Houseboat on lake Roosevelt

[gutsnthegrass]

We have a couple families that are going in together and renting a houseboat on lake Rossevelt next summer.  Do you guys have any recommendations on this trip?  I envision alot of fishing, skiing, tubing and just lounging.  Any other ideas?

Thanks

[h20hunter]

Just tagging along. 

[7mmfan]

I've been thinking about this too. I did this with some friends when I was 12 or 13 and it was a blast. We anchored in a new cove every night, caught tons of fish, did lots of tubing and skiing.

[Stein]

So, we went on a houseboat trip a number of years ago where several families were all on one boat.  One thing I will say is that there isn't much personal space or room to get away in that situation.  One thing to think about is how well those families get along, particularly in a 24x7 environment and I would certainly put more thought into that the next time when looking at whether to get one big boat, several smaller ones and even which families I would take a vacation with.

[Buckewe]

  if the families cant get along it could get weird. I did it several times as a kid and loved it. Find a cover and anchor up. Throw a lin off the back at night. Dont forget to secure the rod of you might lose it.lots of big trout

[ne kid]

They get about 6 gallons to the mile. So be prepared for that I would have lots of gas jugs ready to go so you dont have to buy marina gas at 5.00 a gal. Alot of them out of Kettle Falls beach right below my house have always thought about selling them gas.

[shootem]

It can be a blast with the right people. Don't go with the wrong people. We had a ski boat with us that gave lots of options. Skiing/boarding, sunset parents cruise, fishing, hiking. Lots of things to do. You can even have tents onshore for more beds. College age long time friends with parents that all are friends made for a trip to remember.
Check out the couple places that are at the Puyallup Sportsman's Show if you haven't found something first. They always have discounts.

[CastleRocker]

As others have said; make sure you get along.  We did several houseboat trips when our kids were young.  Roosevelt, Shasta, Billy Chinook, and Sushwap.  Roosevelt was our favorite, for the variety of places to camp, fishing, etc.  We used to bring our party barge, others would bring a ski boat, and others would bring wave runners. 

Make sure you don't run too far up on a shallow beach in the evening.  That lake can drop a LOT during the night.  It took every boat/watercraft we had, plus the other houseboat to pull it off!

[7mmfan]

Make sure you don't run too far up on a shallow beach in the evening.  That lake can drop a LOT during the night.  It took every boat/watercraft we had, plus the other houseboat to pull it off!

That's a good piece of advice. I guided the river from Northport to the border for several years. It was nothing to have the river fluctuate 3'-5' overnight. If they're dumping water at Grand Coulee, it could easily drop at least a couple feet overnight in the lake.

[the1rod]

Did this with a friends family a few times when I was younger and we had a blast,  we scrounged stuff and made a water balloon slingshot on the top deck then flew a pirate flag and bombarded innocent passer bys. Some got a kick out of it and would circle and taunt us while trying to hit them,  others told us we were number one and speed away. It was a blast and would love to do it all again. 

[Pnwrider]

Good advice so far, Couple thoughts to add from my house boating experiences.

Make sure there is at least one or two other competent “boat people” in the group. We like to spend about a day finding a really protected cove and getting the houseboat anchored really well (can’t stress this part enough). They are slow and eat fuel so best to do your cove scouting with a boat or jet ski. Seems like every time we haven’t been in a protected cove a wind storm will inevitably kick up at night and trust me it’s not a fun experience.  remember to think about how you want to tie off the other boat(s) when not in use.

Food, this is an important one so plan, plan, plan for meals and how you want to handle it. We usually assign days and have a shared google dock. We found it easiest to have one group buy condiments, water, essentials, etc and split the cost. We like to do a big breakfast and a big dinner to maximize time spent on the water during the day. Lunch is a free for all and not assigned.

Fuel. others mentioned this and YMMV, but I like to be far enough away from the marina to get away from the crowds but not too far as I usually have to fill up my boat every other day. If we are really getting after it hard with water sports, I can burn through 50-60 gallons a day. Lake Powell has houseboats that have aux fuel tanks. Haven’t been able to find one like that on Roosevelt or Shasta yet.

[swanny]

I'd be sure to wait until late July before you go. The lake is required to be "full" at 4th of July which means the beaches are few and far between. Later in the Summer gives a lot more freedom to find the perfect spot, especially if you plan to stay put rather than move everyday.

[KFhunter]

I'd be sure to wait until late July before you go. The lake is required to be "full" at 4th of July which means the beaches are few and far between. Later in the Summer gives a lot more freedom to find the perfect spot, especially if you plan to stay put rather than move everyday.

 


the lake is very high the week prior to July 4,  then starts dropping quite a bit shortly after.   Aug is perfect, pretty stable water levels and best weather, not to mention warmer water temps. 

Lake Roosevelt stays pretty cold all through June and well into July. 

[huntindoc]

So I have spent the last 18 summers on Lk Roosevelt on a house boat for a week.  One of the sacred weeks of the year.  We have the same group that has morphed a bit, but one family has been there the whole time.  We have pretty much done all the whoops moves, and still love it!

We have multiple ski boats along and drive the house boat up the lake, park it and ski from the beach.  Kids spill out into tents and we just relax a ton. 

The lake is very interesting, and the recommended coves and water falls are cool.  Keep in mind a few points -
Those boats are huge.  Massive wind "sail" when the wind comes up.  If it's windy- get off the lake.  We've had the bimini blown off.  The boat is very tough to beach in  a side wind. 
Use trees to anchor if you can, as the stakes will pull out and keep the tension equal on each side of the boat.
Do not run too high of RPM.  Keep around 2300 and you will burn much less gas.
You can fill the toilets - don't shower in the boat, just jump in the lake.
Make sure you learn how to use the hot tub, because that tub on top is wicked cool after dark.

Enjoy!  It's a blast.