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If You’re Considering Putting a Sailboat Inside Your House, Read This First

On Genoa Bay in British Columbia, the green tin roof of an enormous estate commands attention. The home sits on the Genoa Bay point and offers unmatched waterfront views of the blue-green bay. The exterior stands as a statement piece—which was precisely what owner George O’Brien wanted when he added the bright-green roof.

However, the interior reveals an even bolder statement—a 41-foot sailboat hull adorns the ceiling in the home’s main living and dining space. O’Brien was a sailing enthusiast as well as a member of the Cruising Club of America.

“This was O’Brien’s legacy piece,” says listing agent Brian Danyliw. “He wanted people to remember him for something.”

Mission accomplished. Now, a new owner can drop anchor in the one-of-a-kind home for $2.25 million CAD.

The fully functional racing hull was purchased by O’Brien from Cooper Industries, a sailboat manufacturer that met its demise in a 1970s fire. Only a few sailboat hulls survived.

Two years after purchasing the hull, O’Brien decided he wanted to make it part of the home’s interior. Simply getting the full-sized boat into the living room was a huge logistical hurdle. “He had to have a wooden dolly custom-built. It looked kind of like train tracks. He and a team of people attached the hull of the sailboat and rolled the thing into the living room,” says Danyliw.

And in order to fit the boat into the house, O’Brien had to remove the entire west wall. Furniture was covered with sheets and shoved out of the way to make space for the hull. Once the boat was safely inside, a new wall was reconstructed in place of the demolished wall.

But wait, there’s more!

Four sturdy beams of fir wood were then affixed to the floor below and the ceiling above to create a frame of vertical support for the hull. Two additional beams were attached to the upright beams and a metal bar the length of the hull was attached to the boat’s top.

A small crane was then used to lift the boat into place, and it was finally secured to the ceiling for evermore. Now the sailboat floats elegantly above the room without any tether to the ground below. For a buyer who craves a touch of the life aquatic, this fabulous feature would be nearly impossible to replicate.Living space
Best of all? The massive boat taking up ceiling space in the main living area doesn’t make the 7,500-square-foot home, with its eight bedrooms, feel cramped. The living space stretches the entire length of the house and offers an abundance of room to spread out. A huge wraparound deck ensures water lovers will have more than just a sailboat’s hull to enjoy the feeling of life at sea.

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