The Sumersets

When we sold our Nixa boat dealership, it was like having a log chain removed from my neck. It was time to focus on the marina again. In 1990, we sold all our rental houseboats and bought five new 64'x14' Sumersets.

One of our new rental houseboats

At the same time, Charles Luna (Johnna's brother) bought a seventy-footer. He had helped me get through the Nixa fiasco, so when we added a houseboat dock for our new rentals, he got a prime spot right next to them. Our rentals slept 10. Even though Charles's boat was bigger, he'd say it only slept two.

We decided to have postcards made that would show our houseboats, so we challenged our customers to submit their best photos. Here are a couple of the winners:

  

We became very efficient when it came to turning over houseboat rentals. Everything was very organized from when the reservation was taken until the final cleaning afterward. I had lists for everything: inventory, maintenance and cleaning included. Each employee had a list of duties. During the busy season we rented boats from Monday to Friday or Friday to Monday. The boats would be due in starting at 9 a.m. on those days, and we had to have them all turned around and back out by 5 p.m. the same day. Mondays and Fridays became known as "Houseboat Hell" days.

Our houseboat brochure.

Becoming a boat dealer was one of my worst ideas. Getting in the houseboat business was one of my best. The houseboat rental business was really good, but it was a maintenance nightmare. I knew if I was ever going to get any time off I had to sell them. So, we started selling them off about 12 years ago. We kept one that we completely remodeled, put new twin engines in it. And now it's for sale. Anyone interested?

Written By Cap'n T Morgan