In 2009 Buckeye…

• Celebrated 60 years in business.
• Added 2 new full-time members to the sales team! Welcome Rick Forbes & Lee Cunningham
• Added a new warranty writer. Welcome Gord!
• Stored and winterized a record 1200 plus boats
• Held 4 on water demo days
• We added Zodiac to further enhance our well-rounded line up of top quality boats.
• Held the first annual Buckeye’s Big Day Out…MasterCraft reunion, demo day and charity ski show! Thanks to Summer Water Sports for a fantastic show…can’t wait until next years event.
• Added some new junior members to the Buckeye team. Congrats to Grant, Jordan & AJ on their new bundles of joy!
• More than 40 people enjoyed our 4th Annual Frank Poole Memorial Cruise to Chemong lodge….great hospitality and food from Doug and his team and excellent comradery as always.
•  Sept 15th marked the official day that all boaters needed their pleasure craft operators card.
• Buckeye was ranked #5 among North American marine dealers (#1 in Canada) in Boating Industries Top 100.

Well there you have it…a sampling of some of the great things that took place last year. We can’t wait to see what is in store for 2010!

Stay tuned.

World On The Water Day is on August 9^th, taking place worldwide, people are encouraged to donate $20 to Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation through the World On The Water Day Fund.  Then, you simply get out on the water any way you can! Whether it is a personal watercraft, a canoe, a kayak, whether you’re fishing, skiing, boarding, cruising, floating, sailing, swimming or sunbathing – just enjoy the day on the water.  While basking in the summer sun and enjoying the on-water activity of your choice, you can rest assured that 100% of your donation went to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation for cancer research. 

Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) is Canada’s leading cancer research hospital and raises over $60 million per year in support of breakthrough research, patient care and education programs.  PMH is a part of the University Health Network (UHN), which also includes Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital.  The UHN is among world leaders in providing exemplary patient care and innovative research and teaching.  This event is worldwide and will be commemorated by a large granite monument on the shore of Buckhorn Lake with a plaque of your name or your family name on it. 

By getting involved, you will get the added happiness of knowing that you are making a exponential difference in cancer research. 

As a female boater since early childhood, let me tell you there is nothing more invigorating than jumping behind the wheel of a boat or a truck towing a boat and effortlessly maneuvering these vehicles (especially when surrounded by men)! Let’s be serious ladies, we know there’s more to enjoy about a boat than its colour, clever interior design, or the hunk that’s currently driving it.

Boating is a great opportunity to meet new friends, entertain family, or just to get away from the fast paced world in which we live. The doors to the world of women in boating are open and opportunity beckons. Women now understand that boating is an activity that doesn’t have to involve a man, as was thought in previous generations. What better way to spend a sunny summer day than out on the water with a nice cold glass of water and a few girl friends?

I learned along the way that to many women this dream, this skill of boating, is one that may never come to fruition because of fear, the lack of instruction and the potential frustration which comes from learning from a beloved husband, father, brother or boyfriend.

While I understand this fear, I also understand that as women we have a keen sense of safety, which is inherent when it comes to protecting loved ones and ourselves. Think about this…by not knowing how to operate your boat aren’t you putting yourself at risk every time you embark on the water?

I don’t know about you, but I am of the mind set that an emergency is not the most ideal time to learn and master a skill. I don’t think that the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team won Gold at the Olympics by jumping on skates for the first time, so why should driving your boat be any different. You can’t become skilled at something without practice.

With this need for practice and education in mind, experience at my back and the passion to have all women experience the empowering joys of boating on our own, we created a course specifically for women to overcome their fear and not only become boaters…but to become proficient captains.

Women Behind the Wheel is a program that was designed to change fear into passion. It is rooted in the understanding that men and women are not the same. They are “hard-wired” differently. They feel and learn things in different ways. It was created on a platform of female experience.

Traditionally women have been taught to drive cars and boats by a husband or father, which is quite often a very stressful and aggravating experience for both of them. Women Behind the Wheel on the Water aims to provide a comfortable, non-threatening and stress free environment in which women can learn, from women instructors, the boating skills they need in a manner designed specifically for them.

The course takes into consideration the fears that women face and it aims to embrace them. This one-of-a-kind course consists of a full day of nautical learning in an intimate group. The core of this course is based around three main lessons: boating safety, boat hauling and captaining. The course is offered exclusively to women and taught by women to allow the participants the best possible outcome.

The morning is devoted to an in-class session on boating proficiency and safe boating practices and incorporates the boating license exam, Pleasure Craft Operator Card. After a buffet lunch, we get into hands-on learning. By the time a participant leaves, she will have experienced captaining, as well as the opportunity to acquire the license that allows her to do it. Also, the participants get to actually trailer a boat, learning the skills needed to tow on the highway and back up in a driveway or down a ramp.

We recognize that many of our female boaters may already have their boater license. To accommodate these women we offer the same hands on captaining and trailering in a half day format or, they can chose to work one-on-one with one of our female captains, for more intensive learning. This is a custom fit course for the “inner boater” in all women, allowing anyone to break out and take control of her own boat on the water. It is the goal of the Women Behind the Wheel on the Water program that every participant graduate feeling comfortable and safe behind the wheel of a boat and the wheel of a vehicle pulling a trailer.

Women Behind the Wheel on the Water is fuelled by a passion that can only come from being able to finally pull the boat effortlessly up to the dock or back a trailer gracefully down the ramp. It doesn’t hurt to see the jaws drop among the on-lookers as a woman reveals herself to be the one in the driver’s seat. The more women who are empowered to take the boat out themselves, or to take the kids out water-skiing, or who feel confident that in an emergency, they can get home safely, the more accessible the world of boating becomes.

Jay P

On-Water Demonstrator

Waterski Instructor

Boating Enthusiast

For a watersport enthusiast, nothing could possibly be better than a day spent on the water doing the activity of your choice.  For some, its hopping on to a Personal Water Craft and zipping here and there, jumping over waves, doing impressive turns and enjoying the exhilarating rush that comes along with such an activity. 

Others may choose to do something different like tubing.  With all the different types of tubes, dare devils of all ranges can get the adrenaline rush from whipping in and out of the wake, crashing over white-capped waves and flying through the air.  Kids (and kids at heart) of all ages can enjoy tubing by themselves, with a partner, with two others and sometimes even four people can share a tube at one time. 

Another fun activity to do on the water is waterskiing.  Waterskiing takes a little more prerequisite ability than tubing does however, with a little practice its not hard to get on to it.  Once you get the hang of it, soon enough you will be cutting in and out of the wake, leaving an impressive wake of your own.  Once the ability to waterski is mastered you may want to try dropping one of your skis to try slalom.  This is trickier than your regular two-skied approach due to less stability and increased speed of the boat.  Once this skill has been acquired, you will be sure to impress many onlookers as you swerve back and forth behind your boat. 

A newer watersport with steadily increasing participants, enthusiasts and parameters is wakeboarding.  The water version of snowboarding, this watersport can be quite impressive after some practice.  Not only can wakeboarders cut in and out of the wake at impressive speeds, but they can also perform dazzling aerial maneuvers sure to impress onlookers of every age.  For the daring people who participate in this sport, nothing is more exhilarating than improving your skills enough to master a new trick. 

It is clear to see with all the different options of activities to do on the water, its hard to decide which one to do.  The best idea is to try everything until you find your niche.  Once this occurs, you can rest assured that many fun days are on the horizon.  

For the true fisherman, nothing is better than getting up before the sun rises, grabbing your tackle box, rod, net and lunch and heading out to your boat for a day of just you and the fish.  For those people who don’t love fishing, the appeal in these antics seems less than desirable.  But for those men and women who are passionate about this leisurely hobby, nothing can beat a day on the water, hoping to catch the elusive “big one”.  Imagine, slowly puttering along, a light fog dancing across the top of the glass-like water in total silence.  Serenity like this is seemingly impossible to achieve in today’s fast paced society. 

To be a true fishing enthusiast, it takes the perfect combination of patience, skill and being in the right place at the right time.  Patience is important because it can take hours, or even days for there to be even the slightest nibble at the line.  To say the least, this can be quite frustrating.  The skill that becomes important while fishing is the ability to set the hook upon feeling the nibble of the fish.  It’s that little yank on the rod that drives the hook into the fish’s mouth.  This determines if the fish will free itself and get away, or if it will be successfully reeled in.  Also, the finesse in making the bait look desirable to the fish depends on the slight flicks of the rod so the bait looks like its alive and swimming around.  Finally, it is quite obvious that being in a good location and being in a bad location can make all the difference in how successful a day of fishing is.  With some knowledge of the bodies of water in the area and a little bit of luck, a day of fishing can be extremely successful.  Nothing is better than a person just back from a great day of fishing; full of stories (both true and false) of the fish they acquired and the ones that got away.

Buckeye understands the ins and outs of fishing – a lot of our staff are fishing enthusiasts themselves.  Buckeye is fully stocked with top of the line Princecraft and Scout fishing boats, fishing parts and accessories, and knowledgeable staff to help get you set up and point you in the direction of great locations to start off your fishing adventures.         

• May 24 – PCOC Beginner Course at Buckeye Marine
• May 30-31 – Everybody’s In Tournament
• May 31 – Women Behind The Wheel at Buckeye Marine
• May 31 – Kawartha Family Fun Day at Little Lake, Peterborough
• June 6-8 – Born In Bobcaygeon, TSW 175th Anniversary in Bobcaygeon
• June 7 – Unlock The Summer & Lock Anniversary in Bobcaygeon
• June 7 – Teenz Boat Safe Course at Buckeye Marine
• June 7 – Kidz Boat Safe Course at Buckeye Marine
• June 14-15 – Weekend On The Water at Viamede Resort, Stoney Lake
• June 14 – PCOC Course at Buckeye Marine
• June 14 – Huck Finn Race at Riverview Park, Bobcaygeon
• June 18 – All About Boating Seminar at Buckeye Marine
• June 21 – Blast Into Summer Show at the Lindsay Fairgrounds
• June 21-22 – Weekend On The Water at Crystal Lake Marina, Crystal Lake
• June 25 – All About Boating Seminar at Buckeye Marine
• June 28 – Women Behind The Wheel at Buckeye Marine
• June 28-July 1 – Canada Day Celebration at Buckeye Marine
• July 5 – Women Behind The Wheel at Buckeye Marine
• July 5-6 – Weekend On The Water on Head Lake, Haliburton
• July 6 – Brunch Cruise on Chemong Cruise
• July 12 – Night At The Drive In Cruise on Balsam Lake
• July 16 – Kidz Boat Safe Course at Buckeye Marine
• July 16 – Teenz Boat Safe Course at Buckeye Marine
• July 18 – Tow Smart Course at Buckeye Marine
• July 19-20 – Weekend On The Water at Little Gull Marina, Catchacoma
• July 20-Aug 8 – Wave of Hope across Ontario
• July 24 – PCOC Beginner Course at Buckeye Marine
• July 25 – Women Behind The Wheel at Buckeye Marine
• July 26 – Everybody’s In Tournament
• Aug 2 – Summer Nights Food & Wine in Haliburton
• Aug 11 - PCOC Beginner Course at Buckeye Marine
• Aug 13 – Hunt for Hope in Bobcaygeon
• Aug 16-17 – Weekend On The Water
• Aug 16 – Everybody’s In Tournament on Little Lake, Peterborough
• Aug 23 – Weekend Retreat Cruise at Viamede Resort, Stoney Lake
• Aug 24 – Back To School Blowout at Buckeye Marine
• Aug 30 – Customer Appreciation Pig Roast at Buckeye Marine
• Sept 11 – Toronto In-Water Boat Show at Ontario Place
• Oct 10 – Product Preview & Charity Gala at Buckeye Marine  

For those of you that are not aware of what Buckeye is, we are a prominent boat dealership located in beautiful Bobcaygeon, Ontario.  Bobcaygeon is a picturesque town nestled between the gorgeous Pigeon Lake and Sturgeon Lake.  Buckeye is a family owned and operated dealership serving customers since 1949.  We are dedicated to providing superior marine products including top of the line Regal, Princecraft, Chaparral, Mastercraft and Scout boats.  Buckeye’s mission is to provide the best customer service possible throughout every portion of a clients experience.

Please continue to check our blog for updates on events, promotions and much more!

Also, feel free to post comments on our blog because want to hear what you have to say! Comments, questions, suggestions and anything else you have to help us to improve are warmly welcomed.