Scouting the Scout - A Trip Review With Chance and Leo - Seasoned With Safety

Chance: Hi! I'm Chance, a boat-loving dog, and I went on a new and different boat yesterday. It was a nice day on a nice boat and together with my BFF Leo, I would like to tell you about it. Oh! By the way, I have been on boats forever. With Leo and my people.

Leo and Chance - when they were much younger - after a day on the Sandbar at Little Tybee.
The Sandbar is a dog's paradise with a mile or so of wide-open
space to run across. On the weekend there are lots of dogs to play with.
The Sandbar is their favorite boating destination.
Upon leaving - it's nap time. Every time.

Leo: That's right Chance! We have been on boats forever. But never forget, I was here first! I wasn't sure about you in the beginning, but you have been okay, even if you aren't a Boxer.

On a chilly day, Leo likes his comforts. And to be out of the wind.

Chance: Boxer smoxer! Let's see you take a flying leap off the boat and swim to shore. No? I didn't think so. Go back to sleep. Leave the boat stories to me!

Leo: Look! Just because I know enough to wait until we reach the beach before jumping, that doesn't mean I can't swim. In fact, I am one of the few Boxers around who will walk into the water and swim. When I am darned good and ready! Unlike you, I have a mind of my own! I am obviously better bred.

Chance: No offense pal, but you are a mutt.

Leo: Papers? I don' need no stinkin' papers! And besides, people like me better. And you know it. Shelter dogs are the best!

Chance: Are we here to argue about breeding or talk about boats?

Leo: Boats? Boxers? People? I'm game for anything. Okay, what do you think of the Scout?

Dan: Chance and Leo had their first experience yesterday with Freedom Boat Club of Savannah's most recent acquisition, a center-console Scout. While not showroom-new, it's in beautiful condition and the fit and finish are impeccable. It has a Bluetooth sound system, color GPS, and all the bells and whistles we have come to expect on Freedom Boats.

Chance: Well, right off the dock, I love the layout of the Scout. There is plenty of room for us and our people. At ten years of age and after years of doing dognastics I have a bad back leg that slides out from under me on slick surfaces. The non-skid on the Scout helps me keep my feet underneath me. And the oversized padded seat in front of the console is perfect for a big dog or a person or even two little people. Of course, Leo jumped right up on it before I could make my claim.

The console seat is perfect for a big dog or two littles. The wraparound bow seat
is nice for spotting birds, dolphins, and those round floaty things.

Leo: First-mover advantages friend. And you ain't big. Besides, you like hanging your head over the front anyway. Nice how the soft cushy edge that you are leaning against keeps you inside the boat. Remember that time you slid off the bow and disappeared underneath the skiff? That scared our people badly.

Chance: I remember that. It was dark and scary down under, with the boat on top of me. I couldn't get up to the air. I don't want to do that again. I really like how this boat keeps me feeling safe and secure. It has nice high sides.

Dan: Dogs absolutely love standing right up on the bow of boats. But if you are at speed and hit a sandbar, they are going out of the boat. After losing my Lab off the front of a flats boat with no structure to keep him in, I won't let either of them upfront at anything more than idle speed. This caution applies to children too. As a medevac pilot, I have flown a child who went off the bow of a boat after dad ran aground in the Ogeechee. The boat refloated after the sudden stop and got on top of the child. It was bad. (Even with a bow-rail, DNR, USCG, or LE will ticket you for letting kids sit on the bow with their legs over the edge - at any speed.) Story continues below...

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Leo: I like this boat. And yes, I am smiling. There is lots of room for our people and us. I like going slow during cool weather. This boat goes fast but I don't want to. Going slow is fun. Do you have to pee yet?

Dan: Freedom Boat Club Savannah has over thirty new or almost new boats to choose from. They are a sister-program of Freedom Boat Club Richmond Hill, so membership at one location makes you a member of both. At both of our home clubs, you can go boating as much as you want. You can keep a boat overnight. You can also reserve a boat four times a year at each of the 200-plus other locations in the United States and Europe as a guest ( a "reciprocal reservation" ).

Chance: LEO! There's a dolphin right there!

(Leo jumps up onto the bow seat and begins to whine. It's the "I want to play with her" whine.)

Most dogs like dolphins. Situational awareness check - how long is the newest member of the Freedom fleet?

We rode at 7 knots for three hours and burned 3.7 gallons of gas. It was wonderful.

Dan: "Stay in the boat boys! Geez, I may as well pee while we are stopped to look at the dolphins."

The Coast Guard finds boats minus their solo captains fairly regularly. And then they find the captain's corpse. They look first at the captain's zipper, and it's usually down. If you're alone and you are going to pee - stop and put the engine in neutral. Don't EVER walk away from the helm with an engine in gear. Don't be caught dead with your zipper down.

Leo, Chance and Dan ALL love Freedom Boat Club. We are often the first members on a new acquisition, and we give the Scout two thumbs and all paws up! 

Safe boating, friends, and may harm never find you. 

That's Julius. Leo loves him tremendously. Dogs know about people.
At Freedom Savannah, you are surrounded by beautiful boats; clean and fueled and ready to go. 

At the end of the day, turn in the boat to Billy, or Maggie, or Dickson, and walk away. It's a Freedom thing!

"Leo! Did you have fun today?"
"Yes. Do you EVER stop talking?"