On a lake surrounded by cyprus, cedar, and redbud trees, a married couple from Tennessee sips Sangrias and watches the sunset from their new Qwest pontoon boat. Glimpses of the bank reveal a timid deer hiding in the leaves or an egret in the shallows dipping his neck to catch a tasty bluegill. Away from the office, the phone, and busy traffic, Jeff and Poppy Whisman feel like they’ve arrived. The worries of home and work can wait another day while they enjoy relaxing on the water right now.
A Trio Of Pontoons
The Whismans started spending weekends on Percy Priest Lake near Nashville in a small, secondhand 16-foot Qwest Adventure, painted black and christened Lake Life.
After a few summers with their adult children and one water-loving grandson, they were ready to own a brand-new boat and were certain that Qwest was the way to go. With accessible floor plans, stacked amenities, and feasible pricing, they have come to love the Qwest brand of pontoons.
Jeff had been a customer at Anderson Marine for years and since they were now selling the Qwest line, that’s where they went shopping. Their second Qwest, a brand-new 18-foot triple tube Edge Lani, was bright white and shiny green, and Poppy’s daughter named it Ms Pickles as both a nod to the rail colors and Poppy’s childhood nickname.
Make no mistake: they loved their boat. But they also loved checking in on their friends at Anderson Marine. They’d often pop over for an afternoon to say hello and just peek at the new models in the showroom. After only one season cruising the lake with Ms Pickles, Jeff and Poppy visited the dealership shortly after they’d previewed an LTZ 822 at a boat show.
They hadn’t been enticed by the burnt orange colors of the LTZ from the show, but they were thrilled with a sky blue version at Anderson, still hiding under its new-from-the-factory cover. Poppy said, “Jeff wanted me to come over and look at it, and oh yeah, I loved it! It was my favorite color so it was meant to be ours!”
Charmed by the open floor plan, the azure blue color, and the larger 22-foot size, the Whismans traded up. Jeff decided to max out the performance with a Yamaha 200hp outboard because “We needed that V MAX SHO engine. If you put in a 150, you’ll always wish you’d gone with the 200,” he said. So this new boat holds no regrets. They christened the shiny new behemoth The Beast because “It’s huge and powerful, and with the maxed out horsepower it’ll blow out whatever you’ve got in your hair,” Poppy said.
Qualities Of The Qwest
One of the biggest selling points is the floor plan with a lounge in all four corners, reclining helm chairs, and front sleeper seats, which lay down into a bed. While their daughters love to sunbathe on the folded-out sleeper seat, grandson Beaux knows where to find the shade by lying underneath it.
Upgraded features line the boat. Jeff’s happy with the spacious dash and the 11-inch display of the Garmin touchscreen. He said, “The big display makes it nice to keep an eye on things and view your gauges for RPM, gas, and speed.”
This is their first Qwest with dual high back helm chairs, and they added an extra table receiver so when just the two of them are boating they can set up a little table for the perfect dinner for two.
Their adult children love the multiple USB outlets, while Poppy is thrilled that the storage unit has a built-in cooler at the bottom with dividers for wine glasses and a few bottles of their favorite Sangria. Jeff chose to upgrade the stereo to a Rockford Fosgate for a clearer sound, and added extra speakers, “so we can bounce across the water instead of skim,” he said.
The LilliPad Marine ladder at the stern is where you’ll always find grandson Beaux. His favorite thing to do is to run down the center of the boat as fast as he can and jump as high as possible into the water. The ladder’s extra steps make it easy for the 8-year-old to climb back in the boat and get ready to jump again. The Whismans think it might be time to add a LilliPad Marine diving board next.
Other features such as the deep, round glove box that keeps wallet and keys stowed neatly out of the way, as well as the stern wash down station, have added to the overall comfort and convenience of the boat. Poppy said, “We love using the wash down station to cool the floor when it gets too hot.”
A few of their add-ons were held up in the slog of slow supply chain fulfillment, but that didn’t ruffle their feathers. “Though we were waiting for different parts to come it was worth the wait. Everything fell into place right before the season started,” Poppy said.
This summer they plan on boating every weekend. Saturdays they’ll spend at Center Hill Lake in Smithville, Tenn., where the lake offers access to two different waterfalls. Sundays they’ll spend cruising with friends at Party Cove on Percy Priest Lake. True to its name, Party Cove is a busy place that’s generally packed with boats and dozens of strangers that have turned into friends.
“We’ve met lots of people,” Poppy said, “and quite a few who own Qwests. We even met a couple that bought theirs from Anderson Marine too.”
Jeff’s favorite hobby (and impressive talent) is spotting every Qwest from across the water. Poppy said, “Among all those boats my husband can spot the Qwest from far away. I can’t see anything, but sure enough, he can pick out any Qwest.” Apparently he’s easily drawn to his favorite kind of pontoon, just as he was always drawn to Poppy.
A 30-Year Love Story
Poppy remembers the first time she ever met Jeff. When she was 16, she went to hang out at her best friend Angela’s house and her little brother was lounging on the couch in pajamas and braces.
She initially thought Jeff was her own age, but later found out he was only 12. He was smitten from the beginning, and would blush anytime she said hello. Whenever she asked how he was doing, he would only shyly say, “Hey.”
They both married other people and had children. Poppy stayed best friends with Angela, so she often saw Jeff over the years. Things lined up 13 years ago when Poppy’s husband passed away and Jeff had just divorced.
When Poppy was staging a yard sale and needed a few extra hands, Angela called Jeff and asked him to help out. Poppy said, “Jeff and I just started talking more than we ever had before, and it blossomed from there.”
Poppy spent 30 years working in office positions for the State of Tennessee, and retired ten years ago to help Jeff with his own business. He’s been self-employed for 15 years, and together they buy and sell restaurant equipment. With manufacturing slowed during the pandemic, they were incredibly busy. “We’re still very busy. But we can set our own hours, and choose when we’d like to take a day off,” Jeff said.
Four Corners Marina
PDB magazine met up with the Whismans at Four Corners Marina on idyllic Percy Priest Lake. With his restaurant experience, Jeff happily noted the progress on the new restaurant at the marina. Scoreboard Bar and Grill is set to open soon and will offer classic American fare, live music, and big screen TVs. The restaurant will be one more benefit at the marina, which is already accommodating with a thoughtful staff, gas dock, and a large convenience store. Though Jeff and Poppy store their boat at home, the marina offers covered wet slips for boats of all sizes, boat rentals, and floating cabin rentals. The quiet atmosphere of the lake definitely makes it an excellent getaway destination.
All About Anderson.JPG_600.jpg)
Owned by Ray and Joy Anderson, Anderson Marine started over 40 years ago by Ray who had worked as a marine mechanic. After a handful of repeat customers asked him to open his own repair shop, Ray opened Anderson Marine in 1982 in a tiny building.
As his sales and services increased, he was able to pick up the Yamaha Outboard line and move to a new, much larger facility off of Old Hickory Boulevard with helpful financing from a local banker. In 1995, Joy was working for the banker and visited her accounts at the Nashville Boat Show.
She finally met Ray in person, although they’d been talking on the phone for four years. Ray joked, “She was always calling me asking for money, so I decided I better marry her.” Now they co-own the shop and have raised two sons together.
Filled with more than just boats, Anderson Marine sells all kinds of gear as well. Poppy said, “The first time I walked into their dealership, I was left in awe of all they had to offer from all kinds of boats to life jackets for humans and pets, swimsuits, fishing gear, thermal cups and coolers–gosh, you name it, they have it!”
Joy said they love selling Qwest pontoons at Anderson for their unique floor plans and the convenience of the interior furniture. She explained, “Because the furniture is built to scale it’s not too big for the space, leaving plenty of usable area in the boat.” They’ve been a Qwest dealer for about the last 12 years and have enjoyed working with customers such as Jeff and Poppy.
“Because the Whismans are experienced boaters they’re not unrealistic with their expectations,” Joy said. “They have been great to work with.”
Making More Memories
Both Jeff and Poppy thoroughly enjoy time on their Qwest. Recently, they even sold their camper so they can spend even more weekends on the water. “Every time we go out on the boat it’s a great day, whether it’s the two of us or us and our kids,” Poppy said.
One of her favorite memories is when they were pulling their daughters and Beaux behind them on a float. “We were riding along, and we hit a wave just right. They flipped upside down in the air and the expressions on their faces were just so comical. We were worried about Beaux being upset, but when we got him back in the boat he was thrilled and wanted to immediately go again.”
And as they have many more adventures ahead of them, Poppy’s Facebook feed is sure to fill up with more sunsets, birds soaring across the lake, and Beaux splashing in the water. And of course, plenty of pictures of their favorite azure blue Qwest.
For More Information
Anderson Marine
www.andersonmarine.com
Center Hill Lake
www.lakecenterhill.com
Four Corners Resort and Marina
www.fourcornersresortandmarina.com
LilliPad Marine
www.lillipadmarine.com
Qwest Pontoons
www.qwestpontoons.com
Rockford Fosgate
www.rockfordfosgate.com
Percy Priest Lake
www.percy-priest-lake.com
Scoreboard Bar and Grill
www.scoreboardfourcorners.com
Yamaha Outboards
www.yamahaoutboards.com
