Age And Health Concerning Boating

[LuvBoating]

Not so much age, even though it can play a part in amount of years for boating, but heath can definitely be a concern. At our dry storage, we see very few older, or Senior age, boaters like us. I'm 68 and wife is 69. Actually, we wound up affording dry storage last year and took it. It has been much easier on our bodies and our boat looks better.
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​As far as the "health" thing goes, wonder how many boaters have to put the boat up for sale due to health problems? We know a couple and the wife has Lupus. Her Lupus has gotten to the point where the husband has taken their cuddy cabin back to Michigan and tells us that they will no longer have a boat in Florida. They are "Snowbirds". They had the boat here for many, many years and used on the Intracoastal as well as the ocean. They aren't completely "out of the water" being they have a lake cottage in Michigan and a pontoon and ski boat there. However, their sons and families use those boats more.

​So, what I'm wondering is, No.1, how does age play into how long people can continue boating? And, No. 2, how can health dictate how many boating years are left?

 

[ahicks]

I'm 66 and figure when the boat is sitting too much, unused, it's time to say good bye to it and let somebody else take over the maintenance requirements. Guys that have been around a while know full well leaving something like that sitting around unused is harder on it than the most use it will ever see.

Why it's sitting really isn't relevant in my mind. It's way more about the fact that it is sitting.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

My parents sold the big Carver a couple years back they could no longer lash it to the dock by themselves. I really don't miss the twice a year trip from Tennessee to Florida and back.

 

[garbageguy]

​So, what I'm wondering is, No.1, how does age play into how long people can continue boating? And, No. 2, how can health dictate how many boating years are left?

1 - age is a factor in health, but is different for everybody,
2 - I think it depends on many things such as what you have to do in order to go boating, how much help you have, how much help you can/want to afford

 

[jkust]

I can tell you from my perspective. One of our homes is on a large lake and there are lots of retirees around the lake much older than you. Though my wife and are are just now in our 40's, we just pay to have most of the tasks performed by local services which is what many people do. We don't have the time to deal with a lot of stuff. We get to support the local economy and I don't touch a thing other than twice per year going to the access and putting the boat in or out which I could pay for as well if needed. I launch the small stuff from our shore. All pretty common for the older crowd as well. If you pay to have these things done for you, age or even health to some extent don't really matter. For the older crowd, they've had 50+ years to save up for these expenses so affordability isn't really an issue but that they want to keep enjoying their time on the lake.

 

[harleyman1975]

Mother in law is 78 and just bought a new motor (70 yam 4 stroke) for her "knock around go to the islands run-a-bout. No signs of slowing down.

 

[LuvBoating]

When we move back to Colorado, if that is where we move to, it will depend on ou r health if we have our boat shipped to there or end up selling here. We know there is no dry storage, and forklift launch/retrieve, on any lakes in Colorado, so the boat would be back on trailer and us doing the work of launch/retrieve again. Can't say right now if we'll be able "physically" to do that again. Dry Storage has really spoiled us, but not enough to stay living in northeastern Florida.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Having the boat in storage until you want to use it, or even keeping it wet slipped, would definitely make it easier to boat later in life. Launching and retrieving from a trailer sure gets old...

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Your body will tell you when it's time to give up boating. I am going to be 63 as are most of my boating/fishing friends around the same age. We get out fewer and fewer times every year. We fish from the boats we have 99% of the time. We went out for 5 hours last week and it was in calm waters, Lake Erie. With good team work putting the boat in and out is no problem what so ever, the bigger Cuddy has an electrical winch, the 21 foot aluminum and my 19 foot aluminum you just drive the boat onto the trailer. Having a slip is actually more work when you have to cover it while in the water. I have seen guys spend a 1/2 hour fighting snaps and trying to balance so you don't fall in getting those snaps on. The problem is the sore bones and muscles from setting lines, setting downriggers, setting and pulling heavy planner boards which on one boat has two electrical winches, checking tackle and fighting big Walleye and Salmonids. It takes me a few days to recover now. We used to come in have lunch and turn around or turn around the next morning. It gets tougher every year. 10 years ago there was a line up of friends and family up for a day on the water, now it's not as easy to find a 1st Mate.

I experienced the exact same thing when we all rode Harleys into our late 30's and early 40's. The body will tell you it's time to pack it in, and you can't predict when that will be. I always tell the young warriors," enjoy it while you still can".

 

[LuvBoating]

Even now, with the boat in dry storage and a Dock Master putting our boat into and out of the water, we have Motrin "at the ready" when we get home.

What I don't like, and didn't have to do on Colorado lakes we went to, is rinsing out the drive every time we come in. Lord I'll be glad to get back to freshwater boating when we move!!

 

[Silvertip]

I'm crowding 78 years old and have more energy and physical strength than people 10 years younger than me. I routinely make one day, 460 mile round trip visits to see my mother in law who is crowing 99. I back my cargo trailer into the garage from the street using only the mirrors and rarely need to pull forward for another crack. My only medication is a baby aspirin each day. I have a riding mower but use my walk behind for exercise. So health dictates what you can and cannot do. Age is just a number. Obviously if a spouse becomes ill the partner will be limited in how boats or any other recreation is handled and how often (or if at all).

 

[LuvBoating]

I'm crowding 78 years old and have more energy and physical strength than people 10 years younger than me. I routinely make one day, 460 mile round trip visits to see my mother in law who is crowing 99. I back my cargo trailer into the garage from the street using only the mirrors and rarely need to pull forward for another crack. My only medication is a baby aspirin each day. I have a riding mower but use my walk behind for exercise. So health dictates what you can and cannot do. Age is just a number. Obviously if a spouse becomes ill the partner will be limited in how boats or any other recreation is handled and how often (or if at all).

You're lucky and that's a good thing. There are a lot of folks out there your age that aren't as lucky to be able able their older age and what they still can do.

 

[oldjeep]

My father inlaw is 71 and still skis the course at 34MPH pretty much daily so I'm going to say that it varies

 

[VeroDD]

I'm 70 and still trailer my 17" flats boat and enjoy working on it as much as using it. I know, I'm weird. But I have always enjoyed tinkering and pimping boats . Like most other things in life one's health controls their activities. And not surprisingly the activities help to contribute to their health.

 

[JoLin]

Health is a bigger factor than age. One of our boating couples is in their 80's and still running the same 32' Trojan they bought in 1976. The two of them are dynamos and in good health. They are, however, planning to move permanently to FL in the next couple of years, and he's told me that will probably be the end of their boating. It is getting to be a bit much for them. Like it or not, boating takes a degree of physical strength and at some point that goes away.

I, on the other hand am only 64 but suffer from emphysema. It's a progressive disease for which there is no cure. It can't be stopped. I do ALL the maintenance and repair on my own boat, and every year there's something that I need to find a way to do differently. My ability to 'lift and carry' or exert a lot of strength for a period of time is steadily decreasing. For all I know this could be my last year boating, or next year, or the year after that. I know it's coming but I don't know when. I just do as much as I can and take as long as I need to do it.

I think one of the keys to keep boating regardless of age or health, is to not set time limits for the tasks you need to do. If it takes me an entire day just to get one drive off the boat, so be it. Fully winterizing the boat takes me 1-2 weeks, performing a couple of tasks a day. It took me half a day to replace one of the batts, but I managed it without any help.

My .02

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I'm crowding 78 years old and have more energy and physical strength than people 10 years younger than me. I routinely make one day, 460 mile round trip visits to see my mother in law who is crowing 99. I back my cargo trailer into the garage from the street using only the mirrors and rarely need to pull forward for another crack. My only medication is a baby aspirin each day. I have a riding mower but use my walk behind for exercise. So health dictates what you can and cannot do. Age is just a number. Obviously if a spouse becomes ill the partner will be limited in how boats or any other recreation is handled and how often (or if at all).

Consider yourself blessed, not lucky, blessed by great DNA. The list of things still working on my soon to be 63 year old body is shorter than the list of ailments and diseases I have. A dozen pills or more a day (I don't want to count really) and 2 injections a day. Dad turned 90 in April and Mom 86. Dad takes a Tylenol 3 once in a while, Mom, well Mom has been dying of the same heart attack for 45 years now. I always say there is someone much worse off than I. Anyone starting to feel sorry for themselves for any reason needs to go to the Children's Hospital for an hour to get a reality check. I know a pal, a widower, that I thought was 77 , still drives, does some of his as well as his 3 sons and daughters yard work, does all the house chores, cooks and makes fantastic wood working projects in the winter, golfs and fishes with me. I just found out he is 87 not 77! You are one blessed gentleman, you go Silvertip, and Bob too.

 

[BWR1953]

As others have said, It's all about health.

Age is a factor yes, but health can fail at any age and completely change lives.

Sure changed mine.

 

[briangcc]

Well I can comment about my parents...

Dad - Vietnam Vet, Big Red 1, suffers from Diabetes due to Agent Orange exposure. Has lost a lot of balance, feeling in his feet, etc. A couple years back he would go out on the boat as long as he had his life jacket on BEFORE stepping on the dock. Now I'm not too sure he'd even try it. **He is maintaining his Diabetes through insulin and diet - has since he was first diagnosed.

Mom - needs knee replacements (yes both per her doctor). Got her out on my boat this year once when the dock was relatively stable and she could walk from the dock onto my swim platform and then up/over the rear sun deck.

Both are in their mid-late 60's and retired.


I've been kicking around the idea of a pontoon boat (project) as it'd be easier for both of them to get in/out then the Chap I have currently. Realistically though, I'm not sure how much longer either of them are going to be able to go out on the water during our family vacations. And as others have said, in my particular situation, it's health related, not age. 10 years ago, before their health issues, it was more of a problem keeping them out of the boat!

 

[82rude]

Im 59, had 9 knee ops including 3 totals!Worn out back and nerve damage.Other things too but who cares,life goes on .Any who when ever i feel down or just plain sore i go out for several hours and all problems seem to melt away!Personally i can see no better way to go than to just suddenly not be alive anymore and to be found peacefully at rest in the boat.Sure beats struggling for life hooked up to tubes and gizmos.Sorry dont mean to sound so morbid and i hope i dont go for quite a while yet,just thinking when it comes how id like it to be.My uncle still goes out regularly and he,s 83 what im trying to say though rather poorly is that unlike a few posters that seem to have issues with boating i feel boating completely rejuvenates me, not the other way around.

 

[Silvertip]

As for my DNA I would question whether I had a good batch. My Dad died at 71 and my Mom at 78 both from complications of strokes. My middle brother died of Alzheimers at 84. My sister is 86 and my oldest brother is 89. I was stricken with polio in 1944 and paralyzed from the waste down for six months. In that regard, I am blessed because I beat the odds. I'm on the board of a Veterans Group and we recruit speaker to tell their military stories. I'm working with a WWII vet who is 96, still an excellent driver and when I spoke with him today he was headed for the golf course. No doubt health affects what we can and cannot do. But the original question what affect age has on our ability to boat, etc. The answer is it is still secondary to health.