17 minute read
Boating Issue
Livingthe
DreamThe latest and greatest boating gadgets, innovations, and ways you can enjoy the Lake lifestyle
Advertisement
Experiences and memories made on the water
Story by JUDY GOPPERT
Lake of the Ozarks is home to thousands of Lake lovers who stay on their boat when they visit. In marinas lining the shore, people set up their gas grills, tiki bars, lawn chairs, hammocks and televisions to enjoy their “second home” floating on the water. No matter what size, the inside of your boat is a haven for relaxation, family and enjoyment … the ideal getaway.
Sleeping on your boat is an experience like nothing else. The sound of the water beneath you, the gentle sway of the boat — there is nothing like it. The cozy feeling of being outdoors, but inside. Starting the coffee pot and watching the sun rise over the Lake.
We live aboard our boat when we visit the Lake, and a nice perk is that we don’t have to tow it on a trailer. It is there waiting on the dock when we walk to it, uncover it, clean it and start it. We unload our cooler into the fridge, put our clothes in the cubby and turn on the water so we can do dishes and shower, all on the boat!
My husband bought the boat with the idea of staying on it when we came to the Lake and has docked it at different marinas on the Lake for over 25 years. We’ve always been around the Lake. Staying aboard your boat lets you completely immerse yourself in the Lake lifestyle and be on the water the entire time. If you have children or grandchildren, there’s no better vantage point for them to enjoy the water than in the boat with you. It is a second home in every sense of the word. Many people like to leave their clothes for the Lake stored in the boat, so when they arrive it’s an easy change. Swimsuits, lifejackets, lake toys and even food kept in the refrigerator. With shore power and water, all this is easily accessible.
Be sure to carefully research the type and brand of boat that will best suit your needs. Consider if you will be hosting friends and if any small children or grandchildren will be staying. So many options are available. Children like sleeping in little cubby holes, which many boats have!
Many marinas will build a deck for you so you can extend your “play space” with outdoor furniture, tiki bars, sound systems, gas grills and more.
Taking a shower in our own boat means you don’t have to walk up to the bathhouse. It is truly a “floating hotel!” We enjoy the private bathroom, and that we can have all our clothes, food, and shower all in one location even when we take the boat out to cruise on the Lake. We have television and WiFi, so when we are there, it’s just like home.
Relaxing on the dock as the sun sets at happy hour is priceless. Ducks paddle by, fish swim around under the dock and it’s great to be outside. We cook on the dock on a gas grill or buy something from a local place to bring back to the boat. Food tastes better when you’re sitting on a dock or boat. There are a wide variety of restaurants you can head to on the water. Park in their slips to enjoy a favorite cocktail and delicious food.
The camaraderie you and your dock mates find is a wonderful social experience. Whether you are from Kansas City, St. Louis, Illinois, Colorado, California, or beyond, the conversations you share are unique and exhilarating. And talking boats is one of the greatest pastimes. It is a true community on the dock. Friendships are lifelong, even when you move to another dock. The shared time on board your floating dream is priceless.
Our former dock mates and dear friends, Bill and Rita Hughes, have been coming to the Lake since 1998. They truly know the rewards of living aboard their boat.
“This is our third boat. We started with a 27-foot, then a 32-foot and now a
35-foot, always striving for more creature comforts. Before retirement, when we would come to the Lake it was like instant stress relief being on the water, always heading out for sunsets,” Bill said. “We have spent many afternoons coving out, swimming and just relaxing, while watching all the homeowners working on their yards and maintaining their homes. As boat owners have no worries about keeping up a second home. The boat is your second home, with plenty of room for overnight guests.
Try before you buy
Sunny’s Marina is located on the 1-mile marker, near the Bagnell Dam Strip. They have launched a new way for people to stay on boats and experience living on the water. This would be a great way for anyone, to, in a sense, “try it before you buy it.” They call them Boat Hotels, or Boatels.
"We have a selection of boats people can stay on all with different themes ranging from Space to Boho,” Keely McCann, co-owner, mentioned.
Go to www.sunnysmarina.com to book your stay. Sunny’s Marine has a selection of boats people can stay on, including a 410 Carver, 32-foot Carver, 40-foot Chris Craft, 36-foot Carver and a 40-foot houseboat. All have different themes ranging from Space to Boho.
Time to Plug In?
The growing interest of electric boats
Story by AL GRIFFIN
The history of boat design and innovation is also the history of Lake of the Ozarks. As boats evolved so did lake attractions. A new chapter in watercraft propulsion is being written right now by developments in electric power. Some boaters have already chosen electric power because electric boats (e-boats) technology is developing rapidly, they are quieter at cruising speeds, and e-boats are ecologically friendly.
Captain Bob May of KRMS Radio and Bob’s No Wake Zone has observed a growing interest in the e-boat market. While in Florida at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) this past year, May interviewed manufacturers who are striving to propel e-boats to a greater market share. After taking test rides at the conference, he’s very impressed. Closer to home, electric-powered boats have even run the Shootout course.
Randy Vance, Editor at Large of Boating Magazine, sees opportunities for electric propulsion in the pleasure boating segment of the market. Randy was the first person to enter an e-boat in the 2018 Shootout. He set a blazing record of 25 miles per hour and won his class. In 2019, he posted a new speed of 30 miles per hour. In 2020, the record speed was 49 miles per hour, posted by Vision Marine Technologies, formerly the Canadian Electric Boat Company. What is noteworthy is that in three short years, the speed almost doubled, an indication of rapid advances in e-boat design and technology.
Vance noted that his experience on Lake of the Ozarks included a day of pleasure cruising and coving in the e-boat. He recalled that speed and range issues were not a problem. He explained the current state of electric propulsion provides the amount of energy from a battery is equal to a tank of gas.
Another innovation is the use of hydrofoils for e-boating. As a proven technology used on ocean-going ferry boats and America’s Cup racing boats under sail, hydrofoils “lift” the boat and thereby reduce the wetted surface of the hull. As a result, hydrofoils reduce friction and hull noise as well as bouncing and rolling in rough water. When used on conventional V-hull bottoms and pontoons, hydrofoils increase speed, range, and reduce power consumption. According to Captain May, the hydrofoil ride is smooth and stable.
Jason Minor, president of Hydrofin, believes hydrofoil technology is a really bright spot on the e-boat horizon. Designed as both an OEM or an after-market item, the fins attach to the under-
Randy Vance (pictured) was the first person to enter an e-boat in the 2018 Shootout.
Hydrofoil technology is designed as both an OEM or an after-market item. The fins attach to the underside of the boat and offer lift in the same way a wing provides lift on an airplane. side of the boat and offer lift in the same way a wing provides lift on an airplane. Because water is “thicker” or denser than air, the fins provide more lift in water. Minor said that Sunny’s Marina at the one-mile marker will be the first certified Hydrofin dealer at Lake of the Ozarks.
Michael Jost is the former director for Volkswagen’s Strategy Group. In that position, Jost oversaw the move to electric automobiles. He is now involved in the marine market and estimates approximately $80 billion will be spent on e-boats in the next decade. He also predicts a faster adoption of electric power on water than on roadways because the marine market borrows technological innovations from already proven and tested electric automobiles. Right now, Tracker Boats already has one bass e-boat and one pontoon e-boat listed in their offerings. No delivery date has been set, but Tracker is accepting deposits.
One other difference between e-boats and conventional boats is motor noise. Human-powered crafts like stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes give passengers the sound of water slipping past the vessel. People can converse without shouting at one another. An e-boat is almost as quiet as these, and for many, that alone is a powerful attraction to plug in. Unmuffled gas engines may perform efficiently, but they are noisy, and noise is not the only pollutant. Oil and gas spills from conventional boats accumulate and may affect water quality negatively. E-boats are eco-friendly.
On the other hand, others doubt Lake of the Ozarks is the right lake for the trend to electric. Kyle Kelly of Kelly’s Port doubts e-boat viability on Lake of the Ozarks any time soon. He notes that boaters here want “torque heavy boats” to handle long distances and rough water. Current e-boat technology is not able to deliver the speed or range that today’s boaters favor. Nevertheless, for those who are intrigued, Kelly’s Port has a Regal 36 with a bank of tesla batteries for buyers to consider.
Not only do fossil-fuel boats provide power and speed to meet any owner’s needs and expectations, but a century of development has also driven the price down across the full range of pleasure and performance craft, thanks to efficient motor/ hull combinations. In addition to speed and range, a fossil-fuel boat requires only a short pit stop to fill the tank. Recharging an e-boat battery requires more time and planning, but the cost will not equal marine fuel, sometimes selling for as much as $5 per gallon of high octane.
The price of e-boats is not significantly different from gas-powered models, but performance capabilities differ. A $30,000 bass boat with a gasoline motor may top out at 60 miles per hour or more, and it can cruise for several hours on a single tank of gas. At full throttle, the burn rate is higher, of course, but a similar e-boat selling at a similar price cannot compete. The e-boat may top out at 40 miles per hour with only 30 minutes cruising time at that speed.
That speed and range may be perfect for those who want to drift, sip a cold drink, and talk to others onboard without the steady motor noise of a gasoline engine zipping across the water. Most would argue this lake is big enough for both, especially because Lake of the Ozarks has been a consumer of every boating innovation in the last 90 years. There is no reason to think electric boats will not have a market here, but just how big that share will be remains to be seen.
Think Big when buying a fishing boat
Tips for getting rigged on Lake of the Ozarks
Story by JOHN NEPORADNY JR.
Size matters when choosing a fishing boat for Lake of the Ozarks.
The performance and ride of a bass boat makes it the standard fishing boat for Lake of the Ozarks anglers. However even a fully-rigged bass boat with all the bells and whistles can run into trouble if it lacks the size to handle the Lake’s rough waters created by heavy boat traffic.
The longer the bass boat, the better for the Lake of the Ozarks, suggests Chris Callahan, sales consultant at Boat WRX in Osage Beach. The boat dealership sells Bass Cat, Skeeter and Caymas fiberglass bass boats and Avid, Lowe and Xpress aluminum models.
“Typically guys around here are going to run the bigger 21-foot boats because of the rough water,” Callahan says. “It kind of just depends on what they are looking for as far as do they want a big wide beam or do they want a smaller beam like a Bass Cat has for a faster boat.”
Callahan notes a 19-foot bass boat can handle the Lake’s turbulent water sometimes, but he recommends at least a 20-foot boat for the roughest water periods on the weekends.
Picking the right horsepower outboard motor for your bass boat is simple. Every bass boat has a maximum horsepower rating recommended by the Coast Guard, so Callahan advises the boat should be powered to the max.
“All of these boats are tested with maximum horsepower,” Callahan says. “Performance-wise you should stay with what the boat is rated for.” He also suggests a bass boat rigged with a maximum horsepower engine will have a better resale value than an underpowered boat.
Most 21-foot bass boats are rated for 250 horsepower engines, according to Callahan. “Some of the lines will go up to 300’s,” he says. “Bass Cat has a 22-footer that you can put a 450 on the back. It all varies per manufacturer.” Boat WRX bass boats are rigged with Yamaha or Mercury outboards.
The most popular propeller for running a bass boat on Lake of the Ozarks is a three-blade model. Callahan notes some anglers run a four blade prop on heavier bass boats to achieve a better hole shot.
Lake of the Ozarks anglers can be typically classified into three categories:
hard core tournament competitors, recreational weekend anglers and panfish enthusiasts. Callahan notices all three types of anglers favor fully-rigged bass boats.
Power and length are also important when choosing a trolling motor for your bass boat. “Typically on our 20- and 21-foot boats anymore we are running 36-volt, 112-pound thrust (Minn Kota) Ultrexes,” Callahan says. “If you are fishing rougher water of course you want to get a longer shaft. Typically on a bass boat that is 45 inches, but most of the guys around here run 52-inch shafts just because of the waves. Most of the aluminum boats or the smaller 18-foot fiberglass boats are going to run 24-volt systems.”
A full day of fishing on Lake of the Ozarks requires a lot of trolling motor use so long-lasting batteries are paramount. Boat WRX equips most of its bass boats with AGM 231 Series deep-cycle batteries, but Callahan has seen a demand from hard core tournament anglers for lithium batteries.
“Lithium weighs about one-eighth less than a standard battery does,” Callahan says. “So you are taking that weight out of the boat and these tournament guys want to go fast so weight is a big deal. Lithium also seems to last longer. A lot of guys I have talked to who have lithium batteries said they can run them a full weekend without having to charge them.”
Increased fishing pressure has caused anglers to equip their boats with the latest and greatest electronics for locating fish. Callahan notices a demand for Humminbird electronics, but the big seller lately is Garmin units with the Panoptix LiveScope technology, a sonar feature that scans in real time.
Buying the right-sized, fully-equipped bass boat will help you catch more fish and handle the rough water when Lake of the Ozarks gets rocking and rolling.
Top to bottom: Fishing is big business at Lake of the Ozarks. There are hundreds of fishing tournaments held every year Lake-wide. Boat WRX Sales Consultant Chris Callahan suggests bigger bass boats are better for fishing the Lake of the Ozarks.
Best Boating Gadgets
New and innovative ways to enjoy the lake life
Compiled by CHARIS PATIRES
There’s no doubt about it. The boating industry is constantly changing. Every year new equipment and innovations come out that not only make boating more enjoyable but help to protect your investment. Whether it is the latest water toy or making upgrades to your dock, check out some of our favorite finds.
CLEANING YOUR BOAT
Any boat owner knows how important it is to clean and maintain a boat. It may not be the most glamorous gadget, but Formula Boats in Osage Beach sells a lot of these each season. TD Mops are the best way to clean your boat quickly. These mops are a consumer favorite because of their absorption power and durability. Starting at $87.50.
FLY ACROSS THE WATER
Looking for a little more excitement? Check out the Fliteboard E-foils, selfpropelled electric hydrofoils. These single-rider units will run up to two hours on a fully-charged battery and go up to 30-miles per hour. The Fliteboard gives the unique sensation of flying just above the water. Great for exploring different parts of the Lake since you can transport it by boat or car. As a full-service dealer, Wake Effects not only sells the board but can teach you to ride them, and perform general service and repair if needed. Complete kits are $13,395. Available at Wake Effects by Big Thunder in Osage Beach.
PADDLE POWER
The Seachoice Inflatable Stand-up Paddle Board has great stability so it’s perfect for those choppy Lake days. It is portable and travel-friendly, with an anti-slip deck that’s soft and stable. The entire kit includes everything you need to get you out on the water and having fun in no time. Available at MarineMax, $390.89.
ENJOYING YOUR DOCK AND PATIO
The sun can cause a lot of damage. A St. Louis-based company has come up with a way to help provide the protection you need on bright, sunny days. Shady Docks Automated Shade Screens are made out of aircraftgrade aluminum, come in a variety of colors and UV protection. These screens can come equipped with a remote control or even a sensor which measures the wind speed and automatically rolls up the screen in case you are not at home. Lake Life Electric is the only certified installers for the screens and has been putting in many of these at the Lake. Customers can have them installed on docks, decks or patios. Available at www.shadydocks.com.
LOUNGING ON THE LAKE
When it comes to relaxing and enjoying the water, Buzz’s Boards & Beyond in Osage Beach can make sure it happens with their selection of inventory. Blow-up paddle boards and kayaks, fishing skiffs, coolers, waterproof bags and apparel found in the store is all you need to make it a fun summer at the Lake. The new inflatable docks and furniture are popular for their versatility and durability. They can easily be taken anywhere — to the dock, when coving out or on the shore. 10-foot Hangout Dock, $1,449. Blow-up furniture ranges from $140-$287.
LakeNewsOnline.com
facebook.com/LakeNewsOnline
YEARSYEARS
LakeNewsOnline YEARSYEARS .com
