Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18 - (Page 10)

Y201£C(&1£98F(A Bio-Diesel for Houseboats Stan and Wendy Hubbell make a bold statement by going green with their American Waterways houseboat. www.sumerset.com HBA: Stan, you’re a familiar name in houseboating with your American Marine Insurance, please tell me when you first got into houseboating. SH: My insurance Agency had been writing coverage for houseboats since 1994 but it was not until 1997 that Wendy and I decided to go to Lake Powell for ourselves and see what all this was about. We rented a pontoon style houseboat from the Wahweap Marina in October and did what everyone does for the first time. We just headed out into the unknown for about a week and explored the many canyons and arms of this vast lake. We loved it instantly and have gone back every year since then. HBA: What was your first houseboat? SH: We were writing a lot of insurance for timeshared houseboats and in 1998, the owner of Sunrise Peak suggested we get into one of his new multi-owned boats he had set up for launch that year. We thought it would be fun and it made better sense without all the expense of owning a boat so far away from our home. Our first boat was a 65' Stardust with twin V 8's and a 12KW generator. It had a solar array and that charged a separate inverter )6B@" A05("%C&5AB9&@ bank that provided house power, and at the time, solar power in any form was unique to Lake Powell. Every September for 3 years we came to the boat for 2 full weeks. Wendy and I would run that boat by ourselves and only occasionally would we invite guests. We learned early on not to attempt beaching in windy conditions but rather lay off and wait until foul weather passed by. I used to secure the Sea Ray I had to the hip of the houseboat, tugboat style, so I was free to maneuver the houseboat in tight conditions. Our second houseboat was also a timeshared boat and I went down in size to 55 footer. The year before had ended on a bad experience with really extreme winds so I wanted something easier to manage in foul weather. We discovered early on that 60-mile per hour winds treat a 55 footer just about the same as a 65 footer. So with that and just generally being done with many partners on a boat, we sold out and bought a 1986 twin diesel Sumerset. The first Sumerset was a classic boat story. Had to have it, no partners, went through it completely from bow to stern, put too much money into an old boat and sold it for a loss to buy the next one. HBA: What were your reasons for selecting Sumerset’s American Waterway? http://www.sumerset.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18

Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18 Editor's Desk Desert Ritual River Dream Boatel 2007 Top Houseboating Accessories 2007 Impact Design of the Year 2007 Comeback Company of the Year Florida A-Z The Perfect Florida Houseboat Under Thirty Feet? Adventure Guide

Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18

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