Houseboat Rentals

starting to think about family trips for this summer and the thought of renting a houseboat came to mind. Ive seen that they have some established operations in places like Rainy Lake and Lake Vermillion. Can anybody comment on these for family trips? I didn’t see exact prices but what I did see looked a little on the high side but it is something of a specialty trip too so its understandable. Just looking to get some feedback from anyone that has done one of these trips and or planned one out. Thanks!

We have done Rainy Lake, Vermillion and Ash River. We did when our son was in the 10-15 range and had a absolute blast. If you really want to spend 1 on 1 family time this is the way to do it because there are no distractions. Ther were only 3 of us but we took a medium size house boat each time and the price was arrount $1500.00 plus some gas etc.. we breought food drinks bait etc… Comfortable way to camp and really relaxing. Pull up on a nice spot tie off and play away. Most of the time you are in total privacy. Vermillion is a bit busier but there is more action arrond you as well. We never regreted it and have some good memories. I would say ther Ash river has the best variety of boats to choose form form older to fancier and nicer but there was nothing wrong with any of the others. We probably enjoyed the fishing on Rainy the best but we did really wel lon Vermillion and we were going the last week of August each time. Go if you can you will not regret it and if you enjoy camping this is a whole new level the wife will appreciate. Easy to cook and a hot shower, full size refredgerator etc…

I’ve been taking my family to Crane lake with Voyagaire houseboats for 8 years. I keep thinking I might do something different but the family enjoys it so much I can’t bring myself to stop going. The owners and crew treat us like family and the lodge was built new about 5 years ago. I know this isn’t the operation you were asking about but it’s a good time regardless of who you go through and the scenery in Voyageurs national park is spectacular.

Thank you so much guys this is great input! Really appreciate it! For those of you that have gone what time of year would you recommend?

We went the last week of August just before the kids had to go back to school and if you look that is normally considered off peak and the rates are lower then. Also we took out dog each time and he had as much fun as we did.

We did a houseboat trip on the Mississippi out of Alma, WI last summer. We went with a group of friends and left the kids with my parents. It was a ton of fun. The group we went with did VNP the year prior. Most of them liked the scenery in VNP better but thought the Mississippi boat was way nicer.

We go in June but the weather can be iffy. It can be cold and rainy and the mosquitos could be a little nuts that time of year but the fishing can be great.

Attachments:

1. 

   20160626_120034.jpg
   

Good Red Wing Marina for something closer.

Ask for Cindi…she’s a hoot.

If you are serious about going you better get on the phone. Call each operation and see what dates are available. If you are limited to certain dates you might be limited to a company with those dates. I know for a fact many resorts are booked solid already for the prime dates.

Dutchboy wrote:

If you are serious about going you better get on the phone. Call each operation and see what dates are available. If you are limited to certain dates you might be limited to a company with those dates. I know for a fact many resorts are booked solid already for the prime dates.

Thanks dutch.

Do it! Rainy Lake Houseboats is the only one I have experienced and would highly recommend them. They are not cheap, so going with another family (buddy or brother or something) on the trip might be a more affordable option. They are designed for family vaca’s and no better place for one than VNP imo. It’s basically like going to the Boundary Waters scenery with a traveling cabin on one of MN best fishing lakes. Dutch is right that you will want to book asap or call around if you have a specific date in mind.

Northern Aire Houseboats on Rainy.
Rainy Lake Houseboats on Rainy.
Ebols Houseboats on the Ash River Trail.
Voyagaire Houseboats on Crane Lake.

Also check with Lynette at Ash Ka Nam resort on the Ash River Trail. They have a houseboat but I’m not sure if they rent it out.

Crane lake with Voyagaire is where we have gone 2 times and I would do it again. Absolutely awesome trip, great boats, great people and excellent fishing. I think we went mid july both times.

There were 4 of us and we got the smallest boat and had plenty of room.

We did our first trip out of Kabetogma last July with Ebels Houseboats on the Ash River.

It was a terrific trip and we had a great time. It’s so nice to be able to move around and explore different camp sights and you can move your boat closer to the fishing.

For family trips with kids, these things are just awesome. My kids were 5 and 7 at the time and they loved the swimming and the 7 year old loved the water slide, but it was too steep for the youngest one.

– A couple of things that we brought along that really helped:

1. “Supercooler” type coolers similar to a Yeti. I have 2 of them and we were able to get the whole food supply on board plus we took one supercooler just with extra ice for coctails and to top up the other coolers when the ice ran low.

2. Handheld marine radio. We took the handheld out onto the fishing boat so we could communicate with the houseboat. This was terrific when using the fast fishing boat to scout for open camp sights, the houseboat could jog along while the fishing boat went into the tight spots first and checked things out. Also, it saves running the houseboat miles up to a possible campsite only to find it’s full.

3. Power inverter. I brought a 200 watt inverter and extension cord/outlet strip so had 120 volt power whenever we wanted it. Some houseboats dont have generators and even if they do, I wouldn’t want to run one all the time. This was critical for charging kids stuff like DVD players and iPads as well as running fans on board to keep things cooler.

Driving these things is not exactly easy, especially in wind and in tight places. If you’re just used to little walleye boats less than 18 feet, it takes some getting used to.

You have to be quick on the throttle and use opposite thrust in reverse to “pivot” the boat. Also, it really helps if you know how to use tricks like springlines. I carry a 50 foot length of heavy tow line in my fishing boat and we used that rope several times as a springline to get the houseboat quickly turned in a tight spot in the wind. With even a mild breeze blowign on the side of these boats, they are almost impossible to turn in a tight place without springlining.

Grouse

great suggestions! thank you Grouse