Boating memories with Dad

Brian,

You touched a nerve. My dad died a couple years ago. I spoke at his funeral and one of the memories I shared was when I was a kid waiting on the dock in the afternoon because we could see my Dad's car cross the bridge on his way home from work. And how many, many evenings he towed me behind the old wood Hiliner and then the 66 Mustang, one summer patiently teaching me how to go on one.

They were memories that stuck with all three of us kids. My sister has lived on a lake and skied for the past 25 years, my brother bought a summer place on the same lake we were on as kids (the family camp had been sold). I have had a boat since I was 26 (that's 24 years) and have always lived near, but never on the water. Now I do have a "summer place" on the water with the primary objective of creating for my kids the same memories I have.

Thanks Larry/75 Tique (Larry was my Dad's name BTW)

I shared a similar story at my Dad's funeral. Ours was a Wooden, 58 Trojan. I used to wait on the front lawn, vest on and ski in hand. Many nights when I know he was awfully tired, but he always took me out anyway.

BKH

I remember the old boat my Dad bought when I was teen. I had learned with my uncle John on Lake Huntsville when I about 10, and as a teen my dad bought an old 15''glas boat with a 35 Evinrude. We actually skied slalom with that old rig. The old man is still going strong at 84 and says he could ski, if he wanted to. All of us who still have dads around should remember to tell him how glad we are they took the time with us.

I lost my dad 4 years ago. He was a workaholic and while he really loved boats, he unfortunately spent more time with his nose in the boat magazines than he did on the boat. But he certainly managed to make damn sure that there was always a family boat available for me. I realized years later that he really derived so much of his satisfaction and a great deal of pleasure just seeing and knowing the fun I was having that he was affording me. Once, a local marine patrol officer he knew informed him that he never saw any boat on the river more than he did mine, and that it must have a million hours on it. My dad repeated that story 1000 times. He taught me to ski behind, and get this, a 16' fiberglass 1957 Thunderbird (so the registration said), with TWIN 40 HP Evinrudes. It must have been the first 'glass boat made and was this huge, tall, wide, bulbous thing, but it worked. A number of years later he supported me on my first Correct Craft project, the restoration of a 1958 Starflite (fins and all) when I was in college. I miss my dad and all that he did for me, and most of which I was somewhat oblivious to. My wife and I never had kids, but just yesterday afternoon I was fortunate enough to be able to take a dozen+ Boy Scouts, screaming like Girl Scouts, tubing behind a CC Mustang. Thanks Dad.

One other thing to think about as you read this thread....Now we are the dads. Makes it all kind of worthwhile, doesn't it?

Father's day. I thought I would revive this thread.

I remember the late sixties. We used to have a 3ft wide plywood "saucer" painted with sand thrown in so you wouldn't slip. My dad used to travel back and forth on the water behind the house doing all kinds of crazy things. He'd put a bar stool on the disk and stand on top.    Everyone in the neighborhood thought he was nuts. I thought it was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Still have the pictures of my dad's 58 Trojan inboard hanging on the wall in my office.

For those who still have Dads, I hope you have the time to spend with them today. For those of you who are Dads, enjoy your day. BKH

Thanks Brian for pulling this thread back up, alto it is hard to read with tears streaming down my face.

My Dad taught us to ski behind an old "twin" engine outboard. Boy did we think that was cool. Boat belonged to a friend of his, he could never afford one. So he loved me and my brother's Nautiques. Never had to worry where my son was or what he wanted to do for the weekends. He always had the motorhome loaded and the boat hooked up every Friday the entire time he grew up. Great way to share with your kids. Skiing and Correct Crafts!

Thanks again Brian. What a GREAT site!. Hope you had a happy father's day!. Your first of many more you'll enjoy!

john

Brian,

Funny you brought this thread back up to the top. I was thinking of doing the same thing. Didn't get to the lake yesterday, but did spend the day at the beach with my family and then a good amount of time playing catch with my son in the back yard and then a family game of touch football, plus a few thoughts about "the old man". Good times and good memories, old and new.

Well, it's nice to hear another member that didn't have inboards all his life. Seems like almost everyone grew up with them all over. We drooled at inboards for years, but there was no way my family would have had the money to even think about getting one for one second. We had the crappiest boat of ALL TIME, which only ran for a few years before becoming basically a fixture in our driveway and for years. My test drive for my first boat was the first time in my adult life I EVER skied behind or drove an inboard!

This has morphed into a little different conversation but my first boat with my dad was a 10' aluminum john boat with a 3hp Johnson. We tooled around everypond in Rhode Island and fished just about every night after dad got home from work. Very fond memories and although Dad lives 1100 miles away now he is retired and still fishes every day.

As for my first inboard, I owned a 16' starcraft with a 90hp mercury and got an invite to go skiing with a friend. We showed and the boat we were to ski behind was a 82 Stars & Stripes MC and was for sale. We skiied the course, I took my first trip over a ski jump. I bought the boat the very next day. The rest is history and I'll never own anything but an inboard again.

Just thought I'd revive this thread once again. Today would have been my Dad's 72nd birthday. He's been gone almost three years now.

Today I drove almost 400 miles with my wife and daughter to check out a lake I might vacation at next summer with the family. I think my Dad would have enjoyed the ride. Somehow I know he was there with us.

To those of you who still have your fathers - be good to them. Maybe go out of your way to get Dad out on the boat before summer is over. He won't be with you forever.

BKH

BKH: Thanks for bringing this back up to make us all pause and think of our dads. Cool of you to honor your Dad's memory this way.

john

in some strange way im thankful for my father, all my memories of him are taking my 2 brothers and I to his favorite beer joints, I was maybe 6 years old but remember this vividly and he died when I was 8, but those memories stick in your head and made me promise i would never do this to my children and it made me a better person and some say my kids are spoiled and im just giving them the things and memories i never had, My children will have the memories of camping, boating, Disney world and someday the same things you guys talk about

My Grandfather (Quintin Quincy Quinn) worked for and purchased a lake lot from CL&P (Connecticut Light & Power) on Lake Candlewood back in the late 40's or early 50's. Grandpa, my Dad and his brothers built a small cabin on that lot as well as a boat house down by the water. Dad's first job out of school brought him from Ct. to Chicago where I was born and raised. Growing up each summer pop's would load us all in the Country Squire wagon for the trip out East, the first week he would vacation with us then back to work for 3 weeks then the last week with us before loading up the wagon for the return trip. The summers out east are my greatest childhood memories, whenever I get back to the Lake the smell brings all those memories back. When Grandpa passed my Dad ended up with the cabin, I could never imagine that Lake house belonging to anyone else but a Quinn.

The stories of my summers are endless but my favorite thing was always the skiing, of my 2 bro's and 1 sis I was the one who caught the bug the hardest, Dad taught me to ski at 5 behind our Yellow Rinken Tri-Hull with a 70hp Chrysler OB and my passion just grew from there. Next door was my Dad's buddy Bill Murray, the real life version of Popeye, WWII vet who served in the Navy and fought in Japan, together they spent endless hours teaching and pulling kid's skiing, we even created our own ski shows. Never a Nautique in the mix however when I was looking for my first boat a competition inboard was the only choice. Bought my 77' and could not wait to drag it back east for everyone to see, since that boat 4 of my CC's have made the trek to Candlewood.

My folks now spend all their summers at the Lake, Bill is still next door, Candlewood has been and always will be my favorite Lake destination.

For all those great skiing and boating memories then, now and to come, Thanks Dad!!

Thanks for the stories.

Root, did you get your Dad out on the boat?

BKH