Do you have a boat too?

[Tim Brooks]

I was wondering with all of the tools and machinery we "need" (that is what I tell my wife--"honey I need this") to do the things we want to do in the shop, how many also find time to get out on the water?

I have been trying to justify buying a boat but have found it somewhat difficult. I consider myself only a mild hobbyist when it comes to woodworking; however, since I purchased the lathe I cannot seem to find the spare time I used to have.

So this got me to thinkin'. With the devotion each of you have to your shops, do you own a boat? Do you care to own a boat?

I have a 4 year old son I'd love to take out and have him feel the rush of catching a great big ole' bass! I think he'd love it.

[Tony De Masi]

Tim,

I've had two boats over the years but none at this time. I actually had a contract on a third boat when my sons car crapped out and he needed another. He was away at college at the time to the timing really wasn't good. So I pulled the contract on the new boat, sold the other and have never looked back. I loved the experience of being on the water but the upkeep, especially on a boat that was kept in the water was really starting to wear me out. If I wasn't so meticulous I'm sure it would have been much easier but that's not me.

You really have to weigh how much use you will get which is tough to do if you have never had a boat. It's easy to say " I'd be out there on the water every chance I get and then some" but reality is a different story.

Tony

[Joe Pelonio]

We know people with nice expensive boats that sit most of the time since they haven't time to enjoy them. On the other hand the ramp at the local lake that allows power boats is often backed up with people waiting to launch. We prefer the nice quiet, peaceful, smaller lakes so we just have a 15' canoe.

[Chris Damm]

The 2 best days in a boat owners life: "The day he buys a boat and the day he sells it!".

[Tim Brooks]

I actually had a little 15' bass boat back before we had children. When I sold it, I planned on buying another when my son was old enough to enjoy it. I will admit, however, I sold my first boat because I wanted my garage back to make saw dust. The neighborhood we live in does not permit boats in the driveway and offsite storage can be very expensive. I am looking to buy another little boat that isn't as expensive to operate but will have to find somewhere to park it when it isn't being used.

I call my self a closet woodworker as I'm not that good at it but I do enjoy the satisfaction of knowing I built "it"-whatever "it" is.

**Sigh** Oh, the divided loyalties of a man's toys!!!!

[Tim Brooks]

The 2 best days in a boat owners life: "The day he buys a boat and the day he sells it!".

I've experienced this already! And I must admit it is true!

[Richard M. Wolfe]

HAD a boat.

Like everything else, a boat (and motor) is the most worthless thing in the world.....unless you're using it. Look at the initial outlay, where and how it's going to be kept when not on the water.

How often to you plan to use it? In my case, when I got the boat I could have taken that figure and divided by four and still not come close. It's not like a workshop where you can go in for 30 minutes or an hour and piddle and then do something else. Unless you live very close to water to get ready, get there, have a decent amount of time to do something (fishing, skiing), get back and put everything up will usually mean the better part of a day.

HAD a boat. Now have a tablesaw, jointer, planer, miter saw, etc etc etc...and piles of sawdust and cutoffs I can't seem to throw away.

[Mike Langford]

I've owned everything from jon boats to full dressed bass boats.....Myself, my wife, and two sons have enjoyed them all, but they all had one common problem - limited space.
By the time you loaded tackle box(es), life vests, cooler of drinks, sandwiches, fishing rods and reels, bait, etc.......you hardly had room to fish!!

In 1997 we bought a 22' pontoon! THE BEST boat we've ever owned!
Plenty of storage under the seats/couches for gear, Room on deck for a couple of large cooler, a table, and enough space for 4 - 6 adult (or a few adults and a ton of kids!) to enjoy fishing, cruising, even dancing without feeling cramped!
After being in all the other boats a pontoon feels like you're on an aircraft carrier!! AND.....I can take my pontoon ANYWHERE you can take a jon boat or fancy bass boat......as long as you've got a little water under the pontoons you can "shove off" with a oar or pole to get back afloat again!!

Pontoons are the safest boats on the water too! You don't have to worry about forgetting to put the plug in (something I was famous for forgetting!) capsizing, or hitting something with your hull and causing a leak (or sinking!).....the pontoons are chambered so if you did hit anything you still wouldn't sink......

We store our pontoon at a boat storage facility only 5 miles from two large lakes. We're 30 miles from the boat storage but after a long day (or night) on the lake......we pull the boat back 5 miles to the storage, unhook, lock-up, and head to the house without having to tow a boat 30 more miles and then have to put it up extra tried!

Back when our boys were younger (us too!) and gas was cheaper, there were many days we'd get home from work, grab the youngin' and head for the lake....sometimes twice thru the week and then the weekend.
Now our boy are out and grown (and gas is outrageous) our trips to the lake are few and far between but when we do go out its still nice to have room to relax and enjoy the lake.....

.....I think you and your 4 yr old son (and your wife and friends!) would LOVE the space a pontoon offers.....plus the sides are high enough that you wouldn't worry that your son would fall overboard!

[Tim Brooks]

Mike,

--Very interesting points about the pontoon boat. I live in Charleston, SC where water is abundant but fishing from the dock or the bank is not. So if one plans on wetting a hook, you must be in a boat. The idea of having a pontoon boat is very intriguing--something I need to look into a little further as space is always a concern. I also have a daughter who is almost three so room for 4 plus gear will be needed on the occasion the whole family goes.

A good friend of mine (who is a boat mechanic) and I used to go fishing frequently. But now that life has happened (had children, etc.) it is much more difficult to get our schedules together and go. In addition, we use his father's boat which adds another variable to the scenario. So now, when I'm ready to go he can't and vice-versa.

I know we men will do whatever it takes to do what we want to do and just about go to any length to do it but I was curious to just how many of you Sawmill Creekers balance the two and can enjoy both.

[Curt Harms]

"If it flies, floats, or fools around,
RENT IT!

[John Bailey]

Tim,

I had 13 boats at the same time a few years ago. 9 sea kayaks, 2 canoes, a 30 ft.(40 yr. old) sailboat and a dinghy. The only one made of wood was the dinghy that I built. I've sold them all and I'm presently down to one fiberglass kayak, one beat up old canoe that's been in my family half a century, a half done 15' sailboat in the wood shop and the straight-back and moulds for an 18 ft. cedar strip kayak hangin' from the rafters. I want to go cruising in a few years, but I've taken the advice from Jim Trefethen (author of "The Cruising Life") and sold everything until the time comes to actually set sail.

My advice would be to combine your interests and build a small wooden boat. I don't like engines, so I'm building a sail & oar boat. But if you want to hang an engine on the back, there are some nice, and easily built, plans out there. Wooden Boat magazine has been running a series on beginning boat building. That would be a good place to start.

Good luck.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I'm on my third boat. The first was a rental boat from special serivces. I got tired of waiting to see if there was one when I wanted one and rushing it back on Monday! So, I bought boat #2, a 14 foot mini bass boat. Worked great on waters in S.C. not so good for Lake Erie. I sold that boat when it wouldn't hold all of the family at one time. Picked up a good used 17' Chris Craft I/O. I still have boat #3 and the only regrets are that I didn't buy it sooner and that I still have to work for a living so I don't get to use it as often as I would like. To some extent boats are a hole in teh water into which you pour money, but not always.

To me the things you should do:

Try several boats before you buy one so you know what you like and what you don't like. Not all boats handle and ride the same.

Buy a used boat in the fall for the best deals. Look at lots before you buy one.

Get and I/O rather than an outboard - less maintenance and better reliability.

If you buy and outboard change the plugs every year, put the old set in the tackle box just in case you foul a set.

Carry a full set of safety gear (flares, signal flag, mirror and marine radio)

Take boating lessons on the rules of the road before you venture out on the water. It will be safer for you and other boaters if you do.

Always have more PFD's than people. Pets need PFD's too!

Take your boat home with you and store it indoors. It will cost less to maintain.

Fishing with kids is something the kids will remember all their life. Fishing with grandkids is even better. That smile and excitement when they pull in their first fish will be worth the price of the boat.

You'll never pay for your boat by the fish you catch. If you want fish at a good price go to the local market. Fishing and boating go best with kids and family.

Don't drink and boat....enough said on that.

I don't regret owning a boat nor the fact that it sometimes sets in the grage for several weeks and all winter between uses.

[mark page]

First new house--five minutes from water in two directions--driveway complete with boat, three cars, and touring motorcycle. Then came divorce. Second new house--five minutes from water in two directions (less than mile away from first new house)--driveway complete with three cars (counting daughters car)--no boat and no bike Also went from two kids to five kids and child support. I'll be damned if I can figure out what's wrong with this picture ??? I might be able to get one of those 4x8 pond skimmers less trolling motor when I retire. If I invest right, I figure I can retire at about 85 yrs of age. lol.

But all laughing aside, you just have to make time for the boat to make it feasible. I'm lucky enough to be able to hitch one and be in the water in less than 20 minutes tops (when I had one). But it was definately easier to just hop on the bike for a two hour ride to relax, and more economically practical too.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I have boats, but they are definately not machinery. 2 whitewater kayaks, a Klepper folding double kayak, a Scupper sit atop kayak, my wife's Aquaterra Chinook, and my Nordkapp HM. Back in the days when my old partner and I ran Aqua Ventures, our sea kayak inmorting and touring business, I owned at times as many as 75 sea kayaks alone. It was fun, but the decision to fold the business and go back to recreational kayaking only was one of the best I've ever made.

[Mike Henderson]

A boat is just a hole in the water that you pour money into.

Mike