The only lake in Pennsylvania where you can rent houseboats

PHILADELPHIA — In the Deep South, in places far from the surf, “lake life” is a big deal, and boating is more than a hobby.

There’s a slew of country songs about the lifestyle, too, tunes about specific rivers where it gets hotter than a “hoochie coochie,” as described in Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” and others about particular boats like the pontoon. There’s even a Merle Haggard song about houseboats, which are like pontoons with small houses on them, an aquatic RV more or less.

Jeremy Hetrick, a South Carolina native, knows all about lake life, but mostly because he’s the administrative assistant at Seven Points Marina on Raystown Lake, the largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania (the state has 77 miles of Lake Erie shoreline). Raystown, created by a hydroelectric dam process in 1973, is a whopping 8,300 acres. The lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and, unlike other large bodies of water in Pennsylvania, like Lake Wallenpaupack and Harveys and Conneaut Lakes, Raystown has undergone almost no development.

There’s not a single house on its 118 miles of shoreline, but there’s a ton of houseboats, like the eight-person model Hetrick is about to board on the marina’s long network of docks.

“Most of this lake is untouched by human hands. It’s just nature,” Hetrick said at the marina. “Just being in the outdoors, the tranquility of it, and seeing the sunsets and stars. You’re not gonna get much of that anywhere near here.”

Seven Points Marina appears to be the only place in Pennsylvania where you can rent a houseboat — the Allegheny Reservoir stopped doing it — and they have more than a dozen that sleep anywhere from four to 10 people. You can rent the boats from Monday to Friday or Friday to Monday and, depending on the season, prices can range anywhere from $1,190 to $4,100 for the biggest model.

Again, they’re not just boats. They come with bedrooms, generators, full kitchens, bathrooms, sundecks, and, perhaps best of all, sliding boards.

“The kids obviously love them,” Hetrick said.

Seven Points’ website has a long FAQ for all of the questions one might ponder about a houseboat. How do you drive it? What should I bring? Where do I park this giant, floating house at night?

“The hardest part of driving a houseboat is driving them in and out of the dock, which we do for you,” the website says.

Houseboats are slow so no one can speed even if they wanted to. While you’ll have a ton of blind spots driving from what’s essentially your living room, other faster boats will notice and, ideally, steer clear. The houseboats don’t anchor at night — Raystown is a flooded valley full of trees in its depths. Instead, they tie up to trees along the shoreline in designated areas of the lake.

“It’s not your typical wide, round lake. It’s long and narrow and there are so many little coves on the lake that you can stay the night,” said Matt Price, executive director of the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau. “It’s like real wilderness, too.”

Price said approximately 6% of Raystown Lake’s shoreline is developed, including the marina, the popular Lake Raystown Resort, and other camping destinations. He believes the lake’s houseboat culture — dozens were docked at Seven Points — resulted from the lack of development along its shore.

“In many ways, you can have your waterfront property for the night and then move around to another one,” he said.

There are a handful of houseboats on popular short-term rental sites, but it’s unclear if you’re allowed to actually pilot them. One doesn’t have an engine.

On some summer weekends, boaters will even tie up next to one another in Raystown’s “Party Cove,” a popular destination for younger boaters that sometimes includes DJs. Few people on the Party Cove “unfiltered” Facebook page wanted to discuss details, but here’s the exact location according to Google Maps.

Hetrick said houseboat renters come from all the surrounding states, particularly New York, and most are there to relax, barbecue, swim, and fish off the back of their temporary floating home. Some never even leave the dock, he said, though you can’t use the slide if you don’t.

“Most people come here for peace and quiet,” he said, “and we have plenty of that.”