Been houseboating on the Shuswap a few times, great place to go.
Few things to keep in mind.
- Whatever they advertise the sleeping capacity at will be BS. If a boat advertises a sleeping capacity of 12 that mean 2 people sleeping on the couch/hide-a-bad, 2 people sleeping at the fold down bed in the dining room. 2 actual rooms at 2 people each and then 2 cubby holes under the bedrooms. A 12 person boat probably holds 8 comfortably unless you are parking at party beach and passing out wherever you fall down.
- Get yourself parked for the night at least an hour before sundown. It's like a game of musical chairs at sundown when all the boats suddenly abandon the lake and suck up every available inch of beach space.
- Pay attention to the weather report. Way too much stress being caught on the water when the wind picks up, makes it really hard to beach the boat and get tied off properly. If the weather is going to be bad then just stay parked, light a campfire and drink beer.
- If you don't know how to tie a proper knot then pay attention at the orientation.
- Make sure you rent from a company that has a 24 hour service guy on call. Houseboats are prone to generator failures, hot tub leaks, engine problems and everything else that can go wrong.
- Try to buy all your supplies on land before getting in the boat. There is a store on the water but it is crazy expensive.
Had mostly good experiences with Waterways, nice boats but they are expensive.
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