Money is no Object

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My BIL stayed on his friends Adonia like this a few weeks ago. He said the extension off the back is tied into a compressor and stowed below the aft deck. Made it sound like a”push of a button” type of a deal. It has a “pool” with a net for safety, and the “slips” for PWCs.

This boat they stayed on was piloted and anchored by APM, and they hired a chef and lifeguard for the entire week. Boat has a heli pad, and one of the owners flies into Page and then takes a heli to the houseboat where everything is waiting. Different universe, but fine by me as long as they stay on the south end. 😜

Not worth the work? Worth it if you aren’t doing the work and money really is no object.
 
I have a couple of " clients " that have boats like this. have given my knowledge [ 40 ] yrs of lake knowledge to them .

so far that's ok we have people to do that . L. F. A. O. god bless them , they keep people like me in beans and gas .
 
I think it's great and more power to who ever can afford it. Not only the boat but the cook and captain as well. Perhaps having a professional Captain, they won't think of beaching the monster right next to us lowly 30 footers who have a well established beach camp. Wish all houseboaters could give some courtesy room.
 
Peto said:
If space is tight and it's getting late to keep searching I'll pull up to their stern and ask if it's ok for us to share the beach and reassure them we are a quite couple. I've never had anyone tell us no and have made some good friends. We only do it in a pinch and leave the next morning.
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I've done the same thing myself. We were heading up to Oak Bay, when channel 16 came alive with a warning that a storm cell was pounding Wahweap and was on track to endanger most of the main channel.

The alert said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Seek sheltered anchorage immediately". We ducked into Friendship Cove, and one houseboat had spread chairs and water toys across all the usable spots. We turned around and sent scouts into Rock Creek, but the weather was upon us and we needed to anchor up NOW.

We went back to Friendship and explained our situation, and the woman claiming the beach gave us a seemingly reluctant OK to pull in.

We quickly dug in, and Friendship being Friendship, the storm passed us by with minimal fuss. In the morning, true to our word, we pulled up anchor right after breakfast, and made it to Oak Bay without further incident.

As we pulled off the beach, the woman came out to say "You've been really quiet neighbors, you're welcome to stay if you want". But our plan was to explore the San Juan and Escalante, so we waved "Thank you" and moved on.
 
Ed_on_WD said:
I've done the same thing myself. We were heading up to Oak Bay, when channel 16 came alive with a warning that a storm cell was pounding Wahweap and was on track to endanger most of the main channel.

The alert said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Seek sheltered anchorage immediately". We ducked into Friendship Cove, and one houseboat had spread chairs and water toys across all the usable spots. We turned around and sent scouts into Rock Creek, but the weather was upon us and we needed to anchor up NOW.

We went back to Friendship and explained our situation, and the woman claiming the beach gave us a seemingly reluctant OK to pull in.

We quickly dug in, and Friendship being Friendship, the storm passed us by with minimal fuss. In the morning, true to our word, we pulled up anchor right after breakfast, and made it to Oak Bay without further incident.

As we pulled off the beach, the woman came out to say "You've been really quiet neighbors, you're welcome to stay if you want". But our plan was to explore the San Juan and Escalante, so we waved "Thank you" and moved on.
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We had the something similar happen. Woman was saving the entire 300 yard beach (well, maybe 200 yds) with chairs, etc. and told us friends were coming. So, we stayed around the corner - for three days. No friends ever came.
 
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Well the opposite it also true. We were parked in a spot big enough for my 2 boats and the houseboat. We had 5 anchor lines out, 3 on the windy side, and we had been there for 3 days out of the 2 week trip.
Along comes a rental ski boat and asked us how long are you going to be in this spot and we told them ~ 10 more days. and they drove off in a huff. We thought OK... Well an hour, later here comes the rental houseboat with the ski boat in tow, they pulled up on the beach, and started parking the boat, but my anchor lines were in the way, so they asked me to please move them... WTH? (No, I did not move them). This was a first. The guy got off the boat and said " this is my spot now, and you will have to leave" Now they were foreign, but this was just weird. I moved my ski boat from the other side of this new houseboat, so they could put out lines but they just put 1 line out in front.

This is where it gets a little fun, about 4 in the afternoon the wind starts picking up, We grabbed some snacks and everyone went to the top deck to watch the show.... About 5 min into the wind gusts, you here yelling and engines starting, To late, they were sideways and one side of the houseboat was already grounded. However, they managed to pull off, leaving some stuff on the beach. Note that the ski boat had already left to take about 7 kids skiing earlier. The wind calmed about 1/2 hour later and that boat was GONE. It was a peaceful week after that and I got a nice cooler with beer that was left behind. Note that we waited a few days before picking up the crap they left, and adding ice to the cooler of beer. Not sure what happened to them. However, I bet they got a little lesson in wind and houseboats.

I do want to say, that we have helped a LOT of boats out there get anchored up right, and even fixing problems for others so they can remember Powel as a wonderful vacation... On this occasion I did not feel the need to help unless someone was in danger and then, we were ready to go into action, as always.
 
Our boat does preseason work parties. We like to have all systems put to the test, while there is still time to fix things before the member's vacations. Our "on the water" work parties stay close to Antelope, so if we need to run into town for parts, we don't lose a whole day.

We were in Gunsite, in one of multiple coves on the west side, with owners coming and going via their own runabouts. As we had finished the day's chores, a rental pulled into our cove directly astern of us, about 2 boat lengths away.

We watched as they walked ashore with a shovel, which they stuck into the sand like a flagpole. They carried their anchors to the beach, tied lines to the front cleats on the boat, and started picking up rocks. They laid the anchors flat on the sand, not even setting the Danforth flukes to bite in, and proceeded to pile the rocks on the anchors.

We looked on in amazement, knowing that the marina had given them at least a basic understanding of why proper anchoring was important. We all looked at each other silently, then 2 of our group walked around the cove and showed them what a shovel was for. After repositioning the anchors more widely, and digging one anchor in properly, our 2 members stood by and instructed the newbies to duplicate what they had just watched. They then moved the lines to the rear cleats, showed them how to tie off the line properly, and again had them duplicate the process on the other side by themselves.

Our 2 hiked back, and we congratulated them on having the patience to tutor the renters. They chuckled as they explained the conversation they had that convinced the renters to dig in correctly. "We told them that if they blew off the beach in the middle of the night", the leader of the 2 said, "We'd fire up our PWCs (5 between us in all) and use them like tugboats to protect ourselves from a collision. Of course, if they ended up on the rocks, they were on their own!" In other words, if they were too lazy to dig in, we'd protect ourselves, and leave them to the mercy of the wind. To the renter's credit, that made enough sense to them that they took the advice. Perhaps they were a little miffed that our 2 had spoken to them like that, but a valuable lesson was taught and learned that day.
 
Jackalope said:
The guy got off the boat and said " this is my spot now, and you will have to leave" Now they were foreign, but this was just weird. I moved my ski boat from the other side of this new houseboat, so they could put out lines but they just put 1 line out in front.
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Sometimes first-timers to Lake Powell don't realize that it's different from other places they may cruise. Once in a while we will rent a boat in the BVI, Bahamas or other islands. There we anchor in a bay with just an anchor out the front. As we always rotate bow-into-the-wind this holds just fine in the strongest gales. (But this boat should have listened to the rental orientation and noted how you were anchored.)

Also, your story reminds me of the time we parked too close to another boat and they kindly inquired if this was our first trip to Lake Powell. (It wasn't and we moved.)
 
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We charter out of Tortola every other year (missed last year obviously). Nothing better than hanging on the hook in Cane Garden Bay the first night ....
 
PowellBride said:
Found this posted on a FB page. Looks expensive to me and maybe dangerous in a big wind.

Would like to have seen it in person, but not sure I really ever want to see one camped near me
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That’s what people said about my dad’s houseboat at Bullfrog back in 1974, who would want a 42’ boat?…too big for me….my 22’ boat is more than enough, etc..
The houseboat is still at Bullfrog on the buoy field…. You can’t miss it, it’s the small houseboat.
 
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