Chris Dicke and five of her girlfriends snuck away to Candy Cove on Prior Lake last month to discuss the juicy details of the book "50 Shades of Grey." Their pontoon was stocked with plenty of drinks, snacks and gossip, but no husbands.
Ladies-only outings -- including book clubs, wine tastings and networking lunches -- have become a familiar sight on local lakes as more women gain the confidence to drive a boat, a task that has often been left to the men in their lives. Many women have turned to area boat clubs, where members get access to boats and some training.
"I wouldn't be out here if I had to back this thing in on a trailer," said Dicke, a member of Minneapolis-based Your Boat Club. "I don't want to own a boat. I just want to enjoy the lakes."
Boat clubs took off when the boating industry was hit by the recession. About a half-dozen companies in the state now offer the use of a variety of watercraft for an annual fee ranging from about $1,000 to $5,300. The arrangement offers men and women a hassle-free way of getting on the water, but it's women who are driving the business.
"We completely cater to the ladies," said Tom Jacob, the owner of Excel Boat Club in Minnetonka, where women also are using boats for skiing and wake boarding. "They're the decisionmakers when it comes to joining the club."
Club concept
Nationally, about 32 percent of women went boating at least once in 2010, up from 23 percent in 2007, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
Your Boat Club owner Luke Kujawa says the increase in his business from women has been "drastic." The company started with five boats on one lake in 2010 and has expanded to 70 boats on seven lakes this summer. An industry veteran and former president of the Crystal-Pierz boat dealerships, Kujawa said boating is no longer the stereotypical "guy's thing."