Give the gift of houseboating

Share the joy of a houseboat vacation - one great gift for the whole crew, one package to wrap, and one great time on the water together. Take advantage of Forever's early bird specials before the end of this year and get some great values for next season too. It's almost like getting a nice package all wrapped up with a bow on top. Booking early is also a great way to make sure that you and your crew get the boat model and week that works best for everyone in your group.

The true gifts that we all love about houseboating, the fun to be had, the peace to relax, and the time out together with freinds and family, these are truly the gifts of the season, and the gifts of houseboating.

Happy Houseboating and Happy Holidays

How to gift-wrap a houseboat

So now you have the perfect gift idea, but how to wrap it? We thought it might be a great project to take a 70' Millennium Houseboat and actually gift wrap it. Just for fun - or at least to imagine the logistics.

Size... Measuring 70x16, the Millennium could present a size challenge. With high ceilings inside and a large canopy on the top deck, our wrapping experts suggest the exterior surface area to be wrapped is in excess of 2296 square feet. The average large roll of wrapping paper is only 40 square feet, so about 115 rolls should do. That is... assuming that the houseboat is floating in the water and we are only wrapping down to the water line. This project could take some planning and there are a lot of unanswered questions:

What to wrap? The whole houseboat of course. The Captain's flying bridge under the top deck canopy, if wrapped separately, should make a nice "second package" on top, especially if wrapped in a different color.

The hot tub might also make a great second package on top. It would probably be best to only wrap the sides and just put a large bow on the lid for easy removal and relaxation in the warm bubbling waters at night.

More questions arise... Do we wrap the waterslide in foil for contrast? Should the railing on the top deck be wrapped in solid paper or covered in garland or foil for effect? Our wrapping experts have suggested that wrapping the entire top deck with solid paper would limit access to the wet bar and ice maker (this could be a serious recreational problem for the wrapping crew). The gas grill on the front lower deck might look good if covered in foil as well. After the holidays, of course, the foil could then be re-used for grilling up some fresh bass or trout caught on the water.

Music
A musical package might be fun too. Using the on-board music system, an I-pod loaded with some great music or a good collection of CD's is all that would be needed to orchestrate this musical touch.

Lights or Bows?
Either or both would work. The electrical system on-board should certainly handle some extra holiday lighting, that's what those inverters are really for isn't it? With today's LED light strings, the generator might not even have to kick in. Giant bow's on the other hand, might be a much simpler alternative. Anyone know a friendly car dealer who has some on hand?

Well, it was a fun thought, gift wrapping a houseboat, we should try it some day. Anyone game? Happy Holidays!

Click here for more about the 70' Millennium

Divers are lovin' Cottonwood Cove

Cottonwood Cove Marina, on the shores of Lake Mohave in Nevada, has seen a lot of happy new faces over and under the water this year. "The pool is open" as they like to say and several dive organizations in the Nevada Scuba Retailers Association have discovered what a great dive location Lake Mohave is.

They have also discovered that Cottonwood Cove Resort & Marina is a great place to enjoy the beach, warm weather, clear water, excellent facilities and some great Nevada hospitality. These dive groups typically schedule one weekend a month for dive club members and their new students to come and train, dive, study, and improve their certifications. In fact, this year alone, over 200 new certifications were earned in the warm waters of Lake Mohave.

Houseboats, deck boats, and even patio pontoon boats have been "great launch platforms," one instructor reported, "and the water conditions are great here." The houseboats also "provided us with some great meeting space around the table" in addition to having "all of the comforts of home right there on the water." Some in these groups stay at the waterside RV sites and a few even take advantage of beachfront motel rooms. "Cottonwood Cove has everything we need in one place."

Scuba groups also participate in Cottonwood Cove's annual Ecology Dive and Shore Clean Up. Last year they had over 140 divers in the water. (2010 is scheduled for Oct. 8.)

There must be something in the water that keeps em' coming back year after year. Check in with the crew at Cottonwood Cove and find out why divers and houseboaters are lovin' Lake Mohave!

Click here to learn more about Cottonwood Cove

Watch the YouTube video from "GR8 divn"

July 4th is on Sunday in 2010!

Here are the major holidays for next year, so that you can plan a big houseboat vacation, or just a visit to the lake, around the dates that are best for your group.

JANUARY
1/1 - New Year's Day - Friday
1/18 - Martin Luther King - Monday

FEBRUARY
2/14 - Valentine's Day -Sunday
2/15 - President's Day - Monday

MARCH
3/17 - St. Patrick's Day - Wednesday

APRIL
4/4 - Easter - Sunday

MAY
5/5 - Cinco de Mayo - Wednesday
5/9 - Mother's Day - Sunday
5/31 - Memorial Day - Monday

JUNE
6/14 - Flag Day - Monday
6/20 - Father's Day - Sunday

JULY
7/4 - Fourth of July - Sunday

SEPTEMBER
9/6 - Labor Day - Monday

OCTOBER
10/11 - Columbus Day - Monday
10/31 - Halloween - Sunday

NOVEMBER
11/11 - Veteran's Day - Thursday
11/25 - Thanksgiving - Thursday

DECEMBER
12/25 - Christmas - Saturday
12/31 - New Year's Eve - Friday

Click here to lock in your preferred 2010 dates