Two friends have transformed a decrepit $4,000 pontoon boat into a striking $140,000 houseboat, complete with Hamptons-style shingle cladding and a light wood interior, turning them into unexpected social media stars in the process. The project, led by Jake Doggett in Massachusetts, has drawn widespread attention as an example of ambitious DIY renovation, showing how a near-worthless vessel can be reborn as a stylish floating home.

The pair stripped the rotting pontoon back to its frame before rebuilding it with high-end finishes, mirroring the coastal aesthetic associated with the Hamptons, alongside a bright, minimalist interior finished in blonde wood. The scale of the transformation, and the huge gulf between the initial purchase price and the finished value, has fuelled interest online and turned the makeover into a viral success story.