Houseboat 1/2 Sunk

Terry G said:
Or they just garner more publicity. It would be interesting to see actual stats for houseboat sinkings annually
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I agree but anecdotally they only number a few hundred in total and it seems a couple of three sink every year. But it’s not necessarily the boat’s fault, the operator of anything is always the best safety system. If there is a big storm or a listing, as the captain you’ve got to be curious, you’ve got to open the hatches and find out what’s going on and why. If that’s not your bag you might want to rethink being on a houseboat.

Powell is a cold uncaring gal, she has no feelings and will eat your boat and you without remorse. Few folks would look a high end specialized guy in the eye who own a three million dollar plus and up houseboat that sank and tell him its operator error. They’ll likely stick with “it’s the boats fault.” In his world everyone tells him what he wants to hear and that’s not something he wants to hear. For average less specialized or well healed house boater’s letting your craft sink would be a humiliation among your piers; they’d blame you and it would mar your reputation.

Curiosity and caring are two qualities you have to possess if you’re going to be a Captain of a houseboat at Powell. But in the days of hired help piloting your boat, tying it off on beach bags for you and you arriving or departing by helicopter those traits may not seem all the necessary. However all the failures may say differently and it’s probably not the boat or Lake Powell’s fault.
 
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I agree it seems like the nicer the boat the less common sense the operator has. you see the this with wake boats as well. people get laughing and having a good time on these boats. the problem is the boat captain is checked out and not paying attention. The guy driving the boat needs to be on the lookout constantly for the safety of the people on the boat and the operation of the craft itself. every once in a blue moon I go on someone elses boat. I am reminded of all the things I don't have to think about and very much enjoy and appreciate being a passenger.
 
There’s a second longer video showing Deisel Brothers attempt to float it first. They had a set back after 3-4 days and pulled out. It was Lake Powell Marine from Page that succeeded. Trent and his wife bought Lake Powell Marine in 2017 (?) and we’ve had great experiences with them. The front bow of our steel hull HB had to be completely removed and re-fabricated as it was rusting out. They also replace our roof and have completed other large jobs for us. I think they are top notch. Highly recommend them.
 
Rivergoer said:
Starting to wonder from an insurance perspective which is the higher risk…a 45 yr old fully-restored and maintained steel pontoon houseboat or a multi-million dollar luxury yacht houseboat built by a ponzi-scheme LLC?
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I agree Rivergoer, properly maintained older steel or aluminum boats at this point might be getting a bad rap from insurers.

I think some of the failures of the new hotel sized boats are due to the scale of the boats and lack of operator involvement. The “Baby Adonias” are big and I think they are most of their market. They’ll set you back three million dollars new and there is a waiting list but the largest custom Adonia models are just massive floating hotels and can run ten million dollars or more. The scale of them is just enormous if you stand next to or under them in dry dock; you can get lost onboard one.

When something becomes the size of a boutique hotel it would be a lot to manage on the lake. I guess it’s the American Way though, we are extreme. Bigger is better. More than my neighbor, the biggest, the best! I’m not saying good or bad there, it just seems to be how progress rolls I guess.

The old days when smaller twin pontoons boats with a simple cabin were appreciated or seen as something to aspire to seem to be a day gone by. They were simple. You had a bed, a bath, and a kitchen to keep you out of the sand. Later you might have had an air cooled generator and a swamp cooler. That was Luxury in the 80’s. You opened the windows and got out onto the beach for more space because your cabin and decks were tiny. They were more like camping support craft, you built a small fire on the beach at night even in the summer. Not so much for heat but for ambiance. You put your toes in the sand and had a cold canned drink in your hand. Personally I felt like the luckiest person alive at that point.

The new monster Super Boats are palaces by comparison and to me they are just another way to throw your junk out there and show off. People seem to party on the huge upper decks with commercial Kitchens and multiple Big Screen TV’s. Sports bar on the water type stuff complete with hot tubs and helipads! It’s very different these days, the windows don’t even open anymore. From what I’ve seen most passengers don’t hit the shore preferring instead the air conditioned sports bar upstairs. (It is nice, but different)

I miss the 80’s and 90’s on the lake and if that makes me an old guy missing the good old days then you may be right. But, the lake experience was a lot better then for a myriad of reasons and that’s not just because I was younger and the lake was full.

If you don’t remember Lake Powell and all the little “Boatels” back then you really missed out.
 
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Marina Bum said:
The old days when smaller twin pontoons boats with a simple cabin were appreciated or seen as something to aspire to seem to be a day gone by. They were simple. You had a bed, a bath, and a kitchen to keep you out if the sand. Later you might have had an air cooled generator and a swamp cooler. That was Luxury in the 80’s. You opened the windows and got out onto the beach for more space because your cabin and decks were tiny. They were more like camping support craft, you built a small fire on the beach at night even in the summer. Not so much for heat but for ambiance. You put your toes in the sand and had a cold canned drink in your hand. Personally I felt like the luckiest person alive at that

I miss the 80’s and 90’s on the lake and if that makes me an old guy missing the good old days then you may be right. But, the lake experience was a lot better then for a myriad of reasons and that’s not just because I was younger and the lake was full.

If you don’t remember Lake Powell and all the little “Boatels” back then you really missed out.
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I agree, I miss the 80’s & 90’s, even with all the boat traffic and the mile long lines at the launch ramp
 
I’ve been going to the lake since 1978. I remember renting the old Kayots.

My folks first boat was a 50’ Boatel.

I personally have been partners on houseboats for about the last 20 years. From a 45’ up to the 75’ we are on now.

First, it’s the group that makes the trip. If your group is bad (lots of different ways that can happen) so is the trip.

That said I have no desire to go back to the old basic floating trailers I enjoy having space inside (especially when we stay in the slip) as well as the AC and other amenities.

It’s nice to watch the sports event that’s on TV if that’s your thing. To be able to get some work done with Starlink. And just be able to spread out a little.

But if that’s not your thing fine. Have at it.

And that’s what should be remembered about Powell. It can be enjoyed in different ways. Just because someone enjoys the lake in a different way doesn’t make it any better than yours.

Kind of a theme with many posts here…..

Also, of the many boats we have been partners on, I’d say less than half the owners were mechanically inclined. So that isn’t exclusive to any one type of boat.
 
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