Powerboating in Texas

Texas boating covers a lot of map. On one end: 600 miles of Gulf coastline, the bay systems around Galveston and Corpus Christi, the barrier islands, Padre Island National Seashore, and open Gulf water beyond the jetties. Sailors work the bays, offshore crews run for blue water, and the marinas and charter fleets along the coast handle everyone from lifelong mariners to first-timers who just want a rod in their hands.

Inland, the reservoirs do the heavy lifting. Travis, Conroe, Buchanan, Toledo Bend: thousands of acres apiece of powerboating, watersports, and fishing water, most of it ringed with marinas offering slips, fuel, and repair service, plus rental fleets and charters for visitors without a trailer. Open ocean, sheltered bay, or big lake: the state has all three, and they don't feel remotely alike.