# Everglades floating hotel?



## formerWAflyfisher

Out of my price range but it would work in the glades. Anyone want to start a go fund me page???? It’s in Tampa....


https://www.boattrader.com/listing/...l-barge-102552746/?refSource=standard listing


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## DBStoots

That's pretty cool.


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## taffrail

Only $38900 a month. Piece of cake. For someone else...............


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## Net 30

Looks tippy.

Couldn't resist.


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## Guest

Let’s all chip in and build our own! What’s all this talk about buying, ha!


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## topnative2

https://www.greatharbourtrawlers.com/n47.html


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## Guest

Microskiffer’s mother ship!


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## DBStoots

I think an old pontoon boat with a tent on it is more my speed (and budget!)!


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## lemaymiami

The original “Everglades floating hotel” is still the houseboats they rent there every day... In fact they’ve brought in four brand new ones this past year - and they’re not only bigger than the old ones, but also much nicer...


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## firecat1981

I don't think there's a place near the glades you could find enough draft to support that barge.


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## crboggs

That was out in the Gulf for a bit. I always wondered if anyone really used it...


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## CodyW

I can afford it.


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## topnative2

I remember a promotional video that showed an all female crew and a bunch of boats tied off the stern for guests to use w/ a guide of their choice.

However, most of the boats were never used.


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## firecat1981

It was a cool idea, really was. It was doomed to failure from the start. It was originally advertised as something like "experience the best fishing, while your wife enjoys the spa and food...."

Problem is it was to small and boring for the ladys. And because it couldn't manoeuvre it was subject to all of mother nature's wims. Plus they really overestimated how many guys wanted a multi day multi thousand dollar fishing trip out in the middle of nowhere.

It's been for sale for years now with no buyers.


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## LowHydrogen

firecat1981 said:


> It was a cool idea, really was. It was doomed to failure from the start. It was originally advertised as something like "experience the best fishing, while your wife enjoys the spa and food...."
> 
> Problem is it was to small and boring for the ladys. And because it couldn't manoeuvre it was subject to all of mother nature's wims. Plus they really overestimated how many guys wanted a multi day multi thousand dollar fishing trip out in the middle of nowhere.
> 
> It's been for sale for years now with no buyers.


I agree, doomed from the start, marketing should have been along the lines of a floating Bunny Ranch that included fishing. Hell, they would have been booked yrs in advance, and on here posting about adding sponsons for the addition they want to build.


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## Smackdaddy53

LowHydrogen said:


> I agree, doomed from the start, marketing should have been along the lines of a floating Bunny Ranch that included fishing. Hell, they would have been booked yrs in advance, and on here posting about adding sponsons for the addition they want to build.


Needs a tunnel, trim tabs and a XXX cup prop too...


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## Flatbroke426

I’ve had this idea for years. Have a small casino on it and have fish and chips charters


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## lemaymiami

Many, many years ago.... there actually was a floating casino just south of Key Biscayne.. from what I've read... Don't think it was exactly legal.


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## topnative2

topnative2 said:


> I remember a promotional video that showed an all female crew and a bunch of boats tied off the stern for guests to use w/ a guide of their choice.
> 
> However, most of the boats were never used.


Total joke.


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## fjmaverick

crboggs said:


> That was out in the Gulf for a bit. I always wondered if anyone really used it...


I heard about it years ago when they first set it up. Haven't heard much about it since though.


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## firecat1981

Another issue with it was that it looked great when it was just built, but it's hard to maintain a ship (?) If it's never in port.

I saw pics of it a year or so after they supposedly started operations, and it looked like a rusted mess. The article was highlighting all you can do, but I'm pretty sure all the comments were about the condition.


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## SomaliPirate

If we got it in international waters we could run offshore fishing charters, hotel, brothel, casino, cage fights, a sweat shop with kids making iPhones...the possibilities are endless.


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## Ron Hickman

formerWAflyfisher said:


> Out of my price range but it would work in the glades. Anyone want to start a go fund me page???? It’s in Tampa....
> 
> 
> https://www.boattrader.com/listing/2009-floating-boutique-hotel-barge-102552746/?refSource=standard listing


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## Ron Hickman

Zane Gray may have invented this mothership concept for the Everglades probably a hundred years ago. He published Tales of Southern Rivers in 1924. In it, he fished the Glades basing out of a houseboat with his brother, Romer. He was apparently such an asshole that if it wasn't Romer, he had to pay someone to fish with him. He was such that Ernest Hemingway turned down Zane's challenge of a fishing match. He wrote seven interesting fishing books along with many western novels. Read about him getting kicked out of the Catalina Tuna Club.


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## tailchaser16

SomaliPirate said:


> If we got it in international waters we could run offshore fishing charters, hotel, brothel, casino, cage fights, a sweat shop with kids making iPhones...the possibilities are endless.


Except for the sweat shop part, I would buy in. Actually thought of making a cruising brothel years ago.


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## lemaymiami

Remember years and years ago - small skiffs weren't powered by motors - you rowed, poled, or sailed, period. As a result early 'glades adventures featured cabin cruisers (or something similar...) towing a one or a string of rowboats that their sports would fish from. I've seen a bunch of photos over the years showing these kinds of setups... Only those with lots of bucks could afford something a bit bigger for the towing hull - and maybe, just maybe be able to stay on the water in expedition style...

For those who've missed it look for the PBS show, American Experience - Everglades - The Swamp... It's a pretty good video presentation of the info you can also find in the book by Grunwald - The Swamp. It does show exactly what I'm talking about. I was very surprised to learn that FDR (you know the guy who was president during WWII...) was a frequent visitor down here during the 1920's when all of this was going on. Very interesting film clips of him and his friends on the water...


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## Ron Hickman

I enjoyed a good book, The Gladesmen, about gator hunters, moonshiners and skiffers back in the early 20th century. It is a good read and has plans in the back to build a skiff.
https://amzn.to/2sVR5oj


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## SomaliPirate

tailchaser16 said:


> Except for the sweat shop part, I would buy in. Actually thought of making a cruising brothel years ago.


We could name her The Salty Seamen.


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