Houston, we have a problem.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
True, I'm a fisherman at heart and actually won a few tournaments when I lived back in Louisiana in the early 80's. Took one on Vernon Lake with a crappie record 6 lbs. 5 1/2 oz., which probably has been broken by now, and one on Anacoco Creek that leads into the lake with a catfish that I caught on a turkey leg that weighed 132 lbs. But my best was at Toledo Bend Lake at the Dam, where they had large stripe bass and I caught a few 60 pounders there while on a tourney and took the cash prize and new bass boat. The only problem is the season you fish in. The lakes can be filled with mosquito's, so be sure to take a bunch of off spray and something to cover your face with due to them flying in your eyes, nose, and mouth. Believe it or not, I actually had more fun fishing in Louisiana than I had when I was in Alaska or Arizona. I had more fun shooting in the desert in Arizona than fishing.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
What the heck does that have to do with flood survival? LolKILROY wrote:True, blah blah blah, (off subject rambling).
I mean, I guess you can live off of fish during a flood, but you can't sleep in a container home during a flood unless it's parked on a barge.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
Your the one who brought up the "floating" subject and then the RV. Who the hell's going to spend $1.2M on that? The container home is for those who lost everything and for a quick fresh start so they have something to live in till their home can be re-built with Gov't finances, and insurance costs, which some insurance companies already relayed they aren't going to help out, in which the Gov't will make them help out eventually. It's estimated that some of these people are going to be out of their home for 2-3 years. The estimated cost so far just in Texas is 190 Billion just from Gov't funding. The problem they haven't figured on though, was the chemical plants that Texas has, especially in the Houston area which are flooded and some are in accessible and until they are accessible the damage won't be known. Texas has the largest chemical plants in the US. Those that do have damage now have to find out how much and how much is in the flooded areas.
What have you done to aid in this dilemma, besides just making a post on it online? I've not only given food and materials, but also went down to Aransas Pass and help do some clean-up already, and will going back this Friday.
What have you done to aid in this dilemma, besides just making a post on it online? I've not only given food and materials, but also went down to Aransas Pass and help do some clean-up already, and will going back this Friday.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
Boohoo for those chemical companies. Some of them need to be sued to bankruptcy for not having working safety measures in place in the event of loss of power. And just wait for a few years down the line when we start finding out exactly how much toxic waste probably escaped into all that water from those types of places and others at their shady dump sites.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
I've done just as much for this flood as I've done for the last one. Expressed my concerns online and sarcastically suggest very expensive solutions.
I'm not in a position to help beyond paying federal income tax, but my income is such a miniscule drop in the bucket, they refund most of it when I file.
If this weren't the busiest time of year for my job, and my Boston whaler was in working order, I'd have rented a uhaul pickup truck and gone down there to help.
Unfortunately, I get one day off every other week and my whaler is in the shop getting repaired.
PS: Tiny container homes are actually quite expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a boat.
I'm not in a position to help beyond paying federal income tax, but my income is such a miniscule drop in the bucket, they refund most of it when I file.
If this weren't the busiest time of year for my job, and my Boston whaler was in working order, I'd have rented a uhaul pickup truck and gone down there to help.
Unfortunately, I get one day off every other week and my whaler is in the shop getting repaired.
PS: Tiny container homes are actually quite expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a boat.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
Actually no they are not, you can buy a used 40 ft. container for under $700 (A friend of mine got one for $500) and go to your local Salvation Army Restore and purchase materials to make your own container home for less than $3.5K, renting the equipment if you don't own it. Shipping companies have to get rid of containers after so many years, and sell them quite cheap to clear the lot they have to store them in. You don't have to pay full price for materials, you can find them at a local "restore" in your town or city. I've been a associate with my local Salvation Army since 1996. They get donated surplus from local businesses like Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, etc. That have slightly damaged, or goods that are overstocked and not selling that they donate and take a write off to compensate the loss.
PS: Your boat is in the shop getting fixed. You have to pay yearly fee's to keep it operating and pay for fuel, oil, upkeep, and registration fees. If you decide to take it out of the water, you have to have a trailer, and vehicle to remove it, and both of them also have to have yearly fee's to operate (or find someone with a boom lift to remove it). A container home is built and put on property that you are either paying for the property, or is already paid for, and you pay only property taxes on yearly (or you can do what my friend has done, rented space, and he even has a friend who is getting free space from putting his container on his parents property which he doesn't pay anything). The container home can be self sufficient with solar and collected water with a septic tank (or you can use a composting toilet that will cost you nothing to operate), and costs less to operate than a boat, including upkeep. That is why people are now switching to these type of living methods due to them being much, much cheaper to live in, and due to the material they are made out of, there is no upkeep needed after you sanitize, purify for rust and re-seal the container. Once built, your done, that's it.
PPS: You can take a bunch of these containers, stack them and make them into living apartments in all the different areas so all these people and people with families will have somewhere they can stay until the areas that their homes are at can be cleaned, sanitized, and re-built. They are all currently staying in stadiums, arena's, and places that either their local Gov't has opened to allow them to stay or people who has opened their doors to aid. Once completed, these containers can be either rented where they stand, or separated and sold individually to people who can't afford to pay for a home with property, but can afford to pay for one of these units to put within a trailer park to start a new life.
PS: Your boat is in the shop getting fixed. You have to pay yearly fee's to keep it operating and pay for fuel, oil, upkeep, and registration fees. If you decide to take it out of the water, you have to have a trailer, and vehicle to remove it, and both of them also have to have yearly fee's to operate (or find someone with a boom lift to remove it). A container home is built and put on property that you are either paying for the property, or is already paid for, and you pay only property taxes on yearly (or you can do what my friend has done, rented space, and he even has a friend who is getting free space from putting his container on his parents property which he doesn't pay anything). The container home can be self sufficient with solar and collected water with a septic tank (or you can use a composting toilet that will cost you nothing to operate), and costs less to operate than a boat, including upkeep. That is why people are now switching to these type of living methods due to them being much, much cheaper to live in, and due to the material they are made out of, there is no upkeep needed after you sanitize, purify for rust and re-seal the container. Once built, your done, that's it.
PPS: You can take a bunch of these containers, stack them and make them into living apartments in all the different areas so all these people and people with families will have somewhere they can stay until the areas that their homes are at can be cleaned, sanitized, and re-built. They are all currently staying in stadiums, arena's, and places that either their local Gov't has opened to allow them to stay or people who has opened their doors to aid. Once completed, these containers can be either rented where they stand, or separated and sold individually to people who can't afford to pay for a home with property, but can afford to pay for one of these units to put within a trailer park to start a new life.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
Interesting. I didn't know you could get containers that cheap, nor did I know about the salvation army restore thing.
I've watching tiny homes on HDTV and been flabbergasted at the prices those idiots are willing to pay for stuff.
There are no salvation army places on my island, yet they still ring their stupid bells outside every store in December.
You can get a boat off Craigslist or eBay for pretty cheap. I bought my Boston whaler for $2500 and my sailboat for $4600.
I live in the sailboat and pay $1810/year for dockage, but will have to pay to haul it out soon to repaint the bottom and tighten the stuffing box.
The Boston whaler, on the other hand, came with a trailer. I don't own a truck big enough to haul it, but I can rent a uhaul pickup truck for $19.99/day.
Maintenance is a big expense, though... I put just under $2k into it when I bought it, and I'm about to shell out just over $2k. But I didn't have to. I could have done most of the work myself had I been a little more handy and frugal.
So far, I've only put a couple hundred bucks into maintaining my sailboat, because I've done the work myself. However, I'm willing to pay someone to do certain things, like fiberglass repair/recoring, hauling/launching, replumbing (gross).
On the subject of composting toilets: They make them for boats too. They are not maintenance free. You've gotta buy special kinds of toilet paper and chemicals to help break down your waste, plus there are moving parts that break the instant your manufacturers warrantee expires.
Septic tanks are very expensive to replace, too.
The cheapest option for disposal of waste is using a Porta potty and cleaning out the container in a public bathroom.
Where I live, you have 2 options for emptying a boat's holding tank. You can go to a pump out dock or ask the pump out boat to come to you, but neither is free. However, I can sail to block island where the town provides a free pump out boat. I tip the guy 5 bucks and buy a mudslide or 2 in town.
Also, I'm a member of a yacht club that is 100 yards away from my mooring, so I typically just dinghy into the dock and use their plumbing instead of mine.
This satellite photo is from last year, when my Boston whaler was on this mooring instead of my sailboat.
I've watching tiny homes on HDTV and been flabbergasted at the prices those idiots are willing to pay for stuff.
There are no salvation army places on my island, yet they still ring their stupid bells outside every store in December.
You can get a boat off Craigslist or eBay for pretty cheap. I bought my Boston whaler for $2500 and my sailboat for $4600.
I live in the sailboat and pay $1810/year for dockage, but will have to pay to haul it out soon to repaint the bottom and tighten the stuffing box.
The Boston whaler, on the other hand, came with a trailer. I don't own a truck big enough to haul it, but I can rent a uhaul pickup truck for $19.99/day.
Maintenance is a big expense, though... I put just under $2k into it when I bought it, and I'm about to shell out just over $2k. But I didn't have to. I could have done most of the work myself had I been a little more handy and frugal.
So far, I've only put a couple hundred bucks into maintaining my sailboat, because I've done the work myself. However, I'm willing to pay someone to do certain things, like fiberglass repair/recoring, hauling/launching, replumbing (gross).
On the subject of composting toilets: They make them for boats too. They are not maintenance free. You've gotta buy special kinds of toilet paper and chemicals to help break down your waste, plus there are moving parts that break the instant your manufacturers warrantee expires.
Septic tanks are very expensive to replace, too.
The cheapest option for disposal of waste is using a Porta potty and cleaning out the container in a public bathroom.
Where I live, you have 2 options for emptying a boat's holding tank. You can go to a pump out dock or ask the pump out boat to come to you, but neither is free. However, I can sail to block island where the town provides a free pump out boat. I tip the guy 5 bucks and buy a mudslide or 2 in town.
Also, I'm a member of a yacht club that is 100 yards away from my mooring, so I typically just dinghy into the dock and use their plumbing instead of mine.
This satellite photo is from last year, when my Boston whaler was on this mooring instead of my sailboat.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
Nice setup you have there! I hear you on the replumbing thing. I just fixed one of my bathrooms yesterday, but as for the septic tanks, they can be expensive to add, but if you install them correctly, you usually won't have an issue with them. I've had mine in for over 20 yrs. with no issues. Just be careful on the type of chemicals you dispense into them. I divert my laundry wash into a separate outside container that I use to water things with, like garden, or pecan orchard I have. Anything with bleach, I save and use to use on ant hills, field mice, or moles. Another thing great to rid of ants is cinnamon. They take it back to the nest and when they consume it, it kills them, and can rid you of the whole nest. That way you don't have to use toxic chemicals. And they make an additive you can flush down your toilet that re-energizes the bacteria in your septic tank(s) (I have two back to back) to keep it going so it won't build up and you have to call a pump out truck and then have them add waste and chemicals back into it to re-start it.
The Salvation Army Restore was just an example. There are other stores similar that all city and towns have. You just have to locate them.
But yeah....container homes have become a new resell item that people found another way to make a buck off. I've seen a 20 ft. one that someone was asking $40K for and that one posted going for $40K had two forty footers with a false floor between them.
As for composting toilets, you might want to do some research on them. There are 3 different types and they don't use special chemicals, or toilet paper anymore. All your toilet paper made these days are compostable and break down. And you can have one that has no moving parts, something as simple as sawdust works just fine. They've been using these types of systems in the military for decades. I know, I've used them when my father was in the army, now a retired E-8 (First Sergeant) after 2 tours in Vietnam, and 30 yrs. of service.
Porta potty's have their advantages, but those you do have to use special chemicals in to break down waste. Your cheapest bet is getting a bucket or stand with a seat and use a disposable bag and just put in sanitizing pills for odor control. Then all you have to do is pull the bag and dispose of it. $20-$30 for the setup. I use this type of setup when I go on my fishing trips when I don't have a place to stay, works pretty good.
That's pretty cool on the pump out station offered or the pump out boat. Not enough water here in this area for people to live on besides the two lakes I live between, but I've only seen people live on the shoreline, not on the water. They probably offer that on the coast though.
Question, the trailer for the boat, are you required up there to register it? You have to register the boat, trailer, and the motor if over a certain horsepower here. Anything so they can make an extra buck. You can't even put a trolling motor on a kayak without having to register it. You never had to do that before, but since many started for a quick way to get around the lake, they found another way to make a buck. I purchased an $800 fishing kayak over 5 yrs. ago, and was going to set it up with an outrigger and trolling motor setup, but since they require you to register it now with the motor, I decided not to.
The Salvation Army Restore was just an example. There are other stores similar that all city and towns have. You just have to locate them.
But yeah....container homes have become a new resell item that people found another way to make a buck off. I've seen a 20 ft. one that someone was asking $40K for and that one posted going for $40K had two forty footers with a false floor between them.
As for composting toilets, you might want to do some research on them. There are 3 different types and they don't use special chemicals, or toilet paper anymore. All your toilet paper made these days are compostable and break down. And you can have one that has no moving parts, something as simple as sawdust works just fine. They've been using these types of systems in the military for decades. I know, I've used them when my father was in the army, now a retired E-8 (First Sergeant) after 2 tours in Vietnam, and 30 yrs. of service.
Porta potty's have their advantages, but those you do have to use special chemicals in to break down waste. Your cheapest bet is getting a bucket or stand with a seat and use a disposable bag and just put in sanitizing pills for odor control. Then all you have to do is pull the bag and dispose of it. $20-$30 for the setup. I use this type of setup when I go on my fishing trips when I don't have a place to stay, works pretty good.
That's pretty cool on the pump out station offered or the pump out boat. Not enough water here in this area for people to live on besides the two lakes I live between, but I've only seen people live on the shoreline, not on the water. They probably offer that on the coast though.
Question, the trailer for the boat, are you required up there to register it? You have to register the boat, trailer, and the motor if over a certain horsepower here. Anything so they can make an extra buck. You can't even put a trolling motor on a kayak without having to register it. You never had to do that before, but since many started for a quick way to get around the lake, they found another way to make a buck. I purchased an $800 fishing kayak over 5 yrs. ago, and was going to set it up with an outrigger and trolling motor setup, but since they require you to register it now with the motor, I decided not to.
Re: Houston, we have a problem.
Any vessels powered by fossil fuels must be registered with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) regardless of size, however you do not need to display your registration stickers if you are also coast guard documented.
If my 32 foot sailboat had no motor, it would not require registration, however, it has an 18 horsepower, 2 cylinder diesel inboard engine.
Trailers must be registered with the RI RMV (registry of motor vehicles).
I plead the fifth if asked about the status of all of my vehicle registrations...
I have a car and a trailer that should be registered with the RMV. I have 3 boats that should be registered with the DEM, however I don't own the dinghy engine... I'm borrowing it. I need to buy one and intend to buy a Torqeedo.
If my 32 foot sailboat had no motor, it would not require registration, however, it has an 18 horsepower, 2 cylinder diesel inboard engine.
Trailers must be registered with the RI RMV (registry of motor vehicles).
I plead the fifth if asked about the status of all of my vehicle registrations...
I have a car and a trailer that should be registered with the RMV. I have 3 boats that should be registered with the DEM, however I don't own the dinghy engine... I'm borrowing it. I need to buy one and intend to buy a Torqeedo.