Yes, stilts look like a good idea, but you've got to have a good foundation. I wouldn't do it without an engineer. Soils along a body of water are apt to be mere layers of sand, silt, clay or gravel, possibly saturated. If you don't know what you are doing, the building could settle.

I feel that it's best not to build too close to water in the first place, but clearly there are thousands of people who do not agree with me.