How is the term "houseboat" being used in the context of your class?

There are two definitions.

Here in Seattle, we have huge communities of "floating homes." These big
structures, (often 2-3 stories) are very similar to a traditional house. They
are built on barges, and most will never move from the spot where they are
initially moored. Many people call these floating homes, "houseboats". You
would design a traditional kitchen rather than a galley for such a project.

The other common use for the word "houseboat" is a cruising houseboat, one that
is designed to move around under its own power.

A few tips:

1. You must decide at the outset whether you are doing an AC or a DC galley. AC
galley will require an AC generator to power the electric cooktop and oven, and
sometimes the refrigerator/freezer in an AC galley is AC only.

Major component considerations:

Galley sink: The deeper the better. I go aboard boats where the galley sink is
so shallow that it will need to filled to the brim
in order to do any serious dishwashing, etc. That's OK in a house or maybe even
in a motorhome parked in an RV parking lot, but won't do when the boat is
rocking.
You will want several inches of depth above the waterline in the sink. A
divided
sink is handy, but dividing a sink that is too small leaves you with two
unusable sides.

Sink capacity is also a function of your potable water supply. You don't want
to put 5 gallons of water into a galley sink if you only have 20 or so aboard.

If your houseboat is going to be operated
outside of dirty marina envirnoments, etc,
consider a sal****er rinse option for the galley sink. Again, you will want to
use clean sal****er for the rinse, not something with a slick of outboard motor
oil floating by.

Cooking:

If you deisgn an AC galley, you can use a traditional electric stove and oven
(as well as microwaves, blenders, etc etc if space permits). DC galleys will
use a cookstove fired by propane, or sometimes diesel.
DC galleys allow you to be a better neighbor when anchored out, the generator
doesn't need to run all the time. That said, what is the climate like where
your mythical houseboat will be cruising? Is air conditioning a requirement
most of the time? If so, you will most definitely be running an AC generator on
the houseboat anyway.

Consider specifying the use of some adjustable arms or rods to serve as "pot
holders" under way. Once again, cooking and food prep won't be done in a stable
environment. Nobody wants a pot of boiling water sliding off the cooktop.

Don't skimp on the oven and cooktop. A well fed crew is a happy crew. :-)

Refrigerator/freezer. How many people aboard your houseboat? While you'll need
at least 3 cubic feet of fridge space to accomodate basic needs, you will
probably want to add a cubic foot of space
per person aboard beyond three. On an AC boat, many people use common household
refrigerators like a Whirlpool, or etc. Better choices are probably the AC/DC
units, (commonly available in 3-9 cu ft sizes). The AC/DC unit continues to
operate from battery power when underway.

An AC galley also permits the installation of an ice maker. Handy if your
houseboat is primarily used as a floating cocktail lounge.

A few other considerations:

Everything you take for granted in a shoreside building is in short supply on a
a boat. Water, electricity, etc etc. Design accordingly.

Check your local regs. You may be required to drain galley sinks into a "grey
water" holding tank rather than discharge it overboard.

Make the galley a central feature of the houseboat, rather than an afterthought
tucked away in a remote corner. People recreating on the water enjoy eating and
drinking while doing so.

Lighting: Another point where you will need to balance finite resources with
the need for adequate service.

Good luck. :-)