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First Year Houseboating - the 1st year stories after buying a houseboat

by Kim LaChance
(Bullhead City, Arizona)

The first year experiences after buying a houseboat.

The first year experiences after buying a houseboat.

After our first year of houseboating, here's our stories and experiences about the 1st year after buying our houseboat. We are first year houseboaters and we recently got a slip in the marina here in Bullhead City, Arizona on Lake Mohave.

We have been boaters for years, but not one this size or a houseboat (14'X 52'). We were backing out of our slip and the wind came up and turned us sideways...we ended up sideways in our slip.

Good thing there were two empty slips next to us and hopefully no one seen us screw up so badly!!! No one thought to get a picture. We laugh about it now, and know everyone new to boating has a cute experience to tell.

Just my thoughts, Kim from Arizona.


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Reply - Answer
Well Kim, welcome to the houseboat forums, and congratulations on surviving your 1st year houseboating experiences. It just gets easier as the years go on :)

You seem to have bought yourselves a great looking houseboat, and plenty big from what I can see. I hope you enjoy the future years on it...


Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their 1st year houseboat stories and experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.


Thanks again for sharing, IAN from all-about-houseboats


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Comments for First Year Houseboating - the 1st year stories after buying a houseboat

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starstarstarstarstar 		Maiden Houseboat Trip
by: Mary

Well, it didn't quite go so smooth, we are slipped at Cottonwood Cove, Lake Mojave, NV we got out of the slip and marina okay until we lost the steering, thankfully we have a ski boat and were able to hook up to it.

It didn't stop our trip though, we decided to tow our houseboat to our destination since we were going to be there for 6 days, 6 hours later we found a cove for the night. We towed the houseboat the whole way as it would only due 5 mph when the steering re-engaged.

After working on it for the week we thought we had it; it still wouldn't do over 5 mph, so we towed it back in. Steering was working good so we unhooked when we got to the marina. Biggggg mistake, no steering!

We hooked back up to the ski boat and started to the slip; met a rental houseboat coming out and had to pull into a dock area and wait for it to go by, then it got bad.

The wind was blowing (1st flag gale) almost hit the motor on the Game & Wildlife boat with the houseboat as the ski boat would not manuver at slow speed.

Ended up walking the houseboat from slip to slip before reaching ours. What an experience!!!!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Should we do it???
by: Suzi

Hi Kim..., my fiance' & I are considering buying a houseboat and living on Lake Meade, NV year round.

We've always been boaters and love it more than anything!
We're both 61 yrs old. My children & Grandchildren live in Henderson, NV about 30-40 min. from the Lake.

We have many questions about cost of living on a houseboat. We would be able to pay cash for the houseboat but then will have to live on a very strict budget year round.

Can you discribe a month in the summer & a month in the winter on a houseboat, what expenses there are, what chores, how often do you have to empty & fill tanks and what we're concerned about is the winters on a lake, ( I know Lake Meade can get windy ) do you stay out on the lake or do you have to stay in a marina slip during the winter?

I know we have a million questions but we really would love todo this. Life is too short & getting shorter, my fiance is a new cancer survivor and we want to enjoy life to it's fullest and be smart about it at the same time.

Please anyone with suggestions or info for us, please write. Also what is a good way to find houseboats for sale already on Lake Meade?

You all sound like great people and we're excited at the thought.

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