# Finishing Construction On Our Floating Cabin, Seadrift



## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Well we are nearing completion of our replacement floating cabin. We are replacing the one that is currently sinking at South Pass Lake. The construction process has taken a couple of months but it is really turning out nice. The overall dimension are 16'x32'. It has a huge living room with a great kitchen. The kitchen has solid marble counter top, double stainless sink, and lots of storage in the kitchen cabinets. The bathroom is a little small but has all of the comforts of home: 36" shower, granite vanity, and a marine approved sanitation device. The bedrooms consist of one 6'x10' bedroom with 2 bunks in it, double on bottom and twin on top. The other bedroom is 10'x12' and has four bunks in it with doubles on bottom and twins on top with plenty of space left over for cots or air mattresses. Each bedroom has a single 5000 btu AC unit and the living room has (2) 5000 btu units. There is going to be a large futon in the living room which will sleep 2 more people as well as satellite TV and wireless internet. We have also installed 2 wireless security cameras with motion detection as well as remote activation that will be hooked up to the internet all of the time. These will be at the front door and over looking South Pass Lake. There will be a separate floating dock with a large covered front deck. It will have a 4 burner stainless steel gas grill and an on demand hot water heater. It will also have a nice kitchen table with seating for 4. We are installing solar panels on the roof that will provide enough electricity to keep most things running except the AC's without turning on the generators. We will have 2 generators: 1 8500 watt Honda and a 3500 watt Honda. Permanent fluorescent green or white lights will hopefully attract some fish right to our docks. 

This is going to be nice to take the wife and all of my nieces and nephews out to. Heck, my mom is even excited about getting it on the water so she can enjoy some weekends out there. It will make its voyage out to the permanent site hopefully within 2-3 weeks. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas.


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## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

WOW!!! That is awesome! What a great job! I call that a first class five star floating hotel. BTW, what is the floating base made out of?


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

atcfisherman said:


> WOW!!! That is awesome! What a great job! I call that a first class five star floating hotel. BTW, what is the floating base made out of?


The barge was constucted by Marshall Marine in Port Lavaca. It is fiberglass, 1.5" marine grade plywood, and treated 2x12's with all of the spaces filled with some type of foam bricks that are 2'x4'x8'. The barge weights in at about 8000lbs and is seamlessly attached to the cabin with fiberglass up the sides as well as down from the roof. The walls are filled with spray in closed cell foam insulation so it should be well insulated and pretty quiet on the inside. We also installed locking hurricane shutters on all of the windows. Using the displacement and a rough estimate of the weight of the entire cabin it should float in 8"-10". The pictures look like junk because they are from my camera phone.


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## chicapesca (Jun 7, 2004)

Wow, that is a 5 star floating cabin! Are you going to put a deck around it?


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

chicapesca said:


> Wow, that is a 5 star floating cabin! Are you going to put a deck around it?


Yes, it is going to have a large front and back porch with a walkaround deck constucted of the old concrete and foam decking that used to be at the Port Lavaca Marina before hurricane claudette. That stuff is solid and floats really well. The deck will be constructed on site and will be a lot of work in itself.


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## Reel_Blessed II (Jun 24, 2004)

Are there going to be 4 power poles at the corners of the deck to lock it down !


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## Duck (Feb 21, 2005)

Awesome!! Will be a nice addition to the view in S Pass. Will this one be replacing the cabin on the inside of the lake or the red/white one outside the point?


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Duck said:


> Awesome!! Will be a nice addition to the view in S Pass. Will this one be replacing the cabin on the inside of the lake or the red/white one outside the point?


It will be replacing the one inside the lake. It certainly will look a lot nicer than the one we have out there right now.


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## FishinHippie (Jun 19, 2005)

That is a floating mansion!!! Wow!!

I assume you have power run to your cabin? If not, how do you run your security cameras when your generator is turned off?


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## Duck (Feb 21, 2005)

I'll say, you're mixing it up with the water tower group across the pass now - upscale neighborhood LOL!!!!


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

FishinHippie said:


> That is a floating mansion!!! Wow!!
> 
> I assume you have power run to your cabin? If not, how do you run your security cameras when your generator is turned off?


Solar panels, golf cart batteries, and an inverter. Maybe add a wind generator in the future.


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## El Primero (Jun 14, 2008)

Sweet...I have a mild case of floater envy!


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

El Primero said:


> Sweet...I have a mild case of floater envy!


Pretty tough to beat your location though! I guess I have location envy.


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## bundyducks (Aug 13, 2006)

Wow dr. Mac I have stayed in your cabin with the grantlen cousins and this is a 5 star build. I have seen the deck @ marshall marine but did not know it was yours. Just in time for summer.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

We are pretty excited about having it out there this summer. Right now the main thing stopping us is getting the new one in the water and getting the old cabin out of South Pass Lake and to a salvage yard. 

If anybody is interested in a floating cabin in pretty rough shape let me know. We need it gone gone within the next month. It has 2 huge aluminum pontoons that leak and a lot of steel and metal siding. It should be worth something at a scrap yard or maybe useful as a shell for a rebuild.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

That is a sweet setup. Is it 2 containers joined attached to the barge?


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## seadriftbayrat (Mar 19, 2006)

Super nice. Are you considering renting it out to respectable fishingman?


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Haute Pursuit said:


> That is a sweet setup. Is it 2 containers joined attached to the barge?


It is one 32'x16' barge with basically a house built on top of it. We fiber glassed in treated 2x4 foot plates where each wall was going to be placed and then built the walls and anchored them to the barge. The outside siding is Smart Siding that has a fiberglass coating on the inside and double thick at every joint and about 4 coats of elastomeric roofing on the outside. The roof is constructed of thick fiberglass panels that have been glassed down the exterior walls. We joke that if it wasn't for the doors you could flip this thing upside down and it would work like a submarine. The floor is basically the same style floor you would see in any boat. We filled the walls with closed cell spray in foam insulation and then used a 3/4" thick foam insulation board on all of the walls and the ceiling. Then covered the interior walls with 1/2" plywood and gel coated the entire inside. We went way over the top but it came out looking amazing and the cabin is something that our family has loved using and sharing with others for so many years that we wanted to do it up nice this time around.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

seadriftbayrat said:


> Super nice. Are you considering renting it out to respectable fishingman?


We are talking about it. My mom doesn't like the idea because she wants to be able to use it whenever they want but my dad thinks it would be wise to try and recoup some of his investment. He is considering setting up part ownership/timeshare type rental agreements for people who are intersted in long term yearly rentals as well as week, day, and weekend rentals. We haven't come up with anything concrete yet.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

Big Willy said:


> It is one 32'x16' barge with basically a house built on top of it. We fiber glassed in treated 2x4 foot plates where each wall was going to be placed and then built the walls and anchored them to the barge. The outside siding is Smart Siding that has a fiberglass coating on the inside and double thick at every joint and about 4 coats of elastomeric roofing on the outside. The roof is constructed of thick fiberglass panels that have been glassed down the exterior walls. We joke that if it wasn't for the doors you could flip this thing upside down and it would work like a submarine. The floor is basically the same style floor you would see in any boat. We filled the walls with closed cell spray in foam insulation and then used a 3/4" thick foam insulation board on all of the walls and the ceiling. Then covered the interior walls with 1/2" plywood and gel coated the entire inside. We went way over the top but it came out looking amazing and the cabin is something that our family has loved using and sharing with others for so many years that we wanted to do it up nice this time around.


Wow! That thing should last for awhile. Y'all did a quality job.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

*Finished!!!*

Well, almost all of the finishing touches were taken care of this morning. Here are some better pictures of the interior. The color coordination worked out really well with the wood staining. The wall opposite the futon is going to have the TV mounted to it.

We just need to get it in the water. :cheers:


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

*And some more pictures!*

A few pictures of the bedrooms.

Again, if anybody is interested in removing the old floating cabin please PM me and lets get it out of there.:help:


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## Texxan1 (Dec 31, 2004)

Im officially impressed lol

That is a sweeeeeeeeeeeet floater.... VERY GOOD JOB.


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## RAYSOR (Apr 26, 2007)

me to.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

*Update on Renting*

At this time we will not be renting the cabin out. My mom wants to wait a while to see how much we use it and then start renting it out occasionally. Sorry for the earlier post about timeshares and rentals. That was my dad's idea. My dad wants to but my mom makes the rules.


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## TOOEXTREME (Jun 23, 2004)

*FLOATING CABIN*

I hope you post some pictures of the cabin at it's final location. That is a beautiful job you did on the construction. I would ask how much $$$$$$ you have in the project but that would not be nice. Good Luck.


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## FishinHippie (Jun 19, 2005)

1st class!!! 

I am extremely jealous!!


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

TOOEXTREME said:


> I hope you post some pictures of the cabin at it's final location. That is a beautiful job you did on the construction. I would ask how much $$$$$$ you have in the project but that would not be nice. Good Luck.


A lot more than we orginally planned. My mom gave my dad the OK to go overboard since he doesn't have a lot of toys and she knows how much we enjoy using the cabin. It helped to have a lot of friends that are good at construction and a friend that is a boat builder.


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## 6.5 shooter dude (Jan 8, 2008)

That looks great, when you get set up I'll stop by and introduce myself. I often wondered who owned that sinking one......Jay


I also like the dual toilet paper holders you guys dont mess around!!!


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## Huntingrdr (Mar 7, 2006)

Looks nice!


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Capt Jay Baker said:


> That looks great, when you get set up I'll stop by and introduce myself. I often wondered who owned that sinking one......Jay
> 
> I also like the dual toilet paper holders you guys dont mess around!!!


Yeah, we should have taken care of that old one a long time ago. We put a lot of time and effort into that one, but it never recovered from Claudette. We have had so many different people say they were going to take care of removing the old cabin for us but they have all flaked out on us so far. If you see us out there feel free to stop by and check it out.


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## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

That looks like a mansion! Wow....if you ever do decide to rent it out for a weekend, I would be very interested!  My wife and kids would get a kick out of that one!


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

*Draft?*

Well, it looks like we are going to get the cabin in the water sometime within the next two weeks.

Which brings us to our big question: what will the draft be for our cabin? I am estimating 8-10" but I don't really know the total weight. I know the barge weights in at about 8,000 lbs. I would assume that the cabin itself would not be more than double that. So maybe 18,000-23,000 lbs total, but we haven't really kept up with it. What do you guys think?


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

What is your total cubic feet of displacement? Easy from there. 
cuft x 62.5 = bouyancy
estimated cabin weight / bouyancy = % of sink
if floatation system is uniform depth throughout cabin multiply 
% of sink X height of floatation in inches = draft


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

I found deminsions first page i'll take a stab at the draft now.
16 x 32 x 2 = 64000 lbs bouyancy
estimated weight 24000 lbs / 64000 = 37.5% sink
37.5% sink x 24 inches = 9 inches draft


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

in the first calculation i left out the 62.5 in the example but its in the total i gave of 64000. calculation should have read 2x16x32x62.5=64000


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

That is about what we figured. The barge is 2 feet thick so that should give us plenty of clearance for waves and wakes. Thanks railbird.


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## Stealth19 (Jul 12, 2005)

That is one nice set up! Looking forward to seeing pictures of it floating in the water.


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

HOLY SHEEET, I know people that dont have homes that nice.....


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## cokemanjimbo (Jan 1, 2009)

Redfishr said:


> HOLY SHEEET, I know people that dont have homes that nice.....


That's kinda what I was thinking! lol


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## railbird (Jan 2, 2009)

I would like to modify my prediction of draft for the cabin based on the 1.5 inch marine plywood on the bottom, add one inch to the estimate. I'll stick with 10 inches of draft.


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

Very impressive William. That place will make alot of great memories.


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## Ox Eye (Dec 17, 2007)

BW, one of my customers has insulated his attick with spray-on foam insulation and it looked so nifty I've been researching it for my own attick. It's good stuff. But --- and I hesitate to bring it up at this stage of your construction --- what I am learning is that OPEN CELL foam is what they use so that condensation isn't trapped between the foam and the roof decking. You say yours is CLOSED CELL with a shell of seamless fiberglass and I can't help wondering if your builder has made compensations for the lack of "breathability" that would allow any condenstion to evaporate out.

Tell me he has, or I am going to feel real bad about bringing up this potential buzz-kill.


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## kenny (May 21, 2004)

You may have over-built for the neighborhood!:rotfl:
Great job on the build.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Ox Eye said:


> BW, one of my customers has insulated his attick with spray-on foam insulation and it looked so nifty I've been researching it for my own attick. It's good stuff. But --- and I hesitate to bring it up at this stage of your construction --- what I am learning is that OPEN CELL foam is what they use so that condensation isn't trapped between the foam and the roof decking. You say yours is CLOSED CELL with a shell of seamless fiberglass and I can't help wondering if your builder has made compensations for the lack of "breathability" that would allow any condenstion to evaporate out.
> 
> Tell me he has, or I am going to feel real bad about bringing up this potential buzz-kill.


Yes, moisture problems were considered, I brought up this exact same point with my father during construction, and we figured it would not be too big a factor. I am not sure condensation would cause many problems for the wall construction like it would in attics but it might. We have nothing in the construction material that would be affected by moisture.

Say a little prayer for us, we are planning on putting it in the water tomorrow weather permitting.:cheers:


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## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

Sweet. I will be down that way on Saturday and Sunday cleaning up crab traps. I will swing by South Pass and take a gander at the mansion!


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## Ox Eye (Dec 17, 2007)

I believe tomorrow is forecast to be a good day to launch. Will you be doing the champaigne thing ... or just pop a tab?

Enjoy!


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Aggieangler said:


> Sweet. I will be down that way on Saturday and Sunday cleaning up crab traps. I will swing by South Pass and take a gander at the mansion!


It seems like the hard north winds will delay the launch once again. They don't want to tow the cabin with the wind blowing so hard. Now we have to wait for the wind to die down.sad4sm


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

*The Eagle Has Landed*

Well, the hardest part of the move has been accomplished. We have the cabin in the water. It drafts right at 6" which is great since that means we won't have to worry about it hitting bottom on anything but the lowest of tides. We are going to tow it over to its permanent location on Friday. I will post some pictures as soon as I get them from my dad. :doowapsta


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## sandollr (Jun 6, 2008)

That is very, very impressive! Good luck on your tow. I hope all goes smooth for you.

Great job!!


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## willsoonbfishin (Dec 8, 2006)

big willy..........me and a buddy have one in the cut going in to panther lake. thinking about moving it up your way but haven't decided yet. will keep you posted.


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

willsoonbfishin said:


> big willy..........me and a buddy have one in the cut going in to panther lake. thinking about moving it up your way but haven't decided yet. will keep you posted.


I did not know TPWD would let you move floaters. If you can we wouldn't mind another cabin near us.


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## potbellystallion (Aug 15, 2005)

big willy

Did you ever get the old cabin out of the water?


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

potbellystallion said:


> big willy
> 
> Did you ever get the old cabin out of the water?


No, we are going to have a shrimp boat tow the new cabin over and pull the old cabin back to Seadrift where we will dismantle and scrap the old one. Hopefully the wind will die down tonight.


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## Texxan1 (Dec 31, 2004)

Willy,

You can move the cabins anywhere in the state with TPWD approval... You just have to get a GPS coordinates, fill the sheet out and they send it to the local game warden to approve where it can be...

not to hard... El Primiro and gang bought the cabin they have from me which was in brazoria county, then moved it to baffin


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## wellconnected (May 30, 2005)

I am truly amazed that someone can have such creativity and workmanship. That thing is awesome and probably one of the slickest designs I have ever seen. All I can say is GREAT job and enjoy!!!


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## ecardiois (Nov 25, 2008)

*Floating Cabin*

Big Willy,

Great job on the Cabin !!!!

Do you have plans for your cabin? Would it be possible to get the contact information on who did the construction for you.

Many Thanks...


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

ecardiois said:


> Big Willy,
> 
> Great job on the Cabin !!!!
> 
> ...


Norman Marshall of Marshall Marine in Port Lavaca built the barge and we did the construction of the building and all of the finishing with help from Norman's fiberglass crew for the roof, joints, etc. 

The cabin is currently situated in South Pass Lake near Seadrift and we are supposed to have a work day this weekend to set up the dock and permanently anchor the new cabin in place but this weather seems like it is going to delay that until next week. 

If anybody sees the new cabin in the lake would you PM with an update. We haven't been able to get over there in a little over a week and just want people to keep their eye on it.


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## Finfisher (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice:dance:

Outstanding workmanship
I hope you will allow dedicated and responsible fisherpeople to rent

Way to go


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## TOOEXTREME (Jun 23, 2004)

*FLOATING CABIN PICTURES*

When are you going to post your final pictures of the floater in location?


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## Big Willy (Jun 20, 2007)

Hopefully soon. It is in position, the old houseboat has been demolished and will be out of South Pass Lake as soon as weather permits, and the decking is almost finished. The wind has been really killing the work progress though and this weather better move on out if we are going to get anything done.


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## ROOSTER REDCHASER (Feb 25, 2005)

dude....granite countertops? Freakin awesome!

Great location by the way....if I had a dollar for everytime I've gone through that cut, I could buy another Ibis!


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## 007 (Mar 11, 2008)

*Can't wait!!*

We'll be trying it out starting today thru Tuesday! Hopefully we'll bring back a few coolers full of fish!!


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## 6.5 shooter dude (Jan 8, 2008)

Sorry I couldn't meet you guys out there today....you will have a blast.


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

Ya'll tear 'em up Double Naught!


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

007 said:


> We'll be trying it out starting today thru Tuesday! Hopefully we'll bring back a few coolers full of fish!!


are you renting it? also any pics of the final setup?


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## 007 (Mar 11, 2008)

Flat's Hunter said:


> are you renting it? also any pics of the final setup?


It's not for rent. We'll post up some pics when we get back. It's supposed to be BigWilly, SloPoke, RustyS and myself.....Rusty won't answer his phone.


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## Blue02 (Jul 1, 2009)

Great job on the cabin! That will be alot of family fun for years! Sure beats sleeping in the boat overnight like we do!


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