Destination: Lake Powell
Reviewer: KAP & Doug Wright West Crew
Time: August 4-11, 2014
Preface: The purpose of this review is to share our experiences with forum members and to provide insight from a performance boaters perspective regarding Lake Powell.
Intro:
We decided this year that instead of going to Lake of the Ozarks for the Shootout, we as a family of 11 would travel to Lake Powell for a family boating trip. The rationale was it would only take one day of driving and we would be able to spend quality time with our family and kids and keep business dealings to a minimum.
I started by doing the typical online research into the area. I highly recommend looking at aerial and satellite images via the internet. It will give you a ton of visual insight into the lake. The lake overall is enormous with over 2000 miles of shoreline. It is one of the largest lakes in the Western United States. In addition, the maximum depth of Lake Powell is 558 feet with many areas exceeding the 100 foot of anchor rope we came with...so be prepared.
Lake Powell is also a high altitude desert area lake with minimal vegetation surrounding the lake. It was formed when the Bureau of Reclamation built the Glen Canyon Dam and began holding back the water in 1963. The altitude is about 3,700 feet above sea level and this is an important item if you’re a performance boater.
I requested tips and information from several boating forums and people provided some information and were really helpful based on their experiences. In the end I relied on my experience traveling to Poker Runs to serve as my guide on this trip and it worked out well with some exceptions.
Housing/Lodging...Where to Stay:
Well Page Arizona is the closest town and it has various hotels and rooms available. We were coming with two boats our 32 Doug Wright and a 29 Bennington Tritoon. Along with 11 adults and children which eliminates the hotels as an option for lodging.
a. Houseboats
Our friends were telling us to get a House boat and we looked into it and they are extremely expensive ranging from nine thousand to fourteen thousand plus dollars for our family. Add to this fuel, groceries and travel time with two boats in tow. This idea was quickly a deal breaker for me. I unilaterally made an executive decision and decided securing a house boat was not for us.
The reasoning is there were only two of us with boating skills myself and my father in law. I could quickly see that I would be the captain of the boat it would be a working vacation...no thanks for me. Second, we have small children with us and having them aboard a floating house were they could possibly fall overboard at night was not a comforting thought for anyone in the group. Lastly, I know a thing or two about large vessels with inboards and carbon monoxide being a silent assasin. This is a huge issue that most people never think about until it strikes. I did not know the safety record of these house boats. Nor could I inspect them prior to our arrival to be assured of the children’s safety and our own.
For these reasons and a few others we opted not to rent a house boat. I am sure many people do and it works fabulous for them and we might opt for this when everyone is older but for this trip it was the smart choice for us to secure a home.
b. Renting a Home
If you decide to rent a home do so quickly I had lined up several homes and waited 5 days only to discover they were quickly being rented faster than I could confirm booking with the realtor. If you find a nice home that suits your needs and dates book it immediately do not hesitate as the supply of rental homes in Page is very limited.
The other advantage of renting a home is you can spend time in Page as they have numerous tours and local bars and eateries. The money and time you save over renting a house boat will buy you a ton of gas and bar tabs.
The night life in Page is rather subdued if your looking for a party town this is not the place. The marinas die down right at 10:00 and the local bars only have limited hours as well. We managed to experience local restaurants and bars and all were well stocked and friendly.
Boating:
Well we decided to launch out of Antelope Point Marina and it was a great choice. Nice public launch ramp close to it and we reserved slips for our entire trip. The docks are excellent and some of the best I have ever used. They come with fresh water access and most of all power. When you boat all day and need to recharge your batteries due to playing the stereo all day. Having the ability to plug into power every night is such a luxury. The water is nice if you have to wash off stuff or clean coolers. I definitely recommend booking your slip in advance with the marina.
They have a nice bar and restaurant at Antelope Point Marina as well as premium fuel, ice and limited beverages. Access to the marina is via carts you can walk but it is a long way from the parking lot to your slip. It is easy to summon a Marina driver and cart to load your stuff. The only problem is when the house boats are loading up the wait can be longer than you want.
Now here is the important part Wah Weap and Antelope were the only places to buy premium unleaded fuel. We filled up our boat in Flagstaff and saved $100 dollars as the price differential was about one dollar. I highly recommend you fill your boat before launching at a Powell marina. Gas is quite high $5.02 a gallon at the marina for premium.
NOTE: Dangling Rope marina does not have premium fuel so if your performance boats needs the good stuff do not count on those outlying marinas to re-supply your boat with good fuel. I wish someone had told me this in advance. These smaller marinas did not have premium fuel. I hate/refuse to put 87 octane in my boat. We left and went back to Antelope Point to get premium fuel and that is a long ride but in my opinion worth the effort.
Next if you have a GPS buy the upgraded chip as mine only had the ocean waterways and not the inland lakes and other bodies of water. If you have a handheld GPS bring it you will get good use out of it. The maps you buy have all the GPS coordinates on them for popular spots. I highly recommend you buy a good map. Open it and make sure it has the coordinates for the most popular destinations.
Another item that is good to have aboard is a VHF you can talk to the marina with VHF as cell phone service is spotty and weak throughout the lake. If you have two boats using a handheld VHF is great. Also talk about your travel plans the night before and formulate travel plans and the dreaded “what if we get lost what do we do plan”. This avoids the A.M. confusion of planning and meeting up. Our role was to run ahead with the DW to scout out areas and find coves while our family was motoring at 35MPH with the tritoon. Once we find a good cove we would radio it in and they would follow up to our location.
One thing no one mentioned to me was how bad the altitude killed the performance of my engines. They were gasping for air and running very rich. What does this mean? The boat needed some prop help in a bad way. Well I wish someone had said KAP you will need to drop down in propeller pitch tremendously. I had difficulty coming out of the hole due to the large wheels I was spinning.
NOTE: Altitude typically robs an engine 3-5% for every thousand feet of altitude. So at 3500-3700 [Lake Powell altitude plus or minus] or so for my motors. I needed to drop down about 4 pitch sizes easily. You know that feeling you get when you know better and left the other props at home. I just knew... I should have brought my 5 blade props and regretted it everyday. So if your coming to Powell.... bring a lower pitch prop[s] based on my formula above depending on your setup.
You will also need two anchors if the wind kicks up you want everything secure and not dragging and drifting all over the place. Plus enough anchor rope to hit bottom depending on where you are on the lake. A 100 ft was plenty for me but some areas were very deep. I would bring an additional 50-100ft just in case. Also bring lots of fenders the bigger the better you cannot have enough fenders when the wind picks up.
The majority of the boats we encountered were mostly wake board boats and house boats. The wakeboard boat owners had there boat fat sacks loaded they were throwing monster swells on some of the big wake board boats. Very few handful if any performance oriented boats. We ran a total of 429 miles in three days. Plus we parked and bar be que’d with the tritoon and the kids for most of the day. If you have a performance boat you can certainly cover this lake pretty quickly more so if you know how to navigate. I would also add if you have a good jet ski bring it. We could not or would not go into a lot of the small canyon fingers so a jet ski would be ideal for side canyon exploring. Note: You would have to tow a ski into an area as I doubt anyone would want to ride it 52 miles one way.
One important note Lake Powell is used a lot by foreigners meaning Europeans, Asians, and other non-American boaters. They let these people take house boats out and rental boats out with little to no skills. We almost killed a lady who was swimming 200 yards off a house boat in the open channel with no flag up no nothing. I went by her so close I could see her face as I went by her...she was swimming in the middle of the channel...it took a few years off my life.
If you have a good performance boat you can see the majority of what Powell has to offer in a short time. Get started early some of the best water and light is in the mornings and dusk. It is magical and mysterious as Powell is an ancient place. Native Americans have lived in the area for thousands of years. I felt their spirit if you can understand that concept or perhaps how the place has you in awe for most of the time. If you need to really get into canyons it is going to take you numerous trips. To really get into all the crevices and secret canyons Powell has to offer.
Overall, Lake Powell has the most majestic scenery anywhere . . . every cove has cake like cliffs and buttes that stand like church steeples. Lake Powell had absolutely, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets unequaled anywhere in the U.S. a veritable photo paradise. It is a great boating destination that every boater should put on their bucket list. You will need at least four days of boating minimum. We had a blast our kids and family all had a safe and enjoyable trip of a lifetime.
Lastly, I hope this review helps a fellow performance boater become more acquainted with properly prepared for all aspect of boating while at Lake Powell.
KAP
