Capt. Steve Tadd maneuvered the 32-foot Larson powerboat out of Du Sable Harbor in the midday choppy water of Lake Michigan. Within minutes we were facing the Chicago skyline.
We cruised north, in and out of harbors. Those who appreciate Lake Michigan best, who become the most intimate with its vastness, its turbulent waves or its placid beauty, do so from a boat, whether sailing, fishing or cruising.
In 2003, Illinois ranked ninth nationally in recreational boat registrations with 398,431. We can pretty much credit Lake Michigan for that.
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The demand for boat parking spaces in the Chicago harbors far outstrips demand.
According to Vice President Scott Stevenson, the Westrec Marina official who oversees harbor management, in 1996 there were 4,500 boat spaces. Only 1,000 of them were slips. The other 3,500 were moorings and floating star docks that boaters must reach by paddling. Now there are 5,200 spaces and 3,600 are slips. The demand for more space is constant, he said, with 1,000-plus boat owners on a waiting list.
Slip rental varies by size and location, but the price ranges from $2,000 to $8,000 annually for the May 15-Oct. 15 season.
“I don’t know of any other big city in the country where you can keep your boat in sight of downtown for as little,” Stevenson said.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks people seem inclined to take vacations closer to home. One way that has manifested itself is boat buying.
“The trend has been because of the focus on family values with a need for Americans to still go on vacation,” said Thomas Marhevko, an executive with the Chicago-based National Marine Manufacturers Association. “They are less likely to travel.”
Statistics provided by the organization–which represents hundreds of boat, engine, trailer and other marine equipment manufacturers–show that boating participation in the United States grew from 68 million in 2001 to 72 million in 2003.
Although 2003 represented a downward blip in spending, the purchase of big-ticket boats is up again in 2004. The jump in the first three months of 2004 over 2003 was nearly 21 percent.
Although spectacular multimillion-dollar boats are docked in Chicago, many of the boats that park in Illinois’ Lake Michigan harbors are as small as a dinghy, Stevenson said.
“The average boat is $15,000,” Stevenson said. “You can get a mooring or a star dock for less than $1,000. It doesn’t have to be a rich man’s sport.”
Certainly, accurately or not, boating has had the image of a rich man’s sport. However, given that it is very difficult to buy a new car for less than $15,000 now, Stevenson has a point.
Tadd, who often provides boat tours for the manufacturers association, admitted the rich-man perception is real, but he said it changes once a comparison to automobile shopping is made.
“People are amazed they can get into boating for less than they can buy a car,” he said. “Getting people out on the water is the No. 1 way they get hooked. Once they take a ride, they want to do it on their own.”
Often, people who buy boats move up in size, class and investment, also indicating they remain hooked on the sport. I have been tempted to invest in a boat many times over the years. But I wondered where I would keep it and if I would have enough time to use it often. There must be thousands of Americans like me who don’t progress beyond that daydreaming stage.
Tadd is involved in a study to determine just who is the typical first-time boat owner. Geography, or proximity to water, plays a large role for the buyer, he said.
“Ninety percent of boaters go out within an hour of where they live,” Tadd said.
My boat ride concluded in an hour–too soon.
Even if hundreds, or thousands of Americans, are buying boats, I am no closer to owning one.
But every time I take a ride on Lake Michigan I’ll be jealous of those who do.