Boating: Home, Home on the Lake

Published May 2, 2004 12:00AM


Bulletins Boating: Home, Home on the Lake By Debra Shore You take your kids out of one house and plunk them down in another that just happens to be mobile. What could be simpler? The best part about houseboating is that even novice skippers can manage these crafts, since on-board training and a ship-to-shore radio are part of the deal. But you don’t want to take your family on the water equivalent of the Pasadena Freeway, or set off in a boat that’s less than seaworthy. Stick with these houseboat companies and you’ll be in good hands. Waterway Houseboat Vacations Sicamous, B.C. Picture a poorly-scrawled “H” with about 620 miles of shoreline and you have houseboat heaven: Shuswap Lake. Head up quiet Anstey Arm and send the kids searching for Indian pictographs around Marble Point. Or try cliff-diving at Copper Island on Shuswap Arm. You can moor just about anywhere at nightfall; much of the lakeshore has been designated a provincial park. Choose among Waterway’s 56 boats (six different models) that sleep 10 to 18; all boats include water slides, gas barbecue, and steering from the bridge. Cost: $1,029- $3,468 per week. Phone: 800-663-4022. Voyagaire Houseboats Crane Lake, Minnesota Embark near the southeast corner of Voyageurs National Park, about an hour and a half from International Falls. The lakes of Voyageurs offer dozens of nooks and crannies, island beaches, and secret coves. Head through Namakan Narrows and up Namakan Lake to the Wolf Pack Islands where your kids can scout for a family of otters. Then cruise to Kettle Falls, dine at the historic hotel, and hike to the dam-tender’s cabin, one of just two places in the continental U.S. where you can look south into Ca-nada. You need to tie up on shore at night but the park makes it easy with dozens of designated campsites (look for the houseboat icon). You have a choice of 30 boats (eight models) sleeping 6 to 12, some with water slides, hot tubs, and upper deck command bridges. Cost: $975- $3,850 per week. Phone: 800-882-6287.

Bulletins Boating: Home, Home on the Lake
By Debra Shore You take your kids out of one house and plunk them down in another that just happens to be mobile. What could be simpler? The best part about houseboating is that even novice skippers can manage these crafts, since on-board training and a ship-to-shore radio are part of the deal. But you don’t want to take your family on the water equivalent of the
Pasadena Freeway, or set off in a boat that’s less than seaworthy. Stick with these houseboat companies and you’ll be in good hands. Waterway Houseboat Vacations Sicamous, B.C.
Picture a poorly-scrawled “H” with about 620 miles of shoreline and you have houseboat heaven: Shuswap Lake. Head up quiet Anstey Arm and send the kids searching for Indian pictographs around Marble Point. Or try cliff-diving at Copper Island on Shuswap Arm. You can moor just about anywhere at nightfall; much of the lakeshore has been designated a provincial park. Choose among
Waterway’s 56 boats (six different models) that sleep 10 to 18; all boats include water slides, gas barbecue, and steering from the bridge. Cost: $1,029- $3,468 per week. Phone: 800-663-4022. Voyagaire Houseboats Crane Lake, Minnesota
Embark near the southeast corner of Voyageurs National Park, about an hour and a half from International Falls. The lakes of Voyageurs offer dozens of nooks and crannies, island beaches, and secret coves. Head through Namakan Narrows and up Namakan Lake to the Wolf Pack Islands where your kids can scout for a family of otters. Then cruise to Kettle Falls, dine at the historic
hotel, and hike to the dam-tender’s cabin, one of just two places in the continental U.S. where you can look south into Ca-nada. You need to tie up on shore at night but the park makes it easy with dozens of designated campsites (look for the houseboat icon). You have a choice of 30 boats (eight models) sleeping 6 to 12, some with water slides, hot tubs, and upper deck command
bridges. Cost: $975- $3,850 per week. Phone: 800-882-6287.

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