# Powerboating?



## ClassicRockr (Feb 11, 2020)

Any powerboaters here? How did you get started powerboating? 

I got my start visiting my Aunt/Uncle and cousins on some summer weekends, when I was in high school. The Uncle had a ski boat and would take it to local Reservoir on Sundays.
My wife's family had a cottage and ski boat at a local lake in Michigan. 

We bought our first boat, a 1989 16' Invader Bowrider in November of 2005 as a Christmas gift to ourselves. Used it for trout fishing, cruising and "beaching" on the shore of a local lake here in Colorado. Was sold when we moved to Florida.
Bought another boat in Florida, a 1992 20' Celebrity Cuddy Cabin in 2009. Still have it and look forward to putting it on the lakes here in Larimer County. No skiing, just trout fishing and cruising the lake. While living in Florida, we learned to totally dislike saltwater and what it can do to a boat engine.


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## Keesha (Feb 11, 2020)

I’ve never been into power boating but I have been river rafting, canoeing, sailing, those double sailboat things, been on many ferries, rowboats, fishing boats , and even been para sailing in Jamaica.

Perhaps I appreciate the quiet contentment of enjoying the water with all that encompasses including its creatures.

Most of my experiences with motor boats has usually been frantically waving at them so they don’t drive over me as a swim across a bay , lake or river. Unfortunately they aren’t usually looking for pedestrians swimming for some reason.


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## Tommy (Feb 11, 2020)

I grew up on Lake Huron and spent as much time as possible in and on the water as a kid.  Got my first boat at age 12 - it was a wooden 12-foot water scooter with an old 5 hp Scott-Atwater outboard motor.  (Hey, at that age it was a big deal!  ).

I've enjoyed all types of boating over the years, especially sailing, but at this stage I'm just a spectator.


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## Gardenlover (Feb 11, 2020)

Did a lot of boating on Lake of the Ozarks, damn boats are bigger than most of them I see on the gulf now.


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## Pecos (Feb 11, 2020)

Keesha said:


> I’ve never been into power boating but I have been river rafting, canoeing, sailing, those double sailboat things, been on many ferries, rowboats, fishing boats , and even been para sailing in Jamaica.
> 
> Perhaps I appreciate the quiet contentment of enjoying the water with all that encompasses including its creatures.
> 
> Most of my experiences with motor boats has usually been frantically waving at them so they don’t drive over me as a swim across a bay , lake or river. Unfortunately they aren’t usually looking for pedestrians swimming for some reason.


I am with you on this. I much prefer a quieter experience on the water.


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## peppermint (Feb 11, 2020)

We had 2 boats....  As we got older it was not fun anymore......


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## ClassicRockr (Feb 11, 2020)

Well, this may be our last summer with ours. August of last year, we replaced the regular winch on the trailer with an electric winch, that runs from a marine battery installed right below it onto the trailer. My wife was having a very hard time turning the winch handle, so an electric one was bought. Have a hand remote to operate the winch with. Have a "weather" cover for the winch as well as a very good cable/lock around it. 

The boat we have now has never been in freshwater, so we had to change the saltwater anodes to freshwater ones. 

We have put quite a bit of money into repairs of the boat, but boats and RV's aren't cheap to maintain. Entertainment and fun can, and does, cost. 

We are just thankful we don't have to rinse out the sterndrive/engine with freshwater after time we come in from the water anymore. While in Florida, we had to do that...…….every time!


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## Don M. (Feb 11, 2020)

We lived near a nice small lake when we first moved to Kansas City.  I bought a small john boat with a 9.9HP motor, and spent a lot of time on that lake.  Then, in the early '80's, I bought a Ranger 335V with a 140hp Evinrude, and started fishing for Muskie at Lake Pomme De Terre in South Central Missouri.  That boat was a real hoot, and would hit well over 50mph.  When we moved to the country, I sold it, with the intention of buying another bass boat.  However, I got all wrapped up in working around the property and I never got another boat.  But, our Daughters and Son-in-Laws both have lake houses on the Lake of the Ozarks, and I go fishing with them frequently, so that suffices for me.


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## Don M. (Feb 11, 2020)

Gardenlover said:


> Did a lot of boating on Lake of the Ozarks, damn boats are bigger than most of them I see on the gulf now.



Boy, Isn't that the truth!  Anyone going boating within the first 10 or 15 miles of Bagnell Dam better have a huge boat, or the wake from some of those "ocean" vessels would swamp them with their wakes.  We always boat on the Lake on the far Western half....closer to Truman Dam, and even then, we need to be watchful for one of these monsters venturing into that region.


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## Gardenlover (Feb 12, 2020)

Don M. said:


> Boy, Isn't that the truth!  Anyone going boating within the first 10 or 15 miles of Bagnell Dam better have a huge boat, or the wake from some of those "ocean" vessels would swamp them with their wakes.  We always boat on the Lake on the far Western half....closer to Truman Dam, and even then, we need to be watchful for one of these monsters venturing into that region.


We were on the 7 mile marker, nice view and not bad during the week, but weekends and holidays it's a free for all. I used to love going to Ha Ha Tonka state park for the natural spring and hiking, but monsters inhabit the area now. I wouldn't dare go out on the water at night.


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## Gardenlover (Feb 12, 2020)

Don M. said:


> We lived near a nice small lake when we first moved to Kansas City.  I bought a small john boat with a 9.9HP motor, and spent a lot of time on that lake.  Then, in the early '80's, I bought a Ranger 335V with a 140hp Evinrude, and started fishing for Muskie at Lake Pomme De Terre in South Central Missouri.  That boat was a real hoot, and would hit well over 50mph.  When we moved to the country, I sold it, with the intention of buying another bass boat.  However, I got all wrapped up in working around the property and I never got another boat.  But, our Daughters and Son-in-Laws both have lake houses on the Lake of the Ozarks, and I go fishing with them frequently, so that suffices for me.


Very nice.


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## rkunsaw (Feb 12, 2020)

I've had a few power boats over the years but never really got into it. Now on our small lake I have a pontoon boat ( no motor) a Pelican boat with a trolling motor and a canoe.


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## Gardenlover (Feb 12, 2020)

Old, old saying "A boat is a hole in the water you through money into." _Not hating on boating, as this can be the case with many things._


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## ClassicRockr (Feb 12, 2020)

Generally, we don't have to worry about overcrowding on a lake we go to. Why? Because of the time we get to the lake and launch. When we lived in Colorado before, we'd be on the lake about 9:30AM fishing in the No Wake area. Very few boats on the lake at that time! However, when we coming back in, generally had to wait to get to the dock put the boat on the trailer. Young families, with kids, were showing up at noon to launch their boats. By 1:30PM, we were home and boat in garage. 

Even now, we'd try to be on the water early and leave around noon. And, we have never been on the water when it was dark.


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## ClassicRockr (Feb 12, 2020)

Gardenlover said:


> Old, old saying "A boat is a hole in the water you through money into." _Not hating on boating, as this can be the case with many things._



RV's cost. So does a hunting trip. 

Heck, my brother has a full-size cabin cruiser he bought, never repaired or put on the water. Him and his wife just use it for storage of stuff. 
We have a friend who has a Four Winns Cuddy Cabin that just sits in his yard now in Michigan, along with a sailboat and Wave Runner. He also has an old ski boat and pontoon at their lake cottage in Michigan, but doesn't use either much now. He had the Four Winns in Florida (Daytona area) for years and went on the Intracoastal and Atlantic quite often, but that boat is back in Michigan now. He retired from Ford Motor Company, and while working for Ford, make one heck of a salary. 
Because of his wife's sickness, their boating days are over now. 

Actually, other than the deck, most of the rest of our boat has been redone. We've already been over to our boat a few times this winter, so far, to clean the snow off of the full cover. Boat/trailer batteries are at our apartment, where I keep them changed up and stored. We have a dual-battery setup on our boat and the battery for the electric winch.


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## squatting dog (Feb 12, 2020)

Enjoying the gulf


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## ClassicRockr (Feb 12, 2020)

squatting dog said:


> Enjoying the gulf
> 
> View attachment 91218


This photo was taken in 2016, right. You still have the boat and hit the Gulf?


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## squatting dog (Feb 12, 2020)

I left it to my brother down in Florida when I came back north. He used it for a while then sold it. 
No big deal as we'll get another when we're ready to settle down. Right now, the choice is another outboard (which I like), or another big cruiser inboard (which the wife favors). Hard to decide which would be better. I like that the outboard was a lot easier to haul and maintain. But, the cruiser was a bunch of fun and being able to overnight in the gulf is a plus. For a time, I tried to trailer the big boat, but, found it easier to leave it at a mariner. It was kind of nice to just call them and when I got there, the boat was in the water waiting and after using it, they would do the flush and put it back under cover.
We still are enjoying the gulf. Earlier this year, we spent some time down there and jumped into a friends boat. Hmmmm, maybe I should just mooch others boats and let them have all the maintenance.  Nah, where's the fun in that?


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## Llynn (Feb 12, 2020)

Yeah, I was involved in power boating for a while earlier in my life.


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## Gardenlover (Feb 16, 2020)

Rented a power boat for four delightful hours today. Stayed in the intercostal waterways close to the gulf and had a blast. Saw a number of dolphins and had a picnic lunch on the beach of a little island.


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## jujube (Feb 16, 2020)

My late father always insisted he wanted a Viking funeral.  I did honestly look into it but the Coast Guard and the State of Florida did not look favorably upon us loading his body onto his sailboat, setting it afire and towing it out to sea.  

We've been "sail snobs" and then mutated into "stink-potters".   I prefer power over sail; I'm lazy.


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