Eric and Debbie Thompson purchased
their 1979 69' Sumerset from Terry at Houseboats buy Terry on Mothers day
weekend.
With Debbie being an interior
designer there was a lot of remodeling and fixing up that they did to the boat
and they quickly made their boat their summer oasis. "The boat had great bones
and since I am an interior designer I could see all kinds of possibilities," said
Debbie. The previous owner had done some updating as far as flooring and
paint but they decided to change a lot more. The cabin was painted a pale
yellow including the cabinets. The master is a cool shade of gray with
sunny yellow accents. "The guest room was my daughters idea. It is electric
green."
New roman shades were made in
corals and aqua through out. The rear deck was decked with hand painted
Adirondack chairs in a soft yellow and gray leopard print. The upper deck had some
furniture, a table and bar but they added an outdoor charcoal and tan rug under
the dinning table. The rug makes a beautiful statement and also keeps the deck
from becoming to slippery as it is a gel-coated top. On the boat the bar area steps
up to the cockpit area which is also the uncovered area up top. A soft gray and
cream rug was added to set off the lounge area. The cockpit was appointed with
some bright yellow cushions.
Eric is currently dealing with all
the electrical improvements. A boat like this has endless
possibilities for a little elbow grease and some creative ideas.
The Thompsons are planning a few
more simple changes, mainly relocating the laundry room into our master closet
and returning that space to it's original purpose with some built in bunks.
They can easily sleep eight, but with all the open space in the main cabin they
have lots of room for air mattresses. "We really want our friends and family to
enjoy it as much as we do," says Eric. Debbie enjoyed decorating so much that
she said how much she would love to help other boat owners to re-do their interiors.
This is the Thompson's first
houseboat. They love the lake with its crystal clear emerald waters.
"Houseboating is definitely a way for us to check out of our day-to-day life,"
Eric comments.
They both have done all kinds of
boating in their lives. "As kids, Eric spent time with his family both here and
at Lake Erie. I grew up cruising the Gulf of Mexico in south Florida. One of
our first purchases as a married couple was a 19' SeaRay ski boat that we still
have," says Debbie. Our three kids were boaters from week one of their lives. Every
summer they would fit in trips to Lake Cumberland. They enjoyed that area
immensely and soon learned that to really be on the water and have amenities
they needed a bigger boat. "We still wanted to enjoy skiing and other water
sports but needed a home base. A houseboat seemed to be the perfect solution,"
Eric states. With our houseboat they could go anywhere on the Lake and pull up
the ski boat and wave runner behind it.
Their daughters McKenzie 26,
Maddie 23 and son Cody 20, still love spending time with them at the lake, and are
all just as passionate about boating. Luckily they are all living within
a five hour radius of the lake.
They chose the 1979 Sumerset
because of all the room for everyone including cousins, grandparents, family
and friends. Eric and Debbie have gone to the boat almost every weekend since May
and plan to continue enjoying until November. "We have both felt our blood
pressure dropping the minute our feet hit the dock," Debbie laughs. They have
made some great friends at Wolf Creek Marina and plan a few times to get
together there during the winter months with them, especially for the New Years
party.
When they are on the boat they love
to go off into a secluded cove and have their own private lake to splash around
in. Wolf Creek has really made a lot of improvements with a fitness area and a
great restaurant that makes it hard for the Thompson's to stay away from.
They named the boat "One Moor Day"
because whenever they are on a boat they always want just one more day.
Debbie loves the top of the boat
because it makes her feel like she is at a resort. "The breeze is great, the
view is gorgeous and the décor is beautiful," she comments.
They love to entertain and over the
summer they had a Clam Bake that was a fantastic way to enjoy great seafood,
great friends and a bottle of wine.
The Thompson's hope one day the
grandchildren will love it as much as they do.