We have exciting news here at Houseboat magazine. Next year, 2015, will be our 25th anniversary. For the last quarter of a century, we’ve been celebrating the houseboating lifestyle.
We are so thankful for all you who make it possible.
Obviously, we are still wrapping up 2014. There’s still a lot more houseboating to be shared these last few months. But to kick off our big celebration, we’re going to take a trip down memory lane and look a look at the our magazine covers over the past 25 years.
Winter 1990. Our Premier Issue featured a custom Boatel on the cover. The picture was taken on Lake Powell, though you wouldn’t have guessed it from this angle. The magazine was 40 pages and printed in black and white.
July 1995. The cover featured Catamaran Cruiser’s new Gateway 3510 which retailed for $24,995. I’ve never seen this boat in person but a price like that, it definitely looks like you would get your money’s worth a few times over. By the time, the magazine printed in full color and hot pink was the name of the game. I’m feeling almost blinded by it at this moment. The magazine was 56 pages.
August 1997. It’s kind of hard to tell but there is a houseboat on this cover in the bottom right hand side. Ironically, we recently ran into the person who used to own this boat and they were proud to tell us she still floats the waters of Lake Powell. For the life of me, I can’t remember if he told me it was a Sumerset or a Gibson. I know if it was printed a couple of inches bigger, we could immediately tell. What do you think? By August of 1997, the magazine had a more respectable color palette throughout and came in at 56 pages.
January 2000. The very first issue of the new millennium had a Monticello Yacht as the primary picture with Gibson, PlayCraft, SkipperLiner and Stardust. This was our Buyer’s Guide and the magazine was 96 pages long with over 25 manufacturer bios. I think we can all agree 2000 was a good year for the houseboating industry.
November 2002.The cover was a 75 foot SkipperLiner named Arizona Princess who floated around Lake Mead. She was, and probably still is, 20-feet wide with a 66-inch hull depth. The Houseboat magazine in place at the time called it the “Ultimate Dream Boat” which, as long as the interior has been updated, it probably still is. The magazine was 72 pages long.
March 2004. This cover makes me a tad bit uncomfortable because the man servant coming up the stairs could be a serial killer and there would be no escaping him. But as it turns out, the man servant is Gary White, the owner of this Fantasy houseboat who used to rent it out for $1,400 a day on Lake Cumberland and gave his guests full-service treatment. This issue was 88 pages and printed on a heavy-gloss paper.
September 2007. Endless Love graced the cover. This Monticello Yacht was purchased at our Louisville Houseboat Expo and was shipped to Illinois. I picked this cover because the boat’s named Katie which is a good thing in my book. This magazine was 72 pages long.
September 2009. This 100-foot houseboat by Sunstar Yachts was all the talk this year. This boat was built for the owners of the company and they turned this beautiful boat into a masterpiece. The magazine was 56 pages long.
July 2010. This cover was done by our freelancer Dan Armitage when he spent a week on Adventure Craft 2850, one of the last trailerable houseboats out there. This 28 foot boat was cruising around the Florida Keys and retailed at $113,500. This issue came in at 48 pages.
.jpg_600.jpg)
September 2013. Bravada Yachts is a relatively new builder in this industry but they sure make beautiful boats. This boat happens to have multiple owners with everyone scheduling their time on the lake in advance. You’ll find this often on Lake Powell. This magazine was 48 pages long and is one of my personal favorites. When you create the top-ten list, you get to pick pictures that make you happy, which is what I did here. In fact, I wish I was there right now.