Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18 - (Page 11)

SH: Wendy and I chose the American Waterways because we wanted a new Sumerset and all the benefits of owning that brand, without the hassle factor of having to customize every square inch. Coming from the previous Sumerset to the brand new 4 bedroom, two bathroom layout of the American Waterways was enough of an improvement to keep us satisfied. In addition, we did have an opportunity to select the interior from a variety of decor packages. With all the choices we were given it was custom enough without the project having so much detail that it became annoying. The floor plan works just fine especially with the large groups we carry aboard these days. HBA: Please describe your American Waterway houseboat for me, Stan. SH: Our boat is 75' X 18' with a master king, two downs, and a one up stateroom midship. The forward cuddy is a forward entry from the salon and very convenient for kids. Up top there's a 30' long fiberglass party top wired for sound and fans and various types of lights. The safety rails surround the entire second level so we can use every square foot. We chose a very lively color package to go with the stainless appliances and light maple cabinets. Almost everything on board using electricity to operate is running off of the inverter bank. I have a 4,000 watt system that powers all the lights, two refrigerators, 3 ice- makers, the entertainment center and six fans. When we are out on the lake we try to charge the inverter bank late in the day while running the air conditioner. Then when it cools down we can have it quiet to enjoy the peace of the evening. HBA: Bio-diesel is a fuel not normally used in houseboats. Why did you select it to power yours? SH: Petroleum diesel is much safer than gasoline on houseboats. It is not as explosive and the exhaust does not contain as much carbon monoxide. Bio-diesel is even better than petroleum diesel because the flash point of bio-diesel is higher than petroleum diesel and the emissions from bio-diesel contains 70% less unburned hydrocarbon, 50% less carbon monoxide and zero sulfates by comparison. The exhaust from bio-diesel simply does not stink, and on my boat that’s huge. HBA: How efficient is the fuel compared to others? SH: Bio-diesel is equal to petroleum diesel with regards to engine performance and fuel efficiency. Our experience this year running new diesel machinery on biodiesel was above my expectations. Statistics available comparing bio-diesel to petroleum diesel indicates a slight loss of power, but I could not feel it in the performance of my boat. Desert Ritual at rest at one of the thousands of gorgeous beaches found at Lake Powell. Its bio-diesel power makes it one of the cleanest and greeenest houseboats on this great lake. )6B@" A05("%C&5AB9&@

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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.