Electric houseboats for sale: models, prices and what to check before you buy

In the UK, electric houseboats are mostly narrowboats, and several builders now offer them with electric or hybrid drives. On the Continent, a floating home that can take an electric drive starts at around €66,000 net, and the fully electric Rollyboot Evolution costs €79,500. Only a few yards build fully electric as standard; for many, electric is an option.

Who builds electric narrowboats in the UK?

Bath Canal Craft built the 57 ft "The Doran" with a Bell Marine motor (10 kW continuous, 15 kW peak), a 14.4 kWh battery and 2.35 kWp of solar (Bath Canal Craft). Since 2021 Ortomarine has only built boats with electric drives, as parallel or series hybrids (Ortomarine). At Oakums you choose between diesel and electric (Oakums), and Mothership Marine builds a solar electric narrowboat at 57 or 65 ft (Mothership).

On Canal & River Trust waterways every boat needs a licence, on Environment Agency waters such as the Thames a registration. More in our guide to electric boat registration.

Which houseboats are fully electric from the factory?

Rollyboot uses the same motor we describe in our electric outboard comparison. At 6 kW it is, according to the manufacturer, below Germany's 7.5 kW limit for licence-free electric boats (§ 5 SpFV).

Which houseboats offer electric as an option?

• La Mare Apart XS (PL): 8.4 m long, 14.5 m² floor area. As a floating home without a motor from €66,600 net, with a cruising package from €93,500 net. You can choose a 9.9 hp Yamaha outboard, a small electric package with 3.7 kW and 10 kWh, or an electric package with a 15 kW BlueSpin motor, 15 kWh battery and more than 2.4 kW of solar (La Mare). According to the catalogue, the other La Mare models up to 16 m are also available with electric drive (catalogue).
• mBoat (PL): Water Cabin (9.90 m) from €66,600, Canal Boat (11.90 m) from €76,800, Floating House (13 m, 34.1 m² living space) from €86,800, all net ex works in Poland. Drive options are outboards from 20 to 70 hp or electric; mBoat does not say which drive the base price includes (Water Cabin, Canal Boat, Floating House).
• Nautilus Hausboote (DE): petrol thrust motor as standard. As an option, the Nautilus 40 and Vagabund 30 get two 6 kW pod motors with an extra battery bank, the Ei-Home 36 two rotating 8 kW motors with a generator, price on request (Nautilus 40, Vagabund, Ei-Home).
• Kiebitzberg PonTOM Adventure 10, 12 and 15 (DE): Suzuki outboards from 40 to 70 hp as standard, Kräutler electric drive on request. 23 to 41.5 m² living space, price not published (Adventure 10, 12, 15). As a one-off, the yard built the KingFisher I with a Torqeedo Deep Blue, 50 kW and 80 kWh (Kiebitzberg).

Which houseboats come without a motor?

These builders do not specify a fixed drive, so you can fit an electric outboard of your choice:

• Tom Sawyer (DE): platform houseboats with CE category D, outboard of your choice with steering from inside. TS 615 (6.15 m) for €37,650, TS 735 (7.35 m) for €43,320, TS 1000 (10 m) for €83,320, each including German VAT ex yard. The price lists date from June 2023, so ask for current prices (TS 615, TS 735, TS 1000, models).
• Holland Houseboat Sundeck Monohull 50 (NL): 12.95 m, 50 m² including deck, no motor, a cruising package is optional. €260,000 net (Holland Houseboat, model).

What should you check before buying?

Mooring in Germany: On federal waterways a houseboat usually needs two permits: a river and navigation police permit from the local Waterways and Shipping Office and a permit from the state water authority. The boat generally has to lie outside the fairway, and you must show access from land. Even moving it to the mooring needs a special transport permit (WSA Spree-Havel, § 31 WaStrG). Depending on the state, building law applies too; in Hamburg the building authority assesses the project under the Federal Building Code (Hamburg).

Waters: Houseboats are not permitted at all on Bavarian state waters, Lake Constance and several Austrian lakes. The list is in houseboat hire without a licence.

CE category: A new recreational craft sold in the EU must carry the CE marking (§ 14 10. ProdSV). Most houseboats have design category D for sheltered waters, designed for up to wind force 4 and 0.3 m waves (Directive 2013/53/EU). Categories C, B and A cover rougher conditions; Kiebitzberg, for example, built the KingFisher I to category C (Kiebitzberg).

Registration and licence in Germany: On federal waterways a small craft under 20 m needs an official or officially recognised registration mark (§ 2 KlFzKV-BinSch). You stay licence-free with an electric motor of up to 7.5 kW continuous power (§ 5 SpFV); all limits are in electric boat without a licence.

Warranty: Kiebitzberg limits its warranty in its terms to one year from delivery (terms). Ask every builder what applies to your boat.