A California professor spent $5,000 building an 80-square-foot cabin on a shantyboat. Now he travels through America's river communities on it every summer - here's how he does it.

Oct 22, 2019, 18:48 IST

Wes Modes is an artist and a university lecturer. During the summers, he lives on a shantyboat and travels through river communities all over the country.

Modes' shantyboat, which is named Dotty, is 20 feet long and 8 feet wide.

In 2012, with the help of his friends, Modes began constructing Dotty from scratch.

Below is an early drawing of the cabin layout.

From the beginning of construction in 2012 to the launch in 2014, Modes told Business Insider that he spent about $5,000 on the boat's materials.

It was completed in 2014, just days before it set sail on its maiden voyage on the Upper Mississippi River.

Though it's tiny, the cabin includes a small kitchen area, windows, bookshelves, and a couch.

"The most important piece of equipment on the entire boat is our mocha pot," Modes jokingly told Business Insider.

Above the living area is the captain's quarters, which is a loft area with a mattress.

Here's a closer look at the captain's quarters.

There's even a small bathroom area on the boat.

During the summer voyages, Modes, along with a few shipmates, moves through various river communities and records the stories of the people who live in them.

He told Business Insider that his favorite days during these voyages are travel days.

Modes and his shipmates also exhibit the project. They have at least one major exhibition every year and will do pop-up exhibitions along the rivers they travel through, he explained to Business Insider.

Modes and his shipmates also exhibit the project. They have at least one major exhibition every year and will do pop-up exhibitions along the rivers they travel through, he explained to Business Insider.

Over the last six years, Dotty has traveled 1,800 miles on five different rivers and through 16 states, Modes told Business Insider.

On land, in order to get the boat from point A to point B, Dotty is towed by a truck. According to the book "Cabin Porn: Inside," the boat has traveled along 26,000 miles of road.

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A California professor spent $5,000 building an 80-square-foot cabin on a shantyboat. Now he travels through America's river communities on it every summer - here's how he does it.

Wes Modes is an artist and a university lecturer. During the summers, he lives on a shantyboat and travels through river communities all over the country.

Modes' shantyboat, which is named Dotty, is 20 feet long and 8 feet wide.

In 2012, with the help of his friends, Modes began constructing Dotty from scratch.

Below is an early drawing of the cabin layout.

From the beginning of construction in 2012 to the launch in 2014, Modes told Business Insider that he spent about $5,000 on the boat's materials.

It was completed in 2014, just days before it set sail on its maiden voyage on the Upper Mississippi River.

Though it's tiny, the cabin includes a small kitchen area, windows, bookshelves, and a couch.

"The most important piece of equipment on the entire boat is our mocha pot," Modes jokingly told Business Insider.

Above the living area is the captain's quarters, which is a loft area with a mattress.

Here's a closer look at the captain's quarters.

There's even a small bathroom area on the boat.

During the summer voyages, Modes, along with a few shipmates, moves through various river communities and records the stories of the people who live in them.

He told Business Insider that his favorite days during these voyages are travel days.

Modes and his shipmates also exhibit the project. They have at least one major exhibition every year and will do pop-up exhibitions along the rivers they travel through, he explained to Business Insider.

Over the last six years, Dotty has traveled 1,800 miles on five different rivers and through 16 states, Modes told Business Insider.

On land, in order to get the boat from point A to point B, Dotty is towed by a truck. According to the book "Cabin Porn: Inside," the boat has traveled along 26,000 miles of road.