NaCzarter Team
· Updated
Stillo 30 and 31: when a floating home beats a sailboat
I'll answer straight away, because this is what people ask on the pontoon most often. A houseboat wins when comfort, calm and licence-free cruising matter, and it loses when someone came to Masuria to actually sail. Stillo 30 and Stillo 31 are floating homes for eight people. No mast, no sails, no tacking. A short briefing on site and off you go.
They are moored with us at Port Royal in Gizycko, on Lake Kisajno. I see these crews every Saturday from spring to autumn, so I'm writing what you can see from the pontoon, not what looks good in a brochure.
No licence, and that's not a marketing trick
This is the one argument that tips the scales for most people. You steer a houseboat without any certificate. Before departure you get training on site: the engine, manoeuvring, mooring to piles and to a mooring line, entering the lock, what not to do in a crosswind. Then you cast off and follow the route half of Masuria follows. We covered the formal side in a separate piece: houseboat without a licence in Masuria, and a broader overview of the boats is here: what you can sail without a licence.
What does that change in practice? The group doesn't need "that one person who knows how". Nobody spends the whole holiday at the helm as the full-time skipper. The person named in the contract takes the wheel and needs no paperwork for it, and the other adults take turns through the week. The tension of the trip drops on day one.
Saturday with us always looks the same. You take over the boat, we go through the equipment together, then training on the water and a first approach to the pontoon. The deposit and mandatory fees are settled on site, in cash, so don't look for them in the online payment. If you set off in the afternoon, plan your first night close by, in a harbour. Day one is not the day for ambitious passages.
A flat bottom does more than you'd think
The Stillo 30 is 9.1 metres long, 3.3 metres wide, with a draught of 0.6 to 0.7 metres. The engine is around 30 hp. Those few dozen centimetres under the water are not a technical detail, they are real freedom on the water. Where a sailboat with a centreboard has to calculate, sound and lift, a houseboat simply goes in. Shallower bays, shallower approaches, smaller harbours with shallow entrances. That doesn't mean you stop reading the chart. Masurian rocks take no interest in how much you have under the hull.
On top of that there is no mast. You don't fuss over height, you don't work out clearances, the swing bridge in Gizycko and the Guzianka lock are routine for a boat like this. You go through during their opening hours and that's it. Check them in the morning and build the day around them, not the other way round.
Three cabins, a proper bathroom and a table you can sit out the rain at
The Stillo 30 has three cabins and eight berths. The bathroom is a bathroom, not an acrobatic act. But the thing people only appreciate once they're on board is the fixed table in the saloon. When it rains for the third day in a row, and in Masuria it can rain for three days in a row, all eight of you sit down, eat dinner, play cards and nobody gets under anyone's feet. On a sailboat the same rain means a cabin where four people lie down and four stand up.
The deck works as a second room. Coffee in the morning, shade at midday, and in the evening a place where half the crew sits once the kids are asleep below. That's exactly the difference: a sailboat is a yacht with somewhere to sleep, a houseboat is a flat that floats.
The honest downsides, because there are some
The high topsides catch a crosswind like a sail. Genuinely. In a harbour you have to be a few seconds ahead of the boat, because once she starts drifting she won't come back on her own. We teach that during the briefing: approach slower, line up earlier, pick up the mooring line with the boathook from the stern and walk it forward to the bow. In a strong wind it's better to come into harbour early than to fight for a berth late in the evening.
The second downside is emotional. There's no thrill. No heel, no snap of the sheet, no moment when the boat settles and picks up speed. This is a journey, not a sport. Third: walking pace. You don't "make up" a lost day on a houseboat. If it's blowing on Sniardwy, you cross Sniardwy in the morning or not at all, and that's a decision, not a failure.
Houseboat or cabin sailboat
| Feature | Houseboat (Stillo 30 / 31) | Cabin sailboat |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Not required, training on site | Required |
| Draught | 0.6 to 0.7 m, flat bottom | Centreboard or fin, watch the depth |
| Space in the rain | Fixed table, whole crew under cover | Cramped, part of the crew sits in shifts |
| Harbour manoeuvres | Sensitive to crosswind, plan ahead | Lower topsides, less drift |
| Excitement | Calm cruising | Tacking, heel, sport |
| Pace | Walking pace | Depends on the wind |
If you're still torn, we broke it down piece by piece in a separate article: sailing yacht or motorboat in Masuria.
Who it's for
Families with small children. Here a houseboat has no competition: a stable deck, no heel, somewhere a child can lie down in the middle of the day. Groups of friends who want comfort rather than watches. People without a licence who don't want to get one the week before their holiday. Older guests, because getting on board and moving around is normal walking, not gymnastics.
Who do I talk out of it? Anyone who closes their eyes and sees a taut sail. That person will step off a houseboat disappointed, even if everything else was fine.
Stillo 30 or Stillo 31
Both take eight people, both need no licence, both cruise the same route. The Stillo 31 is the newer build, 2025, and the interior is simply fresher. The Stillo 30 is proven, it has been with us longer and we know everything about her. Eight people sleep the same on both, and you manoeuvre them identically. If you care about the newest boat, take the 31. If you're mainly looking at dates, take whatever is free in your week and don't overthink it.
A story from the pontoon, because it keeps repeating. A few seasons ago a group came for a sailboat, six people including two small children. Over the week the weather gave them two days of wind and four days of rain. Handing the boat back on Saturday, the father said one sentence: "It was good, but in that rain we were sitting on top of each other." The next season they booked a houseboat. Then again. They didn't stop liking sailing, they just stopped mixing a holiday with small children with doing a sport.
A few rules of life on the water
Masuria is a protected area. Rubbish and sewage go ashore in harbours, nothing goes into the lake. No barbecues on deck, only in designated spots on land. Quiet hours apply in harbours at night and that is not a suggestion. You don't go ashore on islands that are nature reserves, including those on Kisajno. In peak season charters run Saturday to Saturday, outside the peak shorter slots are possible. If you want it all in one place, we have a complete guide to houseboats in Masuria.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really take a houseboat out without a licence? Yes. No certificate is needed, you get training in the harbour before departure: the engine, manoeuvring, mooring, the lock. You need to be an adult, named in the contract and sober.
How many people realistically sleep comfortably? Eight berths are eight berths, three cabins plus the saloon. But honestly: six adults, or four people plus children, is comfort, eight is full occupancy and less room for luggage.
Will it fit under the swing bridge in Gizycko and through the Guzianka lock? Yes. These are standard boats for the Masurian route, they pass both the bridge and the lock. You just watch the opening hours and plan your day around them.
Can you spend the night at anchor? You can, in a sheltered bay off the fairway, with an anchor light at night and plenty of scope on the anchor line. Remember the high topsides catch the wind, so with a poor overnight forecast it's better to stay in harbour, at the piles or on a mooring line.
How is handling a houseboat different from a motorboat? It's bigger, slower and more sensitive to crosswind during manoeuvres. You do everything early, calmly and without jerking.
Can you put up a sail on a houseboat when the wind is good? No, a houseboat has no mast and no sails. It's a floating home with a flat bottom, all the cruising is done under engine.
Cover photo: NaCzarter.pl (own fleet)
