Float Cabin Moving Day
One of the most frequent questions I get about our float cabin on Powell Lake in Coastal BC is, “Does it move?
I’m sure that’s because the closest thing most people are familiar with is a houseboat. We have a few here on Powell Lake, but a float cabin is permanently anchored to the shore. In the case of Powell Lake, there are about 200 cabins on Crown water lots leased from the BC government. Fortunately we have a big lake, so it isn’t crowded.
Now that I’ve told you that the float cabins are permanently anchored in place, maybe I should say semi-permanently. On rare occasions a cabin needs to be moved. As you can imagine, moving day up the lake is a big deal.
Cabins are often remodeled at the Shinglemill Marina at the lower end of the lake. To do this, the cabin is towed down and moored outside the marina’s log breakwater. This makes construction much easier since our lake sites are water access only. When renovations are done, it’s moving day.
You don’t see it very often, but recently we were involved with a moving day when our friend sold a cabin and moved it to a different site. Even though a cabin with its float is very large and heavy, it can be easily moved with a small boat. It’s best to go early in the morning when the lake is calm. Travel is slow, so you will see people having BBQs and picnics aboard along the way.
After the cabin is in its new location, it’s reattached to the shore. A log boom is then moved into position for added protection from wave action. Now the cabin’s new owners, Margaret and Art, can enjoy their new floating home away from home.
For more information about float cabin living, you can refer to previous posts here on the Tiny House Blog. You can also visit my blog at http://PowellRiverbooks.blogspot.com or read Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake by my husband, Wayne J. Lutz. Both books have lots of information about life in an off the grid cabin. Ordering information for the books and Kindle formats is available at www.PowellRiverBooks.com.
By Margy Lutz, Powell River, BC
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