Houseboat Vacations

My family vacations every year with friends who have a son close in age to our 8-year-old daughter. Rather than explore a European capital city or take an extended U.S. road trip, last summer we decided to do something a bit different—rent a houseboat on the Erie Canal.

A week on the water in a 42-foot boat with just two cabins, having not only to steer the boat, but also to navigate the many locks and bridges found along the route? Why not.

Which Body of Water?

Houseboat trips in the United States are available from the Great Lakes to Arizona to Florida. Deciding on where to go depends on how much work you want to do. Renting a houseboat on a lake is much easier than renting one where you have to navigate locks and bridges. Figure out the goals and desires of everyone in your party—if most just want to relax and swim, then our trip wouldn’t work for you. We had a fair amount of work to do navigating the Erie Canal, and we got off the boat every day to explore. That worked for my group, but we talked at length about the pros and cons beforehand.

What’s Included

No matter which route you choose, you are responsible for the food and sundries you’ll need for your trip. Most houseboat rentals come with linens and kitchen basics, plus maps, flashlights and basic first-aid gear. Also, the price of fuel is usually built into the rental fee, but be sure to ask. At some boat tie-up spots, you’ll be responsible for a nominal docking fee. One great thing about renting a houseboat is that you can see a variety of places without having to repeatedly pack and unpack: All your gear stays on the boat while you roam.

What You Need to Know

Yes, someone will have to steer the boat. A lesson is included no matter where you go. The company will make sure you are clear on all procedures and have you demonstrate your understanding before they cut you loose. If you can drive a car, you can take the helm of a houseboat.

On the Erie Canal

The Erie Canal was built to transport people and goods from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. Completed in 1825, the canal 363-mile-long canal cuts through varying terrain, hence the need for locks to raise or lower boats. During its heyday, the canal had 83 locks; today it has just 35. It was a boon to towns along its route, and though its boomtown days are long gone, we chose the Erie Canal for the adventure of navigating the locks and the opportunity to explore many of those historic towns, seemingly frozen in time circa turn of the 20th century, along the way.

We rented from Mid-Lakes Navigation, located in Skaneateles, N.Y,. (tel. 800-545-4318; www.midlakesnav.com) because they’ve been in business since 1968, plus we wanted to be able to drive there from Boston.

• Houseboats can come with many amenities, including slides for the kids (or the kid at heart).
• Mike Johnston

Named for a town on the canal, our boat the Honeoye is one of the five largest houseboats Mid-Lakes offered. It includes two bathrooms, which was essential since there would be six of us on board. All the boats come with linens, outfitted kitchens, maps and two bicycles. The high-season rate (from May through October) was $2,850, and included a driving lesson, fuel, tolls and post-trip cleaning.

After we loaded up the boat, we had a driving, docking and locking lesson from Owen, of Mid-Lakes. We had to go through our first lock (Lock 29 at Palmyra) with Owen directing us. (We named my friend Elizabeth captain.) A 14-ton boat doesn’t move too fast—our top speed was about six miles an hour, and even though it can be tricky to dock, Elizabeth, a champion parallel parker, was a natural.

Locking in and out can be a bit difficult too. You slowly go into the lock and members of the crew (Elizabeth’s husband Jorge and my husband Rob) held us steady with ropes attached to the lock walls while the water either went up or down.  

Since we had a captain and crew, we made the kids deckhands, and I took on the role of communications officer. My job was to call ahead to the lockmasters to ask permission to go through the locks, and in one case in Fairport, to raise the bridge.