Captain Matt started his love of boating at 5 years old when his parents bought a 16’ Larson Tri-Hull with an 85HP Mercury 2-stroke outboard. From that day on, Matt and his whole family were boaters. Over the years, he has boated on bow riders, deck boats, pontoons, tritoons, center consoles, sport yachts, jet boats, aluminum fishing boats, and wake boats. He even enjoys skiing and learned to barefoot when he was younger.That love of boating landed him as the ‘gas and bait’ guy at a small marina on Branched Oak Lake in Nebraska during college. Then a career spanning over a decade in the industry that started as The Pleasure Boat Specialist at a large boat dealership in the Southeast.It was there he started sharing his knowledge with first-time boat shoppers and boat owners. This consumer advocacy led to the creation of the first version of The Boat Buyer’s Toolkit (a free resource for boat shoppers) and an early version of The Boater’s Bootcamp (a free resource for boat owners).Captain Matt is now dedicated to helping first-time boat buyers and boat owners get the most from their boating lifestyle with his website and the Boat Buyer’s Secret Weapon YouTube channel, which boasts over 500 videos, over 50,000 subscribers, and over 4 million views a year from boaters worldwide. In addition to all the free videos, resources and tools, Captain Matt has also created The First-Time Boat Buyer’s Academy, The Best Boat Captain on the Water, The Best Pontoon Captain on the Water and How to Trailer Like a Pro (as well as other programs) to assist those that really want to ensure they can enjoy the freedom and joy of boating.In many of the videos, resources and even programs; you’ll meet Captain Matt’s family; his wife and 2 daughters who started boating at just a few months old. You may even see them on Lake Wylie, Lake Norman in the Carolinas, Lake Loudoun or Tellico outside of Knoxville, the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri or the Carolina coast.Read more about this authorRead less about this author