To some, the four White Barn Inn houseboats on the Kennebunk River represent luxury, with their wet bar, private rooftop, maid service and front door breakfast delivery.
To others, the Cora, Nettie, Grace, and Ivory, as the houseboats are named, create a safety hazard and neighborhood disturbance by congesting both water and roads in the area.
The White Barn Inn has held marina status since 2001, allowing it to dock the houseboats at Doane’s Wharf. The custom floating hotel rooms sleep four and are available year-round with one-night rates advertised as ranging from $354 off-season to $3,711 during peak times.
The approval of the White Barn Inn’s houseboat plan came about from a “surprise event” according to a February 2025 letter sent to the Kennebunk Select Board by Bob Danzillo, then chair of the Kennebunk River Committee.
“It became instantly clear that the River Committee was never informed of this plan and that it seemed passed through code enforcement with very little if any public exposure,” he wrote. “It doesn’t appear that this was ever even presented to a Planning Board.”
While the Kennebunk Select Board remains committed to keeping the river open for commercial and recreational traffic, Kennebunk River Committee officials now seek a clear definition of a “houseboat” and an amendment to an ordinance regarding river use by a houseboat.
Kennebunk and Kennebunkport share the responsibility of the river through the Kennebunk River Committee and have an agreement that grants the committee authority to act as planning, management and appeals board in order to assist in the management of the river.
In his letter, Danzillo also identified traffic congestion, parking, local resident access, EMS, fire and police response and environmental impact as issues with the houseboats.
While the Kennebunk River Committee addresses ordinance language for future houseboat proposals, some Kennebunk residents live with their impact every day.
Edie Lamberts, a full-time resident of Doane’s Wharf Road, said the houseboats and the Inn’s cottages on the site impact the access road that leads to them and creates congestion. Guests’ cars enter and leave throughout the day and daily maid and food services also add to vehicle traffic.
“Doane’s Wharf Road is an unpaved one-lane private road that cannot accommodate the additional commercial traffic that this development of houseboats creates,” said Lamberts. “I don’t think they’ve added anything to the river or to the neighborhood. The river is for navigation, I don’t think they should have lodging on the river. The channel is very narrow anyway and it’s hard for other boats to get through.”
The Kennebunk River Committee did not respond to requests for comment.
The 6-foot-deep, 75-foot-wide channel at the Route 9 bridge frequently has congestion issues, according to locals.
“There are at least half a dozen commercial boats passing by at least twice a day the houseboats tied along Doane’s Wharf,” said Jamie Houtz, Kennebunk River harbormaster. “One of which, 85 feet long, carries passengers out the river to the ocean looking for whales. The others are from 65 to 23 feet, all of which are chartered for either fishing, sailing, or lobstering. This does not include any private vessels that are home to the marinas above Doanes Wharf, or the transient boat owners who are visiting the river for a couple of nights.”
Bob Domine, a Kennebunkport resident who navigates that section of the river for recreation, recognizes how tight the river gets. “The Kennebunk River is narrow. During the season, it’s busy to say the least. The river current runs fast when the tide is changing. Under all those very real circumstances, it’s not clear that it’s a good idea to install permanent structures in the channel, which further narrows it and adds to the congestion. Time will tell,” said Domine.
The White Barn Inn declined to comment for this story.
Miriam Whitehouse, chair of the Kennebunk Select Board, said the area was not built with current needs in mind. “We live in a very old New England town built a long time ago when there were far fewer people, cars were smaller and our commerce revolved around boatbuilding, shoe making, and fishing. While tourism became a part of the economy, it was not predominant.”
Although fishing alone may have once been the commerce of the river, today the river sees around 415 boats in the Kennebunk River during the peak time of summer. “Now, as we try to accommodate the pressures of modern life, we are frustrated by the limitations of our physical environment. We can’t widen the roads, or the river. We want to preserve our quaint little town, but the pressure to expand makes that very difficult,” said Whitehouse.
Pam Drown owns a small cottage on Doane’s Wharf Road and brings a broader perspective to the issue. “I am more concerned about what is going to happen to the rest of the river. I hope for the protection of the whole river,” she said. “I want to make sure the whole river isn’t filled with houseboats.”
Drown’s concerns carry across the river. While the houseboats dock on the Kennebunk side, Kennebunkport is not immune to impacts such as these on the river. Meeting minutes from a Kennebunkport Select Board and Growth Planning Committee Joint meeting on June 16, 2026, reflect that “Selectperson Gilbert and Laurie Smith, Town Manager, have met with Jamie Houtz, Kennebunk Harbormaster, to discuss the mooring issue and will continue that discussion.”
But not everyone views the houseboats negatively. “I spend a lot of time paddle boarding on the river, and I love the sense of community of the people who enjoy the water. In my view, the houseboats complement the variety of other boats also in the harbor,” said Lana Wescott, a resident of Kennebunkport. “They actually remind me of wonderful summers spent on a houseboat with my grandparents and my sister on Kentucky Lake so when I see them, I get a little nostalgic.”
In fact, Wescott would like to check out the houseboats firsthand. “I wouldn’t mind spending a few nights in one, in the name of consumer research, of course,” she said with a smile.
