Ask a group of boaters about their favorite family memories, and chances are they won’t start by talking about a particular boat. They’ll talk about the child who caught their first fish, the teenager who learned to dock, or the impromptu stop in a harbor that turned into a weekend adventure. The details vary, but the theme is consistent: Some of our most meaningful family moments happen on the water.
As it turns out, researchers have come to the same conclusion. Studies of family recreation consistently show that shared outdoor experiences help strengthen relationships, improve communication and create lasting bonds. In other words, the research confirms what many boating families have experienced for generations.
Boating has always offered something that’s becoming harder to find: uninterrupted time together. Whether it’s a day trip to a favorite cove, a weekend cruise or a weeklong family vacation, a boat naturally pulls people into an intimate physical space and a shared experience. Everyone pitches in. Conversations happen. And sometimes phones stay tucked in pockets. And most important, everyone usually has fun.
When we interviewed Russ Jones for a story last season, he shared this sentiment. Growing up around the waters of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, the Connecticut resident learned to row as a child and spent countless hours exploring local coves. “It was my first taste of freedom,” he said. Years later, after starting a family of his own, Jones and his wife were passionate about introducing their two sons to the same joys of boating. Along the way, the couple discovered that the boat had become more than transportation—it was a place where life lessons happened naturally.
“We started out letting the kids row out on their own and explore,” Jones said. “Then we started showing them the ropes by allowing them to steer the boat. Boating became a great way to improve family communication.”
Another Northeast boat owner, Erik Olstein, shared a similar story. He and his wife, Kathy, raised three sons aboard a succession of family cruisers, teaching them knots, navigation and seamanship during cruises around Long Island Sound and coastal New England. One of the family’s earliest weeklong cruises remains among their favorites. “Everything was new,” Olstein recalled. “And it was quite a great adventure for all of us.”
Adventure doesn’t necessarily mean crossing an ocean or cruising to an exotic destination. Sometimes it’s simply allowing a child to take the helm for the first time, exploring an unfamiliar shoreline in a dinghy or helping to plot a course to a new harbor. Boats create opportunities for discovery in ways few other family activities can. The lessons matter, but so do the stories that emerge along the way.
Olstein said one of his favorite aspects of family boating is giving his sons responsibilities aboard. Everyone has a role. Everyone contributes. “Everyone is involved,” he said. “We always come home with new stories.”
Today, his sons are adults with careers, responsibilities and increasingly busy lives. Yet they still make time to cruise with their parents whenever possible. “The best thing about the boat now is that our adult kids want to spend time with us,” Olstein said.
For all the advances in boating technology over the decades, perhaps the most valuable thing about boating hasn’t changed at all. What many of us cherish most about time on the water are the people with whom we share it.
Jeanne Craig jeanne.craig@firecrown.com
This article was originally published in the August 2026 issue.
