Any houseboaters out there?

[smiles33]

DH and I have been going houseboating every year for about 4 years now. Our favorite place is Lake Shasta in Northern CA, but we've also gone to Lake Don Pedro and considered another lake whose name I can't recall (but they don't allow dogs so we ended up not going).

We take a week up there, just the 2 of us with our terrier, and just relax. Nothing but good food, lots of sun, piles of great books and magazines, lots of naps and other fun. ;)

Within the past 2 years, DH has started bass fishing so now he brings us his bass boat and takes off early every morning to fish. But he comes back by noon for lunch and a nap. I brought FIL's portable DVD player on the last trip this past Spring, as I've started to get a bit bored. I used to bring puzzles, but that got old fast. I've also brought a floating lounge chair in the past, but you can only float for so long. I'd love more ideas of what to do.

Anyone else go houseboating? Where do you go? What do you like doing?

[seattleguamgirl]

Our friends own a houseboat and invite us every year. We go up to the Delta (also live in the Bay Area until later this month when we move to Seattle). We mostly love lounging around on the boat, suntanning, bbqing, etc. Our friends also have a ski boat with wake boards and water skiis, and they have two jet skiis. We love to do all of the above. :)

[Koala_Gurl]

I've gone once, we went to Lake Mead with the family (about 15 or so of us.) It was a lot of fun, quite hot, but the A/C worked so well in the boat.

We got hit with a few monsoons, and I can't imagine how some people survive these trips (those who may be new to boating). We are a family of boaters, and one storm actually had all of us working our tails off to secure the boats (we had one large houseboat, and two smaller boats with us.) But, sitting on the top deck at night watching the thunderstorms was pretty cool.

My family is going again this year to Lake Powell, but with a 4 month old, we thought that it might not be the most relaxing vacation. :) I am bummed, I have always wanted to go there. Next time.

[MamaBear]

Smiles- Do you rent your houseboat at whatever lake it is you are going to? Are they hard to navigate? What is the cost? We have talked about renting a houseboat before. Some of our friends are interested in going too. Just wanted to get a little info from someone who knows. It does sound very relaxing!

[smiles33]

Hi all!

SeattleGUamgirl we considered the Delta, but were told by others that it tends to be busier and there are those things (I forgot what they're called, but dirt embankments in the middle of the river) that your boat can accidentally get stuck on! Plus, DH actually doesn't like the jet skiers/wake boarders as they make our houseboat and his bass boat list back and forth from the waves. So we like "hiding" out in coves up at Lake Shasta where we're protected from the waves. I don't know whether the Delta has any hiding spots like that...

Koala_Gurl that sounds scary! It rained on us fairly heavily this past May when we went (right before the prices went up in June) but the lightning was far enough away that I never saw it, just heard the thunder booming! I was still paranoid, though, as our houseboat is made of metal so I don't know what would happen if lightning struck us! Fortunately, DH and I tend to "dock" and not move frequently once we've found a good spot and I knew he had pounded in the stakes really deeply so I wasn't afraid of being swept away. We don't know whether we'll be going again next year as we're now TTC and there's no way I want to be in the middle of nowhere if pregnant in case of complications. And I'd be hesitant to go houseboating with an infant, as it takes over an hour just to get back to a marina (unless you dock really close by) and then "civilization" (meaning a hospital) is still a lengthy drive away.

Yes, MamaBear we rent every year. Our dream is to one day buy one when we retire so we live up there in the Spring and Fall (mild weather AND no crowds of frat kids having keggers on the rented party boats!).

If you're thinking about Lake Shasta, the cheapest option is to rent a small boat ("6 person sleeper" though it would be VERY close quarters for 6 adults). We rent from Holiday Harbor Marina, as our old favorite Shasta Marina raised its prices (and upgraded its boats, I think, to justify the increase). We don't mind the older boats as it saves a couple hundred dollars.

As for pricing, I just looked up HH's website, http://www.lakeshasta.com/houseboat.html , and in the offseason (Jan. 1 - June 9 and Aug. 26 - Dec. 31) it costs $425 for a 2 day trip (which I think is too short!) up to $1140 for a week-long trip. We started with a 3 day trip the first time, in case we didn't like it, and now go on week-long trips. We always try to go on the edge of off-season to save money and the other benefits are that it's warm but not unbearably hot (though often cold at nights) and we avoid the crowds.

They're easy to control (much less than a shift stick car) as it's a steering wheel and a lever that you use to accelerate and slow down (no brakes on a boat!). The hardest part for me is having patience, as even after turning the steering wheel, it takes a while to turn the boat because it controls the rudder (versus like a car that's much more responsive).

I forgot to mention that we always plan our menu for weeks in advance (we love to eat!) and take advantage of the BBQ. DH has made ribs, BBQ'ed chicken, homemade hamburgers, steaks, fish (he usually catches and releases but if timing is right, he sometimes will fry one up for us), and even bake brownies and crescent rolls (there is an oven).

Hope you get to go soon! We miss it already...

[smiles33]

Thought I'd post some photos to give you a better idea!


Here's the layout of the small boat
http://www.lakeshasta.com/hb_images/fp_diplomat.gif

A photo of its exterior

http://www.lakeshasta.com/hb_images/full_diplomat.jpg

A gorgeous shot of Shasta Lake

http://www.lakeshasta.com/silo_lakefacts.jpg

[snowzilla]

Bumping because I just found this thread! Houseboating is a pretty common pasttime around here - Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, Canada is a hub of houseboating activity - a total party lake! My husband has been on five or six houseboating vacations now, and myself only one. (We were supposed to go on another one last week, but had to cancel it because I'm pregnant, and I'm showing signs of premature labor.)

Last July, we went on an adults only trip, but there are plenty of families who also vacation on the lake, and the next trip we take, we'll definitely take the kids with us.

The company we book with is called Twin Anchors (http://www.twinanchors.com/) and their houseboats are incredible. I highly recommend taking advantage of the exchange rate and planning your next houseboat trip on Shuswap Lake. The weather is hot, hot, hot and the scenery is absolutely stunning.

A few snapshots from our vacation last July:

View of our houseboat from our speedboat:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d628b3127cce9cb76ae02ba000000016108Cbs2zNszaO

Taking a dip on the first day to cool off:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d628b3127cce9cb76a2baa5b00000016108Cbs2zNszaO

My dorky husband :D trying to act cool. LOL You can see the edge of the hot tub in front of him, and behind him was the upstairs bar (included a sink, and we brought two beer fridges with us):
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d628b3127cce9cb76a1daa6d00000016108Cbs2zNszaO

The sunsets were this beautiful EVERY night (I am so proud of this picture - yes, I actually took it):
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d628b3127cce9cb76afbaa8b00000015108Cbs2zNszaO

[smiles33]

WOW, snowzilla that sunset looks so good it's almost fake! You took a great photo (I like how artsy/architectural the boat railing looks!).

Your houseboat looks so sweet (hot tub and multiple bars?), as it's definitely much nicer than the cheapo one DH and I always get. One of these days, I want to splurge and get the nice one. :)