Since the discovery that an entire house can be put on top of a boat and made to float up and down the river in leisure, boatyards have never been the same. Day in and day out, these yards have been trying as much as possible to surpass each other with elegant, sporty or royal deisgns to appeal to a wide range of individuals and boat renting companies.

We take a lot at the big companies in this area and how each differs from the other in small or great terms.

JRW Mfg. (http://www.adventurecraft.com/ ) offers boaters the opportunity to own luxurious yet affordable houseboats. Based in Palmetto, Florida , it has to date produced over 250 houseboats which are distributed through its dealer network.

JRW has the 28.5 foot boat which costs $30,000 .

Their flagship houseboat features two sleeping quarters, four cabin seating areas, a gallery, a head with shower and portable toilet, a fiberglass tri-maran hull, a walk-around deck, two dining areas, a lounge deck with molded chairs and a roomy 6-foot-4 headroom. Buyers have the option of a flybridge with dual steering, an A/C and heating package, an aluminum trailer, navigational equipment, a refrigerator, a generator and a hot-water heater.

Catamaran Cruisers (http://www.catamarancruiser.com/) is another giant in the houseboat building industry.

Located in Columbia, Tennessee it has earned a high reputation for producing user-friendly and low priced crafts.

The company's LiL Hobo trailerable featuring 56 gallons of freshwater storage, gas heater and tinted window and Aqua Cruiser lines are the most popular. Their boats range from 35 feet to 62 feet.

Catamaran boats have fiberglass hulls which enables the craft to lift and effortlessly glide over water. They also have gelcoat fiberglass exteriors and non-skid fiberglass decks and roof.

The company sells about 200 crafts each year.

Destination Yachts (http://destinationyachts.com/) is uniquely headed by Sheldon Graber, a boat building veteran .

Destination yatch has a great product line including houseboats with floor plans of 37x10, 45x14, 53x14 and 60x16.

The company's Destination Q-Series boats come with .125 aluminum twin hulls and exterior decking. The cabin exterior walls are made of fiberglass and all rails are powder coated.

The company is found at Montgomery, IN and has to date sold about 80 houseboats.

Houseboat building is an art of its own. Over the years, companies have included a lot of domestic luxuries into their product line in response to customer demand and partly as part of their own desire to outcompete each other. The trend to come is clear - more and more household utilities shall find their way into houseboats until apart from the engine whining, someone on board will never know he is living in a houseboat.