Das Boat

A boat is a hole in the water you pour money into.

∼Author unknown

I sold our travel trailer this summer. It had been on a seasonal site at a campground in Central Wisconsin for the past several years. Prior to that we had a mobile home on Lake Puckaway, not too far from the campground where our travel trailer was. We also, in the past, had other small travel trailers over the years, visiting various campsites in the Wisconsin area. And for a few years, we had a travel trailer at a campground in Rockport, Texas for a winter retreat. So, for now, (at least temporarily) we have no fixed, or mobile “get away”.

The Boat went with the travel trailer

I also sold my fishing boat, boat trailer and motor. This will be the first time in some fifty years that I have not owned a boat. I bought my first boat in high school for fifty bucks from a friend who needed the money. It was an old deep V wooden boat, with about three layers of fiberglass, which my friend added over the years, in a futile attempt to stop leaking. I applied a few more layers of fiberglass and repaired a bunch of other stuff that needed work. I let my friend who I bought the boat from use it anytime he wanted, and strangely after all of my repairs, he suddenly wanted it quite often. 😉

Having no trailer for the boat, I hoisted the bow of the boat onto roof racks attached to my old beater car. I then picked up the other end and giving it all I had, muscled it up all the way. Given the effort, I hated to take it down once up there, even to go fishing, and I often rode around town all week with my old boat strapped to the roof of my car. Proud as a peacock, you’d think I had acquired a yacht! 😊

After high school I played around in college for a few years before I was invited to join the military. 😉 I joined the Air Force and had little opportunity for boating during my four-year hitch, however when I was stationed in Southern California during the last eighteen months of my military service, an opportunity presented itself.

We had many adventures fishing off of San Diego and the Baja peninsula

I was working part time at the Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Riverside, California. (Ref earlier blog “Shakey’s Pizza Parlor”) It was one of the busiest Shakey’s in the nation, selling over five hundred pizzas on a Saturday night. The regional manager, a man named Bill, had a large boat moored in the San Diego harbor. Every so often he’d take a bunch of us out on a fishing trip. We’d bring left over pizza and chicken from Shakey’s along with a quarter barrel of beer. We always had a great time on those outings, with the exception of one trip down the coast of the Baja peninsula where Mexican Federales opened fire on us.  🙁

One day Bill asked if any of us would be interested in buying his boat. Of course, none of us had that kind of money, so he suggested we consider going in together as partners. We schemed for a week or two, trying to figure out a way to pool our funds and buy the boat, but when push came to shove, we realized that a boat shared by multiple owners just might take us down the slippery slope, so we passed. A wise decision, looking back. 😉

After I got out of the service, I remained in So California for a few years, and often fished the piers along the coast there. I went out on a party boat once or twice, but never entertained purchasing a watercraft of any kind.

I must have had a half dozen of them over the years, some with motors, some without (see *Note 1)

When I moved back to Wisconsin, the land of fifteen thousand lakes, bordered on the east by Lake Michigan, and the west by the Mississippi river, well I got right back in the swing of things. I picked up a small aluminum fishing boat with a trailer and small outboard motor. The motor was an old Pine Martin, a 3 hp job if I remember correctly. The motor was well used and well, let’s just say it didn’t run like a top. I was one of those guys you may have seen yanking and yanking the starter rope, all the while letting out a long stream of expletives. 😊 The whole motor spun around 180 degrees for “reverse”, and you wouldn’t win any races with it, but it was a notch above rowing. I probably had about five of those small aluminum boats over the past fifty years; some with gas motors, some with trolling motors and some with just oars. Mostly 14 footers, though a few were bigger. They all got me out on the water and many good times were had.

The boat drew gawkers where ever it went

One boat I had stands out, not so much for its fishing prowess, but because of it’s looks. It was a narrow red and black fiberglass boat, designed for slalom skiing. It had a 40-horse mercury on it and would really fly. Because of the color and large rear fins, everyone called it the “bat boat” or the “Batmobile”. It was not unlike my uncle’s Henry Jay automobile, in that people would come around just to gawk at it. The bat boat was a curiosity, but a lousy fishing boat and I only hung onto it for a few years. Back to small aluminum fishing boats, with and without motors for a time.

When we had a place on a lake near Hayward, Wisconsin we broke down and got a pontoon boat. Well used of course, but very comfortable for cruising, and most importantly…. for fishing. 😉

Once we got into “tooning”, there was no going back!

When we moved our vacation spot to Central Wisconsin, we found new waters to prowl with the large vessel. It was a good fit for the lakes in that area, and we had many enjoyable times. Lake Puckaway where we had a mobile home for a number of years was perfect for the pontoon, and we had a nice dock every year while there. We’d fish the lake and Fox River which flowed in and out of it. There was a rock island that ran down the lake on one end, and we’d often anchor off the point, swimming, fishing and picnicking. Those were good times for our family. Unfortunately, one day while attempting a shortcut through those rock outcroppings I tore the lower unit out.  😐

My brother John kindly gifted me another pontoon for my birthday, and we enjoyed that one for several years. Wanting to fish some of the smaller ponds and streams in the area, I picked up another small rowboat. My neighbor Art and I would often fish the nearby Grand River Marsh with that boat, and we had some adventures and misadventures during that time. (Ref. earlier blog “The Flying Rowboat”).

“Boat for sale” signs draw me in like a bee to honey.

And as things would have it, an even larger fishing boat appeared nearby, with a “For Sale” sign on it. I had to drive by that boat all the time coming and going to the mobile home. This, of course, weighed on me like a ball and chain and I was soon stopping to inspect the fine watercraft whenever close by. As you might have guessed, I made an offer that was accepted, now making me the owner of three boats! My little armada got quite a workout for a few years, before our situation changed once more.

With friends & family we caught a lot of fish over the years

When we decided to sell the mobile I home, I sold the pontoon and small rowboat as well, leaving me with just the larger fishing boat, which I owned until a few months ago when I sold it along with our travel trailer. I now feel naked and stressed because every time I go by a body of water I am sadly reminded that I am currently “boatless”.     😐

Anything with a “for sale” sign draws me in (this one’s possibly a bit too large)

I started browsing Facebook marketplace a few weeks ago, noticing some fine watercraft that would suit my pistol. So far, I’ve contained myself, but as time goes along…. all bets are off. 😉

                                    ***

*Note 1: one of the aluminum boats burned up alongside the road, along with our truck and camper;  Ref Blog story “The Fire”

      More Photos of our Boating Adventures    🙂

We also enjoyed other boats as well

We’d fish in any weather

I’ve often fished with cousin Al in his boat or mine

Billy and I enjoy fishing in Canada as well

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