If you’re a boater, you march to the beat of your own drum. Admit it — you’re more comfortable in shorts and flip-flops than slacks and shoes. Your weekends are spent on the water, not working in the yard. You see things differently. Your life is different, and it’s most likely because there are some things boaters understand that regular people don’t.
Crate Marine Belleville has compiled a list of 12 facts that only seasoned boaters understand. Even if you’re not a boater, this conceptual fact list will help you understand what goes on inside their head. Read ahead to learn more about the inner workings of the mind of a boat enthusiast.
Fact #1: Winter Sucks
Unless you live in a tropical location, you probably hate it when it’s cold outside. Cold weather and recreational boating typically do not mix. It makes boating uncomfortable. You have to be extra careful with the water; rougher waters make navigation harder, and sometimes they freeze, which makes boating impossible. Winter sucks and gives boaters more trouble than usual.
Fact #2: A Bad Day Boating is Still Better Than Any Day at the Office
Have you ever run aground while boating? Maybe you had engine trouble and had to be towed back to your dock. It happens to the best of us. At the end of the day, you were still glad that you were on your boat and not at the office. Something about being on the water makes it all better, even when some things don’t go quite right.
Research shows that just being near the water is a great stress reliever, so even when the weather hits and makes navigating the water impossible, you have technical difficulties, or you don’t have the day you wanted, it’s all still worth it.
Fact #3: Dressing up is Overrated
Yeah, we all know the look. Swim trunks or baggy shorts topped off with a half-wrinkled T-shirt and flip-flops. Who needs more than that? After all, most of it will come off when it’s time to jump in the water anyway. You don’t need to complicate things with belts and shoes and buttons. You’re a boater, not a yacht owner, after all!
Fact #4: Boaters Always Know the Weather Forecast
Whether on The Weather Channel, your favorite weather app, or the local newscast, boaters always know the forecast. We know the best boating days over the next week and plan the rest of our lives around that. If you want to know what the weather will be like tomorrow, ask a boater. You’ll likely get the answer you’re looking for.
Fact #5: We Know How to Travel Lightly
Let’s face it. Our boats don’t have nearly as much space as our homes do. Whether you spend the whole weekend on your boat or just one day, we know how to bring just the items you will need and nothing else. You know, the more stuff we bring, the less space you’ll have. You know what we mean if you have invited a landlubber to your boat for more than just a ride.
Fact #6: Getting up Early is Not That Bad
Do you ever hate getting out of bed to go to work? I bet you don’t hate it when you get up to go boating—enough said.
Fact #7: You Don’t Have to Leave the Dock to Have Fun
How often have you had an enjoyable day on your boat just relaxing at the dock? If you keep your boat at a marina, you know you have as much fun at the dock as possible by firing up the engines and heading out on the water. This is especially true if your dock neighbors are as wonderful as mine are.
Try having fun hanging around your car in the driveway at home. It’s just not the same.
Fact #8: Boating is a Universal Language
When you are on the water, you will encounter people from all walks of life. Some have large boats; some have small boats. Some are sail boaters, and some are power boaters. It does not matter because we all share something; we like being on the water. Because of that, we develop friendships that we would not otherwise have been able to form.
Fact #9: We Have All Considered Living on a Boat
Have you ever considered packing everything, selling it, and living on a boat? All boaters have, and all boaters think about it constantly. I also know a few people who have done it. We all love being on the water, so we start wondering if we should stay there full-time.
Non-boaters call us crazy for wanting to subject ourselves to living in a space that is less than 15% the size of our land-based homes. We know that it is not the size of our home but the experience it brings that makes the difference. Still, logic says that it is not for everyone. We can still dream, though.
Fact #10: Driving a Boat is Easy, Docking it is Not.
Anyone can push the throttles forward and steer your boat across the lake. That’s the easy part. Trying to back into a slip with a 7-knot wind and a 3-knot current can be one of the most nerve-wracking things you can do. A person who has never tried will just not get it. Not to mention, any non-boater who says driving a boat is easy has never even thought about sailing.
Fact #11: The Boat Wave
This is not something that the water does but something that we do. We are cruising across the lake to one of our favorite swimming holes, and another boat passes by, heading in the opposite direction. What do we do? We wave. No, we don’t necessarily know them. It’s just what we do. If you are one of the few who does not wave back, you are a boat-hole!
Fact #12: Non-Boaters Don’t Get It
You don’t get it if you are a non-boater or have never been around boats. Sometimes we feel sorry for you.
Conclusion
Being a boater is a unique lifestyle that non-boaters might find difficult to understand. From the struggles of winter weather and the challenges of docking to the simplicity of dressing down and the universal camaraderie among boaters, life on the water is fulfilling on its own.
Boaters love their time on the water, even when things don’t go as planned. We appreciate the joys of simple living and early mornings. Whether dreaming of living on a boat or just enjoying a day at the dock, boaters share a special bond with water that sets them apart.
You might not get it if you’re not a boater, but that’s okay — the boaters will keep waving and living their best lives afloat.
If you’re a boating enthusiast, I’m sure that you have your own facts that you can add to this list. If so, please do so in the comments section below.
Until next time. Happy Boating!
