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Utah Travel Headlines

Friday, May 20, 2011

How To Houseboat At Lake Powell

Houseboating season has now started at Lake Powell. The big lake is considered one of the best houseboating destinations in the world and there is still time to reserve a boat for your summer vacation.

A houseboat is great because it provides most of the comforts of home, including air conditions, flash toilets and comfy beds. It is great fun to take the houseboat to a remote location on the lake, then use it as base camp to ski, fish, kayak and otherwise explore the area.

Renting and operating a houseboat is a unique experience that takes considerable planning. The Salt Lake Tribune has this good article giving basic info about how to houseboat Powell. Below are excerpts.

A flight attendant from Sanpete County, a teacher from Seattle, grandparents from Panguitch and a retired couple from St. George might hail from different backgrounds, but they all had one thing in common: They wanted to learn how to operate a houseboat at Lake Powell.

So, on a cool but sunny day in early May, they gathered at the Wahweap Marina with Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas instructors Maggie Cummins and Tom “Mouse” Martin for a day on the big reservoir.

They learned basic skills such as tying up and docking the boat, anchoring it to a beach, using its electronic devices, operating the radio, handling and beaching a 75-foot boat, learning to drive a power boat, emptying the gray and black water tanks and gassing up toys.

“I like to be prepared,” said Adrienne Pichette, of Mount Pleasant, who plans to bring 25 friends and family, mostly from Boston, to Lake Powell for a houseboating vacation she described as “  ‘Survivor’ meets ‘Dancing With the Stars’ meets ‘Iron Chef Challenge.’ ”

One good time is from September until the second week of October, largely because school is in session and better deals are available. Water temperatures in Lake Powell remain high enough to swim and wakeboard.

“My level of anxiety was really high,” said Francis. “Now I’m much more comfortable. This program opens up things for people who have not done this before.”

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