Sky-high house prices and rents might be giving some would-be homeowners a certain sinking feeling.

But for those sick of digging deeper and deeper into their pockets to simply put a roof over their heads, there might be an alternative on the horizon.

Anybody who is finding navigating the property market far from plain sailing might want to consider strapping on their sea legs... and adjusting to life on a houseboat.

That was what Steve Hollis did ? and he said he enjoyed a fantastic experience during nearly ten years on the high seas. That time was either spent moored in Bermuda or travelling to far-flung places like the West Indies, America and the Azores.

?I preferred it on a boat,? admitted Steve, who switched to life on land in 1996 when he got married and later had kids. ?You could change your neighbours whenever you wanted.

?It was like having a castle with your own moat around it.?

He built his own boat, which was about 30 feet long, and because of the confined living quarters household items like fridges and televisions never made it on board. Steve said he found the solitary lifestyle meant he had to entertain himself, with the bulk of his waking hours spent either reading, drawing or rowing his dinghy ashore.

And although the size of such a vessel may have been a problem when it came to storage space, it did mean that those chilly winter months on the water could be quickly warmed thanks to a simple kerosene lantern.

Steve, 50, is now renting a house in St. George?s. He said his move to dry land may mean more space ? but it also spells less cash. ?Now I?m broke,? he joked. ?Before, I was much better off.?

Once expensive set-up costs of living life on the water have been taken into account, he estimated mooring, maintenance and fuel run to about $1,000 a year.

So forget electricity, cable and phone payments, the only bills Steve had to worry about were from the passing sea birds.

?If you buy a boat for say $30,000, you will have paid for it in a couple of years compared to what you would be paying in house rentals,? stated Steve, who works in the marine business at Ocean Sails, St. George?s.

?Then it?s free. But that?s not saying everyone can live that way.?

He said boat folk had to be ?certain types of people? and be willing to watch a lot of home comforts go overboard.

?I had to row my boat or sail out in a dinghy if I wanted anything on land.

?I remember sometimes having to row from St. David?s to St. George?s in winter.?

He said the decision to leave the boat was his, although after marriage to Suzanne there followed two children... as well as three cats, two birds and a dog.

?The boat would not have been big enough. I would have needed an ark, and I was not prepared to build one of those,? quipped Steve.

Green issues float to the top of the agenda in such living conditions, he recalled. ?You become very aware of the environment and do not want to make trash. Even today when I go shopping, I take a bag with me.?

But is life on a boat a realistic alternative to housing? ?I think that in a lot of ways it is. To me the boat was always extremely comfortable. I had to move it when there was rough weather, you have to pay attention to the conditions.

?There?s a lot you have to give up, but nowadays you can get a laptop computer and watch a movie on it. You?re not completely cut off.?

He admitted that some people would have a hard time adjusting to the solitary life after the hustle and bustle of the modern world. ?You almost become like a hermit,? added Steve. ?But the water community looks after the water community, and that?s nice.

?When I was on the boat years ago, the Marine Police at St. George?s used to know who was living where on the water and would come and check how everyone was.

?It?s not the life for everyone, but it was for me. And if you are going to do it anywhere, then Bermuda is the place.?

Another houseboat convert is Danny Greene, who enjoyed 25 years on the ocean waves.

Most of that was spent criss-crossing the Atlantic between New England and the Caribbean, often stopping off in Bermuda.

He met his wife, Lisa, in Bermuda and the couple married in 1988 before spending ten happy years on their boat. They moved ashore the exact day his wife started giving birth.

?We have pretty much been on dry land since then,? said Danny, 57, a part-time boat designer and writer.

He also built his boat and agreed with Steve that ? once this initial financial hurdle had been overcome ? it was an inexpensive way to live.

Rowing back to shore could get ?nasty? in winter, admitted Danny, who moored at Salt Kettle and St. George?s in summer and Hinson?s Island in colder months.

Heating the boat was never a problem and Danny described his set up as cosy. ?All we had to do was out a kettle on the stove and it would heat up the small space.?

But he added: ?The real difficulty was dealing with winter weather and travelling back to land.

?My wife was working at the aquarium and I would have to row in and pick her up. Sometimes it was really nasty.

?When the weather is really bad, I look back now and marvel at how we were able to do it, although at the time we really enjoyed it.

?The difficulty was getting to social engagements. Ninety-five percent of the time it was fine, but was five percent was a real problem.

He said they were able to save money to buy a piece of land and start building their own house, this time on dry land.

?If we had been paying rent we would not have been able to save up,? said Danny.

Not everyone would want to be in the same boat as Steve and Danny were.

But as house prices continue to rise, life on a houseboat on an ocean-locked Island like Bermuda might just be an idea some might consider floating.