A Seattle man has created a home for himself in a 14-foot boat anchored under a highway bridge near the University of Washington campus.

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William Kaphaem has rigged the boat with a tarpaulin for shelter, The Seattle Times reported. He has a Coleman lantern and stove and even a battery-powered radio.

Kaphaem, 51, who uses the name Three Stars, told the Times he previously had rented a room from an elderly couple. They died last year, and he needed low-cost housing.

"I've got a lot of stuff. I didn't want to schlep it around town like some tramp," he said. "I've got more dignity than that."

Living in the rowboat allows him to survive on a monthly disability check of less than $700. He has a range of fishing rods and gets much of his food that way.

During the summer, he rows to the Sammamish River, which drains into the north end of Lake Washington. He lists the wildlife he can see there: "Beavers, muskrats, wood ducks, eagles -- lots of eagles -- blue herons, green herons, mallards, Canada geese, cormorants, kingfishers, raccoons, coyotes, now and then."