How did you get into boating?

[paulspaddle]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I wrote a cheque.

 

[2000silvers2k]

Re: How did you get into boating?

It kinda just happend for me.

As a kid my uncle used to take us out tubing and water skiing on his run-about cuddy cabin boat. after that i had the occasional outing with friends and friends of friends every so often ( like once every 3 years or so) For the longest time i thought Boats were just too much money until i really started to get interested just this past summer, I dont know if it was the great summer we were having or what, but everytime I would take the dog down to the local lake to go swimming I would see people out on their bow-riders just chilling or water skiing and it reminded me of the few days i used to spend out on the lake/river with my friends and family growing up. I always loved being on the water.

Long story short i had paid off my other toy (honda s2000) earlier in the winter and had sort of lost interest in it after 5 years. So after a little reasearch on the price of used boats and the price of a used honda s2000 i figured for the money I could sell the car and I could actually get a very nice used boat and still have money left over for maintenance and repairs. after about 3 months of debating if i should do it and putting feeler ads out to sell the car, i finnally found the right buyer for the car. a few weeks water i got my boating licence, the same day i got my boating license I found the perfect boat and bought it. It all happened very fast and i still got to enjoy a few nice days out on the lakes (4 days to be exact)

The major plus to having the boat vs. having the car is being able to enjoy this activity with my friends and family vs. the car I could only enjoy it with one other person, and it wasnt as enjoyable for that other person. plus the car was just a constant speeding ticket waiting to happen.

oh and the sacraficed car

 

[sbbamafan]

Re: How did you get into boating?

I have been doing it since I was born (with my parents). I grew up in Huntsville, AL boating on the Tennessee River and Guntersville Lake. Anybody on here familiar with the area?

My wife considers the love of boating to be a type of birth defect as she never was (and still is not) one who in any way likes boating. We just kind of look at each other shaking our heads not being able to figure out why the other one is the way they are.

Some people just have the 'fever'. BTW - the current boat (pictured below) was purchased while my wife was about 3 weeks from giving birth to my daughter. I guess this didn't help matters!

 

[NYBo]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Guess it was in my blood. My mother came from a family of fishermen in Newfoundland.

 

[spikeitaudi]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Family never owned a boat nor could afford it when younger. Wife and I always wanted a boat. During summers we would always be out in Newport, RI and saw the lovely sailboats and powerboats. Heck we got engaged out on Goat Island. Now that I am 36 married and 2 kid and we always wanted a boat, we thought what a good way to have the family do something together that we all enjoy. So after taking the Boaters safety course first, about a month later I bought my boat and it's been a great time for the family since. I plan on upgrading to a Sport Cruiser in 2 years.

 

[ma glastron]

Re: How did you get into boating?

A friend of ours took us out this past july on a friday after work on his sea ray 185 on the lake were they live. We had a ball tubing and just running around the lake. So when we got home my wife and I thought it would be nice to get a bout next yr. I went to work sat and when I cam home I hit craigs list just to see what a bout was going for. My wife came in the office and saw what I was doing, then she gave me some ads that she already printed off while I was at work. I hate to say it but we bought the first boat I saw. we did make a lot of calls but found that boats were selling very fast and also we came across a bunch of scams on craigs list. I think we were very lucky and my 2000 Glastron 175 sx has been great to are family. Having a boat has made up for not having a vacation in four years.

 

[badkins50]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Every since I was a little sh!t I can remember going out with Dad and G-pa all the time skiing, cruising and fishing and living it. Now Im married, 2 girls and 1 son (who will be here 12/18/2010), hopefully can create some of these memories for them as well.

 

[Lindeman23]

Re: How did you get into boating?

When I was about 17 my step-father bought 2 jet skis from FL. When he brought them home we put 2 new motors in them. The first summer with the jet skiis was amazing. I spent every moment I could on the water with my friends tubing and driving around the lake. Then the next summer he bought a 30 ft pontoon boat. We replaced all the wood, carpet, and furniture. I spend that summer boucing between taking the pontoon out with 15 or so people and taking the jet skiis out. That winter I decided that I wanted to be able to ski and have a boat of my own. I started looking and knew about what size/motor/brand/$$$$ to spend. I found a 1996 Four Winns 170 Horizon (17ft). My uncle came with me to look at it and told me it was a very small/shallow boat. I thought it was huge and it had the V6 motor I wanted. After spending 3 summers with it, I decided I wanted something bigger. I found my Four Winns 205 Sundowner and sold my 170. I'm really happy with my choice, and I never can imagine myself without a boat.

 

[PGFISHER]

Re: How did you get into boating?

My dad built and sailed boats. In '54 I found a canoe with one end smashed in his shop. My dad helped me cut off the end and make a transom; then we fiberglassed the whole thing and mounted a rudder. My brother and I plied the river with that boat and a home made paddle for several years; racing rowboats and just having fun. Built my first sailing dory at 12 and haven't stopped yet. Now own an 18' pontoon for my wife and I to fish from and keep working on new ideas for boats and engines.

 

[blifsey]

Re: How did you get into boating?

Wow - some very cool stories! I was really amazed at poster having lake house in family for 60 years!!!

Around 1998 or 1999 I started fishing with my brother-in-law in his 12' jon boat. I had fished from shore some growing but never from a boat. I was hooked. I bought a 14' mod-V type aluminum boat with an older 10hp OB that I fished from for a year or two with either my daughter or one of my brother-in-laws. I got to itching for a larger bass type boat and wife/kids were wanting to do some recreational type boating. So, we bought a 17-1/2 ft Procraft Fish and Ski. The kids started wanting to bring along friends and we quickly outgrew the F&S. So, in 2002 we traded the F&S on a brand new Glastron GX205 with 5.0L V8. For 9 seasons that boat was center of our summer! Over last 2 years our boating has been changing. It was just wife and I on several trips. I was wanting to get back into fishing again with the extra free water time. We also were wanting to take boat to coast and do some inshore cruising/exploring. So, last month we traded the Glastron on a 2010 Tidewater 1900 bay boat with Yamaha F115 OB.

Like others have said, I can't imagine not having a boat anymore!

Great thread...thanks to OP for starting it.