Towing behind houseboat

[kgrove]

I'm doing a Lake Powell houseboat trip in a few weeks... questions about towing my X-15 behind a houseboat.

- Is the combined fuel burn operating both boats materially better/worse than the fuel burn of the houseboat towing a boat the size of a wakeboard boat? The houseboat has a 100 or 200 gallon "toy tank" to refill the wakeboard boat, but I'm wondering if my total fuel burn will be much different.

- OK with just a tow rope? Any tricks or suggestions for towing a wakeboard boat? I assume the houseboat's mass is such that it will lose speed slower than a wakeboard boat, and therefore if being towed there is little risk of ramming my boat into the back of the houseboat when dumping the throttle of the houseboat.

My conundrum is I'm the only one comfortable operating the houseboat (I'm far from a pro, but I'm at least not scared of it), but I also don't trust the others to drive my boat safely around tight quarters or anchoring at shore.

[Jerseydave]

We've towed our old prostar behind a houseboat before. I suggest using at least a 25 ft rope because a short rope will put your MC in the propwash of the houseboat, making the houseboat work harder. I would use a 25-30 ft thick dockline with no bungee in it. Always tie to your bow eye, never use a cleat or the tower.....you could overturn your boat. (there's a video or story about this somewhere)

As to gas usage, not sure what would be better. We only had to go 8 miles with our rented houseboat, so 4 in our group took the boat and wakeboarded while I drove the houseboat to the cove. Coming back to the marina we towed it in.

Always have someone ready at the stern of the houseboat to "fend off" your MC when you stop, or you may have a collision.

Have fun! (I'm jealous)

[Skipper]

If you are going less than three hours up lake you may take the MC ahead to scout for a camp site and "claim" your beach. More than three hours you may want to tow until you get closer. Really the only safety issue with towing is if you are in the narrow channel between the dam and Warm Creek Bay. With heavy boat traffic there are some serious rollers bouncing off the walls. Not so much an issue with a bigger boat.

Also, is your house boat equipped with twin outboards or I/O's? The outboards are much more fuel efficient and towing will not have too much effect on economy. Remember, the generator runs off the fuel as well. You need the generator to run the A/C and to charge the batteries.

You can request a long tow line when you get the HB. Slowly stop away from shore and remove the MC before beaching.

Have fun. This is a great time of year to be on Lake Powell.

[flipper]

I made a "harness" to tow my boat behind houseboats so it pulls strait. Take a rope, and fold it in half, and tie a loop at the half way point so the two ends are even. I put a hook in the middle of the loop to hook to the bow eye, but you can tie it to the bow eye if you want. take the two ends and tie one to each corner of the back of the house boat making a triangle when towing. This will keep your boat in the center and help keep it from woundering around back there.

When you stop, you do need people in the back to watch your boat, and to make sure the rope doesn't end up in the house boat prop.

[Muttley]

- Is the combined fuel burn operating both boats materially better/worse than the fuel burn of the houseboat towing a boat the size of a wakeboard boat? The houseboat has a 100 or 200 gallon "toy tank" to refill the wakeboard boat, but I'm wondering if my total fuel burn will be much different..

Once you get moving, the houseboat wont burn much more gas than it usually would. You would definitely save gas towing.

- OK with just a tow rope? Any tricks or suggestions for towing a wakeboard boat? I assume the houseboat's mass is such that it will lose speed slower than a wakeboard boat, and therefore if being towed there is little risk of ramming my boat into the back of the houseboat when dumping the throttle of the houseboat...

You could use a ski rope as long as it's a good one. Personally I would get a seperate 3/8" nylon rope for towing as ski ropes are more expensive. Why add wear & tear on a good ski rope?

As far as ramming goes, the best solution is to slow down gradually. Don't just slam the throttle off on the houseboat, ease the throttle back and give yourself lots of time to stop. Just have someone at the stern to keep an eye on the towed boat.

My conundrum is I'm the only one comfortable operating the houseboat (I'm far from a pro, but I'm at least not scared of it), but I also don't trust the others to drive my boat safely around tight quarters or anchoring at shore.

I don't know how it works down there, but up here you just run the houseboat bow first onto the shore. Then you tie it from each side of the stern to a tree (or stakes) on shore. We tied our boat to the shore lines of the houseboat. No beaching, no anchoring.

One thing I did was to unhook the ski boat and let someone else drive it when docking or navigating small passages.

Have fun! It's easier than you think.

[captain planet]

When we used to take houseboat trips to Norris Lake and get a houseboat, we would tow the following with the houseboat:

My 190
My brothers 26' Formula
4 PWC's
sometimes there would be another boat in the mix usually a v-drive.

We would use the long lines the marina provided to tie up the houseboat and tie the boats off about 50 and 75 feet from the houseboat on opposite sides from one another (rope on the bow eye). The PWC's were tied to the back of my 190 and one on the back of my brothers Formula (from the D rings). We turned the steering wheels of the boats slightly away from one another. We would ride like 4 hours to get to where we wanted to go. It was a blast.

Oh, one more thing......this is important....learn how to tie a bowline knot on the ropes you pull the boats with. It easily comes apart even when pulled on very tightly.

Have fun!

[Kingsley X-1]

http://www.apparent-wind.com/knots/bowline/ this might help

[doc]

It's really no big deal at all. I always turn my wheel just slightly one way or the other. That way if something were to happen the ski boat wouldn't rear end us. But I found that the houseboat carries a lot of momentum. It takes a long time to get those things stopped. I don't think I ever had the boat even come close to the houseboat. I also put a fastener of some sort on the tow line. D-ring or snap hook will work. Knots get pulled pretty tight. I have better things to do that fight knots. And I would tow it for sure. The houseboat won't even know its there. It's like towing a wagon with your truck.