I live on Bear Island half the year and I've been keeping my boat, as has my step son, at Merrill Fay's for 26 years. Fays is the only "Boat Yard" catering to older as well as new boats, on the Lake, as opposed to the more modern marina.
Merrill is "one of a kind," and knowledgable, straight foward without mincing words, loves the lake, and is fair with all. He has taken costly precautions to install underground filters, above and beyond what the EPA requires, to keep spillage from seeping into the Lake.
He is one of the only big marina owners to step up to the plate in favor of a speed limit on the Lake (HB 162 which calls for a 45 MPH limit days and 25 MPH nights) as he wants to keep the lake safe for small boaters and families. He is not against "speed boats," but is for a speed limit -- like they have on Squam Lake, Lake George (where they are able to enforce the limit), Saratoga lakes, and many others where the safety of the lakes was restored by imposing a limit. Unless we pass a speed limit law, with the number of very fast boats increasing on our very special Lake, it is only a matter of time until we have more tragedies, like the untimely death of Jack Hartman which was more from neglence than speed. There have been MANY close calls and if we wish return to safe family boating, we need a speed limit! Go to
http://www.WinnFABS.com for more information on this critically important issue.
Hal Lyon
Halclyon@yahoo.com