The Boat Is Our 'Happy Place'

After working hard all year long, Ryan and Michelle De Cardenas cannot wait to hit the Great Lakes on their 242 Center Console. Not only is their Sailfish their summer break escape, but it’s also their family’s happy place.

Michelle and Ryan first owned a wakeboardboat for 15 years, raising their two kids, now 15 and 13, on that boat summer after summer. When the opportunity came around to upgrade to a 242 Sailfish Center Console, they knew they could continue to do all the water activities they loved, while packing even more fishing and entertainment possibilities into their summer vacations.

“We wakeboard, ski and tube a lot. So the popup ski pole in the back really sealed the deal. It was awesome. We realized we can do everything we want todo. We can have the whole package,” Michelle explained.

Michelle and her husband Ryan always wanted a center console, as she puts it, it was their dream boat: “The center console is a great family boat. We love the dual purpose sothat it can be a family boat and use it for fishing, especially in the Great Lakes.”

With a center console, their summers now look like a little bit of everything. Is it the fishing, the water sports, or the entertainment that gets them back on the water day-after-day, all summer long? “All of the above, actually. We do a lot of fishing. We get out and entertain people. That’s another bonus of the boat because we’re able to take anotherfamily with us and sit comfortably.”

Thanks to the Sailfish 242 CC’s forward seating and comfort-minded amenities, this boat is capable of anything families enjoy doing–cruising,entertaining andwatersports galore. For Michelle and Ryan, upgrading from a smaller boat, the 242 CC’s next-level entertainment capabilities was an incredible bonus. As Michelle puts it, they simply outgrew their previous boat.

As their kids got older and bigger, and they wanted to bring more people on board – including their furry friend, Gauge – a Sailfish center console was the perfect next step for their family. When asked what’s next, Michelle and Ryan replied, “It’s funny. Once you get one, you always want to go bigger, right?"

So, while the 242 Center Console iseverything they need at the moment, another Sailfish could definitely be in their future. “Maybe when my husband and I retire. As our families get bigger, and my kids have kids. But there is one thing we know for sure... The boat is our happy place."