If you’ve been following along on any of our social media channels, you’ll know that 1) we’ve been up at the lake a whole bunch this summer, trying to squeeze out as much time on the water as possible, and 2) we’ve found a new favourite family water toy.
Out cottage is full of people, and family as young as 1 and as old as… well we’ll just say grandparent age, come to have fun! Rarely, if ever have we found a water activity that the entire, and I mean ENTIRE family can enjoy together. So, when we found the Wateraft, tested it out, and had a freaking blast, we knew we had to share the details.
We’re breaking this one down in our good old Emmett’s ABCs format for all of you, because there’s a lot of awesomeness to share, and we think you’ll want to know it all – so here goes!
Affordability: There’s no getting around the fact that the Wateraft is an investment. It retails for $115 – $590 (depending on which size you get) at Costco Canada online (with free shipping!). Now that being said, a few things need to be considered. Most lake floaties cost upwards of $100 each, can only be used by one, or mayyyybe two, people at a time, and inevitably pop or tear after one or two seasons of use. We’ll get into the full construction below, but the Wateraft isn’t inflatable so it can’t tear, easily rolls up to store year after year, and can be used by an entire family at once! Seems to me that a slightly larger one-time investment that the family will love, is going to more than offset a lifetime of buying inflatables that end up in the trash – that’s our logic!
Blueprint (Overall Design):
- The Wateraft is a high-quality foam floating mat that comes in four sizes (see below), although in our opinion this is one scenario where bigger is better – we have the 15 ft version, and it’s big enough for a whole pile of people to be on at once!
- 6×3 ft, 6×12 ft, 6×15 ft, and 6×18 ft
- It’s constructed of multiple layers of foam, so there’s no inflating it (or worrying about it deflating when it gets a hole… ahem, kids anyone?!)
- It’s amazingly buoyant! Kids (and some teens) can easily stand up on it, and multiple adults can sit or lay on it with no problem – seriously, it’s pretty amazing.
- It’s UV protected, and really durable – so it’s basically zero maintenance. You roll it out and anchor it at the beginning of the season, and then roll it back up for storage at the end of the season! Easy peasy!
Creativity: In our humble opinion, what sets the Wateraft apart is the fact that the whole family will be able to enjoy it together. We’ve had adults relaxing on it while a toddler runs and jumps across the middle, we’ve had an entire family of adults and kiddos wrestling and playing on it, and we’ve had multiple adults sprawled out across it enjoying the sun. No matter how you like to play in the water, the Wateraft makes it fun and easy.
When I read this post back, it sounds like we really, really love the Wateraft. And that’s exactly how it should sound – because we do! I didn’t want you to just take my word on how much fun it is, so check out the quick video below for a few shots of the Wateraft in action!
Note: we received a Wateraft at no cost to test out before writing this post – if you’ve watched the video above, you’ll know that it really is this awesome, and you really will love it too!
