An online petition is circulating calling on the state to allow a Lisbon Falls family to anchor their non-motorized houseboat, or floating camp, in the Androscoggin River between Brunswick and Topsham, where it has spent every summer for more than a decade.
The Oram family pulled their houseboat out of the water in early August after the Department of Marine Resources informed them that under a new state law, they could no longer set up camp on the river. Dan Oram, who also goes by “Houseboat Dan,” said the agency told him he’d face fines of up to $500 per day if he didn’t remove the platform by Aug. 10.
The Orams’ story was first publicized by WMTW. The family is now drawing support online from locals who say that the houseboat was a staple of the community and a sign of summer.
With the houseboat now out of the water, Oram told a reporter last week that he’s unsure of what the future holds for his family’s summer getaway.
The law, passed in 2025, prohibits “nonwater-dependent” floating structures in internal waters. So-called “floating camps” are difficult to regulate, can contribute to pollution and restrict others’ water access, a working group of state agencies tasked with addressing such structures concluded at the time.
Oram said he previously believed his houseboat would be grandfathered in when the law changed.
“It’s been sitting on this river for 11 years and I never had a problem,” Oram said.
Oram, who works in construction, built the three-room floating cottage himself on top of a pontoon boat. It has a sleeping area, a Porta-Potty-style bathroom and kitchen. The houseboat has no running water or electricity, and Oram said the family has been conscious to carry in and carry out all of their waste.
The Orams moored their houseboat in Wyman Lake for a few years before moving it to the Androscoggin River in summer 2016 to watch the Great State of Maine Air Show.
That was also the year Oram’s 22-year-old son, Nicholas, died in a car accident near the family’s former home in Topsham. The houseboat still brings up memories of Nicholas.
“I spent my son’s last year on this planet on that houseboat,” Oram said.
Asked for comment last week, Maine Department of Marine Resources spokesperson Jeff Nichols cited the statute.
“In early August, Marine Patrol notified Mr. Oram that because his structure meets the definition of a nonwater-dependent structure he was in violation of (the law),” Nichols said in an email.
Oram is weighing whether to install a motor on the camp so it can qualify legally as a boat.
Meanwhile, he has gathered nearly 3,000 signatures on a “save the houseboat” petition, with some signers commenting their fond memories of seeing the houseboat off Route 1.
“My husband and I used to take our boat on the river and always enjoyed seeing this houseboat. It meant summer fun had arrived! Always well kept and never in anyone’s way to pass through there,” one commenter wrote. “Stop sucking the joy from people just because you haven’t figured out a way to tax it!”
“My parents live near the houseboat. It’s basically a landmark!” wrote another.
Oram said he hopes his family can get back to enjoying summers on the river.
“We’ve had so many good times,” he said.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Katie Langley can be reached at klangley@metln.org.