The 2010 Houseboat fleet is ready and waiting for you!

We've been working extra hard this winter to make sure things are ship shape on all of our houseboats and marinas.

We have checked and double checked everything from the coffeemakers to the air units and can report to you and your crew that all systems are go for a great summer on the water.

The houseboat fleet is ready. Summer is on the way. Are you?

Vacation Values are Back

Back by popular demand at all of the California, Lake Mead, & Lake Mohave properties, and valid for trips starting August 17 through October 15, these packages are a great way to enjoy a 59' Deluxe Houseboat with your whole crew.

We've thrown in some tasty beverages, ice, a $75 marina store coupon you can use for water toys, souvenirs, or last minute items, and we'll even take care of the final fuel fill-up of your 59' Deluxe Houseboat. Discover your vacation value online or call us at 800-255-5561.

Learn more about Vacation Values

Vacation Value at Antelope Point

Take out a 59' Deluxe Houseboat from Antelope Point Marina on Lake Powell between August 17 and October 15 and get a free final fuel fill-up when you return to the marina.

Then take additional advantage of a 20% discount on a ski boat or watercraft rental and go for it this summer!

More Lake Powell Values

Capture Your Own Golden Hour

Here's a great tip to help you secret away some special time on your next houseboat trip. It's an experience that many of our houseboating friends have shared over the years - about the one morning they woke up before the crack of dawn and took in what we like to call the "Golden hour."

Set the coffeemaker to have a warm cup ready before sunrise, and sneak out before your crew stirs. Take your own quiet walk along the shore and discover that first golden hour in the morning when the world seems to wake up slowly around you, with you.

Enjoy the sounds of the birds as they stir, flying silently overhead with only the sound of their wings flapping in the air. Watch as they silently dive into the water for that first catch of the day and hear the quiet plop as they hit the water.

Breathe in the last smells of the night as the night's darkness gives way to the dawn's dark blues and then they too begin to fade.

Morning arrives and the sun begins to tease the day.The clouds overhead start to take on colors all their own. They seem more intense here at the lake, reflecting over the water, and more complete with the smells and sounds around. You may feel as far away from home as you could be.

Photographers have long called this first hour of the day the "golden hour." They have known that colors are more intense, lighting is warmer and shadows are longer during this time.

Why not reward yourself with the experience. Take it all in, the sounds, the sights, the smells, and the peace of your very own Golden Hour.

Enjoy!

Wakeboard Challenge!

Just getting up on a wakeboard would be a major achievement for most of us, but there are a few tried and true steps that might help you achieve this ultimate victory out on the water this summer. (or at least sound like you could)

Sure, it LOOKS easy.
Some would say it's even similar to doing a back flip on a trampoline. They might even tell you it's a "great basic trick" to build on. Most experts would advise, however, that you "need good edge control" and that you also need to be "comfortable with aggressive heelside cuts and big landings." (if you don't understand that last sentence, stop here and just enjoy the picture)

So there you are, out on your wake-board, everyone is watching from the back of the boat ahead of you. Some of your crew even watch from a distance on the top deck of your houseboat. You can hear them cheer as they stand there under the canopy with cool beverages in their hands. (But back to you and your backflip...) The line is taught, the water is sweet, you are jockeying between waves, your speed is just right, you decide to go for it.

First, you cut in heelside and move in like you are going for a wake to wake jump. Next, you throw your weight on your back foot. Then you touch your right ear to your right shoulder, lean back, keep the handle tucked in by your waist, and throw all of your momentum back and hold on for dear life.

Well, that "sound's" easy. Good luck!

"Where's my family?"

Here is a true houseboating story from Greg Carter, the Operations Manager at Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mohave in Nevada.
He says that this type of story is not that uncommon:

So there they were, the Mill's family. All seven of them; Mom, Dad, Shelly 7, Tom 9, Kevin 16, Alison 19, and Grandma.

They had booked their houseboat trip long ago, planned every detail, driven to the marina together, and unloaded their gear. Everything was set. The beds were assigned and the food was stowed. The captain had been briefed and the houseboat was piloted out of the dock. The whole family was on their way to a great vacation together.

Then a radio call came in from the marina, asking if they were missing anyone. It seems they had left grandma behind. Grandma had noticed first. She was at the gift shop with a bag full of t-shirts and last minute snacks. She had just bought a bag of popcorn so she and the grand kids could feed the ducks. She looked around, realized that she was alone, and exclaimed, "Where's my family?"

Happily, the marina crew was able to get grandma and her shopping bags onto a speed boat and out to the houseboat in no time. Well, only after feeding the ducks.