From Bow to Stern Part II: Power-boating in the Ozarks

For friends Paul Higgins, a manager at Prime Inc., Bruce Hedgepeth, a radiologist with Litton & Giddings, and Charlie Ladd, a financial planner at Liberty Bank, the most fun one can have with a boat is being pulled behind it.

Decked out in outrageous Hawaiian shirts, this merry “over 40s” club of wake boarders performs stunts out behind the boat and amid the merciless barbs of their fellow thrill-seekers.

“People in the boat get to heckle whoever is out in the water,” Higgins says. “That’s the biggest part for our gang, anyway.”

The crew found its passion for wake boarding after seeing a video on how to do the stunts. Combining elements of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing, the stunt-oriented action sport was recently added to ESPN’s X Games.

Higgins’ group heads to Table Rock Lake Saturdays or Sundays in a Malibu boat designed for wake boarding. A fusion of ski boat and family-style open deck boat, the Malibu features a high arching bar for the tow line and churns out a deep wake for the wake boarders. Its approximately 300-horsepower engine is generally stronger than a bass boat but under the range of the highest-powered ski and speed boats.

Higgins says wake boarding is a slower sport than skiing, taking riders at speeds around 16 to 23 miles per hour. Although the water is softer at that speed, the guys still keep safety in mind.

“We wear lifejackets, and we always wear a helmet,” Higgins says. “You can take some pretty ugly falls. I’ve taken a face plant here and there.”

For his gang, it is the ultimate weekend escape.

“We kind of get lost in the time,” Higgins says. “Sometimes we only mean to go out for an hour and end up out there for three or four hours. We’ll rest up for a while and go out again.”

Fishing moves

While the lure of water sports has given rise to a lot of personal watercraft zipping around on sunny afternoons, fishing is the biggest draw on the lakes. Before the owners of most Jet Skis sand Seadoos are even awake, fishermen put into the water.

Bob Chancellor, a retired Voice of America correspondent and former Springfield City Council member, lives on Lake of the Ozarks, where he fishes most days between 5:30 and 8 a.m. Although he’s spent most of the last 15 years fishing Lake of the Ozarks from a bass boat, the last five years have found him in a pontoon boat.

“I’ve decided it is a better vehicle for fishing than the bass boat,” Chancellor says. “It is stable. You can fish, and you can get up and walk around. Like I told someone the other day, you don’t have to trip over tackle boxes. … The disadvantage is that it is not nearly as fast as a good bass boat.”

Chancellor says his wife wanted a pontoon boat for entertaining and cruising. They find time for those activities during the week and on Sunday afternoons when the lake is quiet. In the off-season, they’re known to go on 20-mile cruises.

Social boating

Larger cruisers afford certain city dwellers a weekend getaway. Life near the dock is moved by the rhythm of the water rather than the hum of the office.

Lisa and Mike Nally of ACR Nally Marketing Group own a 32-foot cruiser on Table Rock Lake, which they consider their second home.

“For the most part, we spend the nights at the dock,” says Mike Nally, ACR Nally’s president. “During the days, we’ll go and cove out with several other friends.”

Social boating takes them near Cal Creek or in Power Line Cove. Some evenings, they’ll tie off and eat at Big Cedar Lodge’s Devil’s Pool restaurant.

“Normally, we go down on Friday evenings and stay until Sunday,” Mike Nally says.

“It is our way to get out and get away from everything. We enjoy the downtime.”

This story is Part II of a three-part series. Click hereto read Part I.