Three‑bed houseboat on private Thames island offered for £49,000 amid £3m mansion market

A three‑bedroom houseboat moored on a private pontoon at D'Oyly Carte Island, near Weybridge in Surrey, has been listed for sale at £49,000, the owner said, a price he described as making it possibly the most affordable residential property on the Thames.

The vessel, which can sleep up to six people and includes a kitchen, lounge and windows throughout, is sited on a private pontoon with a residential mooring that its owner says allows permanent habitation. "What's really unique is that she's been placed on a private pontoon with fully residential mooring," said owner Oliver Couchman, 49, a business coach who lives on the island. "Other marinas have restrictions which mean you can only stay overnight for a few nights a month or something — so you can't make it a fully residential home."

Couchman said the boat has full electrics and water and is otherwise ready to live on; he is in the process of installing a bathroom. He said experts had valued the vessel at about £60,000 but he chose the lower asking price to offer a more affordable entry point to riverside living.

Couchman moved to D'Oyly Carte Island less than a year ago after switching from a flat in Croydon to a boat on the southern edge of the island. He said he acquired the listed boat after spotting it in Yorkshire, where it had been built over seven years and was inspired by Antiguan catamarans.

Transporting the vessel to the Thames proved complex, Couchman said, because its width of 4.8 metres exceeded the maximum for many B‑roads. A sea haulage quote of £17,000 prompted him to explore alternatives, and he said the company organising the move obtained a police escort. The escorted journey cost about £3,600, Couchman said, and involved passage through seven locks around midnight before the boat reached its mooring at D'Oyly Carte.

D'Oyly Carte Island is a private island on the River Thames where riverside homes routinely sell for several million pounds. The contrast between the local housing market and the price of the houseboat underlines the rarity of a residential mooring on the river where long‑term living is permitted, Couchman said.

The boat's internal layout includes sleeping berths for six, areas for socialising and a small galley with a sink and coffee machine, according to Couchman. He said the accommodation is spacious for its footprint and likened the interior to a "Tardis" for its surprise at how much room it contains.

Couchman said he listed the vessel at £49,000 because he wanted to offer an entry point to living on the Thames. The listing comes amid sustained interest in riverside and waterfront living in the London commuter belt, where space on the river and residential moorings are limited compared with conventional housing stock.

Prospective buyers will need to consider mooring arrangements and any local rules that apply to liveaboard craft on the Thames. Couchman said the private pontoon at D'Oyly Carte provides the connections and permissions needed for permanent residency on the boat, a feature he said distinguishes the vessel from others that are subject to marina restrictions.