Houseboat Magazine

Sailabration Sailabration prides itself on offering houseboats that are everything the customer desires at an affordable price. While some houseboaters prefer lavish, others prefer practical. A custom Sailabration houseboat is beautiful to look at, easy to handle on the water, and lasts for years to come with minimal maintenance with boats that can range from 40 to over 90 feet in length. While Sailabrations are typically less expensive than most of the mono-hull style boats, these boats certainly don't fall short on detail and finish. This level of customization is among the best in the houseboat industry with a philosophy of coming up with solutions rather than obstacles to ideas that its customers have. 2012 Recap: Nothing has really changed at Sailabration during 2012. The manufacturer has supplemented its new boat business with a lot of remodel and refurbishments. The builder has recently taken an 84-foot Sumerset all the way down to the hull, removed the catwalks and rebuilt a whole new cabin in a wide body, making it basically a brandnew boat.  Date Founded: 1999 Location: Powell, TN Best-Selling Model or Floor Plan: 16' X 57' Single Cuddy Smallest Houseboat Built to Date: 14' X 42' Largest Houseboat Built to Date: 18' X 86' Hull Design: Aluminum Cylindrical 46" Pontoons Water Application: Lakes, Rivers and Intracoastal In-House Transportation: Yes In-House Interior Designer: Yes 865-947-4234 www.sailabrationhouseboats.com Manufacturer Comment: "We are the only houseboat builder that offers the maximum of quality, customization, and affordability.  No other builder comes close to the levels we do when combining these attributes.  Sailabration Houseboats are the best overall value on the market today!" — Bryan Lambert, Owner SkipperLiner SkipperLiner has been building high-quality custom houseboats and commercial passenger vessels since 1971. Its vessels are known for quality, dependability and durability. SkipperLiner is also the largest builder of 149 passenger commercial vessels in the U.S. With over 1,000 vessels built since inception, SkipperLiner has a long history and extensive experience meeting and exceeding the needs of its diverse customer base. In addition to leisure houseboats and commercial passenger vessels, the company also builds canal boats, ferry boats, government work boats, tugs and tow boats, barges, paddle wheelers and sightseeing vessels of all types. These vessels are built from either aluminum or steel, depending on the customer's preference. The hulls and interior bracing is all metal—no wood stringers or wood supports are used. SkipperLiner also builds deeper hulls—up to 96 inches—to provide maximum headroom and living space designed for style and performance. Its shipyard has room to build vessels, up to 150 feet, and is completely indoors, which provides ultimate control of all the important variables that go into the construction of a quality vessel and keeps everything neat and clean throughout the entire process.  2012 Recap:  2012 was spent re-tooling its sales and marketing efforts after its recent acquisition by new owners, the Griffith family. SkipperLiner completed construction and delivery of a couple of vessels previously under construction and built two new 2013 leisure houseboats to be used for sales demos and trade shows. These are the finest examples to date of SkipperLiner's houseboat building capabilities and are loaded with the latest and most innovative accessories and systems. Date Founded: 1971 • Location: La Crosse, WI Best-Selling Model or Floor Plan: Custom Smallest Houseboat Built to Date: 14' 7' X 32" Largest Houseboat Built to Date: 24' X 85' (Three Decks) Hull Design: Custom Water Application: Lakes, Rivers and Intracoastal In-House Transportation: No In-House Interior Designer: Yes 608-784-5110 • www.skipperliner.com Manufacturer Comment: "SkipperLiner is unique in our detailed one-on-one custom approach to building a houseboat for a new customer. Every vessel is unique and designed specifically with and for, the specific buyer. There is no such thing as a 'standard' model at SkipperLiner." — Gary Smith, Vice President of Sales & Marketing Stardust Stardust is the oldest continually-operating houseboat company in the United States, having built over 1,500 custom boats. Recent innovations include its new wood-free wall composed of aluminum and fiberglass panels that are made in-house. The walls allow for standard windows or inset-free form windows with shapes limited only by your imagination. Its patented web frame design strengthens the entire structure. New hull designs and direct drive or V-drive power configurations are available for owners seeking improved handling and economy. The same quality and style is available in houseboats of any size and price range. Each Stardust is designed to provide each owner a unique and beautiful boat that will stand the test of time and provide a trouble-free second home on the water. Stardust is located in Monticello, Ky., and operates from a 100,000-square-foot factory. They specialize in custom woodwork and cabinetry and have their own fiberglass shop on the premises. Stardust products have been featured on the Travel Channel, ION Channel and soon the Discovery Channel. The builder also manufactures rental houseboats, party barges and custom boats of any kind. 2012 Recap: Stardust finished two very large projects that started in 2011. These two projects were both 22 feet wide and 125 feet and 110 feet in length. The first boat traveled on its own power from Western Kentucky to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. The other boat traveled to Houston, Texas, then went from St. Petersburg to Moscow Russia, all on its own power. This is the equivalent mileage of a trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, there were no mechanical problems with this trip. Date Founded: 1965 • Location: Monticello, KY Best-Selling Model or Floor Plan: 18' X 85' Four-bedroom design Smallest Houseboat Built to Date: 10' X 30' Largest Houseboat Built to Date: 22' X 120' Hull Design: Standard Barge and Cruiser Style Hulls Water Application: Lakes, Rivers and Intracoastal In-House Transportation: Yes In-House Interior Designer: Yes 606-348-8466 • www.stardustcruisers.com Manufacturer Comment: "Stardust leads the industry in innovation and design; for example, we have perfected the shaped glass windows and the elimination of wood in the sidewalls. However, not all of our boats are the extreme Stardust boats that make headlines. Stardust quality and style is available in houseboats of any size and price range." — Terry Aff, CEO WWW.HOUSEBOATMAGAZINE.COM  23

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