Housboating Tips for your Crew

If you're planning a houseboat trip these tips will help novice crewmen.  Have the entire crew read these tips 1 month before your trip, giving enough time to shop and buy any essentials.  These tips can will help everyone prepare and minimize risk during your vacation. 

The following helpful hints were contributed by experienced houseboat owners.  If you want to contribute your own hints, just send them in by email.  We will review and post for all readers to see.

First Aid Kits
Marine Radio Practices
Campfires and Fireworks
Houseboat Anchoring
Anchor Stakes
Houseboat Campsite Selection
Houseboat Navigation after 4pm
Clothing, how much to bring
Water Socks, Beware
Keeping Sand off the Houseboat
Ice Chest Efficiency

First aid kits

Marine Radio practices

It’s always a good idea to have a marine radio on Lake Mead.  Most houseboats have radios built in, but many captains don’t set a routine monitoring time slot.  Since it is possible to receive emergency phone calls via marine radio, it’s good practice to leave the radio ON at a certain time every day AND MONITOR so you can be reached in case of emergency.   Many chose between 7pm and 9pm to monitor channel 16 since the odds are good that someone will be on the houseboat during this time for dinner, etc.   Just inform relatives and friends to call you during that time slot in case of emergency.  Emergency "Shore to Ship" calls can be arranged by calling the emergency Lake Mead dispatch.  Remember this is only for emergencies. There are 3 things land callers must know to reach your boat by phone in case of emergency.

1. The time slot you will be monitoring the marine radio (i.e. 7-9pm).

2. Your vessel name.

3.  For Lake Mead, call Emergency dispatch at (702) 293-8998

4.  For Lake Powell, call 800-225-5288 if you use ATT for long distance or have an active ATT calling card.  Otherwise call 10102880 if you don't use ATT for long distance.

This call will need an operator to assist you. When you get the automated voice for various options, wait till the end, then SAY "OPERATOR" and you'll be connected to a real person, an operator.  When you reach the ATT operator ask to connected to the Window Rock Marine Operator in Arizona to place a Shore to Ship call.   If the operator acts like she doesn't know what your talking about (likely), ask to speak to a supervisor.  Ask the supervisor for Window Rock Marina Operator, tell the supervisor the ATT router number is 520058121 (this is not a phone number) for Window Rock Marine operator.  They will ask you for the name of the vessel to make the call.

 This call is not cheap, about $11 first minute, $1/min after that, plus the marine operator charges (varies).  

Campfires and Fireworks

Although many of us have shot off fireworks during vacations, don’t bring them to Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, or Lake Powell.  It's illegal within the National Park boundaries. The surrounding sage brush can burn like gasoline, and with the prevailing winds a fire can spread out of control very quickly.  If you plan on having a campfire, be careful, especially if a sudden gust of wind comes up.  Sudden gusts of wind are common at Lake Mead, Mohave, and Powell, right out of the blue....so be forewarned.

Houseboat Anchoring

These Colorado River lakes can have powerful wind storms at almost any time.   Adequate anchoring  on shore is very important.  The typical "danford" anchor looks like upside-down "A" with a 1/2" shaft welded to the feet of the "A", providing so-called "ears" that extend about 6" on each side.   Bury the anchor deep enough so the "spade" is hooked good under ground, yet shallow enough so the shackle shaft can point directly to the rear houseboat cleats. After burying each anchor, back them up with a stake in front of each ear of the  anchor ears (2 stakes per anchor).  If you own your own houseboat, I suggest using car axles for these stakes.   They work great because the hub flange works to pin the anchor ear down, plus they are big, heavy, and strong.  It's also good practice to use one of these axles for staking the bow of the boat to the beach.  This keeps the bow from blowing sideways in rising waters and high winds.

Anchor Stakes

As stated above, car axles are the best method for backing up buried anchors.  If you own a houseboat and don’t have car axles for this purpose you should consider it.  Junk yards sell car axles for $5-$10/ea.  Look for the lightest axles while still having about a 3’ length.  Generally smaller cars with 4 lugs bolts are good, but some light 5 bolt axles are OK too.   Look for axles that don’t have the axle bearings, otherwise you have to use a torch to cut them off.   Pound the lug bolts out of the flange with a sledge hammer.   Clean up the axle with lacquer thinner for painting.  Paint the axle flange a fluorescent color so they are easy to see and won’t be lost or forgotten on the beach.  It’s recommended to paint the whole axle so they clean up easier in water after use.

Campsite selection

Several things should be considered when picking a beach campsite for your houseboat. 

1.   Is the location is close enough to a marina to get ice and gas if needed?
2.  Is  there potential for afternoon shade from surrounding cliffs (a good thing)?
3.   Is it is too close to other houseboats, will their loud music or generator disturb you?

It's suggested to always have a scout walk the beach and inspect the campsite and surroundings before beaching the houseboat.  Generally the scout uses another boat or personal watercraft to do this 5 point inspection..

1.   Is the beach is free of stickers and sharp rocks?
2.   Is the approach to the beach free of big rocks that could damage the houseboat?
3.   Is the beach wide enough (175ft preferred) to get a good shoreline angle for anchor lines ?
4.  Is the sand is deep enough to bury the anchors and back them up with car axles stakes?
5.   Is there enough is room to tie up any ski boats you may have?

Other luxuries to look for in a camp site are:

1.  High cliffs nearby to the west for afternoon shade.
2.  Centrally located so you can run about the lake and sight-see the area.   At Lake Powell, this means not camping 5-7miles back up into a canyon, increasing your gas consumption and limiting your flexibility to visit other canyons.
3.  Absence of insects.  Generally speaking there are always insects.  Gnats are the most prevalent, while flies can also be annoying.   At Lake Powell near Wahweap Marina (up to San Juan River) you should note that the land on the south side of the lake belongs to the Navajo Indians.  Their cattle use Lake Powell for drinking, hence there can be a lot of cow poop along the shoreline, a source for flies.  There are a lot less flies on north shores of Lake Powell, since flies won't fly across big bodies of water.

Houseboat Navigation after 4pm

Late afternoon sun can reflect off the water and easily impair the captain's vision.  Although many submerged rocks are marked with buoys or milk cartons, there are many unmarked shallow rocks.  You have to be careful for those unmarked hazards.  Spotting submerged rocks in late afternoon becomes more difficult, especially when heading into the sun.  So it's recommended to have your boat beached and tied up by 3pm to avoid potential accidents.  If you must navigate in the late afternoon, use the upper deck controls from up high.  This will give you the least glare and best visual angle for submerged trouble.

Clothing, how much to bring

Most people bring too many clothes for their summer houseboat trip.  Unless you are unusually vain you probably won’t need more than three swim suits for a 1 week trip.  Most will only need 1 set of clothes for cool weather in case the evening gets cool (unlikely in the summer).  Add a few T-Shirts and 3 pair of socks, you should be set.  Also bring 2 pair of water socks and 2 pair of cheap sunglasses.  Leave all jewelry and expensive designer sunglasses at home so it’s not lost, broken, or forgotten.....it's just not worth the risk.  

Water Socks, Beware

Keeping sand off the houseboat

Tracking sand onto houseboats can be a nagging problem, especially if you have kids and you're picky about keeping your $300-500K houseboat in good condition.    A  good solution for this is two square plastic pails of water, big enough for a size 12 shoe.  Put one on the beach at the bottom of the houseboat gang plank ramp, full of water.  Put the other on the houseboat front deck near the top of the gang plank,  3/4 full of water.  The routine when boarding is..... dip your feet (with water socks on) at the bottom of the gang plank, then walk up gang plank to the deck and take off the water socks.  Dip bare feet and stay barefoot or switch to thongs on the houseboat.    You will need to clean out the pails about once a day and rinse off the gang plank if it gets sandy.  This is a lot easier than vacuuming sandy carpets on a daily basis.

Make a rule to leave all watersocks on the front deck for best results.  Once everyone is trained, this routine should minimize the sand tracked on the houseboat.  As a side benefit.....getting out of those watersocks regularly will prevent potential "prune foot" which can be very painful at the end of the week, resulting in cracked skin and sometimes bleeding feet.

Ice Chest efficiency

Keeping the drinks cold in the summer is as important as having enough sunscreen available...... very important.    Most will agree that drinks from the ice chest are a lot better than from the refrigerator during summer months.  Here a few suggestions that should help cut drink costs and reduce the number of trips to the marina for more ice.

Problem:    Sports bottle drinks......  If your kids are like mine, they will open one up, drink about 5 sips, then leave it somewhere on the counter to get warm.   Sound familiar?  Then.....if there are 15 people on the houseboat that drink becomes "lost" and nobody knows who it belongs to, sometimes getting tossed.  

Suggestion:   Don't buy sports bottle drinks !!    Buy the gallon jugs of whatever drink at PriceClub/Costco.  Put one of those in the ice chest for everyone to use.   Never put two of the same gallon jug in the ice chest.  That will do nothing but melt ice needlessly.  When someone needs a drink, pour it into a plastic 12oz cup.   Mark each cup with black felt marker with the persons name.  This cup should try to be used 6-10 times before replacement.  Make each kid (and adult) responsible for his or her cup.  Pour the amount you think the kid (or yourself) will drink each time.  When the gallon jug gets empty, put another jug in the ice box.  You will be amazed how much ice and money this routine saves.  This works great with drinking water, Gatorade, grape juice, apple juice, anything that comes in gallon or half-gallon jugs.

Problem:   Ice melts, right?  Yes, especially in the summer.  Usually nobody ever thinks about "ice protocol", it just melts and you can't do anything about it.   When the ice gets low you make trips to the marina and buy a bunch more, right?  

Suggestions: Well....yes, ice melts.  But it can be conserved if you train the people on the houseboat how to use it.  Most of the ice melts because people open the ice chest too much.  A simple awareness meeting about keeping the chest closed really helps.   Tell everyone to know what they want before opening the chest.  Don't stand there staring at the drinks trying to make a choice.  And when they want a drink, ask around if anyone else wants a drink so they can fetch two or three drinks with one ice chest opening.  Cool eh?  Yes, it's a simple concept that can easily be conveyed to all houseboat occupants as expected behavior for the benefit of all.

As plastic jugs become empty, don't through them away.  Rinse them out and fill 3/4 with potable water.  Later in the week if you have room in the freezer, freeze the jug overnight and put it in the ice chest.

As the ice melts, keep no more than 4 inches of water in the chest for most efficiency.  Inspect every morning and evening.

If you have two ice chests, use one to keep stuff in that isn't needed as much.....and make a rule that only the captain is allowed access.  This will keep the lid closed more, conserving ice.    This may sound obvious, but make sure the sun doesn't shine directly on the chest.  It also helps to wet an old beach towel around 10am every morning and spread it over the chest.  The ice in that chest will last much longer than the "public" ice chest.  

Also, if you are going to be in a remote area where ice isn't easily available, consider the dry ice option.    Make one ice chest (hopefully a 150+ quart size) an ice cache.  Put about 15 blocks of ice in this chest (full) with about 20lbs of dry ice on top.   Make sure to insulate the dry ice enough so it doesn't make direct contact with the regular ice.  Wrap the dry ice with bubble pack sheets, but leave the ends open to let the cold temp escape.  Don't open the chest till you need more regular ice for the drink chest.  It's best to duct tape it shut so curious kids won't peek in.  In the summertime this dry ice will last about 4 days.  The regular ice won't start melting until the dry ice is gone.  

As you get room in the refrigerator later in the week you can pre-cool 6-packs at night.  Then put them in the chest first thing in the next morning.  Obvious, eh?  Not really, just overlooked most of the time.