Afloat and at home at Lake of the Ozarks

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — For one weekend, we had the baddest boat on the lake.

Sure, the season was young — the redbuds had just popped and snow flurries were in the forecast — but our 59-foot houseboat was by far the biggest thing on the water. The only competition was a few fishermen in bass boats.

Come summer, the lake will be brimming with the boys and their toys as mega-cruisers make crossing the main channel a challenge. But we tooled along at 8 mph, king of the Lake of the Ozarks.

The lake began with Mom-and-Pop fishing motels, grew with resorts such as Lodge of the Four Seasons and Tan-Tar-A, and evolved into a retirement and second-home community. Forever Resorts is the only renter of houseboats on the lake.

The company is based in Scottsdale, Ariz., and owns and operates more than 60 properties in North America, Europe and Africa. Forever Resorts will take over the lodging at Missouri's Montauk State Park next year.

The company's Lake of the Ozarks Marina has 10 houseboats for daily rental: one 56-foot boat, six 59-foot boats and three 65-footers.

We took a 59-foot houseboat for a cruise before the official April 1 opening of the rental season. The boat had four queen beds and two bathrooms.

"Most of our clientele goes to the state park area and hangs out there for the weekend," said general manager Cory Ginsky. "A lot of them bring their own boats, especially if you've got a ski boat, and tow it along. It's easier to go out to restaurants if you have a small boat."

Before allowing two novices, whose only boating experience had been in kayaks, to pilot the $250,000 houseboat, Ginsky spent 30 minutes demonstrating every aspect of its operation. We learned how to flush the toilets, stop and start the generator, control the breaker panel and tie up on the lake's rocky shoreline. We also learned the ground rules: no fireworks, no tiki torches, no turkey fryers.

We looked at the propellers and signed off that they were in good shape. "The most common problem is damaging the propellers in shallow water," Ginsky said. "The cost is $90 if they're repairable and $120 if they have to be replaced."

Each boat is equipped with a map of the lake that is marked with red tape that indicates shallow areas. We were told not to go beyond the red tape and not to drive the boat at night.