The houseboat industry has been struggling with the negative perception that the level of the River Murray has dropped too low to use houseboats.

This myth was dispelled for the 5000 people who visited Mannum during the weekend to see the 25 houseboats on show at Mary Ann Reserve.

Houseboat Hirers Association chief executive officer Peter Tucker said people from outside the Murraylands could see first hand the condition of the River Mur-ray.

“The association supported the event and the idea was to get as many people up there (in Mannum) as possible to physically see the river,” he said.

“It was a huge success, the weekend weat-her was magnificent.” Mr Tucker said the houseboat operators received great feedback and forward bookings.

Mannum’s Unforg-ettable Houseboats ow-ner Mark Flanagan said the company had many inquiries during the weekend.

Visitors to the open day could walk through houseboats, ranging from the basic to the luxurious and talk to the operators.

“People who came from Adelaide and outside regional areas were generally surprised at (good condition of) the river,” Mr Flanagan said.