Free Houseboat Timeshare

A few years ago on a trip to Lake Powell, my friend introduced me to an idea that could allow someone to work their way into a houseboat timeshare for free.

The secret to the deal is facilitating the transaction. Houseboat ownerships are generally split up between 8 to 16 owners who purchase timeshares of the 16 prime weeks on Lake Powell. If one person were find a boat, take care of the legalities, and get 7 people together who want to buy a 500k houseboat, that person could simply split the weeks into 8 shares and charge the other 7 people for the houseboat. 7 shares of a 500k houseboat would cost about $72,000, but the boat will actually be shared with 8 people.

Some might not see this as fair or reasonable, but if the market dictates that a person can facilitate a transaction, and the consumers are willing to (or unaware that) the facilitator receives a free share in the houseboat, I think it should be fine. It's definitely not illegal. If anyone knows someone who wants to buy a houseboat.....