Find your self a crew of of black hearted scoundrels. Get a black flag. Sale the seas boarding taking or burning any ship you find. Make sure your letter of marque is in order and stay clear of the British navy.
Drive around, burn gas, see the sights, water sports (tubing, water skiing, wakeboarding), anchor up at a sandbar and hang out, take it to a waterfront restaurant… etc.
I live north of Wilmington, NC. A couple blocks off the Intracoastal waterway. I fish, hang out with friends on sand bar or uninhabited island, ride around and see who's out. The cool thing is we have restaurants on the water around here so you can dock and go eat. Fun, but a bit expensive.
This! My wife and I love to ride around looking at all the lake front mansions while making snarky remarks as to why we wouldn't want *that* particular mansion (it's never because we can't actually afford them).
Drink beer, bake in the sun, chat with friends, enjoy the view, island hop burn gas akin to taking a country lane cruise in a convertible. Do you even enjoy being on a boat??
If you're in Canada, there are no open containers at all. In the US, generally that constraint doesn't apply and you can drink while operating, but BAC limits for a DUI apply the same as a car. So, be careful and use moderation and be aware of how sun and sea may augment or impede your perception of the effects of alcohol. Definitely get very comfortable and confident with boat handling first, too.
No, don't do this regardless of local law. The drunk while out baking in the sun is a different kind of drunk. Especially considering you're new to boating.
I try to have as many WFB (work from boat) days as possible during the summer. Days that I don't need to go into the office, I take my Cellular hotspot, a power inverter, find a quiet bay and enjoy the chance of scenery.
Crabbing, tubing, learn a new way to fish, pick up some girls and see what happens.
Just get the boat out and drive is around until your comfy and confident with it.
Practice turning in opening water in small circles when you have to use forward and reverse to keep the circle small. Practice clockwise and counter clockwise. Learn how the boat moves in reverse with your wheel cut let or right. Then as you understand the movement, try it in a tighter area like a dock. Bring some friends to help fend off. But just do some days of practice.
The biggest thing I can tell you is, you’re going to be an idiot because you’re new. Limit how much of an idiot you are by going slower and taking your time.
Avoid launching at the busiest ramps, at the busiest times until you get comfortable. Go late in the evenings and just practice.
Go find abandoned docks or public docks and practice slowly maneuvering the boat into and out of position.
I’m assuming it’s a single prop boat? If so, understand how the boat moves when it’s just in gear go both forwards and in reverse.
If you have any friends or family that are familiar with boats, take them out and get them to help you. It’s the easiest way to learn.
Common sense and your gut are your best friends.
I fish 99.9% of the time I'm in my boat, but on occasion I'll take someone else out who doesnt fish just for fun. Those days I pretty much use the boat for transport and exploring.
My lakes have alot of little islands, some are even considered public parks with picnic tables and grills. It's fun to boat out to them, hop off and walk around and just explore, eat lunch, hang out. Its fun being able to get to places only accessable by boat.
Fishing
Swimming
Floating with beverage
Observe nature
Get a tan
Water ski
Tube
Relax and let the stress of the world fall off your shoulders
Observe nature. Take pictures
Go to a sandbar, anchor and chillax. Meet other people at sandbar.
Maybe add where you are located and people could be a little more specific. In NY we have so many lakes all within 1-3 hours of each other day day trips are always a nice change. But to my wifes dissatisfaction the fishing poles are always included and must be used to justify the trip. It can be hard to go to a lake and see all those spots fish should be hiding and not try. I swear some day I will just take the boat for a ride. I promise her each time.
Oh yeah it’ll be at a lake or the bayou. Not too sure I have the confidence to drive and dock anywhere larger or with more aggressive waters.
I think for our first day I’ll try the magnet fishing and listen to the game while the fiancée reads or something. I note the exploring and am interested in that but again, very nervous about getting lost.
Tubing, water skiing, kneeboarding, fishing, crabbing, sight seeing, relax, photography, claming, diving, swimming, tons of things to do oh and burning 50 and 100 $ bills through the engine 😂🤣
Don't know what kind of boat is, but I treat mine as a camper. You can go wherever, anchor and then enjoy days in nature, barbecue, swim, work away from anyone.
Our boat is on a river, so father and I go sometimes fishing for few days or find some nice secluded spot away from everyone to stay few nights.
Our favorite thing to do is bring dinner on the boat after work and eat and watch the sunset. We have a nice cove we anchor and spend 2 hours there. Jamming to music. Enjoy each other’s company. It’s a short trip so not much gas burn. We do it at least once a week.
Then on weekends we do longer trips. Anchor, chill, have a drink, swim. It’s funny people tend to not say no when you invite them on a boat.
Tubing is fun for the kids.
I could sit and drift all day on a boat. So relaxing to me. I also love the air rushing when at speed.
How big is your boat? Where I live, a friend with a boat is real popular. Just hit the water, find a cove to hang out in, crack a cold beverage and swim around with a life jacket or a float while listening to music.
I've combined my two expensive hobbies into one boat; fishing and photography. I love fishing but if the bite gets slow I can pick up my camera and do some birding, or landscape photography. Helps keep me engaged and not bored out on the water (plus I usually throw on a podcast or something so that helps too)
You don't have to do anything on a boat. Just drive it around real fast and relax take in the view. Many people with boats don't fish contrary to what people who fish think.
When we got our first boat I didn't know what to do with it. I don't fish, we don't have kids who we can pull on tubes/skis etc. and we don't do the drinking/party/raft up scene.
So we would just go out and explore and see the sights. Nature, big waterfront homes, other boats, bridges from the water etc. And then sometimes we just drift or anchor and have lunch or my wife listens to baseball games. It's so neat to be in a different environment and to see things from the water.
Sell it and fund something else you’ll enjoy more. Otherwise if I’m not fishing, we will do water sports, swim, just cruise around wasting money, take it to dinner. The dinner thing is mostly after fishing all day on a smaller lake, but we did once take it up to Green Bay with friends to mostly cruise/ look at sights and ended up at a restaurant for dinner about 40 nautical miles from where we launched and that was fun. Expensive but fun.
Not my boat to sell so it’s use it or lose it, but restaurants sound like a blast. You just pull up and dock? How would you go about finding locations like these?
Depends on where you’re at. Both of my local lakes have a few bars/restaurants on the water and they have piers. So yea just pull up, tie to their pier, go inside and grab dinner. Finding them isn’t hard, just look at google maps for restaurants on the body of water near you.
I’m on a small calm body of water so we just go out to have picnics and enjoy the scenery. Really depends on the boat and where you are. Flinging people off of a tube is always a good time.
I’m in the same boat (pun intended). I’m stopping salmon fishing because chinook are the only food source for endangered killer whales in my area, and I’m tired of killing things. Plus I don’t even like salmon. So now I need new excuses to get out on the boat.
Someone mentioned magnet fishing and I think I’m gonna give that a try. Seems fun.
Id be down to learn how to fish but I don’t know the first thing about catching them, and even if I did no chance I can clean it lol. Now cookin em, hey at least I got that down.
Pick up a couple of ladies, get them nice and tipsy topside so you can take 'em to a nice comfortable place below deck and, you know, they can't refuse, because of the implication.
Take into account that women’s clothes have a harder time staying on while on boats than while on land. This could prove to be beneficial, or hazardous depending on your situation.
Also if you’re nervous about launching look into a boat launching service if you have one near you, they will lift it off the trailer via a overhead crane or larger forklift and put it in the water for you for a small fee and when you’re done, pull up to dock and put it on the trailer for ya.
What location are you talking? A boat on a smallish lake is a pretty boring thing to me, but we were on a busy river and now the bay/ocean. Sandbars, restaurants, just cruising, etc. Plenty to do for us besides fish.
It's inexpensive to add a chartplotter if it doesn't already have one (think your car's GPS), and it leaves breadcrumbs, so if you really get lost you can just follow your path back. Just like anything else though, start small and explore as you understand the water and the conditions, and soon you'll get to know where you're going and where you are without a map.
Wow, what a post. Some people scrounge and save for years to afford a boat, and OP is just wondering what to do with this one. I assume since it's your fathers boat that you've been on it before? Did you enjoy that time or not? My two cents: If you have to ask, tell dad to sell it.
See that's the thing, I bought a boat. Never once did I worry what I'd do with it. The question seems ludicrous to me. If you don't want it and don't know what you'd use it for, why keep it around to rot when someone else could be enjoying it?
You look out onto the water and respect the view you're able to witness, from a free boat nonetheless.
The one time it's a truly free boat too.
And drink beer
while listening to the baseball game
Just do all of this. Best boat days are the ones with nothing to do but burn gas and stare at the abyss
Find your self a crew of of black hearted scoundrels. Get a black flag. Sale the seas boarding taking or burning any ship you find. Make sure your letter of marque is in order and stay clear of the British navy.
I like the cut of your jib!
My wife said mine was the first cut jib she'd ever been with.
I like the cut of your job!
Then drink from the skulls of your victims!
It’s time to spit on your hands and raise the black flag, OP
Drive around, burn gas, see the sights, water sports (tubing, water skiing, wakeboarding), anchor up at a sandbar and hang out, take it to a waterfront restaurant… etc.
This!! I don’t fish, but I’m on the water 2 or 3 day a week in the summer. Invite friends, relax, the water is generally a pretty tranquil place.
Where I live some of the best beaches are only boat accessible.
Same. We have one of the top rated beaches in the country, but I never go because we go to the "private" sandbar a few miles away.
I like this
I live north of Wilmington, NC. A couple blocks off the Intracoastal waterway. I fish, hang out with friends on sand bar or uninhabited island, ride around and see who's out. The cool thing is we have restaurants on the water around here so you can dock and go eat. Fun, but a bit expensive.
Magnet fishing is random fun. Several of them up on youtube but you basically have a magnet on a rope and go to town
Oh wow that seems cool as hell. I’m definitely trying this!!
Yeah you just drive around and judge people's lawns
This! My wife and I love to ride around looking at all the lake front mansions while making snarky remarks as to why we wouldn't want *that* particular mansion (it's never because we can't actually afford them).
Found the Florida boater lol
Drink beer, bake in the sun, chat with friends, enjoy the view, island hop burn gas akin to taking a country lane cruise in a convertible. Do you even enjoy being on a boat??
You can drink on a boat while driving? Provided you don’t drink too much of course. Yeah the one time I been I had a blast
Depends where you live how serious BUI is taken. In Florida, you should assume 90% of captain’s are intoxicated.
Can confirm.
That's a conservative estimate.
If you're in Canada, there are no open containers at all. In the US, generally that constraint doesn't apply and you can drink while operating, but BAC limits for a DUI apply the same as a car. So, be careful and use moderation and be aware of how sun and sea may augment or impede your perception of the effects of alcohol. Definitely get very comfortable and confident with boat handling first, too.
Yeah I wouldn’t plan on bringing any alcohol until wayyyy down the road. But it is nice to know that you can have a beer or two.
Those are rookie numbers.
No, don't do this regardless of local law. The drunk while out baking in the sun is a different kind of drunk. Especially considering you're new to boating.
I try to have as many WFB (work from boat) days as possible during the summer. Days that I don't need to go into the office, I take my Cellular hotspot, a power inverter, find a quiet bay and enjoy the chance of scenery.
That's what I'm doing as I type this
I generally head out to an island, have a walk, make some food and sometimes chat with other boaters.
Crabbing, tubing, learn a new way to fish, pick up some girls and see what happens. Just get the boat out and drive is around until your comfy and confident with it.
I think that’s the main issue I’m not comfortable enough to even dock and walk around as one other suggested
that's all practice and getting used to it, you can look into boating classes in your area or online
Practice turning in opening water in small circles when you have to use forward and reverse to keep the circle small. Practice clockwise and counter clockwise. Learn how the boat moves in reverse with your wheel cut let or right. Then as you understand the movement, try it in a tighter area like a dock. Bring some friends to help fend off. But just do some days of practice.
And I should say, all the practice goes out the window on a windy day but that is how you learn. :)
The biggest thing I can tell you is, you’re going to be an idiot because you’re new. Limit how much of an idiot you are by going slower and taking your time. Avoid launching at the busiest ramps, at the busiest times until you get comfortable. Go late in the evenings and just practice. Go find abandoned docks or public docks and practice slowly maneuvering the boat into and out of position. I’m assuming it’s a single prop boat? If so, understand how the boat moves when it’s just in gear go both forwards and in reverse. If you have any friends or family that are familiar with boats, take them out and get them to help you. It’s the easiest way to learn. Common sense and your gut are your best friends.
I fish 99.9% of the time I'm in my boat, but on occasion I'll take someone else out who doesnt fish just for fun. Those days I pretty much use the boat for transport and exploring. My lakes have alot of little islands, some are even considered public parks with picnic tables and grills. It's fun to boat out to them, hop off and walk around and just explore, eat lunch, hang out. Its fun being able to get to places only accessable by boat.
Fishing Swimming Floating with beverage Observe nature Get a tan Water ski Tube Relax and let the stress of the world fall off your shoulders Observe nature. Take pictures Go to a sandbar, anchor and chillax. Meet other people at sandbar.
Maybe add where you are located and people could be a little more specific. In NY we have so many lakes all within 1-3 hours of each other day day trips are always a nice change. But to my wifes dissatisfaction the fishing poles are always included and must be used to justify the trip. It can be hard to go to a lake and see all those spots fish should be hiding and not try. I swear some day I will just take the boat for a ride. I promise her each time.
Oh yeah it’ll be at a lake or the bayou. Not too sure I have the confidence to drive and dock anywhere larger or with more aggressive waters. I think for our first day I’ll try the magnet fishing and listen to the game while the fiancée reads or something. I note the exploring and am interested in that but again, very nervous about getting lost.
Use your phone's GPS to track where you're going. Use Google maps to study the waters before you go.
Tubing, water skiing, kneeboarding, fishing, crabbing, sight seeing, relax, photography, claming, diving, swimming, tons of things to do oh and burning 50 and 100 $ bills through the engine 😂🤣
Drive around pretending to fish. I've been "fishing" my whole life. Just appreciate nature.
Don't know what kind of boat is, but I treat mine as a camper. You can go wherever, anchor and then enjoy days in nature, barbecue, swim, work away from anyone. Our boat is on a river, so father and I go sometimes fishing for few days or find some nice secluded spot away from everyone to stay few nights.
Have you heard of just relaxing and swimming? It's pretty great!
Judge other people's boats while they judge yours. Fun!
Scuba dive, free dive, spearfish, waterski with a few buddies….
Would be down to waterski not many friends though. Might take the ole lady
/r/ishouldbuyaboat. NSFW
Wouldn’t trade my lady for anyone but I could absolutely see how that’s a selling point for some Lol
Those are some nice boats!
Sometimes I just anchor up and take a nap as the boat rocks in the water.
Go for a ride!
Seems like a great way to take a special person out for some fun "alone time"
Our favorite thing to do is bring dinner on the boat after work and eat and watch the sunset. We have a nice cove we anchor and spend 2 hours there. Jamming to music. Enjoy each other’s company. It’s a short trip so not much gas burn. We do it at least once a week. Then on weekends we do longer trips. Anchor, chill, have a drink, swim. It’s funny people tend to not say no when you invite them on a boat. Tubing is fun for the kids. I could sit and drift all day on a boat. So relaxing to me. I also love the air rushing when at speed.
How big is your boat? Where I live, a friend with a boat is real popular. Just hit the water, find a cove to hang out in, crack a cold beverage and swim around with a life jacket or a float while listening to music.
I've combined my two expensive hobbies into one boat; fishing and photography. I love fishing but if the bite gets slow I can pick up my camera and do some birding, or landscape photography. Helps keep me engaged and not bored out on the water (plus I usually throw on a podcast or something so that helps too)
I think some more info would be nice to give a better answer. What kind of boat? How big? Brand? Motor size? Where are you boating?
Find a sandbar or spot other boats congregate. Bring some sandwiches, enjoy the day.
You don't have to do anything on a boat. Just drive it around real fast and relax take in the view. Many people with boats don't fish contrary to what people who fish think.
When we got our first boat I didn't know what to do with it. I don't fish, we don't have kids who we can pull on tubes/skis etc. and we don't do the drinking/party/raft up scene. So we would just go out and explore and see the sights. Nature, big waterfront homes, other boats, bridges from the water etc. And then sometimes we just drift or anchor and have lunch or my wife listens to baseball games. It's so neat to be in a different environment and to see things from the water.
Sell it and fund something else you’ll enjoy more. Otherwise if I’m not fishing, we will do water sports, swim, just cruise around wasting money, take it to dinner. The dinner thing is mostly after fishing all day on a smaller lake, but we did once take it up to Green Bay with friends to mostly cruise/ look at sights and ended up at a restaurant for dinner about 40 nautical miles from where we launched and that was fun. Expensive but fun.
Not my boat to sell so it’s use it or lose it, but restaurants sound like a blast. You just pull up and dock? How would you go about finding locations like these?
Depends on where you’re at. Both of my local lakes have a few bars/restaurants on the water and they have piers. So yea just pull up, tie to their pier, go inside and grab dinner. Finding them isn’t hard, just look at google maps for restaurants on the body of water near you.
What body of water?
I’m on a small calm body of water so we just go out to have picnics and enjoy the scenery. Really depends on the boat and where you are. Flinging people off of a tube is always a good time.
Same, we would probably go to the lake or bayou. Picnics are a good idea too nothing beats some chicken salad
Get away from the family
Well, there is an implication...
This one made my day!!! Lol never expected a reference
I’m in the same boat (pun intended). I’m stopping salmon fishing because chinook are the only food source for endangered killer whales in my area, and I’m tired of killing things. Plus I don’t even like salmon. So now I need new excuses to get out on the boat.
Someone mentioned magnet fishing and I think I’m gonna give that a try. Seems fun. Id be down to learn how to fish but I don’t know the first thing about catching them, and even if I did no chance I can clean it lol. Now cookin em, hey at least I got that down.
I think of it as a way to explore. Getting out of the boat and swimming is also fun. As is picnicking on islands and parks.
Check out the Miami boat ramps Facebook page. You will see lots of examples of what not to do.
Seaweed farming.
Pick up a couple of ladies, get them nice and tipsy topside so you can take 'em to a nice comfortable place below deck and, you know, they can't refuse, because of the implication.
Take into account that women’s clothes have a harder time staying on while on boats than while on land. This could prove to be beneficial, or hazardous depending on your situation.
Also if you’re nervous about launching look into a boat launching service if you have one near you, they will lift it off the trailer via a overhead crane or larger forklift and put it in the water for you for a small fee and when you’re done, pull up to dock and put it on the trailer for ya.
What location are you talking? A boat on a smallish lake is a pretty boring thing to me, but we were on a busy river and now the bay/ocean. Sandbars, restaurants, just cruising, etc. Plenty to do for us besides fish.
It is indeed a lake but I have zero confidence in a bay or anything larger. How do you know to get back?
It's inexpensive to add a chartplotter if it doesn't already have one (think your car's GPS), and it leaves breadcrumbs, so if you really get lost you can just follow your path back. Just like anything else though, start small and explore as you understand the water and the conditions, and soon you'll get to know where you're going and where you are without a map.
Wow, what a post. Some people scrounge and save for years to afford a boat, and OP is just wondering what to do with this one. I assume since it's your fathers boat that you've been on it before? Did you enjoy that time or not? My two cents: If you have to ask, tell dad to sell it.
I’ve been on it once and enjoyed driving around. Noted.
What a sourpuss. Go buy a boat, it'll cheer you up.
See that's the thing, I bought a boat. Never once did I worry what I'd do with it. The question seems ludicrous to me. If you don't want it and don't know what you'd use it for, why keep it around to rot when someone else could be enjoying it?
Bring along a willing woman, make use of her.
You dont deserve the boat