How has COVID changed your boating habits?

[steve1313]

It's hard to believe that it's been almost four months since we all basically went into "lockdown mode". I'm curious to know how the changes have affected your boating life. For me, it's definitely increased my boat time so far this year. I'm still working full-time, but because I'm in sales, the number of customer visits and meetings I've had has decreased, which lets me get to my boat more often. In a typical season (April - November) I've averaged about 40 hours on my motor. So far this year I've already added about 25 hours, and it's only the first week in July.

As far as social distancing, I've avoided any big gatherings on my boat, but I've had lots of times with three or four (non family) people on the boat. No, we're not all 6 feet apart on the boat, but I don't worry too much since we are out in the open air, etc.

How's everybody else been impacted?

[bansil]

No we havent stopped working, I so wanted to collect free cash for a month or so, would have been on lake daily

[lakerunner]

None at all. We never hung out at marinas for fuel or food

[Steiner]

Really none at all. Our plant was shut down for five weeks but I had to go in. Wife is working from home. During the shutdown, we got to go to our place every weekend instead of every other weekend like my normal schedule allows.....but it was during a pretty mild April so we didn't even take the boat.

[Marc K]

...................... I'm curious to know how the changes have affected your boating life. For me, it's definitely increased my boat time so far this year.

How's everybody else been impacted?

I live lakefront and I am boating three times as much when compared to pre-Covid 19. I go out 3-6 days per week now.
I have shifted my business model to focus on far fewer, much larger orders. This may become permanent because I am getting spoiled! Cell phone signal is 100% on the lake, and it only requires 2-3 rings to kill the motor and drift silently to take a call. If it is windy, "I am out in the field with another customer."

Yes, I saw an 85% drop in business during the first 30-45 days, but it starting coming back in June. My sales are commercial/industrial/governmental, both domestic and international. This could all change in a hurry as we enter Covid 2.0.

It is my opinion that everyone should already have a decent stock of food and supplies on hand as we watch our society go sideways and panic inevitably ensues!

Marc

[Bilboinsa]

Agreed. Much more boating since COVID. And, others are too, making lakes a bit more crowded. Beats the hell outta watching TV.

[Coldbrew]

This would have been an awesome boating season because of Covid had I not been selling my house. I'm only working two days a week because of work slow down(Tues/Thurs) so I should be able to spend Thursday afternoon to Monday night at the lake. However....with a billion things to do before the sale I'm only able to take the time to go up two days. This weekend we didn't even go. The one good I can take out of this is that I'm not sure how I would have been able to get everything done had I still be working normal hours. House is going on the market next week. Now lets hope business picks back up.

[ROLAND]

pretty much the same as the rest of you guys... as for Covid, it really hasn't affected our boating time... in fact, we kind of see it as a good way to get out of the house, do a little fishing and not have to be around anyone at all. However due to some other health issues and now the oppressive heat in Louisiana, we haven't been out too much lately.. three times this year, but hopefully that will pick up with the heat index isn't in the triple digits.

[Marc K]

Roland, Hope you two are doing OK!

On very hot days, we mostly stay under the bimini top and get wet every now and then to stay cool. If not swimming, we use a plastic garden sprayer filled with freshwater to mist ourselves and the kids/grandkids. Even at 100F, 15-20 MPH actually feels comfortable when wet.

We've put 90 hours on the motor so far this calendar year - heavily influenced by Covid 19.

Marc

[TWB]

Roland, Hope you two are doing OK!

On very hot days, we mostly stay under the bimini top and get wet every now and then to stay cool.

Echo Marc's hope that you guys are doing OK, Roland.

We are either floating in the chair (beer in hand), or sitting under the biminis smiling (beer in hand)!

-Paul

[TDJ2591]

If there are major disruptions to the college football season this fall, I expect to see a lot more boats than usual on the lake on weekends. Normally, the lightest fall boat traffic here is on weekends when Bama or Auburn have home games. If Bama, Auburn and Ole Miss all have home games, there are typically almost no boats on the lake.

[ROLAND]

hey guys, appreciate the concern... back in November I was driving down the road and I happened to have my 6 year old grand son with me.. all of a sudden I got violently dizzy.. felt like the car was spinning 360 degrees.. I don't know how but I was able to pull into a small church parking lot. Fellas, I had no idea what was going on but I was very concerned I might be having a stroke... Dizzyness did not subside, I started sweating so hard that you would have thought it was 120 degrees in the car, and of course then I started throwing up.. I was so afraid that I might " check out " in front of my grandson that I told him a little lie and told him that I might go to sleep and he wasn't to unlock the car for anyone but his grandmother or a police officer. The whole episode lasted 30 minutes.. when my wife showed up she wanted to take me to the ER but I insisted on going home. Had another episode just like that 10 days later but thankfully I was home. After that I had light headed spells everyday, 5 or 6 times a day for nearly a month. Finally in Jan. I went to my doc. Did a heart work up including ekg, checked my carotid arteries and finally came to the conclusion that one of my diabetic meds could be causing the problem, so he took me off that.. Have not had anymore 30 minute episodes since march but then I developed these dizzy spells that I call "fish tale" episodes, because it looks like the room is moving back and forth like a fish tail. Good thing about those they only lasted 2 minutes or so and they have since gone away as well. Sent me to a specialist who said he thinks those short 2 minute spells were something called BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo ) has something to do with inner ear issues but haven't experienced any more of those for about 2 months now... I asked the specialist if it could be a brain tumor, but he said 99.9% sure it was not - thank god ) now all I have is light headedness when I get up out of bed or a chair too quickly, but I can live with that.... Didn't mean to bore you all with my maladies, I just call it 2020... again, thanks for the concern. I do appreciate it.

[TWB]

....episode lasted 30 minutes.. ......another episode just like that 10 days later ......light headed spells everyday, 5 or 6 times a day for nearly a month. Finally in Jan. I went to my doc.

So glad you're OK.

Now -- this is where a buddy of mine would say, "You dumbass, what the hell did you wait so long for??"
Don't play, Roland. None of us is getting any younger, old buddy.



-Paul

[ROLAND]

....episode lasted 30 minutes.. ......another episode just like that 10 days later ......light headed spells everyday, 5 or 6 times a day for nearly a month. Finally in Jan. I went to my doc.

So glad you're OK.

Now -- this is where a buddy of mine would say, "You dumbass, what the hell did you wait so long for??"
Don't play, Roland. None of us is getting any younger, old buddy.



-Paul

Hey Paul ( that's my son's name also ), thank you sir, I appreciate the sentiment. believe me when I tell you my wife was plenty pissed off at me for not going. And when I did go, she went with me to make sure I went. haha.. again, thanks for the reply. I do appreciate it.

[Marc K]

Man, that must have been majorly scary! Glad to hear that you are good now - thanks for letting us know.

Be well,
Marc