By Mark Woolsey

A Marietta businessman and former city council member  is taking his love of the water-to the water.

Reginald Copeland is putting together a luxury charter boat service that will ply the waves of Lake Lanier and quite possibly other Georgia lakes. It’s dubbed Game Changer Charter Boats.

Copeland has bought a top-of-the-line Bennington  Tritoon that seats up to 14 people and has also invested in extensive boating operation and safety training.

He says the service he’ll offer beginning in late March or early April-whenever the weather warms sufficiently-will be a far cry from what many lakegoers in Georgia have come to expect-show up, put down a deposit, take a rental craft out for a few hours and hope for the best.

Copeland says “you’re getting a good deal because a lot of people don’t know how to operate a boat. That causes a lot of anxiety.

“With the charter business you get someone to drive the boat for you. All you have to do is get on  and everything else is taken care of.”

And he means everything. Including possibly queasy stomachs.

He says the Bennington is inherently more stable than an ordinary pontoon and has an extra safety package enabling it to cut through water even more smoothly.

Guests can bring drinks and snacks for no extra charge and yes, adult beverages are allowed as long as his guests drink responsibly.

And the boat has a robust sound system allowing guests to choose any type of musical accompaniment they  want to accompany the wind in their hair and the spray on their faces.

Other customizable facets: if a group wants to cruise into a cove and swim for a while, no issue. And if they want to stop at a restaurant on the water,  Copeland says he won’t charge the meal break against their cruising time. And he  says he’s only too happy to guide guests to one of several restaurants on Lanier’s shore  and point out other facets of the 38,000-acre lake.

“My theme is creating memories on the water that will last forever,” he says.

 The base price for a three-hour tour, his website says, is $400 for four guests and increases to $750 for ten. A large party package tour is also available.

Hanging the name “Game Changer” on his fledgling service is a nod to his nickname and his abilities, says Copeland. He’s called Reggie the Game Chamber because he looks to “change the game in a manner that will bring about the best of every situation.”

One of those changed games put him in the shoes of an entrepreneur, after working for others as a licensed professional counselor and as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force.

His penchant for water recreation is another underpinning that portended  his luxury charter  idea,

Childhood swimming lessons and excursions sparked his interest. A quarter of a century living in Southern California sealed the deal as he immersed himself (so to speak) in various water sports and hung out on friends’ boats.

Moving back to Marietta in 2015, he  served four years on the City Council, then decided to buy a boat as a gift to himself.

“A lot of people started asking if I did rides or did tours, so I said ’let’s turn it into a business,’”

Copeland says Game Changer primarily cruises Lake Lanier, but he’ll also offers services on a number of other North and Middle Georgia Lakes;  Allatoona, Burton, Oconee, Sinclair, Blue Ridge, Chatuge and West Point.

He’s also looking to graduate to a full fleet of boats plying Georgia waters.