Like a lot of other hard-working Americans, Mike and Lucinda Clark lead very busy lives. When they’re not working, a lot of their focus is geared toward their three boys and making sure they get to team practices and school activities. With such a demanding schedule, it can be hard to find time for other hobbies, but anything is possible when you make it a priority.
Determined to find something the whole family could enjoy, the Clarks decided last year to invest in their first brand-new pontoon boat. The Tennessee family wasn’t sure which manufacturer or dealer to go with at first, but what they did know is that it would have to be a fishing model. They conducted an exhaustive search as they looked at other fishing models that they felt might be a good fit, but each time they kept coming back to the SilverWave as the model they preferred.
With over 60 years of experience in the boating industry, this Oklahoma-based manufacturer has been on the forefront of innovation in the industry. The SilverWave pontoon line was first launched in 2010 and has continued to grow. The well-crafted pontoons are a popular choice for both boaters and anglers, and in the end the Clarks decided this ‘toon wasvright for them.
Gilliam’s Marine
On the day before Father’s Day last year, the Clarks took delivery on a brand-new SilverWave 220 Island F fishing model. They couldn’t be happier with that decision and it all starts with their dealer.
“Gilliam’s Marine in Tullahoma had just as much do with us buying the pontoon as the actual manufacturer,” says Lucinda. “The boat is awesome and Darrell and Sarah Gilliam are just really good people. They were easy to deal with and they worked around our schedule, which included meeting up after hours.”
Gilliam’s Marine has been selling SilverWave pontoons for two years and has had a lot of success in their Tennessee region with fishing-specific models.
“By far the fishing models are the most popular for us because we’re near so many great fishing lakes, but the three-pontoon performance models are selling well too,” explains Sarah, who started the dealership with her husband in 2007. “We’ve had tremendous success with the SilverWave line of pontoons and we like them because the boats are well-built and the company is big on customer service.”
Color Coded
The Clarks live in Winchester and Mike uses his Dodge Ram 1500 to trailer the pontoon to Tims Ford Lake, which is the body of water they spend the most time on. The truck, like the van that Lucinda drives, is maroon, so having a maroon SilverWave shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. However, the family insists this wasn’t planned.
“We’re all about maroon I guess,” jokes Lucinda. “It never did dawn on us until we brought the boat home that it was the same color as our vehicles.”
Great Catch
Tims Ford Lake is a reservoir run by the Tennessee Valley Authority in southern middle Tennessee and is known as a great spot to catch largemouth, smallmouth, walleye and other popular gamefish including crappie.
“You can catch 16- to 17-inch crappie out here,” says Mike. “That’s why it was very important to us as a family to have a fishing boat. I originally wanted a bass boat, but my wife had other ideas.”
“You can’t fit everybody on a bass boat,” exclaimed Lucinda as she gives her husband a friendly nudge. “We all love to fish, especially night fish, so that’s why the pontoon made the most sense. We’ll come out at 7 or 8 at night and we’ll stay until 3 or 4 in the morning just fishing.”
The stock SilverWave 220 Island F comes loaded with standard features, but to really dial it into their specific needs, the Clarks opted for some additional options like the MinnKota trolling motor and the lockable rod box behind the helm seat.
“We upgraded to the taller fishing chairs too and added a Lowrance (Elite-4 HDI) depth finder,” says Mike. “Plus the ski/tow bar was a must for pulling our kids on tubes.”
Tim Tyler at Gilliam’s Marine was the salesman who worked with the Clarks directly and they found him to be very knowledgeable.
“He helped us with our decision to go with the bigger trolling motor,” says Mike. “He looked out for us and helped us decide which options we really needed and which ones we didn’t.”
Adds Lucinda, “And Tim was with us each step of the way. When we first got the boat he came out with us and did a demo and showed us what to do instead of just cutting us loose after we bought it. He’s always good about answering any questions we might have, even still today.”
Go Suzuki
The SilverWave was packaged with a Suzuki 115 four-stroke outboard from the dealer, but because he immediately thought of motorcycles when he thought of Suzuki, Mike wasn’t sure he wanted to go with this engine.
“I was kind of leery at first to be honest because I’ve always been a Mercury guy, but after talking to other people I was sold on it.”
Added Lucinda, “Before we bought the boat we went to several marinas around here and talked to those with Suzuki motors on their boats to find out more about them. We couldn’t even hear them because they were so quiet. Now that we’ve had our boat for a while, we love that the Suzuki is quiet, plus it gets great gas mileage.”
Other Activities
Most of the time when the family is on the water they’re fishing, but they do enjoy other activities that the pontoon boat offers. Often they’ll just go for a leisurely cruise and they love stopping by the different marinas on the lake to eat. Hot spots like the Hard Dock Café at the Tims Ford Marina or the Bluegill Grill at Holiday Landing have become regular stops for the family.
The Clark brothers, Derikk (16), Bailey (13) and Kyler (8), never turn down a trip to the lake.
“When we load up, they’re not far behind us,” says Lucinda with a smile. “From swimming and fishing to just cruising, we love that boating is something we can all enjoy together.”
Do Differently?
Often when families buy a boat they soon discover a few minor things they wish they would have done differently, but that’s not the case for the Clarks. The first used pontoon they owned was a 24-footer, but they felt it was too long and it didn’t ride very smooth.
“We’re happy with the length at 22 feet and have been thrilled by how well this SilverWave handles,” says Mike. “And I love that it doesn’t have carpet. One boat we were looking at the carpet was nearly a $1000 upgrade, which didn’t make any sense to me.”
“I was worried the non-skid floor might be too slick when the kids were wet from swimming, but it’s great and not slick at all,” adds Lucinda. “Plus it’s so easy to clean up, why would anyone want carpet on their boat?”
Family time is clearly a priority for the Clarks and they’re not taking for granted the time they have right now to spend out on the water. The SilverWave pontoon continues to keep the family together and it provides them the platform to do what they enjoy the most: fishing
