Do you ever have those days when you are so stressed out that you wish you could get away?

Of course, you do. Everybody does.

What if at the next opportune time, you could get away on your own boat and feel the warmth of the sun, the motion of the water and just be out there with your honey?

Away in another world but still on the planet.

I never knew that I would enjoy boating as a hobby, until we got a boat. 

Here’s what it does to you…

Holy Moly, it is awesome! 

Our Search

We were told “BOAT” stands for Bring Out Another Thousand but that hasn’t been the case for us. 

We definitely wanted a used boat because neither one of us had operated one before and we did not want to put marks in a brand new one.

We found a used Sea Ray 240 sundeck on Boat Trader and drove down to Austin, Texas to check it out.

There are so many different styles to choose from but I liked this version because it has lounge chairs in the front of the boat.

Check it out. By the way, we look way cooler than these paid actors!

Lake House vs Trailer

Before we got a boat, we had friends with boats so we would catch a ride and enjoy the fun with them.

We know people with lake houses and then those with boats kept on a trailer.

They haul it down to the water when they are ready to enjoy.

You don’t necessarily have to own a lake house to enjoy boating. It’s just more convenient to have access to your boat within walking distance of your home.

When it isn’t convenient is when the boat needs work. They either come to you which you pay extra for or you have to find a trailer to haul it in.

We decided to go the lake house route and we don’t own a trailer. The dealer delivered right to our boat house. 

Boat Maintenance

We needed a boat cover because the one that came with it snapped all around the top and only protected the inside.

We actually found a guy who came out to our house with his sewing machine and the material and made a custom cover that protected the entire outside and inside.

When we aren’t using the boat, we keep the cover on to protect it from the spider and bird doo-key that always seems to want to destroy it!

Depending on where you live, you may have to get the boat “winterized” which means they drain the water out of the engine block and replace with anti-freeze. 

To reverse the process when the weather gets warm, just turn it on and the engine flushes itself out.

We keep a battery charger on the two batteries so they will be ready when we are.

Other than cleaning the outside and detailing the inside just like you would your car, these few things are the only upkeep that we have had to do.

Operating the Boat

We have had our boat about 4 years now and only one of those years was the water level up high enough for us to use it most of the year.

All that has changed with the rain we got this year. The lake is up and staying up!

I tell you that so you will know that this is the summer that I am going to learn how to drive the boat.

Sam has become an expert operator and so now it’s my turn.

I know how to drive the boat when we are out and about. I look like I really know what I’m doing.

What I don’t know how to do is turn it on, take it out of the slip and then park it in the boat house.

If you are new to boating, just know that there is one not-so-tiny and very important tidbit of knowledge.

THERE ARE NO BRAKES! 

It’s not like a car where you have total control over stopping.

With a boat, you are at the mercy of the waves and aiming directly into the right space on top of the cradle so it can lift the boat out of the water.

This is why we bought used.

Sam is so good at parking it. Let’s see just how good of an instructor he is. I’ll keep you posted! 🙂

The Most Fun You Can Have

Some of our best memories, happen on the boat.

We have had champagne brunches, sunset cruises, happy hours, lake tours with family and friends, tie ups with other boats and more.

Nothing says summer like boating.

If you have ever wanted to start, now is the time.

Get out there!

Get Started With Boating

Click here to go to our boating hobby page to learn boating lingo and get started on your own adventure.

What About You?

Do you think boating is something that you would like?

Have you ever had any experiences on a boat?

Let me know below.