going houseboating in shuswap

[gonefishing]

i will be going houseboating for the first time the first week of Sept and was wondering if anyone had suggestions of things to do while i'm there besides the obvious drinking and partying all day.

thanx

[b_t]

if you are on shuswap lake, look for the island - I can't remember what its called, its a loonnnng way from Sicamous though, its over by Sorento - and on the one side there are cliffs you can dive off, one 15 foot, one 30 foot, one 50 foot.. if you are on mara lake, in the narrow section, there is a rope swing hanging from a tree that you can use, there is one higher up too I think, but apparently the trees have died so this might be rather dangerous..
just go around and ask the guys at the floating stores and stuff what there is to do and they usually know where everything is and what there is to do.

[sxtasy]

^^I think they call it Copper Island, some pretty tall cliffs to jump off of. I would say go to the beaches, do some waterskiing and wakeboarding:thumbsup:

[brandon]

Shuswap is amazing, I have a cabin in sicamous right on Mara Lake. The island is not copper island, Copper Island is near sacramento. Actually that island is not really an island because one side of it is attached to land. It does not have a name but it is on the other side of Turtle Bay. Just keep following mara down untill you hit the narrow part with the beach on the left. You will see a bunch of boats/seadoos at a point there with a rope swing.

I would recommend going to the Sea-Store. Right around there is a nudy beach full of old grandma's but if your like me then you will fit right in :poosie:.

Any other questions lemme know.

[dan_in_edmonton]

I’ve been going to the Shuswap every summer for years ‘n years…here are some cool ideas. By the way…lots of the info they gave you in the earlier posts isn’t quite true…

Copper Island…yes, it’s a REAL island (a big one with water all around it…and DEEP water)

And it's not near Sacramento..that's in California dude...it's kinda by Sorrento. It's right in front of Blind Bay on the Main Shuswap arm.

To get there from Sicamous- go through the ‘Narrows’ and down the main Shuswap arm.
Look for Anglemont Marina on your right, keep going, the island is straight ahead. You can’t miss it...it’s huge!
Wicked cliff jumping
Scotch Creek is right beside it…good party beaches. Lots of liquor stores on the way too (with boat parking)!

On the way back, look for Eagle Bay on your map (Opposite Anglemont). On the far end of Eagle bay there’s a killer rope swing…it’ll be on your right. I was just on it the day before yesterday (Aug 21)…it was sooo much fun!

Check-out Anstey Arm….the University crowd usually tie a whole bunch of houseboats together and have a monster party…pretty cool.

The big thing is…stay on the Shuswap side, not the Mara lake side of Sicamous…and go as far as you can, as quick as you can (Shuswap lake has 1200 km of beach…mostly private, secluded and not accessible by car).

Remember…bring ½ the clothes you think you’ll need, twice the bathing suits and 3 times the booze…enjoy!

[gonefishing]

Thanx for all the ideas guys , only 11 days left till i go and i can't wait its gonna be my only vacation this year and i'm gonna make the most of it. i just hope the weather will be good becuase i just checked the long range forcast and it said that it will be around 15 - 17 degrees only.

[gonefishing]

only 2 days left and i'm all set and the weather looks good too sunny and a plus 21 degrees forcast :thumbsup:

[modded46]

Bring something to put your liver in after a week of drinking..

:banghead:

[PGTze]

Neilson beach is where all the boats go at night to party around sikamouse(sp), it's super rowdey there.

[modded46]

boats had fricken BOUNCERS on them.. I couldn't believe it.. Neilson beach is the place to be that's for sure.

[hampstor]

copper island is pretty much directly between scotch creek and sorrento ...

['93 SR-V]

I take it this is your first houseboating trip... You'll be hooked for sure! There are a few rope swings as mentioned, and the cliffs up on Copper Island, although it takes all damn day to get there by houseboat! If you are looking for other things to do you may want to go white water rafting on Adams river... there's a company that does it and will pick you up from the anglemont marina area. There are also a few golf courses you can get to by boat if you're into that. Being September there wont be as many boats out as there is in July, but it should still be good. Neilson beach is the notorious party beach, worth spending a few nights at depending on how long you're going for. Marble point is good too. I was out there a few weeks ago and it was still nice. It's starting to cool down, and gets dark by about 9, but the lake is still warm and you'll still have a hot tub on your boat unless you're going with a ghetto company. Finally you'll want to bring at least twice as much liquor as you think you're going to need.... I can't stress this point enough... Seriously, go get more right now.

[Ekliptix]

Make sure to close the back door of the HB when the generator is running. On the May long weekend some guys got CO poisoning from exhaust coming in.

Have fun and say hi to my sister at the Sea-Store (Lisa). She's at the till.

[gonefishing]

got back from the trip a couple of days ago and it was so relaxing. not so many boats out , neilson beach and horseshoe bay were dead so we just made our own party. the only boats that we seen were at albas falls and they were all full of families.
good vacation all in all

[sputnik]

Its generally going to be dead if you go during the first week of school.

[asp integra]

u have to water ski or wakeboard, or if not rent some seadoos for a good time

[ca2p3r]

yeah right now it will be dead!

[Hash_man]

I know this has been brought up before in other threads... but what are some good houseboat companies to rent with in the shushwap... I would love to head out next summer with some friends.

[gonefishing]

the companies with the nicest houseboats are Three Bouys and Twin Anchors

['93 SR-V]

Twin anchors has pimp boats. I've never been on Three Bouys, so I can't say from experience, but they look alright (not as nice, but not bad). The only problem with them is that they don't let you go to the party beaches (neilson and marble point). We went with waterways this year. They have nice boats as well. Ours was kind of ghetto, but we checked out the higher end one we picked out for next year, and it's crazy. Watch out though, there are some POS boats out there... sum-r-fun, etc.

[sharstar]

We went with Three Bouys last year and they have nice boats but they have a policy that you cant dock at Neilson Beach and 2 others..i forget what they are right now. Rumor was that if they saw you there, they would come and tow your boat and thats the end of your trip. So went anyway cause you just have to! nothing happened to us...but your insurance is void and you risk being towed. So i totally wouldnt book with them in the future. Twin Anchors is the best company to go with and the boats are lovely.

[1sthouseboat2013]

Hey guys,

Im planning my brothers stag for july. planning on going houseboating, just for the wknd though.
Any ideas/suggestoins of what we can do in that short amount of time. THis is the first houseboating trip for all of us (10-15)

I wanna take everyone to neilsen beach and copper island sounds awesome, if thats where the cliff diving is.

What about getting a couple strippers on the boat for a night? Anyone know how to facilitate that?

[403ep3]

All I did on the houseboat was drink, party and get a ton of sun lol. We used waterway but I would definitely use twinanchors next time.. their boats looked a lot nicer

[DeleriousZ]

wow, this is the oldest thread i've seen brought back in a long time... 8 years, well done.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

We have a place at the Shuswap, go look for copper island and jump off the cliffs, beware of the snakes on that island though :dunno:

[jsn]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
wow, this is the oldest thread i've seen brought back in a long time... 8 years, well done.

I don't see any problem with this. Unlike others, he searched for a related topic before posting. Even if it's old, the information is still relevant. And it's not like he's answering a 8 year old question. He's asking for more/new advice on a related topic.

Honestly, I don't think there's that much to do around there. That being said, houseboating on the shushwap is amazing. You basically just float on the water, BBQ, have beers, and enjoy the weather. We also spent alot of time docked and playing beersby. Don't expect it to be a huge activity packed vacation. The whole point of houseboating is to relax and party on a boat.

We're going again this June for a stag and I believe one of the guys is trying to bring out strippers. It's pretty hard to work around because you'd pretty much have to drive back to the dock to pick them up or else pay for the "taxi" that ferries them out to you. One of the guys on our boat brings out his speed boat so he'll probably take that and pick them up or something.

[asp integra]

houseboating is a great time, i have been on waterways twice and twin anchors once, and would only go with twin anchors if i were to go again. way nicer boats, better customer service, boats have generators for power whereas the waterways boats didnt so we needed to boost a few times or only use a microwave and nothing else for a few mins, really sucked

[leftwing]

Originally posted by 403ep3
All I did on the houseboat was drink, party and get a ton of sun lol. We used waterway but I would definitely use twinanchors next time.. their boats looked a lot nicer

I agree on all points haha. I went for a stag as well, and honestly you don't need much other than booze and food.

One thing that surprised me was the guy to girl ratio...I was under the impression that there would be a lot of girls out on the water, but for our 3 day trip I think we saw 1 boat that was only girls. We docked on Neilson(sp?) beach 2 nights and I think we saw like 10 girls compared to 100's of guys....Not sure if others experienced this or not....

One thing that I would suggest bringing is a good stereo system. The one on the boats sucked, and it's nice to be able to blast your music super loud.

[canadian_hustla]

Originally posted by leftwing

One thing that I would suggest bringing is a good stereo system. The one on the boats sucked, and it's nice to be able to blast your music super loud.

I have been houseboating 5+ times and while the above may seem like a good idea, there is massive fines for doing so including a large levy from your boat company for breaking the contract you signed when got your boat.

The other big no-no is fireworks. Very large fines, someone told me a couple thousand to ten's of thousands of dollars.

Aside from that, best to go dock at Nielsen beach and find the party boat (someone that has a massive stereo and foam party in their hot tub) and hang out there! have fun!

[Type_S1]

When I went I spent ~$1200 and realized I could have went to Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican etc. for the same price and felt scammed.

When I went we were at Nelson beach for the majority partying with random boatsand seadooing. The house boats we had smelt disgusting (sewer) so bring some febreeze. Also make sure you aren't sleeping in a cubby hole with people banging on the bed 2 ft from your head.

[403ep3]

Anyone know if I can rent a boat and go park it to golf on mara lake?

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by 403ep3
Anyone know if I can rent a boat and go park it to golf on mara lake?

all the times i've gone houseboating I don't think of ever going anywhere more south than the bridge/houseboat docks, but I don't see why you couldn't park a houseboat at Mara point and then go golf :dunno: iirc we were told the first time back in 2004 we could go down to Mara but there wasn't much to do, so we never ventured.

[ExtraSlow]

Hyde Mountain has it's own marina, I'm pretty sure you can dock there as long as you reserve it first. Great course too, and very close to waterways houseboats and others.

[asp integra]

Originally posted by 403ep3
Anyone know if I can rent a boat and go park it to golf on mara lake? Over the years we have parked and overnighted at hyde mountain and then further down on the same side

[Ekliptix]

If you're going to rent a pontoon boat (fun), ski boat, sea doo or paddle board, talk to my Brother: www.redsrentals.ca

[finboy]

Originally posted by Type_S1
When I went I spent ~$1200 and realized I could have went to Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican etc. for the same price and felt scammed.

When I went we were at Nelson beach for the majority partying with random boatsand seadooing. The house boats we had smelt disgusting (sewer) so bring some febreeze. Also make sure you aren't sleeping in a cubby hole with people banging on the bed 2 ft from your head.

After going house boating a few times, this is the conclusion my friends and I arrived at. The partying can be fun, but for the money and 12 hours of driving, you could have waaaaay more fun finding a deal on an all inclusive

[mr2mike]

If you're spending $1200 on your own for houseboating, you're doing it wrong.
It turns out to be a few hundred with food included with enough buddies.

Yeah the drive home after houseboating can be a beast of a task.

[403ep3]

Lol 1200 per person? wth are you bringing/buying?

I've budgeted 6-700 which is more than enough for a couple days of drinking

edit: thanks for answering my question everyone

[403ep3]

Cruisecraft II (Twin Anchors) or Mirage 54/56 (Waterway)

HELP, I can't decide!

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by Type_S1
When I went we were at Nelson beach for the majority partying with random boatsand seadooing. The house boats we had smelt disgusting (sewer) so bring some febreeze. Also make sure you aren't sleeping in a cubby hole with people banging on the bed 2 ft from your head.

Never mind the fact that you'll be surrounded by steroid/coke head freak shows hooting and hollering. Unless you like being around "bros" :rofl:

[mr2mike]

My quick comments:

You use the hot tub a lot. Get that thing cleaned up and heated as soon as you get on. There should be a bench by the hot tub, find the extra bromine and pack that floating filter to the max and make sure it's opened so water passes through it and it can do it's work.

The upper deck bar isn't really used when I went. Have the liquor in one place downstairs and most guys are willing to ask who else needs a drink if they're headed down to grab a drink themselves.
The slide didn't get used, I didn't think a tubed slide would be any more used. Most guys just jumped off the side of the boat. If you're hell bent for a tube slide, find someone else's boat and test it out.

Cooking was all done on the outdoor bbq. Prevented the place from stinking like food. A large table is better for eating rather than a sit down dining area IMO. Fireplace isn't used, it wastes valuable fuel. If you're watching TV, you're doing it wrong. Get the boat names of people you meet and want to meet up with later. Keep an idea of where you are on the lake so you can find the beach where everyone's docking for night.

Two toilets are a must. Designate one for the sit down disasters, keep the window open on that one non stop. Keep the one by the shower clean for everyone's sanity. You'll catch whifs of sewage but nothing too bad I didn't think.

If you can bring firewood on the boat, might be a good consideration for some easy, large fires at night. You can only collect driftwood or already fallen stuff. But then again, you have to drive it all the way to BC.

Headlamp flashlight is handy for nights on the beach so you're not tripping over everyone's tie downs.

You'll spend minimal time on the boat in the evening after dinner. Hot tub or main area gets used the most. Maybe a nap in your bunk and then passed out later. So bring a sleeping bag and don't get too hung up on your sleeping area. Just try not to get the cubby hole or the room by the back sliding door. It gets wet and mucky there. Upstairs bunks are best then the rooms with a closing door. Expect not to sleep much.

Get a shitty boat, no one wants to go onto the crappy boat and then party on the good boat. :D
Didn't find that the girls cared if your boat is weak. Just play up that your boat sucks and head to theirs. haha. Also don't be going for the girls. It's probably 80:20 guys to girls. Go for having a good time with buddies.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by 403ep3
Cruisecraft II (Twin Anchors) or Mirage 54/56 (Waterway)

HELP, I can't decide!

Cruisecraft V. Worth it.

We've gone the past two years on the same one, and was a blast each time. Was $1200 for two (assuming you filled the boat), but that also included a hotel in Golden... because I needed one :rofl:

That being said, we decided to opt out of the group this year. It is so much fun, but can't say it's $1200 fun. Well... it is if you've never gone before, but for a 3rd year in a row, not so much.

[403ep3]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


Cruisecraft V. Worth it.

We've gone the past two years on the same one, and was a blast each time. Was $1200 for two (assuming you filled the boat), but that also included a hotel in Golden... because I needed one :rofl:

That being said, we decided to opt out of the group this year. It is so much fun, but can't say it's $1200 fun. Well... it is if you've never gone before, but for a 3rd year in a row, not so much.

It's 8 people for a bachelor party lol. Cruisecraft 5 would be overkill

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by 403ep3


It's 8 people for a bachelor party lol. Cruisecraft 5 would be overkill

Probably then, lol.

Just don't be a bunch of dicks. Both trips, the biggest douchebag boats on the beach were bachelor party's. And I don't mean being loud and partying all night (we've always been the last to shut down), I mean the guys think they're owed pussy just because it's a bachelor party. Had to kick a few off our boat.

[mr2mike]

Tik-Tok has it right. I went as a bachelor party. Got a crappy boat because we expected stuff to get dented and broken.
There's always the group that Tik-Tok speaks of. Treat everyone great and you'll be fine. People will hang around you if you're a good group wanting to have fun and laughs.

3 years in a row... wow, I think I'd get tired of it by then.

[asp integra]

Originally posted by 403ep3
Cruisecraft II (Twin Anchors) or Mirage 54/56 (Waterway)

HELP, I can't decide!

Twin Anchors! avoid waterways!