Minocqua and the Lakeland Area’s lakes have so many beautiful boathouses. Many were built by wealthy families who spent their summers in The Northwoods in the early 20th century.
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These boathouses have just as much style as the home they belong too. They are a welcome greeting to friends arriving by boat, a beautiful garage for a beloved boat and even guest quarters or party rooms.
In previous decades boathouse could be wet or, built over the water. Now DNR laws prohibit them where we live and they must be built dry, or on land.
We don’t currently have a boathouse. We have a “shed” that we use for storage for all our boat toys. Someday it would be wonderful to have a beautiful boathouse. I’m always dreaming!
I gathered some beautiful boathouse photos that inspire me. Someday when we design ours I will take bits and pieces that I like and put them together into the perfect boathouse for us. Enjoy and dream with me!
Boathouse Dreams
These boathouses are just for drooling over and inspiration.
A stunning gorgeous green and white boathouse has space above for guest quarters.
I love the classic blue and white colors with space to park your boat and relax by the water inside or out.
This beautiful structure doesn’t have room for a boat, but does have space to entertain.
Organization
Keep rods organized and easy to grab and go along a wall of the boathouse.
Always wondering how to organize all those lifejackets and wetsuits?
This gorgeous coffee table book , Boathouses by Tom Freeman, shows photos of boathouses from our local lakes. You can purchase a copy here.
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Those boat houses were beautiful. They were the size of homes. How fun would it be to have one of your own.
Enjoy your evening
Cindy
I think we could live in some of them! LOL!!
Wow, those boat houses are amazing. In MN the DNR is very strict, even on land. Nothing can be permanent and you have set backs from the lake. I’ll be excited to watch what you come up with. Lake living is fun, but there are so many extra things involved!
It’s all gotten harder here too! It’s worth it to protect the lake and natural surroundings, but fun to dream what it could be and take ideas from the great ones!
Wow what amazing houses, so very nice
Thanks so much Jo-Anne!
Wow!! These are gorgeous! We have a little house on Jackson Lake in Georgia. We can’t have a boathouse like these but we do love our dock! I love your posts and get so many decorating ideas from them!
Aren’t these grand! We can’t build boathouses this big anymore, but the old historic ones are so amazing! Thank you so much for you sweet comment! That means the world to me!!!
The red boathouse was my old one on Gunlock Lake from the 1970’s-2010. I LOVED it and can’t tell you how much I miss it. We went from there to Fence Lake and am now on Diamond Lake with a boathouse similar to what you have.
That is so wonderful!! How fun to hear this! Such history you have lived with!!