Meet every nature-loving minimalists’ dream summer vacation: a cabin-like houseboat that is sustainable, equipped for a person’s every need, and allows the sailor to enjoy the beautiful view of a lake while in the middle of it — all from the comforts of bed.
Le Koroc is a new and original houseboat created by the Quebec boat building company, Daigno, with the environment in mind. The floating home is a “single-structure laminated timber,” and its website describes it as “a unique and refined craft for nature lovers and fishing aficionados.“
Daigno’s creation is solar-powered, “a testimony to our constant concern for the environment” and is intended for “challenging habits and exploring innovative ideas,” as is clearly shown by the sleek, earthy design.
It’s a dream to imagine spending months floating on the water, so here’s a tour of this cozy houseboat.
Le Koroc’s Design
For all of its environmental-friendly perks, plus a fully-equipped home, Le Koroc has a surprisingly low price tag. The comforts of the bedroom, fully-functioning kitchen, and large shower, all come at the starting price of about $60,000.
Le Koroc is small but well-designed to fit all of these essentials into its 24 feet long and 8 feet wide frame. However, its size doesn’t detract from its comfort and functionality.
The kitchen is layered with earthy tones with wooden floors, beams, and ceilings, designed by hand by woodworkers. There’s a bistro table, white cupboards to store dishes and cooking ware, a large sink, stove, and even a dishwasher.
The bedroom is in the back of the boat. At first, it features a dinette table but it unfolds into a bed frame that gives the person resting a beautiful view of the water. There are even two table benches that fold out to create another bed for a guest. There is plenty of storage space under the benches and behind them, keeping personal items tucked out of view to maintain a neat exterior. There’s also mesh covering the open shelves to keep belongings there safe from the boat’s movement.
Of course, the biggest appeal of a houseboat is living on the water, surrounded by nature, and the Le Koroc has that need covered. The front of the boat holds a high-tech barbecue, dining table for two, and a fish tank to keep the catch of the day. On a beautiful day at sea, it’s always a shame to go inside. On Le Koroc, it’s a double shame to waste the stunning deck space.
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Le Koroc’s Sustainability
As advertised, this houseboat is designed to be environmental-friendly, with its metal roof covered in a 265-watt solar panel that powers the Le Koroc’s energy-efficient LED lighting and other equipment, like the dishwasher, air vent, and fridge. There are also more eco-friendly versions of composting toilets available for the more environmentally-conscious sailors.
To avoid weighing down the houseboat with all of this cargo, Le Koroc was constructed with laminated white cedar beams and strong plywood, making the entire boat weigh about 5,000 pounds. Cedar is also a great choice because it doesn’t rot like other types of wood.
The structure is set on three aluminum pontoons, and there is a gas motor in the back and propane stove and heater. The kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and shower run off of a 12-volt pump and drain into a custom greywater filtering system. This ensures the water beings dumped back into the body of water the houseboat resides in is filtered and clean. This filtration system was made specially by the company, and it runs through charcoal to purify the water before it drains.
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This Le Koroc was designed specifically for fishing, but there are other versions of this houseboat made specifically for entertaining and another for more diehard fishermen.
For example, their other products include an updated model of Le Koroc made especially for fishing that includes specialized equipment for this sport, plus openings in the floor to fish from inside, a rear deck, and a hammock.
They also offer the houseboat they call L’Équinoxe, a larger houseboat made with having guests in mind, with couch at the helm plus a minibar, barbecue, and hammock. Better yet, an updated version of the L’Équinoxe includes an upper deck for extra lounging space.
Daigno as a company prides itself on original creations, as they state on their website: “Each product we build is unique, and is crafted to meet specific customer expectations.” They also offer extra upgrades for their customers even after purchasing.
Although living every day on a houseboat, or at least during the summer, is a fantasy for many, this design makes staying on a floating home seem doable, especially for the environmentally-conscious. Summer is still a far way off, but we can dream until then.