Boating

Houseboat owners Chad Amrhein and Beckie Spaid typically meet up with other boating friends and tie up together for the weekend. One boat drops an anchor. “The wind blows, and you all just sway around your anchor,” Amrhein said.

chad Amrhein said the only thing original left on the 50-yearold Get n auti is the helm, but restoring the boat has been a labor of love for him and his wife, Beckie Spaid (below, with their pomeranian, h azel Sazerac).

out and put back,” he said.

amrhein is a project manager for Vinton’s enlex construction company and he deals with insulation inside boilers, rotary kilns, furnaces and incinerators. so, he was plenty handy for all the boat work. spray painting walls, applying coats of insulation, replacing flooring and even some subfloor were all part of the process. he built the bar and all the cabinets.

The only thing original left on the 50-year-old craft is the helm, he said. The get nauti last went to dry dock two years ago and got fresh paint on the bottom work. There are still things to do – for example, the flybridge, the open bridge up top with a second set of navigating equipment, isn’t working. But spaid and amrhein can focus primarily on enjoying the boat during summer weekends, including the July 4 fireworks and the upcoming pirate Days. also aboard: the couple’s pomeranian, hazel sazerac, aka sazzie.

“i joke, when people ask me how many can you sleep, i say we sleep two,” amrhein said. “But we sleep six.” it even worked during the coViD-19 pandemic, though not quite the same as it does now.

They and whatever guests are aboard typically meet up with other boating friends and tie up together for the weekend. one boat drops an anchor. “The wind blows, and you all just sway around your anchor,” he said.

“We tightened up with our friends,” he said. “We would still go out together, but we would primarily stay on our own boats. We would go up top and we could pretty much see everybody, still talk and be able to communicate with them. it was different, but it was nice to be able to get out and socialize, do all the things to make it as normal as possible.”

Vaca Boats

Back at parrot cove in late may, crews were getting the fleet ready for memorial Day and beyond. The vessels are a mixture: 53-footers that sleep 10 and can hold 20 for gatherings; and 39-footers that sleep six and can hold up to 12. at those sizes, and prices that range up to $3,840 for a sunday-to-monday rental, it’s the floating equivalent of a beach-house rental. parrot cove also rents pontoons and other watercraft.

Forrest Dickerson has been in the thick of it for 23 years, 20 of them as head mechanic. he said he learned the trade from his mentor, James “Butch” crawford, who built each of the cruisers. his wife, Joyce Dickerson, and their children were there too that day, cleaning boats. They help in the summer when more than the usual crew is required to make ready for tourists arriving for their houseboat vacations. Forrest Dickerson said that otherwise he wouldn’t spend so much time with his family in the busy season, due to long weeks and longer hours. With 17 boats, breakdowns are going to happen.

“if it’s functionality of the vessel, you fix it on site; you have to,” he said. “... motor-wise, if there’s a blown engine on the lake, you send a runabout to replace it … even in three-foot swells. Whatever gets the customer going. We all work all year just for three to four days of vacation. i don’t get much time with my family during the summer, being the only mechanic here, so i try to make sure others get to experience theirs.”

The tourists come from multiple states, even multiple nations, said Blair, the marina manager.

Josh perdue works the service dock, or the workshop in off-season, and does orientation for the rentals after gassing up the boats.

“We get quite a few that we send out and we’re like, ‘i don’t know if they’re going to make it back,’” he said, joking. “We get so many people that have no experience with boats. They’re going out here and i’ve seen ’em take off full-speed and run into the dock.” his key advice to would-be skippers who prefer smooth sailing? “stay away during the busy times, July 4 and memorial Day weekend. if you’re going to go out and you don’t have any experience, go out a lot earlier when there’s a lot less traffic. Try to avoid the crowds.”

October6-8,2023

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