Harborside Houseboat Rentals is a family owned business that has been in business for over 35 years. The owner has over 15 years experience on Lake Travis with 4 years Coast Guard military as a boarding officer, while in the military he obtained his captains license, mechanic certificate and medical background in water rescue.

We are located on beautiful Lake Travis in Austin, Texas

Lake Travis:

Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River in central Texas in the United States. The reservoir was formed in 1942 by the construction of Mansfield Dam on the western edge of Austin, Texas by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Travis has the largest storage capacity of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes, and stretches 65 miles (105 km) upriver from western Travis County in a highly serpentine course into southern Burnet County to Max Starcke Dam, southwest of the town of Marble Falls. The Pedernales River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, flows into the lake from the southwest in western Travis County. The lake is used for flood control, water supply, electrical power generation and recreation.

Recreational uses:

Because of its volume, the lake serves as the primary flood control reservoir of the Highland Lake chain. The level of the lake can therefore vary dramatically, depending on the amount of rainfall in the Colorado River basin upstream. Despite this, the lake furnishes one of the most desired locations in the region for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking and camping. Among the parks along the lake is the Travis County park Hippie Hollow, the only clothing-optional public park in Texas. Lake Travis is generally considered one of the clearest lakes in Texas. It is a vital water supply for the nearby city of Austin, Texas and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Fish populations:

Lake Travis has been stocked with several species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in Lake Travis include largemouth bass, guadalupe bass, white bass, striped bass, catfish and sunfish.

Lake levels:

Lake Travis is considered "full" (at maximum desired capacity) when the lake's water level is at 681 feet above mean sea level (msl). Above 681 feet, flood control gates are opened under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.[2] The historic high level on the lake was 710.4 feet above msl on December 25, 1991. The historic low was 614.2 feet above msl on August 14, 1951. The extreme drought of 2008-2009 brought the lake to its third lowest level at 629.97 feet above msl on September 11, 2009. The second lowest level was 615.02 feet above msl on November 8, 1963.