How did you get into boating?

[wimpy 69]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Had no choice, Grandfather ran a small charter fishing buisness and my uncle was a comm clammer and crabber. Was mating at a young age and learned the in's and out's of daily prep , maintenance and chart ploting. Worked in the boat yard doing odd jobs-scraping barnacles,painting,repacking,detailing,etc. Was running my own Garvey at 12 for my Uncle's fishing buisness when we were'nt chartering. Made enough money by 14 to buy my 1st used boat a Boston Whaler. It's been an obsession to this very day, and never really feel at home unless i'm out on the water or tinkering with anything that has to do boats.

 

[likalar]

Re: How did you get into boating?

.........and never really feel at home unless i'm out on the water or tinkering with anything that has to do boats.

Same here. In the mid 60's I had a lightly used Hobie surfboard (not much surf in MA; it had 3 stringers, worth a bunch now, I'm sure). Another counselor at the summer camp I worked at just had to have it, so we set a price. When he couldn't pay the balance, he gave me his kit-built Sailfish, a sit-on-top small sailboat. Only sailboat I ever owned, but that rush of wind and speed, just a few inches about the water had me hooked. Nothing like being on a boat, real close to the water.

Larry

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: How did you get into boating?

For many generations my family (mother's side) were on tidal water.
I probably first fell overboard when I was 5 and instead of blood coming out the scrapes, salt water went in.
I grew up in a house on the water--salt-water river (estuary) not far from the bay. Same house my mother grew up in, after moving from a farm on the water, and I am back in that house (with one of the same boats, 1964 whaler).
My great uncle built a rowboat 100 years ago that we kept at the house and now my neighbors have. Other great uncle who lived next door was a legendary sailor on the bay. I learned to sail in a 10' turnabout when I was about 10 and ran the motor boats when I could pull start it--it was like having a driver's license at 13. Since the mid-sixties, our vacation spot is a year-round hunting/fishing club on a seaside barrier island; at least a half dozen boats there.
And I learned white water canoing in jr high. West Virginia and Ontario.
We did all the work on the boats, and those wooden ones were a lot.
There is a lot about boating that has changed, and a lot hasn't. It's an interesting process to discern the differences and constants.

 

[MPII]

Re: How did you get into boating?

My parents had a house on the water at Buckeye Lake, Ohio and had a 20' bowrider. I spent a lot of time at that house and have always loved being on the water.

It always amazes me how friendly boaters are. I always meet new people that I have things in common with.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: How did you get into boating?

For me it was in my family since I can remember. But I didnt do it much after my grandpa died.
I got back into in to get out of racing cars. That lasted about a year, now I do both. Its no wonder I have no money...

 

[TJDave]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Boating since birth! I'm pushing 50 years old. I grew up boating with my parents, brother, and sisters on Lake Mead in my Dad's old boat. In '72, we moved to Eastern Wa, and dad bought a new fiberform open bow tri-hull. Mostly the Columbia and Snake rivers with longer vacation trips elsewhere. I bought my own first boat when I finally grew up some years after college. It was an old Glaspar that I fixed up. I tend to hang on to boats for quite a long time. I am only on my fourth.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I can't remember a time in my life when there weren't boats around. I was taught how to operate and maintain one at a very early age.

I've done the same with a child that I am raising now. I've been taking him out in my boat since he was about 2. I just came in off of the water, after a day with he and his half brother. They take turns standing between my legs, so that they can "drive" the boat.

Little Man is 5, so my hands are on the wheel at all times with him, but his brother is 8, so I let him drive by himself this evening. I was in a large lake, so I pullled the power back to let the boat run at about 8 mph and took my hands off of the wheel. He was all over the place, but there were no other boats near us and nothing else to hit, so I just let him get used to the proper way to steer with some minor waves kicking up.

Life for a kid in the New Orleans area can be frightening. There are all sorts of very negative influences and I just love the fact that I can give these two children an introduction to another world.

I can't imagine growing up without boating and I can't imagine not being able to pass the tradition on.



???

 

[sierrawaterman]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Grandpa had one when we were kids and used to go out on the Ohio river all the time and fish and cruise around I thought it was the best. Lived in Socal for a long time after that and the beach was the scene for me. Then moved to the Sierras and snow skiing not water skiing is the norm. My old landlord pushing into his 90's had a 1994 Glastron with 148 hours on it and didn't want to deal with storing it or winterizing it any more so he offered it to me for $3000. I didn't need a boat but I thought it was such a good deal I'd be dumb to pass it up and if I didn't like it I could get out of it for cheap. Boat season isn't to long up here a few month at best, althougth the lakes and the time we have are just spectacular. Now after my first summer I can't imagine NOT having the boat and am thinking about selling the snowmobile for more boat funds.

 

[kobe24]

Re: How did you get into boating?

i would go fishing atleast 2x a week with buddies on jetties or piers. Then i jus got sick of catching mackerel or getting skunked most of the time. i would look into the marina and jus wished i had a boat. So i got fed up with it and went n bought one a couple days ago haha. cant wait to take her out and land a big fish lol.

 

[pwpns]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I got into boating 3 yrs ago when a friend asked if I still had a race car chassis I had bought years ago and then talked me into trading it for a boat he had. It was a 1981 Bayliner 1750 Mutiny, it looked like hammered poop, but I thought it was something me and the wife could enjoy together so I traded him and after spending spring and half a summer and $1500 (and suppresing a mutiny from the wife because of all the sanding and polishing compounding on the boat) getting it put together we had a blast for the rest of the summer. Then at the end of last season I found a 1999 Stingray 192RX for sale and bought it(sold the old boat to a friend for the 1500 I had put into it and he is now hooked). Waited all winter to ride it. Got it out this summer for memorial day and the engine blew up, spent all summer rebuilding the motor and getting all the other bugs worked out(valuable lesson learned test drive before buying). Finally got it to the lake labor day and had a blast cant wait till next season. Even with as much work I have had to put into these boats I cant imagine not having one now.

 

[mommicked]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I think working on them/customizing is half the fun.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Got into it at 24 y/o when I had to learn to run the Fire Departments new fire boat. How lucky was I that my initial training was on a 30' aluminum hulled boat with twin inboards? I got the training on handling, maintenance, GPS/Loran, radar, and docking all at one time (over a course of 3 months). After that, my first boat (20' Bayliner) seemed a piece of cake.

Now I run a Carver 374 (40' LOA) and am desperately fighting off "2-foot-itis".

Enjoy your world of boating. Keep the maintenance up. A boat that runs and performs like it should is 80% of the fun of the experience.

 

[wakeondude]

Re: How did you get into boating?

High School sweetheart.

Back in '86 I satarted dating this girl from school. Her family had a brand new Glastron that her dad bought at the boat show. There were only two things in life back then (besides the girl of course) boating and horses. If we wern't doing a 4-h thing we were boating. The summer of 87 we were on the water 3-4 days a week. But life moved on and I drifted away (no pun inteneded) from boating. "One of these days I'm gonna get back into it" I would tell my buddys. Well it finally happened this year, 23 years later. Thought it would be best starting out on a small little used boat(which I luv this thing to death now). In a few years I'd like to have a 22 or 24 ft'er.

Glad to be back to boating

 

[Shamus O'toole]

Re: How did you get into boating?

was shanghaied in 1969.lol


My parents bought there first boat in the summer of 69. The year I was born. been in it ever since.

 

[CVX20SPRINT]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Lived at a marina that my dad and uncle built.My uncle owned it,but my dad and the wives worked there every summer.They both had cottages at the other end of the lake(approx. 5 miles),but we lived at the marina mostly.I quit going to the cottage pretty much when I was seventeen,but the thought of owning a sharp looking fast boat never left me.The marina got sold and eventually our cottage went as well.I did end up with my parents old Starcraft Falcon that I have been using for quite a few years although not that often.The wife and I have a Goldwing motorcycle that is much cheaper to run than the boat.I did end up buying an old Glastron Carlson that is pretty good looking and fairly fast,but it also doesn't get used often enough either as it is very thirsty.Hopefully more running next year.

 

[109jb]

Re: How did you get into boating?

How did I get into boating?

Dad.

 

[dingbat]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I went fishing offshore with a high school girlfriend and her parents and got hooked. Can't be an offshore fisherman w/o a boat

 

[eclark53520]

Re: How did you get into boating?

My first experience with boats was when my uncle bought one when i was 7-8ish. He let me drive(on his lap) and tubed.....

Then they sold it and i wasn't on a boat bigger than a canoe till i started dating my now fiance and her dad had a Starcraft in the garage that hadn't been in the water for years. He was going to give it to a non-profit agency because his wife was getting on him about it. I asked him if he really wanted to give it away, and he said no, but he didn't have anywhere to store it.

I told him i would store it if he wanted to get it running and let me take it out when i wanted to. Well, we worked on it for a while and got it running and i took it out a few times until we realized that the impeller needed to be replaced.

He told me to wait and he would have it fixed by a friend of his....it still sits in the barn, waiting for a new impeller.

Now i bought my own Ranger boat. That way i can fix things myself.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I was practically born with a tiller in my hand. 4th generation River Rat, so there was no getting around it... Started driving boats on my Dad's knee. Soloed at 9. Bought my first boat at 12. It's been all downhill ever since...

 

[Glassparman]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I always went water skiing and boating as a young kid in Southern California. As an adult, I found my first boat some 20 years since the last time I went on a small private vessel.

It was a '61 Glasspar del Mar that I found for sale along a desert highway. It got me going into boats and Glasspar boats as well.

A year later (1999), I started the official Glasspar Owners Association that now has over 1500 members.

I'm now restoring a 1962 21' Glasspar Ventura Cabin Cruiser and can't wait to get it on the water next spring. I have 8 boats on my 2.65 acres and my wife has said "You have a disease!". I think she is right but I love my Glasspar boats.

www.classicglasspars.com