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feature More Work To Do The boat's exterior work was a bit less involved. "We put new furniture outside and that was it," Pitman said. "We were lucky." He also redid the entire interior, putting in hardwood floors, granite countertops, and new cabinets in the kitchen. He also put in new hardwood in the salon and the galley, installed new carpet in the stateroom and the cuddy, and put recessed light- ing throughout the boat. The Tennessee native also attacked the bathroom, installing new travertine in the middle bath, a new Atlantis toilet, granite in the salon and both bathrooms, getting new refaced cabinets and reinstalling the Siemens washer and dryer. To top it off, he installed new plumbing hoses throughout the houseboat. He was able to do all of this while keeping costs down by completing all of the labor himself. The engine repairs ended up costing him around $35,000, including the genera- tor. He estimates he spent around $40,000 total restoring the houseboat, which he named Cool Change after the hit from the Australian group Little River Band. These days, the locals of Priest Percy Lake are more likely to call the boat "Flash," because of the way it comes out of the water when it's planing. Pitman has clocked the 28,000-pound boat at 23 miles per hour on his GPS unit. "I just enjoy it, it feels almost like a cruiser," Pitman said. "It's a mix between a cruiser and a houseboat. Good for people who want the speed, but still want the space." house boat magazine