Houseboats

Like any other property, houseboats are safe if their residents take preventative measures and follow recommendations. It is crucial to store fuel and propane gas correctly. Do install more than one serviceable smoke and carbon monoxide detector. On deck, keep life jackets and a flotation aid securely mounted but quickly available.

Designed for slow river or canal cruising if necessary, this type of boat can move locally on calm local waters if fitted with a reliable motor of sufficient power. Although the vessels are waterproof, their rounded hulls or shallow keels mean they are not suitable for rough seas.

That said, if a boat's engine is fully serviceable, continuous cruising is a possibility. Depending on the area, licences usually involve moving the craft to dock or moor in different locations at least once a fortnight. Usually, too, there is a minimum annual distance requirement. Although this cost-saving way of living requires detailed planning, it can be feasible for retired boat owners or those who work from home.

As well as permanent berths in marinas, some crafts can navigate along canals and rivers. Doing so offers even greater freedom and may avoid mooring fees and local taxes. Nonetheless, permanent moorings benefit from connection to mains electricity and piped drinking water supplies.

Growing interest suggests that the water-based homes are here to stay. Prices are likely to remain firm. Quality houseboat and house living space will continue to have excellent investment potential, whether as an owner-occupier or for holiday rentals.

For boats with engines that produce 15 horsepower or more, a boat coxswain's (i.e. boat driving) licence is necessary on Berlin's waterways. Below this 15hp limit, city regulations do not require an official boat handler's permit. However, a training course is advisable for those who are inexperienced at the wheel.

Apart from a boat licence, marina fees apply unless the vessel is genuinely mobile between different moorings or berths. While modern houseboats usually cost less to maintain than properties in equivalent categories on terra firma, there are still cleaning, repair and operating costs to meet.

Notably, house boats require hull cleaning, maintenance and inspection in a dry dock every few years. Similarly, floating home structural maintenance and repair costs below the waterline will typically form part of ongoing annual charges.

Away from busy locations and river bars such as Badeschiff or Watergate, life on houseboats in Berlin tends to be relaxing and relatively quiet. To the east, moorings in and around Ostkreuz offer peace and tranquillity just twenty minutes or so from the city centre. Along the Dahme Langer See towards Seddinsee, there are plenty of boatyards and marinas for moorings or supplies. Alternatively, to the west, Friedrichshain and Charlottenburg still bask in the glow of the city but with natural scenery and harmonious surroundings. A little further from the centre towards Brandenburg, a series of tree-lined rivers and canals connect the beautiful lakes.

While it is possible to live on either, sailing and motor yachts are long, sleek vessels designed to navigate coastal waters and cross oceans. Their seagoing capability attracts a higher price tag, too.

In the medium to long term, houseboat houses are more practical. Though solid, they should remain in sheltered inland waters or close to shore. In particular, they could sustain damage if exposed to waves more than a metre or two high.

Some residential canal boats do not have engines; they require a tow. Installing engines raises the price and involves unnecessary maintenance in permanently moored vessels.

Finally, yachts are inherently narrow and designed for speed. In contrast, houseboat insides have ample living space, a galley or kitchen, a shower room and sleeping quarters.