(Photo from Bravadayachts.com)
If you have been with
Purple Chocolat Home
for very long you know we love
boating at Lake Powell
in the summer.
We have had two houseboats and the one that
we call our "new" houseboat is now twelve years old and
we are now ready to retire that boat and are in the process
of building a new boat like the one above. Many of the
boat manufacturers have gone out of business with the
changes in the economy but
Bravada Yachts
which is based out
of Phoenix are still building beautiful houseboats.
Since we can easily fly in to Phoenix we
were able to visit about once a month to check on the
building process. The hull starts with a huge piece
of aluminum which is then bent up to create the bottom
and sides of the boat.
Then floors and walls are framed in similar
to home construction.
With side walls added, it quickly starts to look
like a houseboat. Plumbing, electrical,heating and cooling
are next followed by cabinets, baths and kitchens.
Up to eight or so boats are under construction at once
and as you look back through the living room of ours
you can see other boats along the line.
The design process is fascinating as most buyers
are from out of town. The designer Tracey (the co-owner with her
husband Jim)
sent a questionaire and some pictures to define colors and
styles and then had some options laid out to look at.
The whole process took an afternoon as we first
chose color and style, then went through fabrics, lighting
options, carpet, floors, tile, etc. Hubby had spent quite
some time designing the basic floor plan to maximize
the number of staterooms but small changes could
be made while we were there designing the interior.
It was nice to spend a night in Phoenix and be able
to sleep on some of the picks and return, review
and change a few things.
We started the process in January and the boat was
to be in the water June 1st. As with most building
projects, things were running a little late, and the boat
was to be in the water last weekend.
This was the boat when I saw it last weekend as we
were putting up mirrors and filling kitchen cupboards.
There was still plenty of work to be done and she wasn't
in the water yet.
Outdoor furniture had been delivered and the housboat
employees were opening the boxes and getting
the furniture set up. (I was thrilled not to have to do that!)
The temperature was about 104 and there was
no air conditioning inside, so hanging mirrors in
the staterooms was sweltering. It isn't
finished yet as hubby and youngest son are
down in Page, Arizona working again
this weekend, but here is a sneak peek of the
salon.
As you can imagine, cooking and eating is a big part
of our boating experience and there is a great indoor
kitchen (a huge upgrade from our first houseboat where
we used a marine fridge and a camper sized stove)
And also a wonderful outdoor kitchen on the 2nd level.
These are just a few tempting shots. I will follow up
with another post when the project is finished.
I hope that will be quickly as we have a couple's trip
planned for her maiden voyage in a little over a week.
I will be sharing this with
