On Saturday, September 13, the Floating Homes Association (FHA) hosted a Concrete Barge Workshop at the Bay Model Visitor Center. The invitation-only event was meant to bring together the people who know barges best — repair specialists, inspectors, and representative homeowners — for a lively exchange of ideas. Experts from...
East Pier Dock Rep Carole Angermeir has updated the Service Providers list which is available to FHA members on the Association’s website. The list includes providers with experience working on floating homes, including contractors, handymen, painters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, line tying, hull repair, hull inspection, house cleaners, upholsterers, refrigerator repairs,...
In last week’s report on sacrificial anodes, Lynn Lohr mentioned a study that had been commissioned by then-FHA President Stan Barbarich which verified zinc anodes’ ability to fight hull corrosion. Now Stan sends along an addendum about an alternative: aluminum anodes. He points to one of the findings in the...
We love our floating home lifestyle, but we often find ourselves concerned with subjects the landlocked know nothing about, like freeboard, macerator pumps, and the health of the hulls on which we float. West Pier neighbor Court Mast and I talked at length about hulls as we recently spent time...
Ian Moody’s corporation, Aquamaison, is due to close at the end of this month. Ian ran his concrete barge-building company as a sole proprietor until he passed away in May from complications following a stroke. Ian’s widow Janeane is struggling to complete the few projects he left unfinished, but does...
Only a lucky few can claim that their house won’t work until they plug it in. A floating home is unique because its electricity comes through a free hanging cable into the house. Every houseboat connects to the main power through some type of electrical outlet dockside. If you are...
During the recent FHA Virtual Annual Meeting, a panel of people who work in building and maintenance of reinforced concrete hulls were asked to address the use of sacrificial anodes to protect hulls. They were kind enough to give their valuable time to frankly express their opinions on the subject....
One of the major topics of discussion during the “What the Hull” panel portion of the FHA Annual Meeting involved the use of zinc anodes to reduce electrolysis, which can cause chemical decomposition of ferro-cement hulls. The consensus was that zinc anodes have limited effectiveness as currently deployed. Maritime engineer...
The joys of floating home living come with their own set of challenges. One of the biggest is maintaining, repairing, or, the worst case scenario, replacing the hull. The types of hulls on floating homes in our community range from concrete barges, plastic floats, metal hulls, or pontoons. Each has...
“Use some empty plastic or glass bottles to make ice to keep the freezer and refrigerator cold. (Choose small bottles to fit anywhere; large-mouth are easiest to fill.)” That’s just one of many tips for surviving a power outage on the docks. Flo Hoylman and her Emergency Services Committee have...