LONG ISLAND, HARPSWELL – Here is the Maine island experience very nearly at its purest. A roof over one’s head, and … not a lot else, by all-modern-comforts-and-conveniences standards.

But lovers of the outdoors, especially boaters, will recognize what a gem is here: An 1,150-square-foot cottage with 405 feet of deepwater-access frontage, with private dock, ramp and float on the broad New Meadows River; and 5.26 acres, almost all wooded, on one of Harpswell’s largest islands.

You need a boat to get here, of course. The cottage is on a protected cove, and the 15-minute boat ride from the mainland dock is in protected waters.

The cottage, built in 2000, is a sweet blend of traditional character, and more modern styling, as in the great room’s cathedral ceiling. Electricity is generator-supplied. Water is from a well. The bathroom is a composting toilet, but a septic design is available.

There’s a kitchen area with sink, but no stove or fridge. One can grill, or cook on the fire pit out front.

The 24-foot great room occupies most of the main level, but the paneled-ceiling bedroom is good-sized, and has a full-view door to out back. The large loft provides plenty of additional sleeping space.

Take-the-chill-off heat comes in the form of a wood stove in the 16-foot-by-16-foot screened porch. Charm comes in many forms, such as beadboard accents, wide-pine flooring, handsome paneling, the kitchen’s oak counter, the gentle sound of the screen door closing, the glorious sunsets afforded by western exposure, and the delightful playhouse, built crooked just as the nursery rhyme calls for.

The cottage, 57/11 Long Island, Harpswell, is listed at $249,500 by Celeste Perkins and Rob Williams of Rob Williams Real Estate in Harpswell. Please contact Celeste or Rob at 833-5078; celeste@baileyisland.com, or rob@baileyisland.com.

Produced by the Marketing Department of the Portland Press Herald, the Friday feature home is provided at no cost.

Photos by Melanie Sochan, staff photographer.

Send feature home suggestions to jrolfe@pressherald.com.