Housing crisis has Townsville residents all at sea

Doug Ryan, who has lived on his boat ‘Shazam’ for a decade, has advice for those seeking a floating home. Picture: Shae Beplate.

With an increase in Queenslanders seeking refuge from the housing crisis by taking to the water, more Townsville locals have been considering calling a boat home.

In Townsville, both tenants and buyers are competing in a tight market when looking for somewhere to live.

The latest REIQ data found Townsville had a vacancy rate of just 0.9 per cent, with that figure not trending above 1.2 per cent since June 2020.

While the August REA Group Listing report found new and total sale listings in regional Queensland had dropped last month, down 14.6 per cent and 13 per cent year-on-year respectively.

So, it is no surprise some are considering trading solid foundations for sea legs.

Experienced sailor Doug Ryan lives aboard his 44ft sailboat, Shazam, which he berths at Magnetic Island.

The 79-year-old said he was seeing an increase in people considering the live-aboard life.

“I get asked at least once a fortnight by someone about buying a boat to live on, particularly young people in their 30s.” he said.

“It’s that image of how glamorous it is to be on a boat.”

Doug Ryan’s boat Shazam during Magnetic Island Race Week. Picture: Revolution Productions

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Australian Bureau of Statistics data from the 2021 census showed 29,369 people were living in either a cabin (land-based) or on a houseboat on census night.

Of that, 1978 were in a marina, 22,354 were in land-based locations, and 5,038 indicated ‘other’, potentially accounting for thousands on houseboats outside of a marina.

Mr Ryan said live-aboards were an eclectic bunch, with some on houseboats that never moved, others anchored on rivers and in bays, and some who sailed around in their ‘home’.

“A lot of them are casual,” he said.

“They’ll come up here for four to six months and go back to their house down south for summer.”

John Norfolk, owner of Brisbane-based Infinite Marine Brokers, said he had noticed a massive influx of buyers searching for a vessel they could live on full-time in recent years.

“I’d say at least 40 per cent of inquiries are now for live-aboard boats,” he said.

“That’s about a 10-fold increase compared to pre-Covid.”

This LaBelle 44 is for sale for $85,000 ONO. Picture: Boatsonline.com.au

Mr Norfolk said inquiries were mostly coming from retirees, couples and single parents.

“When a cheaper houseboat comes up, around the $90,000 – $120,000 range, we become bombarded with inquiries,” he said

“They don’t care about condition, they just want cheap accommodation.

“Most of the live-aboards that we’ve encountered are throughout the Gold Coast waterways.

“There’s also a few in the Brisbane River and a handful in the Bribie passage.”

A Maritime Safety Queensland spokesman said it was legal to live aboard a boat in most Queensland areas, apart from some regulated waterways of the Sunshine Coast, as long as vessels met standards and regulations under the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994 and complied with sewage discharge and waste management requirements.

“Other factors that impact living on board include restrictions on anchoring, mooring and grounding in some areas of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast,” the spokesman said.

This Bruce Douglas designed timber motor cruiser is for sale for $399,000. Picture: Boatsonline.com.au

Mr Ryan said anyone wanting to live aboard needed to consider the costs beyond buying a boat.

“Normally, the average cost would be about 15 per cent of the purchase price a year to maintain a boat,” he said.

“A boat like mine new would cost about $800,000 but you can buy a smaller live-aboard for probably about $50,000.

“Anything under that you’d be worried about whether it’s structurally sound.”

Mr Ryan said houseboats that didn’t move tended to be more affordable, compared to vessels used for travel, but there were marina fees to consider.

“On average for a boat the size of mine, you’d pay about $1000 to $1200 a month (for a marina berth),” he said.

“If you’re at anchor you need to row or motor to shore and you need access to water.

“But electronics are getting better with solar panels and such, so it’s getting easier to be self-sufficient.”

Doug Ryan aboard Shazam, the boat he calls home and also races. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Mr Ryan said ‘Shazam’ was like an apartment on water with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big lounge and a galley, but it was also designed to race.

“We actually got third at Magnetic Island Race Week this year,” he said.

“I also take it out at least twice a week

“It takes me about five minutes to throw the lines off and then I’m out looking at dolphins and whales.”

Mr Ryan warned that living aboard wasn’t always “sunsets and champagne”.

“We noticed during Covid, a lot of people bought boats and the prices were really high,” he said.

“Once people got on them and realised it wasn’t the easiest life – you do have to know a bit about electronics and mechanics – a lot of boats came back on the market.”

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