Not 1 but 2

[Razzman]

jump!

[chpthril]

I'd think that with the houseboat going so slow, that anything in tow would stop before it drifted into the houseboat?

[Razzman]

I would think the same, still you'd want to watch it just in case.

[xpjim1]

We have towed boats behind houseboats on Lake mead and have not had a problem. When you slow down and stop the boat will stop way before the houseboat.

On Powell most of the issues are in the narrows where the big tour and supply boats throw massive waves. You take a wave over the boat and its down. From what I read the issues have been to short of a rope and a contributing factor is bad timing on the part of the houseboat driver. Some slow down with the approaching wave and the bow of the towed boat drops allowing the wave to swamp the boat.

Anytime in a storm the boat will not be in tow for us.

[Moki]

So no one has an answer on what you do to avoid collision when you slow down???

When your houseboat slows down or stops, the vessels that are being towed also slow down or stop, very similar to the way your boat slows and stops when you pull back on the throttle. Typically, the water provides enough drag that they do not collide. However, we usually have somebody on the back of the house watching the vessels and if they were coming close to the houseboat, their speed is so low that they can easily be pushed away if they were coming close.

[Paublo]

We have towed a boat behind our houseboat at Powell for the past 10 years. It can be look safe, but you always have to be aware of your surroundings and what is going on. Our experience is that a shorter line- maybe around 30-40 feet is much safer than a longer- 100 feet, line. If you can keep the boat closer and behind the houseboat it protects or flattens the wakes or waves that it would see further back. And there is enough drag from the towed boat that coasting into the back of the houseboat is not a problem. Drifting after stopping can be a problem but it just doen't run into the back.

If you have driven your boat thru the narrows, everyone knows that it is much easier to get behind another boat headed in the same direction and going about the same speed. It is common to see 3 to 6 boats all following each other letting the ones in front smooth out the ride for the others.

The only close call that I've had was with my previous Tige, an '01 21i which sat much lower in the water. A 30' cruiser cut in front of the houseboat and passed by within 20'. I watched in my mirror as he missed the Tige by less than 10'. I looked forward again just in time to see another boat that had been following the first one. I cut the engines and [B]ran[B] to the back in time to see its wake crash over the bow and windshield of my boat. The bilge was already pumping and I didn't wait to pull the boat up close- I dove in and they untied me. There was a little standing water in the bottom of the boat so I just started going about 10 mph to keep the nose up as much as possible until the bilge stopped. The snap-on bow cover on my Tige kept a lot of the water out and not making it worse.

Even with my 22V, if it is really bad, I just drive it until we are past that part.

[Moki]

A 30' cruiser cut in front of the houseboat and passed by within 20'. I watched in my mirror as he missed the Tige by less than 10'.

I hate jerks that do stupid stuff like that!

[Razzman]

I just hate jerks!

[Matt Garcia]

That is one of my fears of going to Powell (towing through the narrows). If one were to drive their boat through the narrows how long would it take versus towing it behind the houseboat?

[Paublo]

I'd say it will take an 1 to 1-1/2 hours in a houseboat, and 20 to 30 min. in your boat.

[Domsz06]

someone posted that the boats drag so much the stop long before hitting the boat.

[Domsz06]

jerks are just no fun at all. Don't care for them one bit.

[my86stanggt]

Looks like you tie up high on the tow rig and low on the towed boat and it keeps the front up enough. As far as people being jerks, I don't think it's as much as being a jerk as being too inexperienced on the water. There are so many people driving boats on the water that don't need to be there. Need to have some sort of licensing program. I've been through advanced and combat coaxswain training with the Navy (16 years so far) as well as boat specific training and am qualified to pilot 36ft cat's up to Mark V patrol boats (the most bada$$ boat on the water btw) and I still make mistakes.

[Matt Garcia]

Mark V patrol boats (the most bada$$ boat on the water btw) and I stil[/IMG]

Have to agree with that. That looks sweet!

[xpjim1]

Mark V patrol boats (the most bada$$ boat on the water btw)

But how's the wake?