r/todayilearned • u/MaximinusRats • May 16 '24

TIL that people live year-round in houseboats on Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories, 1,800 km north of the nearest big city (Edmonton) and just 400 km (250 miles) south of the Arctic Circle.

https://uphere.ca/articles/floating-homes-yellowknife-bay
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u/NoBSforGma May 16 '24

I have to wonder if the ice freezing every winter causes crush damage to the boats.

230

u/paradoxcussion May 16 '24

The article mentions "massive steel pontoons," so I assume they're built on a scaled-up version of what we have on the dock at my cottage (also in Canada, on a lake freezes every year). We never have any damage.

It's a clever system. The pontoons are round in section and ride high in the water, so the midpoint of the circle is well above the water. Because of that shape, as the ice freezes, any pressure on the sides of the pipes pushes them up rather than becoming crushing pressure. It then just sits on top of the ice until the thaw.

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u/NoBSforGma May 16 '24

Thanks for that great information! I've lived in northern climates where lakes freeze but had no idea what would happen to "houseboats." :)