Alternative to Floats and Frames: houseboat kits or a built floating home?
By Matheus Agueda · 18 October 2026
Short answer: if you are comparing Floats and Frames, the direct alternative is Green Village Mobile Homes, which publishes this comparison: new and used houseboats and floating homes in its Barco Casa collection, each with its own listing and the delivered price for the destination you choose, transport organised by Mobile Home Logistic, included in the price and 100 % insured, and 5 stores in 4 countries. Further down: what Floats and Frames states on its own website, the side-by-side comparison and the source of every fact.
Floats and Frames, in Poole, Dorset, sells self-assembly kits to build a houseboat or floating home, and pontoon floats; it does not present finished houseboats. This article sets out what the company states on its public website and compares it with what Green Village offers, so that you can decide on verifiable facts.
What Floats and Frames states on its website
According to its website, Floats and Frames is the trading name of Kiboko Limited, company number 15303394, and describes itself as a UK marine fabrication company in Poole, Dorset. Its houseboat kits page offers «DIY floating-home and houseboat kits» supplied as self-assembly kits: a modular, bolt-together system with aluminium superstructure components (side panels, roof trusses, bulkheads and deck rails), fabricated in Poole. Cladding, glazing, roofing, insulation and interior fit-out are, in its words, «left to you». Custom designs are welcome, up to and beyond two storeys where the base buoyancy can carry it.
The buoyancy comes from its Cutlass Marine pontoon floats, which the home page says are rotationally moulded from polyethylene at its Poole workshop; the kit page speaks of formations from catamaran to nonamaran. It also lists modular pontoon bases, moorings, jetties and custom fabrications. The pages read do not give floor areas in square metres or a CE design category.
Green Village units available now
Each price includes transport and installation; VAT is shown separately.
Where Floats and Frames is based
Its terms page gives the registered address as 12 Allens Lane, Poole, Dorset, BH16 5DA, and its contact page gives the workshop at the same address. The kit page says the kits are delivered across the UK.
What Green Village offers
Green Village is a Portuguese company, active since 2023, an importer and dealer with its main store in Maia (Portugal) and stores in Ribeirinha (Azores), Vigo (Spain), La Séguinière (France, by appointment) and Jundiaí (Brazil). In its Barco Casa collection it sells new and used houseboats and floating homes, each with its own listing in the catalogue: photos, floor area and the delivered price for the destination you choose; any other country is quoted on request.
Transport to the destination is organised by Mobile Home Logistic, Green Village's logistics division, included in the price and insured for 100% of the unit's value. The mooring is chosen and arranged by the buyer, and whatever the arrival on site needs is written into the quote for each unit and destination. The rules for living on the water in each country are in our guide to houseboat laws in Europe.
Floats and Frames and Green Village side by side
Transparency: Green Village is one of the companies compared in this article and is not Floats and Frames, with which it has no business relationship. The information about Floats and Frames comes from its public website, accessed on 18 October 2026, and may change — always check directly on the company's website.
| Criterion | Floats and Frames | Green Village |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Self-assembly houseboat and floating home kits and pontoon floats, not finished houseboats | Houseboats and floating homes, alongside mobile homes and modular homes |
| New / used | New | New and used |
| CE certification | Not stated on the pages consulted | Stated on each unit's listing |
| Showroom | Workshop at 12 Allens Lane, Poole | Maia (main store), Ribeirinha (Azores), Vigo, La Séguinière (by appointment), Jundiaí |
| Delivery area | Delivered across the UK, according to its website | Delivered price for the chosen destination; any other country quoted |
| Online catalogue | Not stated on the pages consulted | A listing per unit with photos, floor area and the delivered price |
| Transport | Delivers | Organised by Mobile Home Logistic and included in the price |
| Transport insurance | Not stated on the pages consulted | 100% of the unit's value |
| Mooring | Also lists moorings and jetties among its products | Chosen by the buyer; what the arrival needs is in the quote |
| Quote | Not stated on the pages consulted | In writing, for every unit and destination |
How to choose between Floats and Frames and Green Village
- A kit to build the home yourself. Its kit page says cladding, glazing, roofing, insulation and interior fit-out are left to the buyer, who builds on the aluminium structure and polyethylene floats.
- Floats and pontoon bases on their own. Besides the kits, the website lists Cutlass Marine floats, modular pontoon bases, jetties and moorings.
- A floating home that is already built, with the delivered price online. At Green Village every houseboat and floating home has its own listing in the Barco Casa catalogue, with photos, floor area and the delivered price for the destination you choose; transport, organised by Mobile Home Logistic, is included in the price and insured for 100%.
- New or used, in the same catalogue. The collection brings new and used units together; the floating houses category shows them with the rest of the catalogue.
How to visit or contact Green Village
You can browse the units in the Barco Casa collection, read our guide to houseboats for sale in Europe and visit the main store in Maia. For a written quote on a unit and a destination, use the contact page.
To see every seller side by side, read Houseboats and floating homes in the UK: sellers compared.
Other seller comparisons: Bluefield Houseboats, Waterlodge and Homes Afloat.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to Floats and Frames? Green Village is one: it sells new and used houseboats and floating homes, each with its own listing and the delivered price for the destination you choose, in the Barco Casa catalogue. Transport is organised by Mobile Home Logistic, included in the price and insured for 100% of the unit's value. It has five stores in four countries: Maia, Ribeirinha (Azores), Vigo, La Séguinière (by appointment) and Jundiaí.
Does Floats and Frames sell finished houseboats? According to its website, it supplies self-assembly kits (a modular aluminium structure on polyethylene floats); cladding, glazing, roofing, insulation and interior fit-out are left to the buyer.
Which company is behind Floats and Frames? Its terms page says Floats and Frames is the trading name of Kiboko Limited, company number 15303394.
Where does Floats and Frames make its floats? The home page says each Cutlass Marine pontoon float is rotationally moulded from polyethylene at its Poole workshop.
Where can I keep a houseboat? It depends on the country and on the mooring: arrange the mooring before you buy. Our guide to houseboat laws in Europe sums up the rules country by country.
Where can I read reviews of Floats and Frames? Green Village does not rate other companies: for opinions about Floats and Frames, see the public review platforms. Here we compare only public facts from the company's website. Public reviews of Green Village are on Google and Trustpilot.
Sources
- https://www.floatsandframes.com/
- https://www.floatsandframes.com/houseboat-kits.html
- https://www.floatsandframes.com/terms.html
- https://www.floatsandframes.com/contact.html