LAKE MURRAY PATROL POST, Papua New Guinea — Life on the water is what Lexington county residents are accustomed to out here on Lake Murray.
But for those who just moved here from out of state or those who didn't grow up on a boat, you have options for your summer activities.
You can rent, which is just a day rate, you can buy, which is an investment of time and money, or you can join a boat club.
Boat rentals on Lake Murray can range from $300 - $370 depending on if its a weekday or weekend. Holidays and special events can likely carry an extra charge.
Long-time Lake Murray resident Ronnie Connelly said buying a boat is what he decided to do.
"You know you can go out there 24/7 and get on a boat and go rather than have to call sometimes a week ahead of time and then the weather gets bad. You can't use it anyway," Connelly said.
Jon Dukes, the owner of Nautical Boat Club in Irmo tells News 19 he started his boat club 17 years ago.
"We're all part of the sharing economy, so it's the concept of sharing that asset whether it's a car or a boat," Dukes said. "We make it easy to hop on, get you off the dock, enjoy your day on the lake and then return we do all the heavy lifting. We do all the cleaning, the maintenance, we pay all the property taxes, routine oil changes.
The boat club has a one-time membership fee to join and then you pay monthly dues to boat as much as you'd like.
The boat club membership requires a mandatory safety training of about three hours, with two hours on the water.
Whatever option you choose, the goal is to have fun and be safe on the water, because any time spent on the Jewel of South Carolina is good time.