With lakes full, houseboat rentals surge

In a U-turn from the past six years, houseboat rentals are way up for summer. “Just add water” seems to be the magic formula.

One of the more popular resorts in Northern California, Jones Valley Resort at Shasta Lake, reported it is 80 percent booked through mid-July. Most resorts are reporting a similar phenomenon, a reversal from the drought years.

How much it costs is not the No. 1 question she gets, said Jennie Vogt at Jones Valley. “The big thing they want to know is when can they go, when can they depart,” Vogt said.

She added that the low-end boats are the last to be rented, to the point that Jones Valley has a seven-night special on older one-deck models, $2,200 for a week.

Most houseboats have multiple decks with hot tubs, barbecues, slides, entertainment systems and anywhere from seven to 12 beds, so families and groups can partner to lower the cost per person.

The Escapade, for instance, is a popular two-deck model, with hot tub and barbecue on the top deck, as well as eight beds. It costs $4,290 for three nights, including a weekend, $5,190 for four nights, and $6,590 for a week, plus gas. Divided by 10, that is about $700 per person for a week.

In addition to Shasta, other destinations with houseboat rentals include the San Joaquin Delta, Trinity Lake, Lake Berryessa and Oroville, and Don Pedro, Bullards Bar and New Melones reservoirs.

Over the years, I’ve rented houseboats several times, and the conflict that emerges is not money — you just split it — but rather the go-to-bed times (and noise at late night), wakeup times (and noise in the early morning), and what can seem an impossible-to-resolve consensus on the level of messiness that is acceptable in shared areas.

It is advisable to resolve these issues well before you start the engine and head to the open water.

That accomplished, the vision of warm, blue-sky days on a lake full of water — all while you cruise, camp and play on a houseboat with friends and family — can be less of a fantasy and more like one of the best ideas anybody could dream up for summer.

More info available at www. houseboats.com.