Question 1, Re-doing the Interior:

I found your site and wondered if you would be willing to answer a couple of questions? I have had a 31 foot cruise a home for a couple of years. I am redoing the interior and wonder what other people have done to update theirs? Do you have any pictures? Do you know anyone that has up-graded/replaced the windows?

My big question is this: I am thinking about taking out the interior wall and bed and replacing it with a fold out bed. Do you know if the wall serves a structural role?

Anyway, thanks for your website. I enjoyed seeing the brochure and specs.

Best regards,

John

Dean Singer answers:

Dean Singer here. We've owned a 40 foot CAH since it was new in 1978. Carl asked me if I could help with your questions. I'll try.

Recently, we've heard from a lot of folks who are redoing elderly Cruise-A-Homes. Most pretty basic; some from the hull up. Most typical upgrades are covering the dark wood walls with high grade wallcoverings, replacing the incandescent interior lights with fluorescent, new carpets and upholstry. Some have replaced the cooking stove and/or sink and drainboards. (Most of us have already had to replace the refrigerator.) I'll have to check around to see if anyone has pictures on line.

We replaced the windows over the dinette and bed on our 40-footer several years ago with non-opening thermopanes. A huge difference in the elimination of the "river" of cold air that previously dropped off them in cold weather. We were also surprised how much bigger they seem by just taking out the middle divider. As you have probably discovered, the existing windows are simply screwed on from the outside. Getting them off was no great problem; you just have to remove the screws and then carefully pry the window out. If your sealant has dried out, they'll come out easier. But if that's the case, look around the wood framing once you get the window out for signs of leakage and/or rot. You could find yourself replacing some of that, too. Use a high quality sealant when bedding the new windows in.

We had a local (Seattle area) window company make the new ones. They're a standard size, so the glass was no problem. It took them a few tries to come up with the same type of framing (the external mount with a flat outside surface). I would have gone with vinyl frames for less heat/cold transfer, but they all had a flange that stuck out, and I thought we'd hook ourselves walking past them. That wouldn't be the case on a 31-footer, as you can't walk there anyway. So our frames still sweat some, but the windows don't. They were $150 apiece in 1994.

Moving walls: Yes, the walls serve to a) hold up the upper deck -- it would be a long span (fore and aft) if that center wall was removed, and b) they help prevent the house from going out of vertical with relation to the deck. I'd consider that pretty carefully. Also, the 31's tend to sit a little more nose down than the 40's so be careful about moving a bunch of weight forward.

Good luck on the project. Feel free to inquire again. Where are you? What's your boat name?

Dean Singer

p.s. Carl has a link to a Houseboat Yacht Club site in which he posted some pix of a recent cruise. A couple of them show TROUBADOUR (our boat) coming to the dock. I think you may be able to see our dinette window in a couple of them. (See below)