Last year at the On Water Expo, an annual boat show hosted by our sister publication Houseboat magazine, I had the immense pleasure of meeting the Decker family from Harned, Ky., who are regulars at our event. But for the last couple of years, they’ve come with a specific goal in mind: to win the Qwest pontoon from Apex Marine that is given away as the grand prize in the annual poker run.
Joe and Gayle Decker, along with their grown children Casey and Chelsey, own a Fantasy houseboat named Fantasy World, which they dock at Emerald Isle Marina on Green River Lake, Ky. The family has owned their boat for over a decade and their children have been raised on the water. So this begs the question, what could possibly make a houseboat better? Well, readers of this magazine know the answer. The family wanted a pontoon to play around on when they stayed on their houseboat for the weekend.
Joe, or “Gayle’s husband” as he is affectionately known in the houseboating world, has made it to the final table at the On Water Expo Poker Run with a chance to win the pontoon an impressive two times, but he’s always been dealt out before the final prize was awarded.
“As we were driving to the Expo, I told Joe I wanted a pontoon by the next weekend,” laughs Gayle. “We even stopped at Performance Marine on our way and looked at boats in case we didn’t win the Apex pontoon at the show.”
The couple arrived at State Dock Marina in Ky., and purchased six poker hands. Joe once again made it to the final table, but when the dust settled he was left holding the second-best poker hand. As the runner-up he left with a wide variety of water toys, but nothing to tow them with.
They weren’t about to give up though. They offered the winning couple $10,000 in cash for the prized Qwest pontoon. Since the winner was from South Carolina, she could have easily taken the cash and not had to worry about how to get the boat home. But she decided to keep their big prize, so the Deckers were still without a pontoon.
“I couldn’t believe it was the second time I made it to the final table and came in second,” says Joe. “As soon as it was over, Gayle told me we were buying a pontoon on the way home.”
The couple left the show and headed straight back to Performance Marine in Campbellsville, Ky., and purchased a new pontoon. They upgraded the sound system to something their son, Casey, would enjoy and opted for the 24-foot model in order to get extra room for more people. Plus, they added lifting strakes, which are great for enhancing planning capabilities, performance and efficiency of the boat.
Once the family had their ‘toon, they realized the entire reason they wanted one was valid.
“We have elderly parents that like to come out to the lake,” says Gayle. “Our son Casey had a small runabout boat that could seat four people. But after our parents walked the dock, they would still have to take a big step down into the boat, which is not practical for them.”
With a pontoon, their parents can safely walk straight onto the boat and enjoy a more stable ride as they cruise the lake. Paired with a Mercury 115hp, this pontoon was the perfect boat for taking the extended family, including Joe’s 93-year-old grandfather, out on the lake.
“I honestly never thought I would ever like a pontoon,” says Gayle. “But after riding on one, it has more room and was more stable than I originally thought.”
The thing I love most about this story is the fact that the family uses a pontoon to entertain multiple generations. Everyone, from their young-adult children to their parents, is able to use this boat to spend time together on the lake. Really, isn’t that why we all boat? I have never met anyone who boats exclusively by himself. We invest in this hobby in order to make memories with those we love. Obviously the Deckers were already boating people, but by adding a pontoon they can experience their home lake in a whole new way.
There’s one more satisfied Decker family member whom we haven’t covered yet, Kwinsea Bay, the family’s 2-year-old Chocolate Labrador who is also in love with the pontoon lifestyle.
“She has her own seat on the boat,” says Gayle. “The boat never leaves the dock without her.”
I think it’s safe to say there’s one more family converted to our pontoon-loving ways.
