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Floating dream homes

For now, this giant yacht is a fantasy sketch that would cost "hundreds of millions of euros to build.” Photo: Yacht Island Design

While the terms "houseboat" and "floating home" are sometimes used interchangeably, not everyone realizes the distinction.

A floating home sits on a slab in the water and won’t be going anywhere, while a houseboat is capable of propelling to distant lands and moorings.

World travelers may have seen (or even stayed in) the antique wooden boats of Srinagar, India, but this list also includes modern abodes and quickly escalates to boats nicer than many primary homes of landlubbers.

Although the following floating homes might not all be used as permanent residences now, a boat home does have its appeal to those concerned about rising sea levels due to global warming. One day, owners of buoyant homes may be extra grateful they made the investment.

On a lighter note, they look like a lot of fun to anyone who has sea legs.

1969 Benetti Motor Yacht

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Price: $2,195,000

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 8

Length: 112 feet

Ten passengers and seven crew members can sleep in this vintage Benetti. Photo: BoatTrader.com

This vintage Benetti is refurbished but retains plenty of classic style, especially in the wheelhouse with its old-school captain’s wheel, and looks fit for stylish nautical intrigue or adventure. (Please dress accordingly.)

It sleeps 10 passengers and seven crew members, with a master stateroom, a VIP stateroom, and a king-size stateroom, as well as two with double-sized beds, each with their own "heads" (to use the old Navy term). The galley has a fridge, oven and a gas cooker, and there’s a washer and dryer on board.

Houseboats of Kashmir

Location: Jammu and Kashmir, India

You can rent a houseboat in Srinagar for as low as $138 a night. Photo: Tristan Yau (top and right) | Nihar Ganju (left) | Leon Meerson (middle)

The state of Jammu and Kashmir, located far north in the Himalayas, is famous for its wooden houseboats, many of which are stationary and are rented out as hotel suites.

Kashmir houseboats have a front porch, elaborate hand-carved cedar-paneled walls, a sitting room, dining room, pantry and bedrooms. Recent rates for a top-ranked houseboat in Srinagar, the state’s capital, run around $138-$208 per night.

"O de Squisito"

Location: Dubai

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2

Length: approx. 65 feet

The Dubai houseboat can be used as a weekend home or event space. Photo: X-Architects

This architectural houseboat is constructed from two catamaran beams, stainless steel and glass from the Dubai firm X-Architects in collaboration with its owner, interior decorator/architect/designer Leen Vandaele, who might use the O as a prototype for a floating hotel.

The vessel can be used as a weekend home or an event space. It has bedrooms, a hidden kitchen, a dining area and a spiral staircase to a sun deck.

Yacht Island

Location: Concept only

This floating island would include 57,000 square feet. Photo: Yacht Island Design

This over-the-top tropical floating island is a fantasy dreamed up by Yacht Island Design, which planned it as a private luxury yacht to accommodate 10 guests with about 57,000 square feet of usable space. Director Rob McPherson estimates it would cost “several hundreds of million euros to build.”

The company also provides sketches and renderings for several other fanciful floating creations, such as one called The Streets of Monaco and a futuristic sea-pod called Project Utopia. In the works are aquatic projects titled Oriental Chuan and Eastern Promise.

MetroShip

Location: Nationwide and international delivery

Price: $75,000 to $120,000

Bedrooms: none (open plan)

Bathrooms: 1

Length: 35 feet or 48 feet

The MetroShip houseboats take on a modern style. Photo: GDM Limited

"I wanted it to be like an updated Frank Lloyd Wright home but with an open New York Loft condo style mixed with a mid-century Eichler home post and beam style," wrote MetroShip creator David Ballinger Jr. on the company website.

His creations, a unique and highly customizable line of houseboats, are built in the U.S. from aluminum and steel, plus single-piece roofs and high-quality doors and windows. They also come with a W Hotel bed, a Danish sound system, Viking appliances, HDTV projector and an LG steam washer/dryer.

He designed the ceilings to be high so no one feels cramped.

Pricing starts at $75,000 for a 35-foot MetroShip and at $120,000 for a 48-footer.The company is also planning a 110-foot "Mega MetroShip" yacht.