Boating Life

Eating on a boat is not always the easiest of tasks, especially on an average size boat or when kids are on board. However, we are here to give some popular ideas and some tips on how to make preparing a meal on a boat easier.

Top 10 Snacks

1. Fish Shaped Crackers. This snack is especially popular if you bring the kiddos aboard. Sure, most kids eat just about anything, but while on a boat, fish shaped crackers give a little added excitement to snack time. To add to snack time, you can buy these crackers in various colors and flavors. Pizza and white cheddar-flavored are among the most popular.
2. Pretzels. For the health-conscious boaters, pretzels are a better option than your favorite chip. Pretzels are low in fat. Although they are high in carbs, the carbs will provide your fellow boaters with plenty of energy. Not to mention, there is just something so great about a salty and crunchy snack while out on the open water.
3. Frozen Grapes. The Florida heat can be terrible and exhaustive; try keeping cool with some frozen grapes. Freeze your favorite grapes the night before and pop them in a cooler just before you leave the house, to keep them frozen until snack time.
4. Sliced Meat & Cheese with Crackers. Kids love those pre-made snack packs with the meat, cheese and crackers. Save some money and make these snacks at home. Simply cut slices of meat and cheese into small enough pieces to fit on the crackers you choose. Prep these the night before and store the meat and cheese in the cooler to keep them fresh.
5. Sliced Fruits & Veggies Fresh fruits and crisp veggies are always a delight and refreshing on hot Florida days. Pack some ranch dip and some sweet yogurt dip to add a little more flavor to your snack tray. Store all of these in the cooler as well to keep them cool and crisp throughout your trip.
6. BLT Pasta Salad Who doesn’t like pasta AND bacon? We are turning this American classic, the BLT, into a delicious pasta salad, fit for any voyage. Is your mouth watering? Take a closer look at our BLT Pasta Salad recipe. Due to the dairy in this dish, it is imperative to keep this in a cooler that will also house some ice.
7. Hummus & Crackers. While the kids are eating their lunch meat, cheese and crackers, the adults can be munching on a slightly upgraded snack of some hummus and crackers, pita or veggies. Hummus comes in many different flavors and bases. Try out all the flavors you wish. Be sure to keep the hummus in the cooler with the pasta salad.
8. Trail Mix. Protein is very important when you are having a blast out in the Florida sun. Pack some high protein trail mix to get your fill. Whether you like the sweet & salty, the nut & fruit or the various nut packs, there is a trail mix for everyone. If you buy the trail mix that has chocolate bits, we suggest keeping them in a cool place, like below deck if possible or a dark bag covered by a towel.
9. Veggie Kebabs. Kids love eating things on sticks like corn dogs or making smores; these, however, are a bit more boat friendly. If you need to make the veggies more enticing for the little ones, stick them on small skewers and let them have at it. If you’d like to make them slightly more adult friendly and you happen to have a grill that attaches to the boat rails, go ahead and grill a few of them up, throw some salt on ‘em and enjoy.
10. Pickles. Pickles are somehow cool, crispy, salty and refreshing all at the same time. Some people forget they can throw the entire jar of pickles in their cooler and bring them on the boat ride. Pack some pickles for a delicious and cooling snack for all aboard.

Top 5 Entree's

1. Fresh Tuna Sandwiches. Have you ever had fresh tuna sandwiches, made from freshly caught tuna? Tuna fishing can be quite abundant off Florida’s shores, so go out and catch yourself one. Then once cut and cleaned, go checkout our Fresh Tuna Sandwich recipe. If you can’t get your fresh caught tuna, go ahead and purchase some tuna steaks form your local store; we promise you won’t be disappointed.
2. Wraps. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making our fresh tuna sandwiches, you can opt for the easier method of making some simple wraps with lunch meat. Whip these up the night before and store them in your ice chest until you are ready to eat them.
3. Tacos in a Bag. Tacos in a bag are an easier and cleaner way to eat one of your favorite meals on the boat. You can go about these 2 ways. If you have a grill on board, you can heat/cook your meat up on the boat’s grill when your crew is ready to eat. If you don’t have a grill, simply take your taco meat out of the cooler about 45 minutes before you plan on eating and let the meat cook up in the hot Florida sun. For more details, check out our Tacos in a Bag recipe.
4. Hot Dogs. Hot dogs are tradition on the water; you can either grill these up on your boat’s grill if you have one or take advantage of 2 alternatives: 1. The morning of your trip, boil up some water. Then, bring the water down from a boil and pour the water into a large thermos, equipped to hold extremely hot liquids. Once on the boat, about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, drop your hot dogs into the thermos, which should still be hot enough to cook up those hot dogs. 2. If you have time, simply cook the hotdogs before you leave in the morning. Cook them as you normally would and then drop them into that same type of thermos. The thermos should keep them hot enough to eat until you are ready for lunch!
5. Fried Chicken. A lot of boaters have mentioned bringing fried chicken on board for a long day on the water. Who doesn’t enjoy some nice fried chicken while on the open seas? Most of the boaters stored the chicken in the cooler and simply ate the chicken cold once hungry.