Three Buoys Houseboat Vacations

A fantastic small business who most definitely take very good care of their customers. Polite, efficient, clean and what a beautiful place to explore. HIGHLY recommended to all. Houseboats include a super cool waterside odd the back!

Overall great trip and experience! Beauty of Lake Temagami is tough to challenge. 40 year old houseboat, however gave it a try. Poorly fitting doors and windows resulted in lots of drafts. We also had 3 unwanted stowaways (mice) as well, which took some creativity to catch (successful!!).

Northern reach of the Lake (Henderson Bay) is beautiful! We stayed for 2 nights. Shore campfires were amazing! Waves lulled us to sleep. View of Mount Henderson was an amazing way to wake up! Sunny days steering from the upstairs deck were spectacular!

Last day was the biggest challenge. High winds made our journey difficult, from the start. These 22,000lb boats rode well, while requiring some very active steering. Damp weather resulted in the engine stalling 3 times then hesitating. It brought us home safely though!

Female staff were very friendly and helpful. Male staff, including Jim, not so much. Had 2 unexpected charges: propeller repair & service call (new battery). Thought about challenging them, but let it go.

Our first, and not last experience on a houseboat. Next time, newer boat in a less remote location. Note to self: double wine supply next time ;-)

Treat the houseboat like an old RV, go with at least 4 people and expect the unexpected, and you'll have a great time!

We booked this first and read reviews afterwards, so I was a bit worried, but this whole experience didn't disappoint. But know that this is more of a camping experience than a yacht experience. Still, I found it reasonably clean and well kept considering the age of the boats. Only two of the fleet still have original flooring but apparently even they will have (much needed) replaced linoleum next year. Sure, bugs will find their way in, but no more than a rustic cottage.

If you're not experienced with boats/boating, tying up boats, then I'd pay careful attention during your initial instructions. I was glad to have captains. ;) Overnight anchoring can be tricky.

So many cool/hidden spots to dock and enjoy beautiful Lake Temagami! The upper deck on this boat was the best feature. Incredible views, lots of bench seating, plus you can drive from up there and listen to music. There is a stereo on the main level that plays the radio or connects to your phone to music on the boat. Also we were able to put a 10x10 camping gazebo up there for sun and rain shelter. Some ppl apparently even pitch overnight camping tents up there for an alternative sleeping arrangement. The water slide is SO MUCH FUN!!!

The sleeping set up: two double pull out couches that were pretty comfy, plus a double that the dining room table converts into. Plus a double in the back bedroom and a double in the little bunk upstairs. My kids loved the bunkhouse and it got nice and breezy up there at night. We were 4 adults + 3 kids and had ample room.

Kitchen is well stocked but I'd bring a good knife, a cast iron pan, and maybe a platter dish for serving food to your whole crew. I also brought by own French press for coffee but they supply a camping coffee pot. Note: there are no outlets for plugging things in when you're away from dock. So no point in bring kitchen electrics or fans or anything else that requires electricity. Bring various pre charged charging blocks if possible as radio has one usb port to charge devices. Not much reception on the lake either fyi.

Definitely also bring kitchen cloths, tea towels, bathroom hand towels. I'd also personally suggest cheap little door mats too to keep floors a bit cleaner from water/sand. And there's a real lack of hooks on board to hang wet towels etc, so bring clothes pins or something to help hang stuff from railings. Fridge/freezer size is decent enough but bring ice for the cooler they provide! BBQ is small and in good condition. Decent enough storage on board but don't pack excessively. Bedroom has a small cupboard and there's a small closet for everyone else's stuff.

Bring lighters and firewood for your overnight sleeping/hanging spots. Stores on lake were not open (mid week in August) for us.

Great service from Three Buoys. A really fun, unique, memorable experience overall. Would recommend it!!

A group of us rented a houseboat for 4 days from Three Buoys, it was a great experience.
The introduction is very thorough and the boats are in great condition compared to other houseboat companies that I have rented from.

You have to take into consideration that these boats are 30 years old and you are in a very remote area. You are basically a floating RV getting into some very remote and beautiful parts of the country.
If you do something stupid like hit a rock then yes, your trip will end early but if you are careful and listen to the briefing you will have a great time.