How do you intend to prevent locals from "visiting" your island when you are away? Once someone realizes there's an awesome free island with lots of cool stuff to play with you might find it prone to vandalizing.
I've had similar romantic notions about owning an island (we kayak a lot). But the reality is that every vacant island IS your island. There's plenty of islands < 1 hour away that are beautiful and completely uninhabited. Hopefully someday I will come upon yours... sounds nice.
<pessimism>I hope it works out for you but taxes go up, structures get vandalized, local permits are annoying and 10 hours is a long friggen drive. And the fastest way to end a friendship is to joint own something.</pessimism>
Unfortunately, the first structure in a remote location is often the first structure the local pyro has an opportunity to torch with no consequences. After losing a camper trailer (not on an island, but in a remote location) to this phenomenon, we've investigated more durable/securable structures but have been reluctant to invest in anything more permanent than tents.
One of these: http://www.junglehammock.com/ and a nice Kayak is your key to staying on any coastline or island. If there's nobody there... then nobody will mind. Ownership = headache.
Holy crap I hope those are nice. The cheapest hammock they offer costs several times the most expensive tent I've ever purchased. When I kayak camp I generally just bring a tarp and a self-inflating pad.
You can get the generally most popular camping hammock, an eno, with straps and a tarp for $70 + $20 + $80 (eno website).
You can get my favorite, the appalachian hammock with a slot for insulation during winter, with a tarp for $99 + $150 [2].
You need a sleeping bag to put in the hammock too too, but most people have those.
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The prices are ridiculous. Look up Hennessy Hammocks for something more reasonable and be prepared to insulate a lot from the bottom, especially in moist climates.
Looks cool. I've always thought sleeping in a Hammock would be nice, but as a stomach sleeper I wonder if it would really be possible. Are things flat and taught enough that you can stomach sleep on them?
(I sleep in hammocks pretty often)
If you set it up taut and lie diagonlly (eg head on left, feet on right, stomach on middle), you will be pretty flat.
Even if one doesn't mind people passing through (and if it's somewhere out in the wilderness I think that's the right attitude), if private improvements are ever seen as open to public use when their owner is not around, it's a matter of time before problems arise.
I've had similar romantic notions about owning an island (we kayak a lot). But the reality is that every vacant island IS your island. There's plenty of islands < 1 hour away that are beautiful and completely uninhabited. Hopefully someday I will come upon yours... sounds nice.
<pessimism>I hope it works out for you but taxes go up, structures get vandalized, local permits are annoying and 10 hours is a long friggen drive. And the fastest way to end a friendship is to joint own something.</pessimism>