Steady As It Goes
On a day spent reminiscing about childhood memories on the lake, Aqua Patio's 220 RE3 is just the boat to tour around in.
by Michael Verdon
A perfect day on the perfect lake can make any boat feel fast, especially when all you want to do
is cruise and reminisce. And since today is all about taking it easy, an Aqua Patio 220 RE3 turns
out to be the perfect leisure craft.
But I don't need to go anywhere fast, not on this picture-perfect summer day. It's a case of
Back to the Future on this test, a reunion with my father on Gull Lake, Mich. - my summer haunt of
30 years ago. Back then, it was Grandpa Otto wearing a white skipper's cap running another pontoon
boat, surrounded by 15 pint-sized grandkids wearing orange PFDs. Gull Lake definitely wasn't an
episode of The Waltons, though. There was usually some sort of drama going on - tears because
someone stuck their finger in someone else's blueberry pie or a WWF-style pileup that ended with a
spanking or threats of banishment to the changing room for a "timeout."
On the boat, though, it was another story. The kids were instructed to be well-behaved, and
for the most part, we were. The big deal was sitting in Grandpa's lap and steering the boat, which
started emitting a death rattle when it hit 16 mph. But the hours of towing us, the afternoon
barbecues, and the moonlight trips down "Mysterious River," where Otto said crocodiles and pirates
were just waiting to grab a foot hanging over the rail, made boating exciting for an 8-year-old.
Thirty years later, Mysterious River turns out to be called the "Channel." It's a thin,
100-yard passage that pretty much looks like the rest of Gull Lake: small cottages and medium-sized
homes, neatly manicured lawns with sprinklers, and plenty of trees. No crocodiles, and the only
pirates are the ones at the gas dock. Everything on the lake seems to have shrunk - even Grandpa's
house, which was once a trophy home on the lake, is small compared to the McMansion a few lots
down.
Nonetheless, it's a beautiful, spring-fed lake of turquoise blue when compared to most brown
lakes in the state. And the 220 is just the boat to tour around the five-mile-long lake. Kevin
Miller at Gull Lake Marine - the local dealer - loans
BW the boat.
Aqua Patio did a good job on the RE3 (RE is short for "Rear Entry," and the "3" refers to
three gates as opposed to triple tubes). The 220 has some nifty features such as a fuel tank that's
built into the motor enclosure (which centers the boat instead of having it lean to one side with
an aft tank); docking lights; stainless-steel hardware; a NextWave Electrical System; and
StrataTech chassis. Twenty-five-inch-diameter tubes give it good buoyancy when running across
wakes, or in the midst of a chop.
The RE3's seating stretches across the boat to accommodate a maximum capacity of 12 people,
including a 21-inch-by-58-inch lounge along the port side and 66 inches of storage underneath. On
the starboard side, the lounge is even larger, measuring 21 inches by 71 inches, with 88 inches of
storage under the seat. The chaise lounge seatback lifts up to reveal a cool-looking bottle holder,
ice chest, and knife holder with an armrest that folds down. At the aft end, a 21-inch- by-68-inch
lounge completes the trio. There's also a 33-inch-by-75-inch sunpad at the transom, with a nice
thick lip around the edge, so you don't roll off. A standout feature is underneath the sunpad,
where there's a pop-up changing room. And an oblong-shaped table fits in front of the stern lounge.
The 220 RE3 operates well in a small body of water like Gull Lake. I feel like I'm getting
somewhere without being stuck on the proverbial "slow boat to China." With the oversized skipper's
chair, it's also comfortable to drive - and would be a boon to any grandparent or parent doing
hours of towing duty. The gates also allow easy access to the boat from any point; the front gate
measures 30 inches across, the port-side gate is 23 inches wide, and the stern gate is 24 inches
wide. All are 25 inches tall - high enough to serve as barrier guards for kids wandering around the
boat.
We drive around the lake for a few hours, visiting old stomping grounds while Dad talks about
his childhood on the lake. Surprisingly, a lot of the houses he remembered from the '40s are still
there. Even more surprisingly, the "condo commandoes" haven't gotten hold of this lake, so it still
has the old-style Michigan charm I remember as a child: the country club, with its fleet of Sunfish
sailboats; the Kellogg Estate, which is now a nature reserve; and the Anchor Inn, which still
serves Turtle Cheesecake and Mile High Mud Pie.
After a while under the hot, direct sun, I put up the bimini and feel immediate relief.
There's no hurry to get back, so the 220 RE3 literally putters from point to point along the lake,
as we enjoy the beautiful day and the increasingly rare opportunity of being together. What
surprises me most is how little life changes: the kids shrieking with pleasure as they swim in
shallow grass beds; the guys fishing for small-mouth bass and blue gill from an aluminum rowboat;
and the bowriders rafted up along a shallow spot in the middle of the lake. Even the Aqua Patio 220
RE3 feels as familiar as Grandpa's old float-boat.
The Verdict
Aqua
Patio's 220 RE3 is the 'toon with the right 'tude for lake cruising. It includes enough lounge
space to bring aboard up to 12 of your family members and friends for a leisurely ride, and with
25-inch-diameter tubes, the 220 has the right amount of buoyancy to smoothly run across wakes or in
chop. And the pop-up changing room underneath the sunpad is one of its standout features.
Aqua Patio 220 RE3
LOA 23'3"
Beam 8'6"
Weight 2,275 lbs. (dry)
Fuel 30 gal.
Top Speed 19.8 mph (w/60-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard)
0-20 mph 9.1 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 55 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 80 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 98 dB-A
Base Price $26,500 (w/60-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard)
Price As Tested $26,900 (w/60-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard)
Aqua Patio, 4500 Middlebury St. , Elkhart, IN 46516, (574) 522-8381,
www.aquapatioboats.com
