HouseBoating Newbies @ Lake Mead. Pls HELP us!!!

[LBC]

New here... New in Houseboating... Any "Help and Advice" would be appreciated, and would like to "THANK YOU" in advance for such...
My family appointed me to plan everything. (it was my idea). And I have been reading alot & making a guides, which I will print and have a copy for each families. Tips that I have read so far (ie. Make a plan, make menu for daily food, have a group meeting about safety and procedures before we set sail, Early boarding a must, etc)...*
About us: 4 families with 11 young kids (ages 12-2)
Date: somewhere in the summer. Jun-Jul-Aug-Sep not set yet.
?Friday early boarding ?Saturday sail ?Monday return
Rental: ?2 56' Housebout ?1 Jetboat ?2 Jetski
2 rooms for each family.
Activities: we would like to do the following... Wakeboard, Tubing (Banana boat, Flying Fish), Fishing, Camping, & Jetski.
My brother in law & father in law are the only one who has a boating exp... Brother inlaw has a boat (but rarely go nowadays) & father in law is an ex seaman. Dont know if that counts...
Most of us has been to a cruise. We supposedly are going on a cruise. The reason why i choose houseboating is.. I think its more fun and activities for all the kids. Most of the kids love swimming.
Few questions:::
I have read that some suggested to a couple of people, that Temple bar is better than Calville bay? On the basis of calville is always pack.. And now considering going to Temple bar (being our group has alot of kids & a big group)...
Where to go??? What place??? I Have No clue here.. please. Have in mind that we have alot of children on board. If can, please help us make a route?*
Im thinking
?Fri: Early boarding ?Sat: Sail in the morning. After noon stop in the middle of the lake & jet ski, wake, banana boat, tubing for a few hours. Then 2 pm look for a cove! Now please help me out here where to go if we are coming from temple bar marina?
Should we look for another cove the next day? Or should we just stay in the same place? Please we want a (hopefully) a secluded, nice, & kid friendly beach/cove.?Monday: return to temple bar marina...
How much gas??? I have read that u cannot bring gas in the houseboat?
How about for the PWC & jetboat, can we bring some gas for it? What if it run out of gas!*
Are all summer months (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep) all crowded at lake mead???
Anybody knows any discounts???

Please dont laugh for my newbies question... Thank you all... And hopefully "every questions" will be answered...

 

[12vMan]

Re: HouseBoating Newbies @ Lake Mead. Pls HELP us!!!

Hi LBC and welcome to the site.

Temple Bar is a great little marina that will be perfect for 2 full days on the lake because there are some nice beaches close by that won't take a lot of time or fuel to get to.

Some tips:

*Know the weather forecast. The wind primarily picks up from the SE in the afternoons, but depending on the weather systems approaching it could come up out of the north, so be sure to have your houseboat beached facing into the wind, and don't leave your boat or PWC just pulled up on the beach at night. Always tie them off.
*June is a great month, and they're may some discounts in early June. When we rented, summer season didn't start until around the 15th.
*The best beaches are about 4 miles north (left) out of the marina, on the western side of the lake. Mushroom Reef and some islands south of there that have popped with the low lake levels are very nice and have secluded areas to play in, plus you're close to the marina for gas & supplies. The marina will give you a map of the lake. There's also another nice beach about 2 miles off to the right out of the marina on the end of a peninsula where, on the backside of the peninsula, there's glass all day sometimes. That beach is more popular for day trippers and weekenders because it's closer.
*I would go straight to the beach, get set up, and start the party if I were you instead of waiting, especially on a Saturday. That way you're all secure and not trying to scramble looking for a beach if the weather comes up.
*Have an awesome time!

 

[QC]

Re: HouseBoating Newbies @ Lake Mead. Pls HELP us!!!

Like 12v, there's not much more that I like talking about than Lake Mead. I have house boated there about 10 times over the years. If you want solitude, and don;t want to go very far, then Temple Bar is the place. Take a look at these threads. Lots of relevant posts . . .

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=403628

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=418339

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=348088

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=290987

There are more of course, but some good info in those . . . keep the questions coming

 

[mike343]

Re: HouseBoating Newbies @ Lake Mead. Pls HELP us!!!

Not trying to be a wet blanket but two days on a houseboat won't be very satisfactory and the rentals will cost you a lot of money. You really should try to put together a longer trip to get real enjoyment. (We have owned a week time share and rented a week on Powell for probably 20 years)

For a short trip I agree that Temple Bar is the best place at
Meade. The lake is narrow and smooth, but we haven't been there since the water level went down. Ski boat needs a depth sounder since the water from the grand canyon is murky if you go very far.

Lake Meade in the summer will averaqe around 110 degrees. You don't say where you are from but that may be a shock.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: HouseBoating Newbies @ Lake Mead. Pls HELP us!!!

Good info from the other posters.

I would plan to get to the marina early Friday, go through the safety check and then head out from there. This will give you more time on the water and you'll be able to find a nice beach/cove before the crowds show up. Don't wait until mid-day to find a place to beach or you might be stuck with poor options. The last time we rented, they wanted us out of the marina ASAP after the safety check and loading our gear.

Make sure everyone driving a boat/PWC is comfortable with doing so as they probably won't let you tow until you get out of the marina and into the lake, you'll need a person driving each boat/PWC out of the marina. Also, they probably won't let the boats/PWC approach the houseboat while it's docked.

Early June is one of the better times as it will probably be cooler. September would be less crowded than July/August, but still a hot time of the year. We have gone in October and it was great, 80-90's during the day. Bring plenty of ice as it can burn up quickly in the heat, pack the coolers with extra ice bags or blocks. Also, keep the coolers out of the sun and the kids out of your main coolers. It's good to have a "drink" cooler separate from your food, better to have a warm beer than a warm steak.

The wind "can" be wicked out there (especially from the south) and can turn on like flipping a switch, so be cautious about being exposed to wind/waves while beaching,,, especially from the south. The lake has many unmarked reefs since the lake is low, so be cautious of where you are driving. I've seen a couple islands out in the middle of the lake that are barely above water, so depending on lake level they could be 10-15' high or 1' below the surface. The maps I've seen are written for a full pool and with the lake down 100+', what's marked as 100' deep on the map is shore now. You can easily see the depth changes if in clear water, so keep your eyes on the water and you shouldn't have problems.

For fuel, ask the marina about fuel consumption. But,,, as 56'er is going to be rated in gallons/mile, not MPG. Also factor in the amount of fuel the generator is going to use, you could be running it 24x7 if it's really hot and 90* at night. Your fuel bill will really depend on how much you run around. Last time out, our 40' houseboat fuel bill was $30-40 as we only ran 5-6 miles up the lake, beached the HB, then only ran the AC during the middle of the day. We could have easily had a fuel bill 2X, 3X 4X or more if we ran the HB around a lot.

As for finding a nice cove to beach, Google Earth is your friend. Find some nice looking spots and mark them on your lake map. The marina would be a good place to ask, along with the suggestions here.