The Quirky Houseboat Dodge

Boat in Shoreham-by-Sea, United Kingdom

  1. 5 guests
  2. 2 bedrooms
  3. 3 beds
  4. 1.5 bathrooms
Hosted by Hamish
  1. Superhost
  2. 11 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 10% of homes

This home is highly ranked based on ratings, reviews and reliability.

Great check-in experience

Recent guests loved the smooth start to this stay.

Beautiful area

Guests love this home’s scenic location.
A unique opportunity to stay in a floating piece of artwork. The carapace is an upturned lifeboat hull mounted on a Dodge fire engine.

Moored on estuarine mudflats on the River Adur. Sit outside and enjoy the RSPBs' smallest reserve. Cross the towpath to the park and playground, 2 minutes walk to beach, 10 minutes to town centre.

The Dodge is loved by adults and children and featured in CBBC’s All Over The Place.

It is comfy and cosy, sleeps 5 (two doubles and optional single bed).

The space
The accommodation comprises two double beds and a bench viewing seat in the front bedroom that may be converted to a single bed. Entrance is into the main cabin, the bed when not in use is easily chain winched into the roof space underneath is the dining area and forward of that, general seating and stove. Very well equipped galley kitchen with small electric cooker, fridge and usual facilities. Bath, shower and loo to port and bedroom forward. Instant hot water from LPG boiler. Heated by fan assisted storage heater, individual electric heaters and log burning stove (logs provided). There is outside seating accessed through the front bedroom, lovely for sunny breakfasts and watching the bird life.

Hamish’s building style incorporates a substantive amount of reused materials and the Dodge boasts remnants of four redundant boats and a fire engine carcus from which it derives it's name. There are many interesting items to find incorporated in the Dodge and there is a quiz sheet to find them all.

Our Values
We try to live our lives according to our values of sustainability and community. We make informed choices about what we consume and purchase, what we can reuse and how we travel.  We proudly apply these values to our holiday let. The Houseboat Dodge is built from many upcycled, discarded items. We use eco, refillable products, we don’t increase our prices for school holidays and we offer discounts for guests using sustainable travel. The Dodge is clean, warm and cosy. Due to its architecture, there are many nooks and crannies and not all are easy to dust. 

Staying on The Dodge is not glamping, it may not be suitable for people needing uniformity nor unfortunately, those with severe dust allergies. 

We offer you the opportunity to embrace our values, to stay in a unique space and have a taste of a different way of living. We are delighted that very many of our guests return again and again, from near and far.

Best wishes Hamish and Sarah

Guest access
Open access to all of the Dodge which is accessed over the deck of the Clive, my workshop boat, a former WW2 motor torpedo boat with a flying fish on the top deck.

Other things to note
NEW FOR 2025 - 10% DISCOUNT FOR THOSE TRAVELLING BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT, CYCLING OR WALKING.
Please make a booking request so we can apply the discount for you.

The closest parking is In the Beach Green car park which is opposite the houseboats. Pay and display (£5/day) and tickets need to be renewed by 9am to avoid the parking gestapo. Alternatively, street parking on the pavement of Beach Green is free, although a slightly longer walk to the boats.

Where you'll sleep

What this place offers

River view
Shared beach access
Kitchen
Wifi
Free on-street parking

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Rated 4.94 out of 5 from 541 reviews.

Guest favourite
This home is in the top 10% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 94% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 6% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

Shoreham-by-Sea, United Kingdom
This listing’s location is verified and the exact location will be provided after booking.

Neighbourhood highlights

The Dodge is one of some 50 houseboats on the south bank of the River Adur. The moorings are on tidal mudflats and during spring tides we float twice daily whilst on the neap cycle, we often get no tidal influx. An eclectic mix of boats, many of historic interest and as pleasant a bunch of neighbours as I could wish for. We are next to the children’s playground, a very short walk to the beach and 10 minutes walk to the town centre. There are a variety of cafes and bars plus a thriving Farmers Market on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. The Ropetaclke Arts centre is within sight of our houseboats and boasts a variety of good quality entertainment. Excellent fish restaurant on Shoreham Beach. (8 mins)

Meet your host

Superhost
541 reviews
4.94 out of 5 average rating
11 years of hosting
Lives in Shoreham-by-Sea, United Kingdom
I have lived and worked on the Shoreham houseboats since 1986 and developed my own building style accordingly. I have always enjoyed working with used materials (especially old and derelict boats)and finding new use for stuff we discard. However, I seem to spend most of my work life struggling to keep the water out of my fleet of 7 rather ancient vessels.

Hamish is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within an hour
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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in after 15:00
Checkout before 11:00
5 guests maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide alarm
Smoke alarm
Must climb stairs