How do you Northerners do it?

skunkman

Active Member
May 27, 2014
452
Longboat Key
Boat Info
2014 330 DA sold
Current boat 2021 Formula 350CBR
Engines
Triple 350 Mercury Verado
I just got back from Montreal and saw some gorgeous boats shrink wrapped at the marina along an ice filled St Laurence river. I would be so anxious to get out on the water but that city is no where near their season. I now have a new appreciation for our year round boating in Florida - of course when I am melting and the Montreal gang is hanging out with blue skies and mid 70ish temperatures in July the story will be different.
 
Not from that far north, but we only have a 5 month boating season... it's tough during the off season. We still have to make the boat payment as it sits in storage all winterized. But come boating season, I'm there every weekend, rain or shine!

Hope to put in next weekend!
 
I’m in northern wi. A week ago we had 50f and the snow was almost gone. Today we have a high of 20f and a foot and a half of snow on the ground.talk about depressing!
 
I could afford the gas if I boated year round... Plus, its still Ski Season...
 
when I go visit my inlaws by Clearwater, they are on a canal with a boat behind every house. they can count on one hand how many times they go out. absence makes the heart grow fonder.....
 
When we were younger and the kids were home, winter was fun, now not so much. We stayed home this winter to do a bucket list trip downunder. Figured that by the time we returned home, spring would be on our doorstep. Not. It has been a horrible March and April is off to a crumby start. 50 mph wind, 30 degrees and flurries right now. Next winter we will be going south on the boat again. Can't beat it for the winter, but we will come back for the summers. We think the Great lakes area is the best boating, but the season here is too darn short.
 
There is more to life than boating, as much fun as that is. Most of us do other things when the boats are stored. Skiing, road trips, travel, gardening, dinner parties. The list is pretty long depending on your interests. We mange a few top down days in the Porsche throughout every month of the winter season. The spring clean up in our yard was done two weeks ago during a mild spell. It feels good to get outside and work after going through two cords of wood having nice fires and reading many good books. When the weather improves, we will boat. It will be detailed inside in heated storage so it will be launched as soon as the weather improves which will be soon. Then we will boat until mid October. I'll post a couple of pics of the weather before and after the recent snow we received if I can find them.
 
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We were able to pick up our leaves last week before it snowed. Did errands with the top down yesterday. Today is a good day for a book.
 
just payed the winter storage / maintenance balance and discussed launch dates..... baby steps.
 
Spring in the Great Lakes region comes fast. Its crazy to see how quickly the water warms up once the ice leaves. I was up at Georgian Bay on the Easter weekend. The harbor/marina is iced over and there is a lot of snow between the boats still. But at our summer place 8 miles from the marina on open Georgian Bay the water is open looks like spring.
 
It ain’t easy.
I’ve been in Italy since last Tuesday and won’t be back home until Sunday.
My original plan was to unwrap, scrub down and change impellers before I left and then just do two coats of wax below the rubrails, change the zincs, and paint the bottom in time to be back in by mid April.
With all the snow and cold weather we had right up until I left I didn’t get anything done.
Looks like late April for me launching now.
 
This is by far the toughest part of the year in my view, the transition month(s). Hurry up and wait. One day 65 and the next day snow and 30. Gets old really fast and I’m used to it.. we’re literally on the boat every weekend and some of the week for dinner trips. It’s a quick 5 months that’s for sure and I’m ready to go!

I’d love to boat all year however like someone said, I’d be afraid it would become a burden than fun
 
Our season is WAY too short but we make the best of it. One year I launched May 1st and no one wanted to go out because they were too cold ..... So now I just launch end of May. I usually wintereize about mid October so my hands don't freeze washing and winterizing. 4 1/2 months is really short though
 
I find the boating season in Ontario is just about perfect. Every spring about this time I get the feeling it's time. Time to start getting the boat ready for launch. The boat is usually in the water by mid April. After launch we are at the boat most every weekend. By the time October rolled around I've had enough. Time to winterize and put her away. I think if I boated 12 months a year the boat would not get us much use as it does in five or so month. This is our 21st year of boating and it never gets old.
 
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We live at 46* N latitude, 119* W latitude. Temps have been in the 70's, trees are budding out, underground sprinklers are on, I've cut my lawn once and I am soooo ready for summer.
 

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