Sarah Holland
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 21/99) - Anyone who is fortunate enough to have a boat knows how many enjoyable they are. From serious hunting and fishing to recreational use, boats are a great way to enjoy summer.

One of the new boats this year is the Princecraft Hudson, the spring edition. It is a 19-foot deep water boat, great for hunting, whaling and fishing.

"The Hudson is the perfect Delta boat and retails for $4,995," says Hans Lennie, the sales manager at Westwind Recreation in Inuvik.

The 16-foot Starfish, a smaller version of the Hudson, is "a great boat for fishing," says Lennie.

Two of the most popular sizes of boats are 16-foot and 18-foot models. Basically, the bigger the boat the more room you have, it's as simple as that. According to Lennie, "the larger boats are great for families, they have a lot of room."

As for motors, the Yamaha four-stroke outboard motor is an environmentally- friendly motor, and is quieter and uses less gas. It's the "green" motor.

Another popular motor is the Honda four-stroke, according to Corey Glover, a salesperson at the Northern Store in Iqaluit.

"This outboard motor is very fuel-efficient," says Glover.

As for recreational equipment, jet skis, Sea-Doos and water-skis have become popular in the last few years.

"We special order merchandise, including wetsuits for our clients," says Lennie. Glover also echoes the same sentiments. "We special order everything, including supplies like batteries, lights for every part of the boat, mooring ropes and other safety features."

Although our boating season may be short, the stores themselves are not short on supplies. If something you want isn't on the shelf, you're sure to get it by special order. If you're going to go boating, you might as well do it right and be safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly.