JNC Sea Grant 



!■■ W/IO 



V 



November/December, 1984 



Pi* 0» 



Doc. 



COAST t WATCH 



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Photo by Spencer Rogers 



At Masonboro Boat Yard, floating homes (background) dock alongside pleasure boats 



Floating homes 



Hp he ceiling fan whirred as R. Ryerson Bennett 

 stretched out on the sofa in front of the open glass 

 door. His wife sat down beside him to watch the birds 

 and to relish the cool breeze passing through the room. 

 To the Bennetts, there's nothing quite like living in a 

 floating home. The free-spirited, barefooted kind of 

 lifestyle suits them just fine. 



After sailing along the East Coast for 16 years, the 

 Bennetts finally put their anchor down in 

 Wilmington's Masonboro Boat Yard two years ago. 

 They sold their boat and built the home that is now 

 260 square feet of contentment for them. 



Floating homes, complete houses resting on a hull, 

 are not a new idea. The Japanese and Chinese have 

 been living on them for years. In the United States, 

 their popularity is growing, especially in Washington 

 and New Jersey. Only about 30 such vessels are 

 moored in North Carolina's waters. Seven of them are 



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