#313 Living Like Lake Royalty

He’s Not The Mayor, But He Could Be

By Brady L. Kay

Brad Young is not the mayor of Indianapolis in Indiana—or any other city for that matter. However, based on his deep knowledge of the area, you could argue that he could be the mayor of Geist Lake—if there were such a thing. As a magazine we were in town to meet with Brad and his wife Connie and as this couple cruised around their home lake, their tour guide-like knowledge automatically kicked in and they began sharing intimate knowledge of the homes surrounding the shore line. They were also able to point out celebrity homes as well as squash any talk of celebrities rumored to have a home on this lake that apparently do now. Turns out Andrew Luck, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, never did own a house on Geist. Who knew? The couple spoke with authority because they know the area well, that much is clear.

The Youngs currently live on the lake and it’s the third house they’ve owned as lakefront property owners on this body of water. That alone is of course the main reason they know a lot of the history of Geist. It also doesn’t hurt that they spend countless hours on the water every summer, especially after taking delivery of their new Barletta pontoon in June last year.

Crowd-Friendly

As we weave in and out and around other boats that are tied together in a secluded cove near their home, it seems everyone wants to give a shout-out to Brad and Connie. But these aren’t casual waves or nods as we pass by. Nope, each person they interact with wants to connect with them with a desire for a longer conversation, leading us to believe they really do know most of the people on their lake.

Geist covers 1,900 acres and spans three counties in Indiana and the area has undergone rapid development with some high-valued homes now lining the reservoir’s waterfront. The lake is not enormous by some standards, but the Youngs make it feel a little smaller with the massive 400hp outboard from Mercury on the back. When they were shopping for a new boat, one of their biggest priorities (if not their biggest priority) was the boat needed to perform well.

With giant smiles on our faces, the lake appeared to shrink in size when Brad put the throttle down. In what felt like a blink of an eye we went from one end of the lake to the other. Not that we were complaining, we were just pleasantly surprised at just how quick the trip was as we zoomed past others with ease.

Finding Barletta

The Youngs purchased their Barletta L25UC from nearby Marine Center of Indiana after an extensive search for their next boat. They knew they wanted another pontoon after owning previous pontoon boats built by different manufacturers and liked what they saw with Barletta.

Brad grew up boating and has owned several “go-fast” types of boats too, but prefers the performance combined with comfort that performance pontoons offer. When he sat down with his dealer it was an easy decision for him to go with Barletta. Direct from the Bristol, Ind., factory a few hours north, the boat comes with a long list of standard features, which might be considered options for other manufacturers. Knowing it is fully loaded as is sold him and Connie on buying their first Barletta.

“Of all the boats that we looked at, this one came with a lot of standard features such as the power arch that we really like,” said Brad. “We didn’t have to put a lot else on it.”

Mercury Power

Both Brad and Connie made it clear they’re not into cruising around Geist slowly, but prefer to hammer down the throttle in search of their next thrill-seeking adventure. Fact is, they won’t be slowing down anytime soon and like boating, they love to live life just as fast. The hunger for adventure is what led them to Barletta, despite there being so many other brands available to them in the area, and they couldn’t be happier with that decision.

With the Barletta they gain the comfort while still enjoying the performance.

“It’s a great riding boat, it turns well, rides well, I’m very happy with it,” says Brad.

Added Connie, “It’s luxurious and sporty and it goes really fast. I’ve been on a lot of boats and this one is really smooth and jumps out of the hole quickly.”

Lake Love Connection

The boat is kept on a lift from HydroHoist Boat Lifts in front of their home, which makes it really easy to get out on the water in a moment’s notice. Brad moved into his first house on Geist Lake back in 1994 and as luck would have it, this is where he met his wife.

“I met her at dinner one night at a restaurant here on the lake over 25 years ago,” says Brad. “We hit it off and we’ve been married now over 20 years.”

With so much history of their own on Geist Lake, the Youngs aren’t planning on leaving the area anytime soon. Why would they? With mayor-like popularity both Brad and Connie appear to be enjoying their connections with close friends and family nearby. However, there may come a day where they’re tempted to try a different body of water but one thing that is not up for debate is their love of their new pontoon.

“Barletta builds a great boat and I would highly recommend them,” concluded Brad. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

After being dropped off at the dock at what we felt was the end of the day, we watched as Brad and Connie headed back out on the water to meet up with friends. As the honorary mayors of Geist, their night was just getting started.