House Boat Rentals - 54' Escape Compared to 48' Navigator

[Richard]

Hello all -- Longtime member who had to decommission our HB a few years ago due to leaky steel pontons and insurances issues.. Been going to LP since the mid-80's. Owned a 1978 42' Kayot for close to 30 years.

Do any of you have experience renting the Escape or Navigator out of Bullfrog? Any comments would be appreciated. My expectations are not high as to what the rental boat may look like ( I know Aramark has a poor track record) but we are trying to get back to the lake after an extended absence. We are looking to go in October of 2026.

Thanks in advance

(I'll also post on the other LP forums but thought I would post here as you guys are usually spot on and brutally honest ! )

 

[Rivergoer]

With twin 60’s, the Navigator is pretty SLOW, no…make that VERY SLOW. Our 36’ Kayot running a single 115 could easily outrun the Navigator, and I thought our Kayot was the slowest HB on the lake. Easy on gas though for sure. Nice to have the two refrigerators and toy tank.

Our Navigator (Wahweap) this year was mfg in 2004 so it was 21 yrs old. Obviously rode hard and put away wet. They gave us a credit back for the condition and for sending us out with a pretty much full black tank which nearly overflowed by Day 3 forcing a run to Bullfrog pump out.

For future reference I wanted to look at the Escape when we got back but they were all out on the lake, so they are popular. I like the twin 115’s. Still fuel efficient but a little better speed. Also like the added 5 cu ft freezer in a kitchen pantry. Only one fridge, but larger capacity. Carries more gas and extra 1/2 bath is good for those emergencies when ya gotta go and someone’s in the shower.

I did get a chance to walk through a 59’ Discovery XL. Was apprehensive because it looked like an older model. But Aramark had recently remodeled the Waheap Discovery XL fleet. This one had super thick memory foam bed mattresses (Navigator beds were horrible, paper thin junk). Liked the front deck chest freezer, twin 115’s, extra 1/2 bath. Very comparable features to the Escape. Best part was the rental rate was better than the Escape. Here’s a couple of Discovery XL pics.

 

[Richard]

With twin 60’s, the Navigator is pretty SLOW, no…make that VERY SLOW. Our 36’ Kayot running a single 115 could easily outrun the Navigator, and I thought our Kayot was the slowest HB on the lake. Easy on gas though for sure. Nice to have the two refrigerators and toy tank.

Our Navigator (Wahweap) this year was mfg in 2004 so it was 21 yrs old. Obviously rode hard and put away wet. They gave us a credit back for the condition and for sending us out with a nearly full black tank which nearly overflowed by Day 3 forcing a run to Bullfrog pump out.

For future reference I wanted to look at the Escape when we got back but they were all out on the lake, so they are popular. I like the twin 115’s. Still fuel efficient but a little better speed. Also like the added 5 cu ft freezer in a kitchen pantry. Only one fridge, but larger capacity. Carries more gas and extra 1/2 bath is good for those emergencies when ya gotta go and someone’s in the shower.

I did get a chance to walk through a 59’ Discovery XL. Was apprehensive because it looked like an older model. But Aramark had recently remodeled the Waheap Discovery XL fleet. This one had super thick memory foam bed mattresses (Navigator beds were horrible, paper thin junk). Liked the front deck chest freezer, twin 115’s, extra 1/2 bath. Very comparable features to the Escape. Best part was the rental rate was better than the Escape. Here’s a couple of Discovery XL pics.
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Thanks for the info -- It looks like, based on my limited schedule, that the 54' escape is the only one they rent out in October from Bullfrog for 4 days. You and I have compared notes in the past before I threw in the towel on keeping my 42' Kayot afloat. Do you still have yours ?

 

[Chris H]

We rented an Escape out of bullfrog the second week of October this year. There were 8 of us on the boat (three couples, two singles).
We are not experienced house boaters (although I fish Powell a few times each year).
Overall, the houseboat worked well for our group. The two bathrooms were nice. There is plenty of freezer and refrigerator space with the one in the kitchen and then the other freezer and the drink cooler up top.
The generator worked well, easy to start. There were three gas tanks (main, toy, and gen). We went to the Escalante and still had plenty of gas. We did ask to top tanks off before we left the marina as others have suggested. We added about 9 gal to main tank so pretty full already.
We had no issues anchoring the boat although the rear cleats are a bit hard to reach. It has 4 anchors.

We did have two issues. First, the hot water heater did not work. So cold showers. Lake water was about 73 deg so not a big issue for us but might be something to check before leaving the dock. We also had a water line fitting start to leak under one of the sinks in the bathroom.

It seemed they were understaffed. You really need to be sure you get the bedding and chairs you need. Chairs are also in poor shape. We had two with broken legs. Noticed before we left dock so got replaced.

It appeared these boats used to be really nicely equipped but now they are very basic. No depth chart. Hot tubs are being removed (per the kid that gave us our walkthrough).

Overall we had a great time and this houseboat made it easy.

 

[Rivergoer]

You and I have compared notes in the past before I threw in the towel on keeping my 42' Kayot afloat. Do you still have yours ?

Yep, we still have Yachtzee and LOVE it. Over 800 hrs on it in 10 seasons. It’s not on the water full-time. We launch/retrieve for every trip. It sits on a modified 36’ gooseneck trailer when not in use.

This September, for our annual boys trip, a generous benefactor joined for his first Powell trip. Yachtzee’s a pretty small boat and the captain (ME) gets the only bed. He isn’t into tent camping so he offered to pay a good portion of the rental fee for a bigger boat with extra bedrooms. We opted for the Navigator and did 2 back to back 5 day rentals for a total trip of 10 days.