Towing SANTE220 Behind House Boat?

[uwhusky]

Is there anything I need to know or be aware of when towing my SANTE220 behind a house boat?

I'm heading down to Lake Powell this coming weekend and will tow the SANTE220 behind the houseboat until we get to our camping site. My neighbors little jet boat requires him to close some kind of valve so water doesn't get in.

I'm pretty certain the SANTE220 is not like that and I can just hook a rope on to the front and tow it out but thought I'd being the experts here in case there's something I'm missing?

[gride300]

i'm no expert, but i've done it before. just turn the bilge on and tow it behind the boat with a rope at the bow. mind when you stop and stuff.

[seth]

Be Careful!!!!!!!!!!!

When towing your boat it is much easier to get rollers over the bow and sink it. A buddy sunk his boat at Powell towing behind a HB. Your boat when towed has no drive so if you do get into some big rollers or rough water it will start bobbing. When it bobs up the rope tension will pull it down and if the water is rough enough out there, it can go under pretty quick!! Keep an eye on her!

[robertsmcfarland]

We towed our 210 at lake Powell with no problem. I read all the stories about boats sinking and was a little nervous at first but after the first 1/2 hour forgot it was even there. Behind the 210 we towed a jet ski, we had at least 75 feet of rope from the the house boat to the 210 and maybe 25 feet to the jet ski.

[uwhusky]

OK. I'll keep an eye on her. It didn't occur to me that she could take on water over the bow.

[Cam003]

remember when the houseboat stops the towed boat does not.

[TX-Foilhead]

I didn't pay much attention, but there was a post on Wakeworldm, last year I think, about people having some problems with one of the dripless packing glands because there was no water getting to it with the boat off. Might want to take a look, I don't have dripless packing and I don't tow the boat behind other boats so I don't remeber any of the specifics.

[bobchris]

drive the boat tow the jet ski, use the boat to go scout what cove you want to tie up in, then come back direct the house boat to that area, beach the houseboat, tie it off then bring in the boat. Much safer, now if you don't have enough people with you to do that then your stuck towing it. I have also seen people tie the boat off to the side rails of the house boat with plenty of bumpers between the two and tow it that way as well, I don't recommend towing the boat at all but sometimes you don't have a choice.

[BKinSoCal]

My first houseboat trip, I didn't want to tow my boat because I heard the stories about water over the bow and the boat sinking. The next two HB trips I went on, one was to Powell, we towed the boat and had no issues.

When you go to Powell are you going out of Wahweap or Bullfrog? If out of Wahweap, do you know if the water level is high enough this year that the main channel is open or will you need to go through the narrows? I'm asking because the narrows are like a HUGE washing machine. If that is the only way to go, every boat between Wahweap and the main lake has to go that route. There is no current, 100' cliffs and lots of rough water.

We towed through there and I sat on the back of the houseboat in case my boat took a wave over the bow so I could swim out and disconnect it as quickly as possible. Who knows if it had happened had I been able to do anything about it, but it was for my own piece of mind.

Other than towing through the narrows, I was perfectly fine towing it behind the HB.

[uwhusky]

I've towed plenty of speed, ski, jet boats behind a houseboat and never had an issue. I've just never towed this boat behind a houseboat. My friend once had an issue with his SkiDo jetboat because there was some vent or something upfront he had to close. I wanted to make sure these Nautiques didn't perhaps have something similar.

The main channel is open so we won't have to go through the narrow channel, past Antelope. We are going out of Wahweap. I'm 99% sure we'll be fine but will definately keep a close eye on the boat to make sure a wave doesn't go over the bow and if it does, I'll be out there ASAP to disconnect the rope or else disconnect it quickly from the houseboat.

[tdc_worm]

fill rear ballast, leave belly ballast empty, stow extra crap in the lockers in order to keep the bow up.

[gride300]

i'd recommend attaching rope via carribeaner so you can unhook quickly rather than untying a knot. maybe fill rear tanks to make it ride bow high if you don't have someone else who can jump back there if need be.

[BHog]

I wouldnt stress about it. THe 220 sits a little higher that most wake boats. Just keep an eye on it if the water gets really choppy.

[Paublo]

I've been going to Powell for 13 years and we've towed many different boats and jet skis. Going out by Antelope Marina requires extreme vigilence and caution. A few years ago there were over 20 boats swamped in a month. You are right about towing SeaDoos, they require a hose clamped off or you will get them hydro-locked. This may apply to other brands, but not all of them- and it only happens over a certain speed like 5 mph.

I have put snap-on bow covers on my boats and that has deflected most of the water that comes up from an occasional roller. Sometimes water will still come over the windshield, but not as much. A shorter line and keeping your boat closer to the back of the houseboat is also a big help. It protects you a lot more in rough water. I would never fill rear ballast to put the boat nose higher. It is like starting out with 500-600 lbs of water already trying to sink you, with little benefit. I would rather have my boat floating like a cork on the water. If you see big waves or rollers coming, cut your houseboat speed/engines. Your boat will tend to pop up and float higher when not under way.