Houseboating suggestions...

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Jacks

The only real crazy place is party (Neilson) beach. There are probably a 100 little beaches around those lakes. Just pick out a nice secluded spot and have fun.

Secluded? Hell with that, Just stay home in your basement, listen to the radio and go where the partys are if you want to have fun.

Also, I rented 9 or 10 times and long weekends suck on the Shuswap, were talking a serious wood fest on long weekends, regular weekends have boatloads of chicks compared and waterways have by far the nicer boats (at least they did 4 years ago)

[Huntingwhale]

Ah houseboating. Everyone should do it at least once in their lifetime. But be prepared to see some messed up things and your friendships will be pushed to the limits with those you go with. Some tips that I learned:

-If you are the person who pays for the deposit, registration, etc, be prepared to lose a lot of money. It's easy to take into account on how to split the costs prior to leaving, but you have to pay for gas when you return the boat. That is at least a couple hundred dollars, and by then most people won't pay you back. Basically, don't be the guy to book it all unless you are prepared to lose money.

-We went during slow season (beginning of May) and while it wasn't as warm, we got an incredible deal, free upgrade (7 of us upgraded to the 15 man boat), and the Schuswap Lake wasn't too busy. We had beaches by ourselves most nights.

-Get a fishing license if you plan on fishing at all. They came around and checked us every single day. Luckily we all had one, but you don't want to get busted without one.

-I brought my turntables, speakers, and managed to hook it up all in the boats sound system. It was a travelling rave boat the while time and everyone around us was extremely jealous.

-Make sure you know how to tie the boat down at night (Watch the video!). Apparently, while I was passed out in a drunken ecstacy-fueled sleep, the boat was actually on the beach sideways at one points at 5am while 4 drunk friends tried to straighten it out. I didn't wake up at all, but I heard all about it the next day. It was a complete nightmare apparently.

-There is a step ladder on the end of the boat. Make sure it's latched on! I was wearing all my clothes, sunglasses, watch ,etc, and leaned on the ladder thinking it would support me. I fell into the water at the boat was moving and could have easily been sliced into a thousands pieces. Lost my sunglasses and my wallet and phone were soaked.

-We found it best to have only 1 captain (driver), as he was able to learn how to drive the boat properly. If we would have had a new driver everyday who had to learn how to use the thing, we would have been screwed.

-As someone said already, have one person cook for everyone on scheduled shifts. Made life easier for one person to cook, the others clean, and others get to relax.

Houseboating was easily one of the funnest times I've ever had. I found it best to go during slow season. We got a free upgrade, paid half of what we would have paid, and it wasn't crowded. I can't imagine the chaos that would happen if the whole damn lake would have been packed. Great times though.

[dubc80]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Ah houseboating. Everyone should do it at least once in their lifetime. But be prepared to see some messed up things and your friendships will be pushed to the limits with those you go with. Some tips that I learned:

-If you are the person who pays for the deposit, registration, etc, be prepared to lose a lot of money. It's easy to take into account on how to split the costs prior to leaving, but you have to pay for gas when you return the boat. That is at least a couple hundred dollars, and by then most people won't pay you back. Basically, don't be the guy to book it all unless you are prepared to lose money.

-We went during slow season (beginning of May) and while it wasn't as warm, we got an incredible deal, free upgrade (7 of us upgraded to the 15 man boat), and the Schuswap Lake wasn't too busy. We had beaches by ourselves most nights.

-Get a fishing license if you plan on fishing at all. They came around and checked us every single day. Luckily we all had one, but you don't want to get busted without one.

-I brought my turntables, speakers, and managed to hook it up all in the boats sound system. It was a travelling rave boat the while time and everyone around us was extremely jealous.

-Make sure you know how to tie the boat down at night (Watch the video!). Apparently, while I was passed out in a drunken ecstacy-fueled sleep, the boat was actually on the beach sideways at one points at 5am while 4 drunk friends tried to straighten it out. I didn't wake up at all, but I heard all about it the next day. It was a complete nightmare apparently.

-There is a step ladder on the end of the boat. Make sure it's latched on! I was wearing all my clothes, sunglasses, watch ,etc, and leaned on the ladder thinking it would support me. I fell into the water at the boat was moving and could have easily been sliced into a thousands pieces. Lost my sunglasses and my wallet and phone were soaked.

-We found it best to have only 1 captain (driver), as he was able to learn how to drive the boat properly. If we would have had a new driver everyday who had to learn how to use the thing, we would have been screwed.

-As someone said already, have one person cook for everyone on scheduled shifts. Made life easier for one person to cook, the others clean, and others get to relax.

Houseboating was easily one of the funnest times I've ever had. I found it best to go during slow season. We got a free upgrade, paid half of what we would have paid, and it wasn't crowded. I can't imagine the chaos that would happen if the whole damn lake would have been packed. Great times though.

haha! This happened to us too. Probably one of the worst things that can happen because there is higher risk of prop damage ($$$$) when your boat is parallel to shore.

So, what is the first thing they teach you when you're going sideways? To crank the prop the opposite way and press the throttle to straighten out.

Unfortunately for us, one of our ropes was in the water and when we pressed the throttle, the rope got sucked up and wrapped around the prop.

We had to dive under and cut it off with a steak knife.

[Tron_fdc]

- don't leave all the lights on and pass out. It drains the battery, and it's pricey to get someone out to jump your boat. Don't let the battery level drop below 1/2 or stuff stops working (like your fridge). That's important.

- if you want to have some fun sit back and watch all the drunk people walk up and down the beach late at night getting close-lined by the tie off ropes. Beware of idiots picking fights

- we brought a wii and rock band with us, which went off all day and all night. That was hilarious

- try to have at least one person on the boat who isn't going to fill themselves with booze and drugs, and is kind of responsible. 99% of the problems out there happen because everyone is too wasted to notice something is wrong, and that's how people get messed up.

- I agree with avoiding long weekends. It's an absolute gong show, and any other weekend will be just as fun without all the drama. You won't have to line up waiting to get called in to dock your boat when all you want to do is get home, crawl into a hole and die after 4 days of idiocy

I think a hangover heaven houseboat would make huge cash out there. Portable IV's to fuel the party.

[Lego Man]

Wow! There is actually now a vast wealth of Houseboating knowledge in this thread. lol

It's now looking like we will be doing Labour Day weekend.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by fotze

Would it be legal for a nurse/doctor to do that for profit? I guess the insurance would be prohibitive.

Maybe legal, but ethical dilemmas abound

[Lego Man]

We ending up booking the August long weekend through Sunshine Houseboats out of Lake Koocanusa.

$4,000 for 14 person boat with gas/insurance/propane all included.

Thanks for the tips!

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Lego Man

We ending up booking the August long weekend through Sunshine Houseboats out of Lake Koocanusa.

$4,000 for 14 person boat with gas/insurance/propane all included.

Thanks for the tips!

Your liver hates this decision.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by fotze

Would it be legal for a nurse/doctor to do that for profit? I guess the insurance would be prohibitive.

Screw insurance. The state I was in I would have paid a mexican "doctor" to fill my veins full of lake water to rehydrate my liver.

The only solution I had was to drink more to get rid of the pain, which just prolonged (and increased the level) of my hangover.

Luckily there were no bridges around the Waterways dock, because I would have jumped off it.

[username]

Rent a snow cone maker....watch the girls flock to have a snow cone.....fill said cones up with booze and watch the girls get wasted around you.

Best idea we ever had when we use to go.

[GGG]

Get damage deposits in addition to splitting the cost of the boat with everyone. I would sugest an extra $200 per person in addition to what the boat rental is. You will need some of it.

[Barnes]

Do not use the houseboats cutlery as fishing lures. It doesn't work and it costs an arm and a leg to lose.

The hot tub does get hot enough to make Kraft Dinner in.

Lock your back door.

Hitting the floating store is ALWAYS hilarious no matter what the dock staff think.

Don't offer to drive to Sicamous. That drive is brutal after all that drinking.

[sparky69]

- try to go out of sicamous, not salmon arm. if you do salmon arm its extra 3 to 4 hour house boat drive just to get back to sicamous part then 4 hours from there to get to nelson beach

-Get a Keg! always fun as hell. do keg stand during the day off the boat into the water.

[Huntingwhale]

I also just wanted to mention that the houseboat we had, had 2 washroom, which was awesome. One was the stool room, the other was the pisser. Made life sooooo much easier/cleaner. The toilets were like this, which I found incredible.



The handle on the left of the toilet was an ejector handle. You sit, drop a stool, and eject it immediately, while still sitting the whole time. Made me feel like a real man being able to do that, and it made the whole boat stink free. We also had a policy of puking off the back of the boat instead of the washroom. Not only did it make it more hilarious for every watching from the shore, but less mess to clean afterwards.

I also mentioned in my earlier post that I was able to hook up my turntables to the boat's audio system. Most houseboats now have auxilary inputs on their faceplates, so make sure someone brings an auxilary chord so you can play music directly off of your own music device.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by sparky69

- try to go out of sicamous, not salmon arm. if you do salmon arm its extra 3 to 4 hour house boat drive just to get back to sicamous part then 4 hours from there to get to nelson beach

I would strongly discourage trying to go to either Sicamous or Salmon Arm from Lake Koocanusa.

[Defuego]

Dial a Boat Delivery
250-253-BOAT

They will deliver beer, groceries or whatever to your houseboat at Neilsen beach or where ever you are on the Shuswap...pretty awesome