Twenty-eight square feet is enough for a bed, a sink and a refrigerator, according to David Rule. The YouTuber’s project, a candidate for the smallest functional houseboat, measures eight feet long and 3.5 feet wide, small enough to ride in the bed of a standard pickup truck. Its footprint is about 2.6 square meters, or 2.4 meters by 1.1 meters.
Rule built the Tinytanic to beat a record set by Zach Fowler, a survivalist and winner of the Discovery Channel series Alone. Fowler’s floating home offered about 35 square feet of interior space and measured roughly 10 feet long, according to BoatBlurb. Rule set out to build a tiny houseboat, smaller still, while keeping the essentials. He describes the result as the world’s smallest functional houseboat. The record claim has not been independently certified.
Building the smallest functional houseboat: pontoons, cedar and a canopy door
Rule skipped a conventional hull. He built the Tinytanic on modular pontoons. A cedar platform sits on top of the floats. The cabin walls are cedar, pine and plywood, and an aluminum sheet forms the roof, based on reports from Interesting Engineering and Autoevolution.
Light comes in through several windows. Autoevolution describes round porthole windows punctuating the wooden walls and a large panel at the bow. Interesting Engineering also mentions a brass nameplate mounted above the bow window. At the rear, a zippered panel adapted from a camping canopy can be opened to let in air or closed to keep out rain. Two small platforms on either side of the tiller give the steering position room for the driver’s feet.
The cabin is 42 inches high, or 106 centimeters. That height is enough to sit upright, but no one can stand. A custom bed takes up one long side of the interior. The other side holds a narrow counter that serves as the kitchen.
Compact living on a tight footprint also appears in Innovative Tiny Home Maximizes Space with Terraced Design, a land-based take on squeezing daily life into very little room.
Power, water and the kitchen
The counter holds a sink, a 12-volt refrigerator and a single-burner butane stove, according to Interesting Engineering. A 12-volt pump draws water from the river or lake through a filter. Wastewater collects in a container below the counter. A fan and a small vent move air through the cabin, while LED lights and storage compartments fill the rest of the space, per Autoevolution.
Two 100-watt solar panels on the roof charge a 100-amp-hour marine lithium battery. That battery powers the lights, fan, charging outlets and the boat’s electric propulsion, based on reports from Interesting Engineering and Tech E Blog. The stove is the one appliance that runs on butane instead of electricity.
Propulsion comes from a Minn Kota electric trolling motor mounted at the stern on custom wooden brackets. The motor produces 30 pounds of thrust, which is about 133 newtons. The motor delivers approximately 133 newtons of thrust, enough to move the lightweight vessel through calm waters at a leisurely pace.
Three days on the Pend Oreille River
Rule tested the boat on Washington‘s Pend Oreille River. The trip ran about 12 miles, or 19 kilometers, from Metaline Falls to Peewee Falls, and took three days, according to the main report and Motorbiscuit. Rule cooked meals in the cabin, fished from the rear deck and slept inside. The zippered rear panel kept out rain during showers.
The trip also showed the limits of the design. Overcast weather cut solar charging, so Rule had to conserve battery power, as the main report explains. Interesting Engineering says that limited solar generation meant Rule ran the motor sparingly. He relied more on the river’s current to move the boat.
Cedar and plywood also shape small dwellings on land, as seen in Tato Architects’ Charred Cedar and Plywood Home, which shares the Tinytanic’s warm wooden walls.
Rule’s smallest functional houseboat does not compete with conventional houseboats on comfort, speed or endurance. The pontoon structure remained stable throughout the expedition. Its real achievement is simpler. The Tinytanic completed its first voyage and showed that a few square meters can support several days of basic life on the water.
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Frequently asked questions
How big is the Tinytanic, David Rule’s smallest houseboat?
The Tinytanic measures eight feet long and 3.5 feet wide, small enough to ride in the bed of a standard pickup truck. Its footprint is about 2.6 square meters, or 2.4 meters by 1.1 meters.
How is the Tinytanic houseboat powered and what runs on electricity?
Two 100-watt solar panels on the roof charge a 100-amp-hour marine lithium battery, which powers the lights, fan, charging outlets and the electric propulsion. The boat is moved by a Minn Kota electric trolling motor that produces 30 pounds of thrust, and the single-burner stove is the only appliance that runs on butane instead of electricity.
How far did the Tinytanic travel on the Pend Oreille River?
The trip ran about 12 miles, or 19 kilometers, from Metaline Falls to Peewee Falls. It took three days to complete.
Has the smallest functional houseboat record been officially verified?
The record claim has not been independently certified. David Rule describes the Tinytanic as the world’s smallest functional houseboat, and it was built to beat a record set by Zach Fowler, whose floating home offered about 35 square feet of interior space.
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