Lindenhurst boaters' home features tiki bar boathouse
Eleanor Ketcham, 79, and her husband Spencer, 80, in their nautical-themed boathouse, which dates to 1924, behind their Lindenhurst home that overlooks Neguntatogue Creek. Credit: Daniel Brennan
A four-bedroom, four-bathroom expanded ranch in Lindenhurst, which is listed for $560,000, comes with an unusual perk: a 950-square-foot tiki bar. The bar -- originally a boathouse built in 1924 – includes electricity, a bathroom and a long history of good times, says owner Spencer Ketcham, 80.
“We also own the property next door, so we have empty boat slips for our friends to stop by,” he says. And stop by they have, on many a Friday night or a Sunday afternoon, he says. “We put in a pool next door, and everybody would sort of gather around on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy the boathouse. Everybody would just about empty out their coolers … and it would become one big party.”
The 50-by-155-foot property includes three boat slips on wide Neguntatogue Creek, which Ketcham estimates to be about 15 feet deep. “The canal is 200 feet wide where my house is,” and it’s just 200 yards from the Great South Bay, Ketcham says.
The home features an open floor plan and an elevator. Annual taxes are $18,403. Ketcham says he was not required to buy flood insurance but chose to purchase a $250,000 policy with an annual premium of $1,000. The home is listed with Richard Bocchieri and Annie Bos Greene of Netter Real Estate.
There’s a good chance you might still see Ketcham and his wife Eleanor, 79, around town. They are condo shopping in Lindenhurst, and their son is purchasing the home next door.
To see a video about the Ketcham house -- and read about other homes and communities that appeal to boaters, click here for the Newsday Home section's latest installment of Best Places to Live.
