[fatlazyless]

For rescuing people who break through the thin ice, many fire departments have been using an aluminum jon boat for a rescue vehicle for years. They are relatively inexpensive, and light weight and can be dragged across the ice, and pulled, paddled, or rowed to transition from ice to water, and from water to ice, while remaining pretty stabile due to the designed up-sloping, flat and wide bow in the front. Two people can drag or carry an 8' across the snow and ice, and maybe three or four people can drag or carry a 12' across the ice-snow on a frozen lake.

They come in different sizes too; 8', 10', 12' and 14'. I have a Lund 8' jon boat with two 6' oars that cost me $400, about 10-years old-used, and it is surprisingly stabile in open water, and can handle weekend Winnipesaukee motorboat wakes-choppy water of 2 1/2' to 3' which makes for a fun and rocky, rolling ride, but safe enough to not have to worry about it. I have never got swamped yet, so rolling about and practicing rowing is a confidence builder for what it can do while seated on the middle seat and rowing the boat. For best stability, two people should both sit on the middle seat, with each person rowing one oar, sitting side-by-side, which makes for a very romantic rowboat.....cha-cha-cha!