Terri and Rick bought
their first houseboat in 2006 and used it for 6 months. They first started
houseboating five years before that with a 10 x 30 and their current boat they
bought in 2009. Total, they have been houseboating for more than ten years.
They enjoy being on
the water most of all, going to their many coves on Pine Flat Lake, and relaxing
and having fun with friends and family. “You can’t beat the evenings when most
of the skiers and tubers have all gone in for the day, the stillness of the
water is quite a picture, Terri explains.
Their boat is a 14 x
59 Fun Country houseboat that they purchased from Cottonwood Cove in Nevada. Many
modifications were made to give it their personal touch. With Rick’s construction/engineering
knowledge and attention to detail, he designed and built the canopy and rear
swim step with the help of a welder. They also installed a solar system on the
boat to take care of all their power needs while on the boat. After they
installed their new stereo system they had pretty much remodeled 90% of the
boat’s interior. It started with wood floors to carpet in bedrooms, to light
fixtures.. They also installed custom alder cabinets and granite countertops in
the kitchen and bathrooms.
The Langdon’s never
did name their boat. It is yet to be determined. After their visit to Lake Cumberland,
there were many names we liked, but nothing seemed to fit just right. “I am
sure we will come up with something soon,” mentions Terri.
The dock at Pine Flat Lake Marina is
located about 20 miles east of Fresno,
owned and run by the Brockman family. “It a great place to keep a houseboat
like ours.. We normally leave the dock as often as we can and will usually pull
our Magic Deck boat out to the coves
along with us to make daily runs back to the marina for ice and things like
that, Rick comments. The marina is almost exactly one hour away from their
house, which makes it pretty convenient to go back and forth. Many times they
will run up after work during the week to do little projects on the boat to get
it ready for the weekend.
Terri and Rick houseboat
with their good friends, the Wilkinsons. They too have a houseboat in which
they will typically tie up next to each other and start experimenting with
different types of drinks throughout the weekend and mostly discuss what they
can do next to each of their houseboats.
Rick and Terri try to
go to the lake every weekend from early spring until late fall. The only time they
are not there is when they have other commitments that don’t allow them to go
up to the lake. “We also spend many weekends during the winter on the houseboat.
Our dog Emerson loves houseboating just as much as we do and has only missed
one night with us,” says Rick.