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History of Recreational Boating

As is human nature, we love to explore and try new things. Ever since humans first began to walk this earth, we’ve wanted to conquer the seas. This led to the development of boats. Boats could not only be used to explore, but they could also be used to help survive, as humans used them to catch fish and other marine life, such as crabs and lobster. Probably since the earliest days, boats were used for leisure as well.

The feeling and pleasure of being on the open sea or a body of water are universal. There is a sense of freedom and possibility that pervades your time on the water, and you feel as if you can go anywhere and do anything. Boating is a past time enjoyed by many, and the mission of Lillipad Marine, the maker of the best boat diving board, endeavors to help others enjoy the water even more. Our Diving Board is designed to give you an easy-to-use diving board for your boat that you can use when you are out on the water. Popular with pontoons, houseboats, cabin cruisers, and the like, our Diving Board will give you hours of fun. Below, we’ll go over a bit of the history of modern recreational boating. Contact us today to learn more!

EARLY HISTORY OF RECREATIONAL BOATING

As we stated above, it’s impossible to know when exactly the first person launched their boat purely for pleasure instead of for work. We do know, however, that those who used boats for pleasure were those who had the time — royalty and nobles. We know that ancient Egyptian kings and queens would stroll down the Nile River in their boats, as well as the ancient Greeks and Romans. However, how often this was engaged in is hard to speculate since recreational boating per se wasn’t exactly an invented pastime thousands of years ago.

However, what we do know is that King Charles II of England was the first to truly engage in boating for the simple pleasure of it. He was given a yacht and a crew and would sail up and down the Thames River. He loved it so much that he built more yachts, historians say about 20 in all.

As humans are wont to do, others followed the King’s example. These were the nobles who had the time and money to indulge in such pleasures. Soon, in the 1700s, the first sailing club was born in England, and in 1839, a boating club formed in Detroit.

Recreational boating in the early days required a crew since there were no motors yet. In fact, boating was a lot of hard work, with rowing being the main way to move your boat. It wasn’t until the late 1800s with improvements in the internal combustion engine that recreational boating began to gain speed (pardon the pun).

Lillipad Marine, a maker of the best boat diving boards, notes that with speed came racing since it seems humans love to compete and go fast. In 1903, the first international motorboat race took place. Outboard motors, or motors that could be attached to boats and then put on another boat, were manufactured in 1910 and in 1911, an American inventor, John L Hacker, who began by helping the Wright Brothers put floats on their airplanes, created the first boat that could travel at over 50 miles per hour. His Hacker-Craft company is still around today.

RECREATIONAL BOATING MADE FUN WITH LILLIPAD DIVING BOARDS

Recreational boating has come a long way since those early days, and today recreational boating is growing as more people discover the joy of the open water. Lillipad Marine’s mission is to help you maximize your fun on the water. We do this through our amazing boat products, which include our boat diving boards, our marine funnels, and our boat ladders.

Lillipad Diving Boards are our signature product. These amazing boards are built to last, with heavy aluminum extrusions, stainless steel hardware, and urethane spring components. We’ve designed this diving board for boats for use by the whole family, both adults and children. They come in many colors so you can match your boat diving board to your boat. They fold down easily when not in use, causing no problems when you dock or trailer your boat. Our Lillipad Diving Boards are easy to stow away, coming in just three parts, the Stabilizer Handle, Ladder, and the Base/Board. We also offer an optional protective cover for your boat diving board. These diving boards are meant to fit all boats, and we offer two different mounting hardware kits in order to suit your particular boat.

BOAT LADDERS

In order to make getting back up on the boat after your amazing dive easier, Lillipad Marine now offers its REVO ladder, a boat ladder that is an incredible 48” long that easily mounts to the bow or the stern of your boat. Simply pull two locking pins, and our boat ladder will fold up to 16” for easy storage and transportation while on the water. We use a strap so you don’t ever have to kneel or lean over the water to remove your dock ladder. We’ve designed this ladder for ergonomics, so you won’t have to use a lot of strength to climb up it. With slip-resistant step surfaces and stainless-steel construction, this boat ladder is stylish and comfortable. What’s more, it is lightweight and will drain on its own. This ladder can be used as a dock ladder as well.

MARINE FUNNELS

Finally, we offer Lillipad Marine Funnel, which allows you to easily fill your boat with fuel, eliminating spills and splashing. We believe fueling your boat for fun should be as easy as having fun. Our hose will not kink on you, the nozzle is made of aircraft-grade aluminum with a stainless-steel ball valve to help control the flow of fuel, and the funnel can be mounted on your dock or boat lift. You can even use our Marine Funnel for all of your machine fueling needs, from the lawnmower to your ATVs. By purchasing additional mounting kits, you can mount one in your garage or shed as well.

Lillipad Marine believes in having fun on the water, and with life’s busyness, most of us just don’t have the time we want on the water. Thus, by creating a boat diving board to have fun with, a boat boarding ladder or a dock ladder to get up in the boat once you jump off, and a Marine Funnel to make fueling a snap, we hope to help you make your time on the water magical. Visit us online today!