Gift for a New Boatowner

[SHOWBOAT12]

Question for you boaters out there:

My son has wanted a boat for a long time and finally bought one last week. He also has a birthday coming up, so we thought it might be nice to get him something boat-relatd but nonobvious (i.e., floating key chain, first aid kit) that he would find useful. It's a 23 footer that he is docking at a marina on the lake where he will use it.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Which lake? I'll assume Saratoga Lake based on your location. I am from Lake George and still spend a ton of time there in the summer.

1. The best gift you could give him is a high quality cooler. I recommend either a Rtic or Yeti, performance is identical although price is not. Other than proper safety equipment, a cooler that holds ice all day in the sun is the most important thing to have on a boat -- trust me.

2. An often overlooked item is fenders, which are even more important if you plan on tieing up to other boaters. I recommend Polyform G series. For that size boat I would purchase the G5 because bigger is always better in this regard. You can find them on Amazon.

3. Given the size of the lake, excess "safety" equipment or services (e.g., a TowBoatUS or similar membership) likely won't be valuable.

If the boat didn't come with an anchor or came with an anchor too small for the boat, a 10+ pound danforth anchor with proper line (chain and rope) would also make a nice gift.

 

[wadesworld]

How about a Powerboat course?

Course Types - US Powerboating

About Our Courses US Powerboating’s philosophy is that there is no substitute for practical, hands-on experience. After all, you wouldn’t drive a car without taking driver’s education so consider us your source for Driver’s Education for BoatersTM. Our courses are offered at over 100 Course...

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[Reframmellator]

Thanks for the suggestions, all! He primarily uses it on Lake George, and he has completed the Powerboat course.

 

[SHOWBOAT12]

Thanks for the suggestions, all! He primarily uses it on Lake George, and he has completed the Powerboat course.

Awesome. Even more important to have a proper danforth anchor - he will need it in Log Bay. Even if the boat came with one, always good to have two on LG.