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OK as some of you may know I had a Grady White 208 Adventure. We ended up selling her when my wife got pregant. We figured it would be ok to get another boat when our boy turned 3. That will be in March 2005.
I know that he will not be able to really go fishing with me till he gets older but I figured he can still go for boat rides and that he will enjoy a boat.
My question to you is do you all have young kids with boats? I am looking to get a (for now) Hydra Sport 212 CC because the gunnels seem high for a boat that size and it is a wide boat for that size. I was just looking for opinions on and from people with kids that go boating i.e. how old your kids are and what is the youngest you would take out boating (I was very young when I started boating, less then one year old), do they have fun boating (of which I did), what would you suggest to make it easier and funner for the family, and any safty points that may help. Please fill me in!!!
"May your poles be bent and your lines stay tight!!!"
Grady White
208 Adventure (sold)
Now Looking Again
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Go for the 230HS you will be glad! I take out my friends kids. When they were as young as 2 years, they are now 7 and 5. They liked having the shade of the t-top, and the potty. The high sides on the boat are great for the kids. We take them to a private beach and let them play all day. I don't think your ever to young to start boating. Just remember the sun is hard on the little ones.
I have two, a boy and a girl. They started boating with me when they were just a couple of years old. We started out with short trips on the Thames and slowly worked up to all day trips to Sandy Point. One thing I would recommend is to try to buy a boat with a cuddy cabin(not sure if the CC in this case is cuddy or center console). The kids always want to get out of the weather and take a little snooze.
Take it slow and pick your days.
Good luck.
Dave
i've taken my daughter our regularly since she was 3- one suggestion, get some beanbag chairs for them to sit on for the ride. gets them down lower in the boat, and much more comfortable, at least on my boat.
I have taken my nephew fishing since he was 5 years old, not a problem and he absolutely loves it.(he is now 9 years old) I can suggest four things to you. One, lifejackets ALL THE TIME, I don't care how hot it is, they have to learn to get used to it. If you are at the beach, especially at the ocean, a lifejacket is still a good idea as waves and currents can take them any time.
Two, sunscreen, sunscreen and more sunscreen! I grew up sailing and got "burned" regularly. Now that I'm 40 ish, I am paying the price as I have had skin cancer problems already. The doctor's tell me it is from too much sun as a child!
Three, always keep them in view! I never let my nephew anywhere behind me when we are running. He must stand next to or in front of me so I can see him!
Fourth, if they don't like it, don't make them go!
I am sure others will give you some more ideas, but, I consider these the most important, at least to me.
Starting at an early age will expose them to something they will enjoy for the rest of their lives and I feel very fortunate to be part of my nephew's experiences. Bringing a child fishing makes you more careful about things also.
p.s.Here in Floida, all children under 6 must be in a lifejacket.
I have a 6yr old and had planned on getting a CC but ended up with a 21' Walkaround. That was a very good decision. There are days when the kid has just had enough and goes into the cabin to crash. We have also spent a couple of nights on the boat so that I don't have to pull him out of bed @ 4am.
In addition to gunnell hight, a nice feature is to have the bow rail extend aft of the step to the WA. I don't worry about him walking around to the bow.
Until he gets a bit older, I will stick with a WA.
I have a 7 year old and a 4 year old. They have been going out on the boat for the past 3 years and love it. I have the Hydrasport 230 WA and the cuddy is a must. The kids go down there when they want for whatever reason and you know exactly where they are. The cuddy holds their toys and whatnot that they want to bring. This paticular boat also has a huge cockpit which holds all their water toys.
I rigged mine with a freshwater bladder (under the cockpit hatch) and a pump and spigot. This is a must for little children when they go swimming.
I am having a blast reliving my childhood with the kids going exploring on Biscayne Bay. I am doing the same things my parents did with me 40 years ago and it is a real treat teaching them about marine life and boating safety. Good luck and enjoy the snmiles.
Water safty is paramount, and that includes boating safty; at that age it should be up front and for most. Teach them right, right from the get-go. Remember, kibitzing around and boating don't mix! It doesn't for anyone at any age; so certainly not for them.
Personally, if childred can not exercise discipline on a boat, then it would be a no go, for awhile at least!
Just remember that a frown on their face today is worth a smile on their face tomorrow!
Oh yah,
* If it can break, they will break it. So check everything on your boat that they could come in contact with; is it secure? They will hang on to anything and everything when the boat is a bouncing.
* Is there any sharp edges; because they will fall!
* When on other people's boat, check there railings and canopy top poles for rigidity. Also be aware of their sharp edges that your young deeper could bounce off of.
Once bitten, twice shy. But in a childs case, it might be forever!
I have 2 children, a boy 5 and a girl 8. Two years ago I sold a 17' Center Console and purchased a Grady White 208. I found it to be the perfect family boat. I use it more for fishing than anything else, but we also cruise,ski,tube and board with it. The walkaround lets the kids move around the boat and the chest high rail (for a 3 year old) let my young son move around the boat with realative saftey.The cabin gave us a potti, some where for the kids to lay down or play. The enclose is up for the first and last months of boating and extends our season greatly. My kids are with me on most outings and I found that its more imortant to catch anyfish than a certain type or size. I bring lots of snacks and don't over do it with them. Then a few times a year I go "real" fishing without the kids and I know the boat can handle anything I would want to do.
I have three kids ages 5, 3, and 1. We all go out regularly on our GW 248 Voyager. All the kids love it. We also go by the rule that the kids have their life preservers on at all times on the boat. For kids now adays they grow up using seat belts and life preservers so they don't even think twice about it. My one recommendation is for a cuddy cabin of some sort. They play in there and take naps when tired, and it lets you fish more knowing that they are safe in the cabin!
I think most of these posts are getting it. My list would be;
1. Lifejacket goes on and stays on. No room for arguing. Some times the younger guests try - not a chance.
2. Keep them in shade. They love to go in those small cabins, its like their spot.
3. Plenty of snacks and drinks.
4. Swim breaks - I think they get hot faster.
5. Get them involved - they aren't passengers, they are your crew. They love jobs and want to learn.
6. Don't bend any safety rules.
My son is five and we decided on the high gunnels
as well, we went with GW 222, in my case it is a 99 so no potty in the console but he has a L'ill John made of plastic that works perfect. He loves the "dance floor" area on the bow it has full cushion and three can lay down while cruising
Life vest on ALL THE TIME no ifs and buts...
I fish as well and found this boat a very capable weekend warrior!
Enjoy.
The essence of a free society is that it should disagree strenuously about things that matter
I've found my daughter is bored until she brings a friend along. Then she is miss boater telling them what to do. Sometimes I'm surprised how much she really knows. Started as an infant.
I have seen people get one of those big spray hoods for the bow on center consoles for children to lie in the bow area and seems to work good. Maybe a good compromise if you really want a cc.
I personally believe when you start a child boating at a young age, he will never get seasick when he is older! Of all the people I know that started young, none of us gets any type of motion sickness, ever! My mother and sisters all get seasick and so do some other friends. It might be coincidental, but the ones who don't get sick all "grew up" on a boat as I did.
Amazed that I have not seen the most important thing for child safety on board, DICIPLINE. Infants are not much more than an extra piece of baggage to bring along. Our daughter spent her first night on board our 21' cuddy at 6 days old. Just as soon as the child was able to walk & understand basic safety rules, the rules were enforced. We don't negotiate with small children, especially on a boat. Boats were made for children. 18 years of very active boating & 2 children later we have been virtually accident free.
Doug,
I like your tone and agree 100 %. I have three boy's 10,8,6 and they have been on the boat all there short life and they love it. But I don't take no crap from them on or off the Boat. These are the rules and that is all there is to it. There safety is my number one concern, then there happyness fit's in at some point.
I have two youngsters that I have been taking in our boats for several years now. As already stated, "safety" is of extreme importance when the kids are on board. The Type I life jackets stay on all the time - no exceptions! I also talk to them continuously about keeping their hands in the boat, cautiously moving around the boat, no horse play, etc.
Whether we take the small boat and go inshore or take the big boat and go offshore, we never leave the dock unprepared - with or without the kids. We have plenty of Type I life jackets, ball caps, sunscreen on deck and our ditch bag (w/ EPIRB, Satellite Phone, HH VHF, HH GPS, Water, Flares, and other signalling devices). I make sure the boat is fully prepared for the day - plenty of gas, engines are working perfectly, VHF and GPS units working, etc. You always have to be prepared for trouble! We hear to often on this board about folks that are totally unprepared to be out on the water with adults - let alone children.
When it comes to the weather, don't wait until the last minute to start heading back to the dock. If you get the mildest hint that the weather is changing, then get back to the dock ASAP. It is hard enough to handle the boat during a bad summer storm - now throw children into the equation - you might end up with more on your plate than you can handle at one time.
The number one thing that keeps children happy on the boat - FOOD!!! If you run out of food, then the day is over!! Just turn the boat around and start heading back to the dock immediately. I can never seem to feed my kids enough when they are on the boat - crackers, donuts, yogurt, gatorade, etc.
We also realize that the day revolves around the kids!! You have to be flexible with your plans! Most likely, you won't get to fish at all! You will spend your entire day helping them do things correctly - baiting the hook, throwing out the line, getting them another drink, opening the chip bag for them, etc. Just keep remembering one thing - in 5 - 10 years all of your hard work and patience will pay off!! You will end up having children that can out fish you anytime of the day!!
What a nice post! I like to pretend my job is going fishing on my 25'Steigercraft but my real job is as an elementary school principal with lots of early childhood experience. Truthfully, I couldn't have written better advice than that given by the posters on this thread. Obviously people who have their priorities straight- make it fun, child centered, and safe from a young age and you'll help develop lifelong fishing partners.
We started our two boys fishing on a 14' aluminum boat at the infant age, as they grew, so did our boats.
I won't repeat the sound advice given here (love the "let them bring a friend along" piece) but only add that we pretty much followed the same rule for boating as we did for taking them to concerts. For young children, less is more. So, limit the amount of time you're out with young children to just a couple of hours. Better to have them begging for more than have a negative memory of being hot, cold, miserable, and uncomfortable. Don't go out in bad, rough weather with young children- of course for safety but also because they won't have a good time. If it is warm, the rain is OK. Make sure they have a good experience. PS- now at 26 and 24 my two boys are my very best fishing partners.
Jack
Kids and boating??? 
