Do Houseboats Have Air Conditioning?


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Yes, most houseboats have air conditioning but they can be quite expensive not only to buy but to operate as they will require you to run your generator far more often. Read on to see some exact costs. 

Houseboats can range from enormous expensive vessels to hand built tiny boats with no modern conveniences at all. Whether your houseboat will have air conditioning will vary depending on the model you are buying or renting as well as whether AC is still installed on the model or was removed at a later time. 

Air conditioning on board a houseboat is a nice thing to have but it is far from a necessity as most places where you will be boating will have milder temperatures. If you are on the water that will normally help keep temperatures a bit cooler during the summertime as well. 

If you are planning on taking your houseboat out where the humidity or temps are really high of course having an air conditioner on board is a great thing to have however there is an issue, THE COST!

When people think of putting an air conditioner on board their boat they often think it’s as simple as buying a window AC unit and putting it on board but it really isn’t that easy. Sure, you can buy a window AC unit and put it on board your houseboat but as I mentioned earlier it can be quite expensive. The expensive part isn’t the purchase price either, it’s the running costs!

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An average sized window AC unit will use around 1,000 watts of electricity to run which means you will have to run your generator to have the electricity to power that unit. If you have a good inverter generator it will use about 5 gallons of gas per day to run 24/7 which means it will cost you $15 a day in gas to power that AC Unit. That can add up quite quickly if you are planning on being on the water for any length of time. 

If you have a normal generator instead of an inverted one you will burn 12 gallons of gas to run it for 24 hours so it will cost you $36 a day to run your generator! Obviously that is a huge jump in price and makes running your AC daily quite an expensive endeavor.

So yes, most houseboats have AC units and if not you can easily install one but the cost of operating one regularly is what will be the deciding factor for many people.  

Matthew Robbs

I love the outdoors and especially spending time with my family. Whether on a boat or at the beach, my happy place is near the water.

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