[RidgeRunner31]

Originally Posted by B-Laps

My In-Laws have a place on Little Bear Island and the wife and I stayed over a few times this summer. This was also my first summer with a Boat and here are my thoughts.

• We have a slip at West Alton Marina. Luckily the weekends we came out were nice, but going across the boards on some windy days would have been treacherous. My in-laws have a slip much closer to the island, and it's a more sheltered trip over.
• I greatly underestimated the amount of time it takes to go Door to Door at first, you'll just need to find out what works for how you pack your gear. The time it takes from parking at the Marina to sitting on the sun deck with a beer in hand, is at least an hour.
• Pay attention to the docks at any property you're considering. If you see whips or what seems to be an excessive amount of gear to protect the boats, it's likely that there is either a lot of wave action, or a lot of boat traffic causing boat damage. It's a good idea to check out the traffic of an area on a busy Saturday to see what you can be in for.
• Many island properties were built without septic approval, either because it wasn't needed or it's been done without the proper process. It's becoming more and more difficult to sell without a full septic system, so any properties that already have the work done will help ensure that you don't have as many hassles in the future.

I've very much enjoyed my time at the island this year, and am hoping to spend a lot more of next summer out on the lake. If my in-laws didn't have the accommodations that they have at their camp, I'd be working very hard on how to make our own island property a reality.

Those are some great points to keep in mind!! I will add those 3 items to my list. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I did not even think of the septic issue.