Gary Poole- From The Helm

As I look out my office window on what is another glorious winter day, sunny and mild, I still can’t help but dream of spring, and the melt to come.  Happily it’s not that far off!  We have had an exceptionally great winter weather wise, which makes the yearning for boating season that much stronger in my book.

When we get the boats put away in storage, we are often asked what we do to fill the long cold dark days of winter. Do we head south for the season or lounge around in some ski resort.  Or do we hit the snowmobile trails or just become couch potatoes?  The answer is none of the above.  At Buckeye Marine we stay open all winter and keep busy with all kinds of sales, service and maintenance activities. (Just to clarify, we do take our holidays through the winter.  We definitely appreciate having some time off to enjoy family and friends, but we have lots to do to keep on top of your boating needs, so “lounging” from November to April, is not an option!)

This past fall we winterized over 1200 boats, 800 stay on the property.  Our goal is to winterize and do minor repairs as they come in for winterizing.  Any major mechanical or cosmetic repairs are completed throughout the winter.  We bring the boats into the shop, unwrap them to do the repair then rewrap and put them back in their storage slot until spring. It’s done this way to streamline the winterizing process and to provide our staff with work throughout the winter.  

Most of December is dedicated to boat show preparations. Preparing exhibits, hauling boats and learning about the new product we will be showing. We close between Christmas and New Years for our staff to have time with their families.   January is Toronto Boat show time.  We transport as many as 25 boats to Toronto, choosing clear weather days if possible.  Upon returning after the 10-day show, everything is put away and we regroup.  Meanwhile Office staff stays busy with year-end accounting and administrative issues as well as planning and organizing for the next season.  February is dedicated to repairs and maintenance of buildings and equipment, which can be a huge task.  With 3 forklifts 6 trucks and several shop trailers diligent upkeep is essential.  We want to minimize any down time when equipment is required non-stop.  Inside the buildings, floors and walls are cleaned, painted  or resurfaced etc and any other repairs are completed.  We also take the time to expand or improve our facilities to serve you better.  This year we are remodeling the north showroom, with new sales offices and flooring.  Stop by and check it out.

Also, we dedicate time in the winter for training and education to keep our staff up to date with the latest information and technology in the boating industry. Workplace Safety training and upkeep of all certifications and licenses are done at this time as well.

Regular winter stuff, like plowing snow, sanding walkways and icicle removal fills in the gaps.  When we have time and the weather permits, we have been known to have the occasional snowball fight and snowman building contest amongst the staff in the parking lot.

So you can see that we keep busy year round here at Buckeye, but with some time out to recharge our batteries.  Stop by and see us if you’re in the neighbourhood.  We’ll be here!

Family Day is everyday spent with loved ones on the water

Upon the onset of Family Day in Ontario in 2008, we thought “what a great idea”…but family day is all of July and August isn’t it? We know that boaters enjoy summer as that family time however for those of us that work in the boating business winter is our vacation time and the time that we get to spend times with our families and this year we have also made note that family day weekend is also family fishing weekend! There is no doubt…you can’t have family day without there being strong ties to spending time on the water…even when its frozen!

There is no question that boaters understand the concept of family day. Boating is family time at its finest.  There is no other activity that ties families together quite the same way that boating does. It doesn’t seem to matter what age bracket your family members fit in there is always some aspect of boating that can be enjoyed. From cruising, to over-nighting, camping to wakeboarding, fishing to diving, anchoring out to rafting up boating has something for all ages. We often have parents who come into the dealership with the intent to buy a boat to enjoy with their kids.

It never ceases to amaze me how often this topic comes up. Not too long ago we were asked to take part in the Recreational Boating Stakeholders Summit in Chicago. On the way there was I was sitting on the runway making small talk with the Chicago native in the seat next to me. Nothing crazy, just the usual stuff…where are you from, what do you do etc. When the “what are you doing in Chicago?” question came up I of course mentioned the summit and the boating business.  Now knowing that Chicago is a city built on water , and me being the boating enthusiast that I am the conversation then of course led to me asking the man “Do you own a boat?”. His response was one that we have heard a number of times “We don’t own a boat right now because I travel for work and my daughters are quite young but I plan to once my daughters are older. I want to be able to take them out on the lake fishing. I want to have something that they will want to do when they are older that we can all do as a family. I think that if we have a boat when my girls are teenagers they will want to be out with us instead of out doing other things.”

His response is a common one. As crazy as it might sound we often have parents that feel the same way and it is often the largest reason for the investment. They aren’t just investing in their enjoyment; they are investing in their family.

And it works! Some of my fondest memories as a kid were those spent out on the water with my family. In the summer Sundays were boating days. To this day, even now that I am an adult, Sundays are still boating days. This is one of the greatest family traditions, one that I hope to continue with my own family one day.

Do you have a wonderful family memory or family boating tradition? Please share it with us by clicking the comment link below.  

Boating is for Sweethearts

As we know boating is an activities that brings people together. We most commonly associate this with families that have teenaged kids. We often hear from parents that while they enjoy the escape to the water for many reasons on of the huge benfits to what boating brings to their family is an activity that all members of the family enjoy and helps to keep them together.

One of the lesser discussed topics is the effect that boating has on couple relationships. Interestingly enough all things point to the fact that boating is a great way to bring couples together. In 2008 there was an Angus Reid survey which polled 1,000 boaters and non-boaters . The survey found that 63 percent of boaters compared to 54 percent of the general non-boating Canadian population were satisfied with their sex life. To further their point, those who were on a boat 10 times more in a year were the most satisfied. 

Having a better sex life is only just a part of it. Couples boating also aids in bettering communication skills. When done properly, as explained in Brenda Dawson's book “First Mate 101” boat trips can prove to be a great marriage counceling adventures and greatly helps to improve communication skills between the captain and the first mate.

A great example of this can be expressed through the experience of our marketing manager who participates in an annual boat trip with her husband.  Carly Poole started her boat trip tradition when she and her now husband had only been dating for 6 months. While excited for this first adventure she knew that they would learn a lot more about their relationship after spending a week traveling through the Trent to Georgian Bay and back in a 22’ cuddy cabin. Being a long time boater and boating instructor Carly assumed the roll of captain and her sweetheart the first mate. While there were a number of trials and enjoyment along the way the pinnacle of the relationship growth happened in the last two days of the trip.

Ready to head home the young couple started out to cross some open water in the Bay heading toward Orillia. Although the trip had been unseasonally warm and calm waters this day brought the tail end of a hurricane that had hit the eastern seaboard earlier that week. With a small boat in some now big turbulent water, this was not a boating adventure that they two had ever experience together before. It required a lot of  concentration,  patience and direct, unwavering communication as they and the little boat got tossed around.

Carly and her husband on their wedding day!

The two made it home safe and sound with boat, egos and relationship in tact! When asked Carly and her husband concur that their first boat trip was a great testiment to their relationship and that they both look forward to getting out on the water every year to spend some quality time together away from it all.  “It taught us very quickly the importance of proper communication. When you are out of the water and you are not direct and specific in your communication you could be left on the dock with boat and captain floating out to sea.”

Do you have a great couples boating experience? We would love to hear how your boat helps you and your sweetheart to learn and enjoy new adventures together.  Click the "comments" link below to share your story.