By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
When the summer winds blow and the water calls, a day spent boating can be a perfect panacea to the long winter and the daunting spring of 2020. So, imagine enjoying all the perks and pleasures of boating without the hassles of maintenance, cleaning and red tape that come along with owning a boat.
Members of the Highlands Boating Club and Bridge Marina can enjoy the pleasures of boating without the chores and responsibilities of ownership.
“However you want to be on the water, we can get you there,” said Ben Bugbee, trainer at Highlands Boating Club.
Highlands Boating Club and Bridge Marina offers members the opportunity to spend time on the water aboard the club’s fleet of carefully maintained Four Winns and Starcraft boats. The club’s team takes care of all the duties and burdens that go with boat ownership: covering and uncovering, cleaning, maintenance and repairs, and the like.
Members are not responsible for slips fees, winter storage nor registration or insurance fees. There are no hidden costs, no depreciation and no unexpected repair bills for members.
The fleet includes a variety of boats that range in price from $45,000 to $100,000 each.
According to Bugbee, center console, bowriders and pontoon boats are all popular requests from members who want to fish, entertain or just spend some time on the water.
The club offers two locations to go boating Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest lake, or the Sandy Hook area at Highlands.
“In the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers, you can explore around,” Bugbee said. “Or you can dock and have a meal.”
“People who have owned a boat are our best customers,” according to Bugbee.
Highlands Boating Club offers an array of crafts including center consoles, bowriders, pontoons and others.
John Schneider of Highlands agrees. As a former boat owner he said the old adage is true: “The happiest two days of a boater’s life is the day they buy it and the day they sell it.”
“What I like is it’s no muss, no fuss,” he said of the Highlands Boating Club. Schneider has run the gamut of problems and inconveniences that come from owning a boat. “I’ve run out of gas and I’ve been embarrassed when it’s broken down,” he said. With the boat club, those troubles are over. “You don’t have to worry if a hurricane comes along. You don’t have to run down to where your boat is to make sure it’s OK.”
He also likes the variety of boats to choose from on any given day. “Somedays I want to go out on a pontoon or a classy speed boat or a fishing boat,” he said. “It’s a nice way for me to invite my friends out for an outing. And sometimes I like to go out alone.”
“Boating is a lifestyle,” Schneider said. “When it becomes work, it’s not a lot of fun.”
Members, who must have a boating license, must be at least 30 years old and complete an 8-hour course before taking out a boat.
Boats can be reserved up to six weeks in advance; one reservation equals a four-hour visit and two reservations can be booked consecutively to allow for an entire day on the water. Membership levels range from two outings a year for a trial membership to the Diamond level that allows for unlimited-plus outings.
Membership fees vary, depending on the number of usages, ranging from $2,400 to $6,000 a season with a one-time $1,000 initiation training.
“We offer daily rentals and memberships that you can take out a boat as many times as you want,” said Bugbee.
“Right now people are getting cabin fever,” he said. And getting out on the water is a welcome way to enjoy the summer.
“We’ll have the boat ready for you, gassed and cleaned,” he said. All you have to worry about, according to Bugbee, is “what kind of sunscreen should you bring.”
The article originally appeared in the June 25 – July 1, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
