Wendy first bought a Kawasaki STX 160 Jet Ski in 2020, becoming a marina customer. At an early-season customer appreciation happy hour hosted by owners Dave and Sharon Kline, the Pennsylvania marina showcased its new Avalon and Stingray boats. It was then that Wendy spotted the Stingray 192SC deck boat with a Suzuki 150hp engine.
“I saw this one and locked eyes on it, but after some thought, I decided against buying it,” recalls Wendy. “All summer I’d joke with Dave or Sharon about whether they had sold my boat yet.”
Fortunately for Wendy, “her” boat never sold. At the end of the season, the marina owners reached out to her to see if she still might be interested.
“Dave said, ‘If you still want the boat, I’ll give you a great deal,’ because he needed to make room for next year’s inventory,” explains Wendy. “We crunched the numbers and I ended up buying it!”
What drew Wendy to the Stingray? At first, it was simply the exterior color, but the more she looked, the more she found to love.
“Honestly, it was the color. I love sea foam green; that’s what initially drew me to it,” admits Wendy. “But after Dave presented the offer and I really took a look at it in the showroom, I fell in love. I love pontoon boats, and the spacious, pontoon-like layout is perfect for entertaining with friends.”
“I started Googling boat names online and so many people have fun and punny names that are hysterical, but nothing was speaking to me,” says Wendy. “Then I read something about naming your boat after something you love. I have a lot of dogs, and I hate to say it, but Nash is my favorite. He’s my soul dog and best friend, so I named the boat after him.”
Nash, short for Nashville, was adopted two days after she returned home from a trip to Nashville, and the name just stuck. Wendy named her boat The Good Buoy, and the logo includes a sketch of Nash in the center. The name and logo extend beyond just the graphics on the back of the boat. It’s also on towels and drink koozies found throughout the boat.
“I told my friends not to invite me to things in the summer unless it’s really important because if it’s a beautiful day, I’m not going to go because I’m going to be out here,” says Wendy with a smile. “Our boating season isn’t that long. But I do tell them that if I wake up that day and it’s cold and raining, then sure, I’ll be there.”
“Long Level Marina is a full-service marina that stores over 400 personal boats, and if you store here, you get our launch and retrieval service throughout the summer season,” explains Wendy’s daughter Leigha Lehman-Funk, who is the store and marketing manager at Long Level Marina. “Using multiple tractors on a busy weekend, we could launch a hundred boats or more.”
After hearing friends’ stories about waiting in long lines at public launch ramps, Wendy is extremely grateful for the launch and retrieval service at her marina.
“When my other friends launch, they feel they have to make an entire day out of it, where at the marina, I just have to give them a call once I’m on my boat and they’ll come out with a tractor and I’m in the water in 10 minutes. It’s super easy,” boasts Wendy. “If I want to come out for an hour and a half in the evening, that’s okay because I don’t have to spend the time hooking the boat up and getting it in the water myself. It’s a luxury you pay for, but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny. I wouldn’t be out nearly as much without this service.”
“On any given weekend there are close to 40 boats, but probably around a hundred on a holiday weekend,” estimates Wendy. “The water is shallow with kids and dogs playing and it’s a lot of fun. It can get a little rowdy, so we split the day between relaxing and partying.”
Long Level Marina is located on the west shores of Lake Clarke and is approximately 6 miles from the dam. Heading in the opposite direction, you have about 3 miles until the water gets too shallow, depending on the time of year.
“The max capacity is 10, but we have way more cupholders than that,” states her friend Bri. “Plus, we can compete with our sound system at the sandbar.”
The maximum power for this model is 200hp, but for her needs, the Suzuki 150hp outboard has been a great fit, offering her plenty of power when she puts the throttle down.
“We’re a marina that has been around for decades and provides dedicated boat sales and service in central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland as a one-stop shop for customers in our area,” adds Leigha. “Our rental fleet includes five Avalons and one Stingray and we have a mix of local renters along with those on vacation who are looking to rent a boat.”
With prime summer weather on the horizon, The Good Buoy is preparing for another successful season. Wendy’s only concern is that her other dogs might find out Nash is her favorite.
www.longlevelmarina.com
Stingray Boats
www.stingrayboats.com
Suzuki Marine
www.suzukimarine.com