Need input for an awesome wakeboarding vacation

Hey everyone need your help with this.. We want to have a great wakeboard vacation this summer. It would be awesome to go to Lake Havasau in Arizona this summer but that would mean towing the SANTE 1400 miles one way. We live in South Florida and I wonder if there are any awesome lakes in Georgia,South Carolina,North Carolina that you could rent a houseboat and tow the SANTE behind it or any cabins or hotels on the lake. This is a family vacation and we would like to try something different this summer and go outside of Florida with our boat. Is Lake Hasavau really worth the trip out there? I understand durning spring break it is crazy there? How about in the summer is it really crowded? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Havasue kinda blows, unless you put getting drunk and naked, and watching the go fast boys and PWCrs ahead of wakeboarding.

Lake Powell or even Lake Mead would be much better destinations for the diehard wakeboard set. Plenty of coves and channels to get the perfect glass for riding. Just make sure to avoid monsoon season (I think late July / early August).

I have been to Havasu a lot. The wind is always howling, and there are always other boats in the very few protected coves. Last summer (mid-july) it was 101'F when we arrived at 2:30 am. When we left after a week it was 115'F at 5 pm. We pretty much spent the majority of our time in our AC condo. When we were in the water it was about 88'F at 8:30 pm.
Not really an enjoyable time during the summer, unless you just want to sit in the water, get drunk, and watch the girls get naked.
Like Jeff said, mead or powell would be much better riding wise, but temp. wise - watch out!!!
We spent 9-11 on mead and had glass ALL DAY LONG. But it was 108-113'F the whole time we were there. Might not bother you being from Florida...
I'm sure some riders in the southeast might help you out on those other states.

I don't know about you, but driving that kind of distance with the family seems more like punishment than vacation. A few lakes I would consider, Lake Hartwell, SC. I believe you can rent houseboats on this lake. This lake is huge, has restaurants, camping, etc and many great -- QUIET places to baord. We have a lakehouse on Keowee so I know more about Keowee, just north of Hartwell. A little smaller, but less traffic and great views of the mountains (also less amenaties). Lake Jocasse, just north of Keowee, even less traffic and better views of the mountains, I don't know about amenaties. Best of luck, sounds like an adventure.

Yes, Hartwell is very nice. I've never ridden Keowee or Jocasse, but I've driven past them many times and they never look crowded.
Another lake, one of the best in the region, is Carter's lake, in NW GA. This is a newer lake, and unlike the other lakes in GA, there is no development allowed on it, so it stays much less crowded compared to all the other lakes in the region. Lots of crews from other area lakes (Lanier, Allatoona, etc.) will go up to Carter's and camp when they want to "escape," and this includes some of the Buywake/Ambush crew. I don't know whether they rent houseboats there yet, but there is a Marina, so you might call and try to find out more.
Good luck.

Mike,
A little further north than you mentioned is Norris Lake, TN (1/2hr north of Knoxville) or Lake Cumberland, KY. You kind find all kinds of places to rent houseboats, cabins, campsites, etc... on either lake. We houseboat 1 week of ever year at one of the 2 lakes. They wind enough to find great conditions no matter what direction the wind comes from. Just do a search and you'll find multiple websites. Good one for Norris is www.norrislakeinfo.com.
Later.

(Message edited by phat in cincy on December 17, 2003)

My dad has a house out @ Havasu. I wouldn't recommend it for the families big vacation. My profile pic is Havasu and it was very rough. I would however strongly recommend Lake Powell, I went there last summer and it is the most epic/fun experience ever. I'll post a couple pictures from my experience. We went June 13-20 and it was perfect!




(Message edited by stephan on December 17, 2003)

I would definitly consider Lake Hartwell as suggested by a few above. Every 4th of July my brother and I rent a house for a week, and spend every day on the water. There are hundreds of coves off the main channels where you can find butter and isolation.

Taylor, we'll have to get in touch next time I'm at the lakehouse on Keowee !!!

I live in Lilburn, GA and go out to Lanier during the summer but have been thinking of going to other lakes . Lanier is almost always choppy. Where is Lake Keowee. I have seen pictures of it and it looks really nice. Is it a new lake, because I have a old map from 1998 or somthing like that.

Hey everyone... Thanks for the lake info.. I assumed that driving to Lake Havasau would be punishment with the family and the sights I'm sure is the same as the sandbar in the keys on memorial day weekend so I guess thats out. (family Vacation) The lakes in Georgia and South Carolina and possibly Tennesee looks good. Who has any numbers for the houseboats or the cabins or campgrounds? We got 2 daughters that rip on the wakeboard and would like to take them to a different lake and to have fun and at the same time relax!!! Keep the info coming and we will check it out. Thanks for the info....

Check out Dale Hollow (North central TN). Great lake, plenty of houseboat rentals and an ideal family wakeboard destination. during the week you will have the lake to yourself an you can always find good water.

Yeah I was going to recommend Dale Hollow too. We go every year and it's wonderful. Here's a link with lots of info including links to marinas. http://dalehollow.org/index.html We went out of Wisdom Dock last year...highly recommend that one.

I've been on Lanier in the summers, and grew up about 20 mins from there. It's definitely crowded in the summers and VERY tough to find good water. Same with Lake Norman in Charlotte, although its a really fun lake to be on. There are always a couple coves here and there to find butter, but hard to come by in the summer.

I spent one weekend on Hartwell, and drive over it about once a month, and I have to say, it ALWAYS looks really nice. Always calm, never very busy. Good camping as mentioned above. Don't know much about restaurants and hotels though. One problem with Hartwell is the lake level is usually VERY low. Of course this year with all the rain, it filled up very nicely, but I would still be weary of some locations on that lake if you are not familiar with it.

Have also heard good things about several of the Tennessee lakes mentioned above, but have no experience there.

why not come to texas? theres tons of rivers that stay smooth all day and night long lakes for partying etc with the comfort of close by hotels and restaurants for eating just a suggestion. the water on the trinity in houston/huntsville never has even a ripple on it and its over 150 miles long. and deep too i might add

Good point about the water levels at Hartwell, it might be safer to plan an early summer trip, and keep an eye on the levels as you plan. Dude, do NOT go to Lake Lanier if you want good water. I'm not hatin', because I grew up on that lake and my in-laws still own property there, but in the summer you have to be up at dawn to get good water and it usually starts getting crowded by 8:30 or 9:00am, especially on the south end. Too bad.

merlin

hey yo! hows that vlx treating you? did you get in some time last season???

I agree with Shawn and Hope, Dale Hollow is a great place to go. You can always find good water and the lake is huge. There are a few different places on there to rent houseboats and there are also cabins you can rent out.

If you want the canyon scenery but not the traffic. Check out Lake Amestadt it borders Texas and Mexico and has house boats. My friends and I rented it in May and had a blast. Here is the website http://www.lakeamistadresort.com/

Check out kentucky. There are some huge rivers there. We did a family houseboat trip two summers ago and it was great. We are looking to do it again this year or Next.

I have just two words for you! LAKE CUMBERLAND. We went last year and had a fantastic time. I would suggest teh weekday package You will have all the butter you can stand. Let me know if you want any pics or info.

lets see some JD

Lake Ouachita in Arkansas,

http://www.houseboatrentalcenter.com/almosthome.htm

JD, Any info and pics and prices would be great... looking for a cabin or a hotel that is on the lake? Maybe they have a boat ramp too. any info would be great...

thanks

Mike & cdm, My pics are big clear 5.0 megapixels, do you want me to email them to you? And if so, do you have a T-1, Cable or DSL line? In other words, how many can or should I send at once?
Grider Hill Docks has housboats and a lodge. They were GREAT people to deal with. Honest and very professional, yet friendly at the same time.
You can check them out at http://www.griderhilldock.com/index.htm or
www.griderhilldock.com
The owners are Mr and Mrs Sloan and you can talk to them directly if you care to. These people were so down to earth that I expeted some small mom & pop operation. I was quite suprised as to how big they actually were. Anyway, let me know how and where to send the pics to.

Stephen (anyone else) We are thinking about going to Powell this June. Can any one recommend a Houseboat or lodging, or Marina for a reasonable price?
John

If you die without seeing Lake Powell, your life will have been suboptimal. It's awfully far for you, but if you are in this neck of the woods, there is no where else that will give great wakeboarding as well as incredible views. The family would enjoy this a lot. The cliff jumping is fun for the kids.

Mead is great fun, but not even close as far as the scenery goes.

Here's all the info you need on Lake Cumberland: www.lakecumberland.com. Click on "Houseboat Rentals" and a list with links to all the major marinas will come up. In addition to Grider Hill, Jamestown and the State Dock have lodge rooms and cottages for rent.