Everyone has a hobby it seems that richens the summer months. My hobby is boating! Some people enjoy golf and gardening as summer hobbies but not me. A good friend of mine always pokes fun at my hobby by taking the letters found in the word “Boat” and giving them meaning. His best to date is BOAT- “Break-Out-Another-Thousand.” This could not be farther than the truth. Just check out www.discoverboating.com for information about boating as a hobby. The boating season for me starts in January every year. I attend the Denver boat show every year to check out boats, fishing gear, water toys, and boating gear. After winterizing my boat in late October it is an antidote to my hibernation from my hobby. I also secure my boat slip with the South Shore Marina, (www.thesouthshoremarina.com) located at Lake Pueblo state park, Pueblo Colorado every year at the show.
After attending the boat show I can sustain the next three months of no boating. Once March arrives, I get things ready for the boating season. I begin by getting the boat exterior completely detailed, all twenty feet. I wash the boat with marine boat wash products. I scrub the entire exterior clean. Then I completely clean the exterior gel-coat with a deep cleaning compound. The next step in preparation of the boat is polish, designed especially for gel-coat. The last step is a complete exterior wax! This process takes at least two weekends. My boat is a 2000 Glastron GS209 Cuddy and it looks brand new. I enjoy the entire process every year. This labor of love also allows me to inspect the boat and boat trailer for any signs of damage. The next stop is the interior of the boat. I wash, polish, and wax all the fiberglass areas of the interior. I then shampoo the carpets and treat the seats with special marine cleaners and polishers. This takes about a day! I then clean and load all the boating equipment required by the State of Colorado and the United States Coast Guard (www.uscgboating.org).
The next step is to service the engine and out-drive. I change the oil and filter every year on my boat. I use full synthetic oil SAE 30. I also change my fuel filter and out-drive gear oil. This sounds like much but with the high usage I have during the summer it is well worth it. After servicing the mechanical I am ready to wake the boat up from its long winter sleep. This takes about an hour. I install the batteries and apply my water muffs to the out drive. I then connect a garden hose to the water muffs. I use only environmental safe fluids to keep my boat from freezing up during winter. After everything checks out I set out for the lake and park the boat in my slip. The fun begins! Having the boat in a slip makes boating, fishing, swimming, and water sports awesome and more accessible. It’s like having a swimming pool, your own private fishing hole and water play ground. The marina community is made up of people who share your passion and hobby! Life on the docks is awesome.
My boat allows my wife and I to spend countless overnights at the lake. The marina has grills, bathrooms, and shower facilities! My passion and hobby of boating also brings our family together for many boating activities and state park activities. We even have life jackets for our cats, Gracie and Ricky who enjoy the boating life. Our friends enjoy coming to the lake and enjoying all it has to offer. We barbeque every time we are there. Sunset cruises, early morning fishing trips, anchoring in a cove or tying up to a tree for a day of relaxing and swimming. The marina and the state park have many activities for you to participate in like fishing contests, boat poker runs, casino nights, music, etc. We also bring our bikes and enjoy a brisk bike ride through the parks endless bike trails. Our favorite stop is the Nature and Raptor Center. I hope this inspires you to look into the hobby of boating and begin spending time on the water with family and friends. My summer seems to fly by once we have the boat in the slip. October comes too quick — HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE LAKE!
