By-Law Boy Takes His Act to Sea

Pending the boat passing inspection I purchased the 30-foot boat below. In May 2013 I will taking my unique perspective of life to Lake Ontario. If you see me cruising the waters of Lake O, I respectfully request that you get out of my way, for your own safety.

I have no clue what I'm doing, or how to park that beast of a boat. I did my homework and checked out hundreds of boats on line. I boarded about a dozen boats over the past month. I only made an offer on this boat. I can thank David MacDonald, Richard Nicolle and Mark O'Donnell for assisting me on my search for a boat.

If you think I must be walking around with money to burn, consider that I do not own a car. I'm parking this vessel a mile from my condo. The boat is 16-years-old and the cost would be similar to a lower to medium level car. I'm sure it will be a money pit in maintenance and gas.

I'm in need of summer recreation. I do not own, or have the desire for a cottage. I have experienced the joys of boating in the lake, right on our doorstep. It is an under used asset. I have been thinking about this for 2-years. I figure I'm not getting any younger.

I figure the short boating season in Ontario, May to October, is a good thing. There is a cost to winterise and store a boat, but it is a considerably less expensive than operating the boat year round. It allows the boats to age at a slower pace. As in golf, which has a parallel season, in the winter you look forward to the upcoming season in the colder months.

I have signed up for numerous courses. I have two of the 3 licenses I will need. I have to buy insurance. The boat will stay in the dealers outdoor lot for the winter. It is located about 60KM from Toronto.

I hired a guy to conduct a survey of the boat. He will inspect it from stem to stern. I'm also having the two motors tested. The deal to buy the boat is contingent on the boat passing inspection. From my untrained eye, it sure looks to be in great shape for its age. Boats do not age like cars. There are not as many moving parts. They are used much less frequently.

My biggest worry is backing it into a slip. I will take 2-week days off at the beginning of the season to do nothing but practise parking, as well as some other boating skills. If you are thinking this is a big boat for a rookie, the advice I received from experienced Great Lakes boaters was to go bigger, not smaller. It wont take long to learn the skills needed and you will regret buying a smaller boat.