LAKE LIFE: Local businesses offer lake fun necessities

Oct 16, 2023

Correspondent/Columnist

Summer may begin June 21, but at local lakes the vacation season has already begun. When it comes to having fun on the lakes, there are lots of local businesses that cater to lake life.

Pro Wake Surf Shop was a "best kept secret" before it opened in March of 2022. Owners Mark and Patty Richards were trying to decide what to do with the space until one day Patty told Mark she knew.

"You need to create a mini Ron Jon (like) Surf Shop there," she said.

So, Mark set about transforming the former Lakeside Fitness Building into an upscale boutique surf shop that's bright and welcoming.

The Surf Shop carries clothing lines from Billabong, popular for men's board shorts but also has women and children's lines and Huk shorts, long and short-sleeved T-shirts and hoodies from infants to seniors.

"Boat to bar merch — clothes you can walk off the boat in and right into the bar," Mark said.

Pro Wake Surf Shop has swimsuits, sandals, Ray Ban and Oakley sunglasses and jewelry. It also carries sunscreen, hats, towels, can Cozies, tumblers and Bogg bags.

"Those are real popular with the ladies," he said, adding the tote bags are great for the beach and boat. "You can rinse off the sand at the end of the day."

They have beach cover-ups from Wave Hawaii. "It's a towel and cover-up in one," Richards said. "I think we’re the only place in the U.S. to carry them."

Pro Wake has long boards, surf ropes, and a large variety of life jackets in the "Flow-tation Lounge" and unique items like a battery-operated Flite Board.

Richards said the staff is working on setting up surf schools for this season where people can schedule a one-three hour session with professionals. He has big future plans for a 30,000-square-foot addition with indoor flow rider, rock climbing wall, arcade and restaurant.

SUMMER HOURS: Hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. They are closed Sundays.

Contact by phone at 574-337-1898 or visit the website at www.prowakesurfshop.com.

Several miles down the road in North Webster/Ligonier is Pro Wake Water Sports also owned by Richards. They carry new and previously owned watercraft by Sylvan, Supra, Moomba and Harris pontoons. They also service and store boats seasonally and year-round.

Hours are Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Contact them by phone at 574-834-1334 or visit the website at www.prowakewatersports.com.

Main Channel Marina has boat sales, service and storage.

Manager Jason Cripe said, "We store over 1,000 boats."

They offer boat rentals — especially pontoon boats and boat slips. They sell paddle boards, surf boards and Sea Doos personal watercrafts. New this season they started carrying E-bikes and a Sea Doo pontoon that has a composite hull.

"It's a pontoon boat, but you drive it like a Sea Doo," he said.

The model on display in the showroom is a Switch model. The name hints at the fact that the seats can be switched around to various positions on the pontoon deck. It can go up to 40 mph versus the 70 mph the Sea Doos can reach.

Another new item is a center console boat where the helm is in the center and it has a deep V front.

Some of the new and pre-owned brands they carry are Bennington, Malibu, Axis, Cobalt, Regal, Sea Doo, Hurricane, Sweetwater and Aquapatio.

They have eight pontoons to rent but if you want a rental you need to call in advance — "For July 4th you need to call in January," he said.

Cripe said they keep their rental inventory new by selling the rentals after a couple of years.

Main Channel Marina also has an attached ship store where they sell tubes, life vests, etc.

Store hours at both locations are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and from Memorial Day-Labor Day open Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Contact them by phone at 574-457-4200 or visit their website at www.mainchannel.com.

If paddle sports are more your speed, Pedals and Paddles in North Webster and Fluid Fun Canoe & Kayak in Bristol will have what you need.

Pedals and Paddles has kayaks, stand up paddle boards, Trek, Electra and Sun bicycles, E-bikes and accessories for all of the above.

Owner Steve Huffman said, "You can add accessories to your kayak like cup holders, fishing rod holders, safety flares, etc."

They also sell the means to transport the items — roof racks and storage racks, bike racks, handles, helmets and parts. They sell guide canoes and single seat canoes.

"We just started disc golf — that's been a big thing," he said.

They also sell pedal boats and will deliver items in a 20-mile radius. They rent bikes and kayaks and repair items.

"We have two work stations for repairs and we repair about 400 a year. It's first in, first out," he said.

Contact Pedals and Paddles by phone at 574-224-2279 or visit the website at www.pedals-paddles.com.

Store hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fluid Fun Canoe & Kayak has a large inventory of kayaks. Owner Pete Duckworth said he has about 200 to 300 in stock.

"Recreational kayaks, touring kayaks and whitewater kayaks," he explained of the types in inventory.

They also have canoes, paddle boards, surf skis — "a wide range of watercraft," he said.

Fluid Fun also carries accessories, trailers, paddles, "anything to do with paddle sports," he said.

Duckworth said his customers travel a couple of hours to patronize his store, coming from Chicago, Indianapolis and Toledo for example, because of his large selection.

"We also have a knowledgeable staff, unlike the big box stores, who actively kayak and we have access to the river and allow folks to try things on the water. In fact, we encourage it!" he said. "That makes us fairly unique. It's pretty common that people will see something online and choose a different one after they try it out on the water."

Duckworth said they offer demo days that are open to the public and in the future hope to offer classes with certified instructors. They’ve been expanding their social media presence.

"The biggest driver is our selection," he said. "We have eight to 10 different brands and a number of different models in each brand."

Duckworth said the advantage of a kayak or canoe is that "you don't have to live on the water to buy a kayak. As long as there's public access anyone can enjoy it!"

Contact Fluid Fun by phone at 574-848-4279 or visit their website at www.fluidfun.com

Denise Fedorow is a columnist and correspondent for the Goshen News. Readers may contact her at [email protected]. Follow Denise on Twitter @DeniseFedorow

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