Things to Do in Cornelius

After owning Duffy electric boats in Newport Beach, California, where the company has its headquarters, the Textor family decided to introduce the fun-filled and stress-free world of electric boating to Lake Norman in 2010. Thanks to the electric motor and patented Power Rudder propulsion device, Duffy boats carry passengers over water with a remarkable speed and maneuverability and cost as little as $1 per day to maintain. Since 1970, Duffy shipwrights have constructed each vessel exactly to the client's specifications, outfitting crafts with Duff-Eze cabin enclosures that allow captains to pilot their ship in any climate and ensure that boats never have to be winterized, covered, or sent to Florida because of cold weather.

Customers can rent out 21-foot Avalon models that carry 10–12 passengers for brief lakefront voyages, dancing to tunes from the onboard mp3 and CD hookups, warming themselves with the heater on chilly nights, and sunbathing on the bow. Specialty cruises entertain guests with floating wine tastings, catered feasts from Lake Norman cottage, and movie nights, and a seasonal schedule of special events dazzles families with upcoming attractions such as electric-boat sleigh rides.

Since the early 1960s, Captain Gus Gustafson has wrangled scaly creatures from the depths of scenic Lake Norman. Experienced in both saltwater and freshwater fishing, Captain Gus and his experienced guides help first-timers and veterans reel in lunkers such as striped and largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, white perch, and mountain trout. Each trip departs on either a 23-foot center console or 25-foot pontoon boat, each equipped with state-of-the-art electronics such as GPS, depth finders, and a Big Mouth Billy Bass's public-domain mating calls.

Dustin Keith, a former paratrooper, police officer, and learjet pilot, says that his favorite job has been owning and operating his boat-rental business with his wife, Andrea. Keith has loved water sports since he was young, and wanted to open the business to help families build their own memories on the water. The Keiths maintain a consistently updated inventory of luxury pontoon boats, kayaks, bowriders, and cabin cruisers, and the low deposits they require for rental are returned to customers the same day. Boat-club memberships give customers unlimited access to the boats without the expense of buying and storing them or setting up mermaid traps along the shore.

The Keiths donate a portion of the profits from boat rentals to Compassion International to support impoverished children in Asia and Africa, and hope to one day dedicate each boat to a child that its rental helps support.

After listening to professional instruction from Local Paddler's guides, total novices can paddle their standup paddleboards through the crystalline waters of North Carolina's lakes and rivers. Instructors teach newbies to stand upright on their boards, showcase J-strokes, sweep strokes, and other fundamentals, and also impart water-safety lessons, such as never drink the entire lake in one sitting. Local Paddler's shop furnishes all equipment for aquatic adventures, which unfold along the scenic shorelines of Falls Lake, Wake Forest Reservoir, Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, Tailrace Marina, Mountain Island Lake, or the Catawba River.

Travis Sloan has earned the right to call himself an expert wakeboarder. For more than eight years, he has competed in locations from North Carolina to California. His passion for the sport led him to become an instructor, and now he shares his expertise with boarders of all skill levels. On Lake Norman, Travis helps his pupils get up, jump waves, and flip through the air, and his classes also cover wake surfing, wake skating, and wake hopscotching.