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feature 28 Houseboatmagazine.com purchase, and also asked others on Watauga Lake for their thoughts. Aside from getting great feedback regarding Sailabration, Lawson found that people universally wanted maneu- verability in their houseboats. While many of those docked at Watauga Lake never leave the dock, those who did needed to be able to take their house- boats out on the water without worry- ing too much about the lake's relatively narrow passages. Lawson himself owns a 35-foot Myacht. "It's small, but we love it. It's nice and maneuverable," Lawson says. Swartz was interested in a boat that he could take out into the middle of the lake and cook a dinner on and watch the game. As the upper end of Watauga Lake doesn't have cell service, having a houseboat is a great way to get away from it all, as well. With their builder chosen, Lawson and Swartz began coordinating their efforts to communicate with Lambert as to exactly what they wanted. "We worked with Tim in person and J.D. by email and fax, because he was in Florida at the time," Lambert said. In addition to wanting a smaller sized houseboat, relatively speaking, Swartz asked for a nice upper deck for enter- taining, downriggers for fishing and quad thrusters for easier docking. In the end, the two friends came up with a plan that Swartz liked by combining two plans Sailabration had previously built. The result was a boat that is truly ready to party. The upper deck includes a hardtop, wet bar with fridge and 37- inch, drop mounted LCD television. On the main level there is a 42-inch LCD television with Bose surround sound, perfect for watching Tennessee take on the Alabama Crimson Tide or Georgia Bulldogs on the satellite television feed, provided by a King-Dome satel- lite tracking unit. A security system and GPS navigational tools give Swartz the technology he needs to enjoy his time on the lake. The boat is propelled by twin Honda 90hp outboards with 2F MicroCom- mander controls. Twin Vetus bow and stern thrusters allow for easy docking, and the 13KW Kohler CO Safe gen- erator powers the boat in a safe and environmentally friendly way. The cabin is fully insulated with Thermo windows, and climate control Sound Advice. When JD Swartz (r) went looking for the right houseboat for him, he enlisted his friend Tim Lawson. Together they decided on the 57-foot Sailabration.