Free Republic

The North Bay is the final destination for this rare sight in the San Francisco Bay -- it's a two-story houseboat out to sea! SKY7 captured video of the houseboat getting moved to its new home in San Rafael. The boat was forced to leave Docktown Marina in Redwood City. That's because of a long legal battle, which determined vessels that people live on were not allowed to block access to a state waterway in San Mateo County. Between 60 and 80 houseboats had to relocate. This one's journey from Redwood City to San Rafael reportedly took two days.

Senators Burr and Tillis Introduce Legislation to Stop Tennessee Valley Authority’s Proposed Houseboat Ban WASHINGTON — North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis today introduced legislation to stop the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) proposed ban on houseboats, which would affect nearly 400 houseboat owners on Fontana Lake in North Carolina. “TVA’s proposed removal of houseboat owners from their homes would be devastating for many hardworking North Carolina families in Swain and Graham Counties,” said Senator Burr (R-NC). “This amendment would stop this ill-conceived TVA proposal dead in its tracks and ensure that houseboat owners are able to stay in...

Multiple rescue boats ferried 18 young men back to shore early Friday from a houseboat set adrift by a severe storm. Shortly before 1 a.m., strong winds ripped part of a dock away from Sandy Creek Marina on Lake Travis. The broken section of dock, as well as the houseboat and another boat, remained attached by service cables, but floated farther into the lake.

Fane Lozman, a Marine turned multi-millionaire inventor turned thorn in the side of Riviera Beach officials, has won his long-running legal battle against the city over his floating home. In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declared that Lozman’s 60-foot, two-story home that was once anchored at the Riviera Beach Marina was not a vessel. As Lozman has argued for years, the court ruled that the city shouldn’t have been able to seize it using centuries-old maritime law. The decision sets the stage for Lozman to return to court to seek damages against Riviera Beach for destroying...

Gore Hits the Waves with a Massive New Houseboat Former Vice President Al Gore, the Nobel-winning self-proclaimed global prophet of green, has made a lot of money from the so-called “crisis” of global warming. He has profited from best-selling books that tout the looming climatic catastrophe, won an Academy Award for a movie about his slideshow presentation that focuses on his “sky is falling” message about a world on the brink of environmental disaster. His business interests have been focused on the profit side of the equation when it comes to “global warming,” creating a “carbon credits” program that has...

Surviving the Everglades BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on Nov. 10, 1996.) If you're looking to get away from civilization and experience the serenity that comes from being out in nature's wilderness beauty and having the vast majority of the blood sucked out of your body, then you should rent a houseboat in the Everglades. I did this recently with my son, Rob. We rented our houseboat at a place called Flamingo, in Everglades National Park, waaaaay down on the bottom of Florida. At that point, Florida has totally stopped pretending to be a...