Why do we boat?

Boats and water have been an ingrained part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom and dad loved both so growing up spring was the start of fishing season (more exciting than Christmas for me) and the opening of the high lakes in Oregon. Summer weekends were spent at lakes picnicking, fishing and skiing. Both sets of grandparents had small boats and were die hard fishers so when not on the water with my parents my brother and I were fishing with the grandparents.
Will never forget the trip made to Portland with my Dad when I was 8 (1964) to look at and purchase a home grown 24’ cabin cruiser with twin 1956 Johnson 35hp motors. The purchase opened up the world of cruising on local reservoirs with many weekends spent at Hills creek and Fall creek fishing and camping. It also was an introduction to boat maintenance/repair and glass work.
In 1999 Dad was my guest when I went to look at ended up purchasing Shearwater to complete the circle.

So I boat for a lot of reasons but honestly there is no need to know or want to know what life is like without a boat.
When on the water I am at home

stevej
 
For me it's adventure! A combination of exploring, survival, and taking on the unknown. No matter how well a trip is planned there is always a touch of uncertainty that keeps a captain on his toes. Keeps him focused on water depth, floating debris, rogue waves, directions, and docking. I don’t mean to overplay it. I enjoy sitting in a comfortable chair in the cockpit drinking a cold beverage and watching a sunset with my wife – did it last weekend. That’s enjoyable. But the more deeply satisfying feeling comes when I arrive home safe and sound. Preparation, skill, and focus having met a series of challenges and succeeded. :thup
 
Well, we sometimes like a little adventure but sure don't need it...we are content just to swing on the hook in Andrews Bay in Lake Washington or in Chuckanut Bay in Bellingham for a long weekend. I see a lot of you are a whole lot more restless than we are (hello, Jay!).
 
Because the people at the Country Club said we simply would not fit in and we never met any bad people in a marina. I mean where else can you pay 50 cents extra a gallon or more for gas?
D.D.
 
The C-Dory's and Marinaut are boats that sit low in the water. These boats make people feel like they are in harmony with the water. It's much more intimate than a boat that sits well above the water. 26 year's ago, I went out in my brother-in-law's 23 foot Walkaround Grady White with dual 150 HP Yamaha 2-Stroke engines. It gave my wife and I no pleasure, even though this is one of the best boats you can buy for your money. We felt detached from the water, and by the way -- we made a HUGE mistake when we stated beforehand that we wanted to split the fuel bill! 20 year's later, we discovered the C-Dory 16 Cruiser, and then later, the Marinaut. It completely changed our perspective on boating.

So as to why we boat, it is to feel a part of the sea and its surroundings in a class of boats that promotes these feelings, much like Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water takes advantage of its forest and stream surroundings. And a person can stand on shore all they want to look out at the water, but there is no comparison to being on the water with this unique perspective afforded by this class of boats.

Rich
 
I just read this thread. In a nut-shell;
Growing up in Hawai'i the ocean was my playground as a kid. I grew up only a mile from Waikiki. I learned to swim (thanks, DAD!) at a young age and was snorkeling, diving, spearfishing and surfing before I was 10. I LOVE THE OCEAN; it still is where I feel the most relaxed (I'm an Aquarius).

I kept this up my entire life there and when I was in my late teens/early twenties I'd go trolling w/ my neighbor as much as possible. He had a few boats, tons of big, saltwater gear and liked me. We caught mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo, even a marlin once. When I finally became a father I passed this along, like my dad before me. I taught my son to swim before he was 2 and from then on, we shared the ocean as our play ground.

I always wanted a boat, but could never afford one back home. Well, once I moved here I decided I could finally do it and my new wife Meredith is supportive. Some people have an RV, some a cabin; we have our 25.

So here we are.....
 
Lori and I both have high pressure, fast paced, stressful jobs.

Time frequently seems to lose any meaning, as we simply "rush" from one day to the next...unless we're on the water.

We just spent 8 days living aboard, and it was (as always) an amazing transformation. A day lasted an entire 24 hours. The week didn't blur from one crisis to the next. It was heaven.

We read...we watched the world go by... we took the pups ashore in the dinghy, and walked them a lot.

They loved it. We loved it. Life was/is good.
 
"I am haunted by waters." The last line of A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean.

"Only the canoe ran straight and never played me false.", from R. M. Patterson in Trail To The Interior.

"A boat is something more than an ingenious arrangement of wood and copper and iron. It has a soul, a personality, eccentricities of behavior that are endearing. The older the boat becomes the stronger the power." From In Granmas Wake by Frank Mulville.

The young Joukahainen said; " Well I have two craft, two beautiful boats: one is light to race and one carries a lot." The old Vainamoinen said: "I have some myself. One is steady in the wind- one makes way in bad weather" From the ancient Runes of The Kalevala

"I have always admired ships and boats. Even now I can stand for hours and enjoy the lines- the rigging- of a fine vessel, and go back day after day to the same place and do the same. A fine ship really lights my eye," Nowwegian Harald Hamran, who sailed to the U.S. with his brother in a small sailboat to take in the worlds fair of 1933.
 
Why???

In a word... LOVE.

That feeling when you see the one who fills your heart, your life.

The journey shared, whether single handed or with someone, with God's creation all around.

The sights are candy and sounds are a symphony.

The smells are the fragrance of the morning dew on fresh flower blooms, or even of salt marsh awakening for the day.

Yes, boating is a renewed spirit within, as so brilliantly described by so many before my humble attempt.

Art
 
I boat because my Clients get HUGE Flounder, which are arguably the best-eating fish around, and we get Big Sheepshead, too:
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Dr. Marc Booth, Valdosta, GA

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Ga State Rep Clark R104, Atlanta, GA

Call or e-mail me for the Adventure of a Night-time tonight.
 
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