bad reviews on house boat renting

C

Clay Patterson

New Member
My family has been talking about renting a houseboat, but we are really discouraged by all of the bad reviews we see about the boat problems, poor responce from the marina, etc. Can't seem to find anyone with any thing good to say about the whole process. Wierd thing is, the reviews all seem to be from years ago - nothing current. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 
Clay Patterson said:
My family has been talking about renting a houseboat, but we are really discouraged by all of the bad reviews we see about the boat problems, poor responce from the marina, etc. Can't seem to find anyone with any thing good to say about the whole process. Wierd thing is, the reviews all seem to be from years ago - nothing current. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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It's a bit of a crap shoot I'm afraid. We rented the last two seasons and had successful trips (still some issues) but heard others over the radio with things breaking down.

The boats are used very hard and the marinas just don't have the staffing that they need to keep up with everything.

Loading and unloading and getting signed off to leave is always a long tedious process.

We decided to buy a laketime time share and avoid all those rental issues going forward.

We got the wanderer 59' boat out of wahweap last season and it was a nice boat with only a few broken things. Ran pretty well for the trip with only a few generator hiccups.

Best of luck!
Matt
 
We have rented several times over the years, they are getting a bit old but we have had great, memorable trips on them. We always expect something to go wrong but we do that on any trip we take! They have always responded to us if we had serious problems like motors on the house boat. I believe the key is to understand what you are getting. Know that older propane fridges do not work in really hot weather and plan for that, anything over 95 degree days requires coolers with lots of ice and cooler management to maintain ice and food. It is not a hotel and many times we have had to work on one thing or another just as I do with my own stuff. I totally enjoy going on a house boat with the right crew. Attitude is 90% of a successful trip in my humble opinion.
 
Doubling down on what @Dworwood said. I’m sure there are stinker rental houseboats out there. And Aramark isn’t renowned for their service. But if you go in knowing it’s not like going to a 5 star (or maybe even 3 star) resort you will have a better trip.

We always refer to Lake Powell as a “working vacation”. We are partners in a well maintained houseboat, and it’s still unusual to have a trip where everything works. Heck there are times when I have trouble with my personal boat, and that’s something I honestly spare no expense on upkeep. It’s really harsh and remote conditions out there. Just know that is part of the adventure.
 
And to that I’ll add that 90% of the service personnel are genuinely helpful, patient and sympathetic to whatever problem you’re encountering. That’s especially amazing considering they are in high demand from sometimes-frustrated customers. Most of them have seen your problems before, and are well-aware with the issues with the old rental boats. They do what they can with limited resources, and try to work with you.

The key issues in my view have more to do with budget and management decisions regarding when to retire or replace boats, and how long to defer maintenance on non-critical but still important aspects of those boats. They could do much better in this regard.

FYI… I’ve been renting boats since about 1992, so have seen the evolution of rental services. Your best bet is to follow when they introduce a new model and rent those boats. In that regard, renting a 53-footer in 1998 was great. The 46-footers were new in about 2003, and the 48-footers a few years later…
 
A few ago our friends sold their houseboat because it just wasn't being used very often. We have stayed in the lodge a few times and rented several times. We prefer to rent a houseboat and like others have said things are not always perfect.

Last year we had steering issues, not ideal but manageable. There were a few other minor items needing attention, but again manageable.
Our group is usually 8 highly experienced friends and next trip were dropping down to six. We always rent the 59' boat and like the layout and additional room.

Expectations:
1. We want to get on the boat asap the day of rental
2. There should be no issues delaying the departure time (my bad)
3. We do what is required of us, we expect the rental folks to do the same
4. Things happen and we usually are not to surprised or upset when they do

Our experience with the rental staff has been very good. The repair issues are not their fault so we don't mistreat them.

What works for us:
1. We pay extra for early boarding
2. We are at the rental office early, usually before it opens
3. We have everyone required to sign paperwork there at out appointment date and time
4. We say please and thank you

Summary:
After 25 plus years we still love the Lake Powell experience. As of now our options are a hotel / lodge stay or rent a houseboat.
The houseboat is out perfered choice. We will rent again without fear and look forward to being on the water. I would rate our houseboat rental experience a 4.5 out of 5.

Love LP
 
I can’t add anything more. I’ve now rented one a couple times and this is spot on. I think if you’re realistic with your expectations and have “roughed it” a few times on the lake already then these hiccups are nothing more than a minor annoyance. If you run into a major annoyance then you call them to come get you 😂 . They do this anyway (or should), but make sure they go over everything with you, on the boat and prove that things are working.

If you don’t expect the air conditioner to really cool things off, you won’t be mad. If you don’t expect the fridge and freezer to keep things as cold as the fridge at your house and youre equipped with plenty of coolers for backup, you’re fine with it. Speaking of…load one up full with ice, put it on the shade and don’t open it! You might need it.

If you expect that maybe the generator is going to be a pain to start and are prepared that you don’t really need it anyways, then you’re good to go! We go in knowing all we really need is working motors. Everything else we can get by without.
 
They can be a real "**** show" for sure. It is much better when joining a private boat owner "timeshare owner" vs a marina rental. Everything you read is very much reality... But it can still be a great time.
 
A lot of good points have been made. I have rented a lot of houseboats and have generally been pretty lucky with their condition, although not always perfect. If renting on the south end, I would definitely get a 59' Wanderer or 50' Nomad - those are their newer boats. 18' wide with a reverse floor plan.

The early boarding is expensive but definitely worth it. You can board the night before, and if you get there before 5:00 you can often do the paperwork and sometime the check out so you are ready to roll first thing in the morning. I also tip the dock staff very well. They work their guts out and are often stretched pretty thin. I pre-boarded last year about 4:30 and discovered the gas tanks hadn't been refilled. I talked our check-out captain into getting the boat over to the gas pumps before they closed and got us filled up. Tipped him $100 which I could tell was well appreciated. When we came back in, he helped my kids get the garbage up the hill and was there waiting with a 4 wheeler and carts when we were ready to unloaded. Made it out in record time.
 
We rented from Wahweap and never had any issues. We bought into a private ownership and that was a disaster, and now we do a timeshare through LakeTime and they are amazing!
 
There's nothing like waking up on a houseboat at 5:30 and just ogling the glassy water. I miss that.
But...the last 15 years or so, we pull the boat out at 5 pm, go get gas on land, stay at the hotel, put on dry clothes, eat dinner in the restaurant, and sleep with cold A/C.
If anyone wants to invite me on their houseboat. I will scientifically evaluate the error of my ways.
 
I stumbled into house boating in 2020 during the height of covid. Everything was closed except fishing. My brother and I came out to go fishing for a few days and accidentally fell into a houseboat. My brother bought a run down Kyot and made it his own. He loved it so much he lived on it for a year. I'd go visit as much as I could. I loved it so much that I bought one the following spring. Best thing I've done.
I owned a 37 foot Boatel for 18 months and loved every minute of it. I sold it to buy something smaller and towable. I now own a 28 foot Land-n-Sea.
Anyway, my point is don't sweat the small stuff. Get on Lake Powell however you can. If a few things go wrong, it's usually just part of the adventure.
I promise you, you won't regret it.
 
Ryan said:
it’s still unusual to have a trip where everything works.
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I'll second this comment. When you're the single owner of the houseboat it's a rare trip that something doesn't break on the house boat, jet ski, sport boat, boat trailer, or tow vehicle. When you are a co-owner it's worse. I've never rented, but have heard the many, many radio calls for something broken. If you're handly with tools it's troublesome and if you're not handy it can be a nightmare.
 
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Baggins said:
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I had a "captain" bring our rental - a brand new Wanderer with about 25 hours on the engines - over from the gas dock to the loading dock. She came in at a sharp angle almost just like that. The window for the lower berth hit the back corner of the parked houseboat and shattered the window and crushed the frame. Being a rental and the fact that I wasn't driving, we just unloaded our stuff and walked away. I felt bad for the girl and the next renters.
 
shams said:
I had a "captain" bring our rental - a brand new Wanderer with about 25 hours on the engines - over from the gas dock to the loading dock. She came in at a sharp angle almost just like that. The window for the lower berth hit the back corner of the parked houseboat and shattered the window and crushed the frame. Being a rental and the fact that I wasn't driving, we just unloaded our stuff and walked away. I felt bad for the girl and the next renters.
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Back in the day I worked with a young lady houseboat instructor who kept knocking out lower stateroom windows. I begged to have her reassigned but she kept driving.....we've been married for 25 years, lol! Heck of a driver now.
 
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