A few things about my latest/current boating excursion.

[Ronnie]

I am on the tail end of a three day camping trip to the water and thought I would share a few observations from it so far.

1. I rented a toy hauler for the weekend and love it for the a/c , bed, shower and toilet as well as the refrigerator and lots of power outlets along with the kitchen , The Stereo, etc. but the best feature is the service since the rental company dropped it off and set it up at the lake and will be picking it up as well. All I did was use it and must clean the interior before its picked up.

Rvvacationrentals.com in case anyone is interested. They deliver and pick up from just about any place in North America. Apparently he rents to a lot of people moving out of California who are doing so vacation style. That is they rent from him, tow their belonging to wherever they are headed making stops along the way and have the company fly out to drive or tow the rv back. Last week he brought one back from North Carolina.

2. My boat threw a low voltage warning for the first time ever since I've owned it. I forgot about it on day one but on the first outing of day 2 it threw it again and both engines died while idling out of the no wake zone. I had to engage the parallel/ combine switch to start the engines. Didn't like it so I ran to the nearest auto parts store to buy a new starter battery with about 100 less Mca and Cca than my current batteries. Within an hour I bought and installed it but had a heart drop moment when I had no power to anything after the initial install. Turns out I forgot to hook up the two main negative leads. Easily addressed but at first thought i was going to have to deliver some bad news to all of my guests.

Pwc / wave runner wise, The younger crowd likes the 96 wave blaster ii over the 06 fx cruiser. I get it, the 96 is a lot easier to turn feels more like a dirt bike where the 06 feels like Harley according to one of my guests (I don't ride motorcycles). The older guests like the 06 because of the stability, I like the comfy seat, full gauges and cup holder and more storage generally.

3. I have no time to take drone video much less edit any so maybe selling one or both of my drones soon.

4. One day I was dreading yet expecting / hoping for has finally come. I asked my son if he wanted to take the pwcs out with me alone right after this camping trip. He said he has a date with a girl he like likes so no. He went on to give me permission to use the 96 wave blaster I bought and rebuilt with him. How kind and thoughtful.

5. Got a pop quiz from the sheriff while a was filling the pwcs with fuel. How far must I stay away from other water craft? 200 feet I replied, no but I like your answer he said. It's 200 feet from swimmers but 100 from other water craft. He just came back from a call on the water involving two pwcs that collided causing minor injuries so he was raising awareness as many pwc riders as he could.

Lastly, I'm getting really tired of towing a boat around and boating generally. I'm ready dreading the 100 mile trip back later today. My wife and I are talking more seriously about giving this up when we turn 50 just before our son graduates high school. I don't think I can give boating up completely so I may start looking for a vacation/retirement home on the water or a used cruiser that I can keep on the water. Just have to decide what water (lake or river).

 

[Smassey22180]

Tired of towing in the SF area . I lived there for a year and hated it also. Hills, high speed, thick aggressive traffic that does not care that you are towing.

 

[Andy S]

@Ronnie good read, thanks! It is interesting as time passes how our tolerance for our once favorite activities changes.

 

[Julian]

1. Toy hauler sounds cool!
2. I always zip tie my cables together per post....too easy for one to get buried in the swap....yes I'm anal! LOL
3. This is why I bought an $85 crappy drone....that sits on a shelf all the time....I'd love a top of the line one....but the price is tough for me to get past how often I'd use it. Heck, I bought and set up flags for the boat and often forget/don't take the time to put them up!
4. Funny....my 11 year old daughter told me that one of the neighbor boys says he likes her.....I guess a trip to Walmart for a shotgun is in order!
5. 100 feet isn't very far....but I guess in a no wake zone it wouldn't be practical if it was longer.
6. I dont like the towing thing either....any way you can get a slip or rack storage? Make boating a lot easier....we go out more often as a result. I love going out in the evenings during the week....just drive to the slip....and off we go! A lake house is my dream too!

 

[SemperFi]

@Julian, Spot on with the slip/Lake house. I live right by Eisenhower State Park and Marina on Lake Texoma, 8/10 from house to slip. 5min from house to pulling out of the slip. Slips for a boat my size are reasonable ($225/mo or so). Gets me out on the water way more than if I had to trailer and launch even with the ramp close by. Living on the Lake is life as it was meant to be!! Previously lived 3/10 from Highport Marina on the other side of the lake but slip was way more expensive but I had a 30' Chap cruiser. At least IMHO as you get older smaller and simpler makes me happy. Don't regret selling the Cruiser and the Yammy is simpler and fun.

 

[AndyD]

1. Funny....my 11 year old daughter told me that one of the neighbor boys says he likes her.....I guess a trip to Walmart for a shotgun is in order!

Too funny!

 

[Evildwarf]

Agreed on the slip rental.
A short drive to the marina and out we go.
If I trailered we wouldn't use the boat enough to justify the expense.
A house on the lake with a covered boat dock out front would be better but it's not in the cards (or the budget)...first world problem.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Just another vote for the slip. Makes boating so much more enjoyable for us. Yes, the boat gets dirtier and there are some minor hassles associated with using a slip but for us they FAR outweigh the PITA of trailering, launching, retrieving, putting away, etc..

 

[Gym]

Wait just a minute...jet skis have cup holders? You're gonna sell your drones meaning no more Ronnie videos? You're thinking about the end of your boating life when you hit the ripe old age of 50? No, no, no. Life begins at 60 and really kicks into high gear when you retire. Besides, when your son marries one of the pretty girls and gives you grand kids, do you want to be the the old fat grandfather that falls asleep on the couch or the cool grandfather with lots of cool toys that the grandkids love to visit? C'mon, we need another video before you go into assisted living, get a BIGGER boat and buy a jet ski with 2 cup holders.

 

[Derek Fosbury]

^^^This

 

[bobbie]

@Gym Better yet...retire at 50 and start the playing early! Feel I won the lottery every day!!