w/ 9.9 Mercury motor (the motor will need a tune-up).

-Uninstalled Renogy 300 Watt 12V solar premium kit (unboxed, best on the market).

-Uninstalled Battle Born BB10012H-1KIT heated 12V deep cycle Lithium-ion battery, 100 Ah, 3000+ cycles, 8+2 years warranty (unboxed, best on the market)

-Uninstalled Dometic CFX3 55-litre off-grid fridge (unboxed, best 12V fridge on the market)

-Compostable toilet

-Uninstalled Krieger 1100 Watt 12V Power Inverter Dual 110V AC Outlets, Installation Kit Included, Automotive Back-Up Power Supply for Blenders, Vacuums, Power Tools - ETL Approved Under UL STD 458 (unboxed)

-Uninstalled 12V marine water pump from the Binnacle (unboxed) along with all plumbing fittings and a 12 or 24-gallon (I can't remember) water holding tank.

-Uninstalled Morris LED Dimmers x 2 -Uninstalled Fuse Block -Uninstalled 50 Amp Circuit breaker -Wirefly heat shrink wire connectors -Busbar -GS 16 GA 100 feet Copper Wire -4 x Foldable deck chairs -Extra Exterior Paint

-Life jackets x 4 (3 x cool Black Mustang Vibe Foam from the Binnacle and another random, all brand new perfect condition)

-Hammocks x 2 (Both the long khaki lounger and grey single-seater as pictured).

YEARLY OPERATING COSTS:

Winter Storage: The Houseboat is stored at Mailman & Kelly Marina (651 Main St, Mahone Bay, NS B0J 2E0). The price for winter storage is $125/month ($1000 for 8 months from October to June)

-Launch: Mike Kelly who owns the boat yard will launch it and pull it out for $500

-Summer Mooring Rental: You rent the mooring from Mike Kelly for $600

-Mahone Bay Civic Marina Services: Includes WiFi, shower, bathroom, tender service, dinghy dock rental: ~$500 (Price depends if you rent a dinghy dock spot. To save money you can keep the dinghy tied to the houseboat and rely more on the tender service for pick-up drop off).

-Maintenance: Paint touch-ups, etc ~$500.

REPAIRS:

So there's no confusion, the houseboat cannot launch in its current state. It requires some thought, expertise, and investment to design a new launching mechanism. Mahone Marine quoted me for building a new raft which the houseboat could go on top of, but I think it can be done more cheaply than what was quoted.

Others have suggested a trailer. Others, new skids. I'm not sure what the best option is, but there definitely is a solution.

The other repair I'd recommend would be to replace the back metal door. For reference, the back door is the one in the picture with the laptop. It's cheap metal, the glass is cracked and it's currently jammed shut. You could unjam it easily enough and go without replacing it for another year if you wanted. I just don't love it. Also, the metal ladder leading to the roof should be more securely fastened. That's easy though.

THE BUYER:

In my mind, this houseboat is ideal for anyone 30+, is either handy or has handy family and friends, and is in a financial place to invest an additional $15-10K+ in repairs. That's still pretty inexpensive when considering the price of South Shore real estate or a new boat, and that's nowhere near as unique as this. I used to dream of turning it into an Airbnb, but the insurance is likely tricky on that front. If you figure that out, there is a lady in the area that cleans various Airbnbs who you could hire.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES:

Something else to consider, the houseboat doesn't need to live in Mahone Bay, although I do recommend it since it's iconic and convenient. But once it floats again you could have it towed to Chester, Lunenburg, Lahave... anywhere you want or you could transport it via flatbed. It would also make a great off-grid cabin in the summer on a little piece of land. If it's not clear from the pictures, it's not insulated. In the summer you don't need it. I designed the countertop with the idea of installing a cubic mini stove to extend the season, but never got that far. But that might be the perfect option for you!

INQUIRIES:

Since I live in Montreal, the easiest thing is for you to drive down to the marina and inspect the state of the houseboat for yourself (651 Main St, Mahone Bay, NS B0J 2E0) then call me if you're interested. The houseboat is locked, but you can look through the back door window to see inside. Anything valuable and vulnerable to weather has been stored off-site.

Serious inquiries only, please :)

DIMENSIONS:

EXTERIOR WIDTH: 11.88' EXTERIOR LENGTH : 16.67' (including front deck)

INTERIOR WIDTH: 9.5' INTERIOR LENGTH: 11.5' INTERIOR HEIGHT: 8.10'

ROOFTOP WIDTH: 14.5' ROOFTOP LENGTH: 15.2'

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