Ben Hundley remains fascinated with White Rock Lake.
Fishing on the lake with his uncle was one of his favorite childhood activities. So it’s not surprising Hundley and his father, Roy Lee “Pop” Hundley, went into business near White Rock Lake in 1946 renting fishing boats.
“It was a booming business,” Hundley says, with cars lined up waiting to rent boats from Hundley Boat and Recreation Center, 3240 W. Lawther.
“At one time, we were running more than 30 boats,” he says. “We used to have many families that would come out and boyfriends with their girlfriends.”
But not long after the business began, Hundley’s father died.
“It was a turning point in my life,” he says. “My father loved this lake very, very much. I wanted to keep the business my father had because he thought so much of it.”
Hundley moved the business to the west side of the lake, and he added paddleboats (currently $5 per half-hour, up to three riders at a time) and phased out fishing boats. He also began renting 10-speed mountain bikes ($7.50 per hour), and eventually began selling candy, drinks, hot dogs and other snacks.
During the early years, other lake-oriented businesses included a Chris Craft dealership that provided speed boat rides and operated the Bonnie Barge, a dinner and dancing boat. Another boat rental camp also set up shop.
“If someone would come over to our place, and we’d take the boat away from them, they’d say: ‘We’ll just go across the lake.’ I’d call (the other boat rental owner) and say: ‘You got three ruffians coming over there in a 1962 Ford pickup.’ He wouldn’t let them have anything either. That way they knew they had to obey all safety regulations.”
Hundley says he went out of his way to look out for kids he knew came from broken homes.
“Every now and then, a man will come up and say: ‘Hi Ben. You don’t remember me, but I was one of the little ruffians you used to take fishing. You turned my life around, and I wanted to thank you.’ Now, that is what makes me feel good.”
But Hundley says the paddle boat business is no longer booming. At age 66, he is beginning to think about retirement. Business hours from 10 a.m. to sunset daily don’t allow him and his wife to enjoy themselves.
Hundley also knows the family business will end with him because his children are successful in other fields and aren’t interested in operating the rental shop.
But when the business is sold, Hundley says, “I wouldn’t like to see any Tom, Dick or Harry get it. I want someone to care for it like we do.”
