Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

[DonTomio]

Going to Lake mead end of the month. Wanting to tow my boat behind houseboat. Any suggestions on how long of rope I should use?
Thanks for any input.

 

[12vMan]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

You can use 50' safely. Just slow the houseboat down slowly & gradually with someone in the back to relay any problem if the boat is coming in too fast.
The key is slowing the houseboat down s-l-o-w-l-y so your boat doesn't have 'ramming speed'.

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

Yep, just make sure your boat is riding in a good spot in the wake, not on a wave. Also, make SUPER sure your steering is locked down. Probably also be good to make a Y harness for your boat so you know it is being towed by a true center point.

Terry

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

the length of the line depends on water and wind conditions. you will have to adjust so that the tow rides correctly, in conditions.

 

[BigB9000]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

The key is slowing the houseboat down s-l-o-w-l-y so your boat doesn't have 'ramming speed'.

I don't really think going slow in the house boat will be a problem...

 

[shrew]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

Remember to tow with floating line.

 

[12vMan]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

I don't really think going slow in the house boat will be a problem...

True, going slow won't be a problem in a houseboat, but the point I was trying to get across was slowing the houseboat down abruptly with the boat in tow too close could cause a collision.
For that reason, it's also a good idea to untie the boat in tow before you beach your houseboat.
Some of the twin screws they rent at Calville move along quite well.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

We towed with a 100' anchor line last time and it worked well, boat tracked well and didn't get close when we stopped. This wasn't a floating line, but it worked....

One thing to be aware of, the marina's won't let you (at least the 2 I've been to) tow your boat out of the marina. You have to get out of the marina/no wake zone with houseboat under their own power, then once you hit open water you can tow.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

Going to Lake mead end of the month. Wanting to tow my boat behind houseboat. Any suggestions on how long of rope I should use?
Thanks for any input.

i haven't ever towed like your talking about but have seen as many boats rafted to the side of the house boat and moved, on powell and mead, as well ones towed.
just a though to consider don

 

[DonTomio]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

Last time I did a 40' but seemed a little close. Tracked great behind HB and know problem when stopping. I think it takes longer for Houseboat to stop anyway. My boat never road up on it. I was thinking about making a Y with a 60' off that to keep it center in HB wake?
Thanks for all the input.

 

[SangerTom]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

What do you mean by a "Y"? That's two ropes coming from the sides tied to one that goes to the HB or vice versa?

 

[PGFISHER]

Re: Lake Mead houseboat. Tow boat behind? Length of rope?

A "Yis a rope tied to both sides of your stern and a rope in the center to the boat you're towing. This allows you to tow from the centerline of the towing boat, and tends to keep the boat being towed in its wake. If you've ever towed from one side of your stern you'll know what I mean. It causes the towing boat to handle pretty weird, and the towed boat is hard to manage.