Ray Dintino begins his day like many people. He gets up about 7 a.m. Plugs in the percolator. Feeds and walks the dog. Exercises a bit.

For Dintino, it's another summer morning ... on his boat.

He and his wife, Judy, maintain a home in Amherst. They also spend many summer days and nights aboard their 32-foot Carver, Cloud IX, docked at the Buffalo Launch Club, Grand Island.

Cable TV, wireless Internet, full-size refrigerator, stand-up shower, air-conditioning, heating and other features make this home away from home very homelike indeed.

But, as Dintino points out, it's not all relaxation.

"There's always something to fix on a boat, always something to do," he says.

His efforts show. The tidy boat dates back to 1989. They purchased it in 1995 for about $40,000, with trade-in. Dintino has been maintaining it ever since -- tending to the mechanics, caring for the teak interior, waxing, cleaning, polishing.

Only a few items have needed to be replaced; the dinette cushions were recovered last year, for example. But most of what's on the boat is original, including the mini-blinds, curtains, carpeting and every part of the bridge.

They put the boat in the water early in the season -- once the ice is out of Lake Erie -- and leave it in until the end of October, says Dintino, a retired Buffalo teacher.

The late James J. Hallett, a friend, fellow teacher at Seneca Vocational High School, corporate pilot and boat captain, got Dintino hooked on the water in the mid-1970s.

"He taught me everything about teaching and everything about boating," Dintino says.

The first boat was a 16-foot wood Thompson that Dintino purchased used. Next came the 181/2-foot Sea Ray, then the 241/2-foot Sea Ray, then the 28-foot Chris-Craft and, now, the 32-foot Carver.

The Dintinos also have a smaller boat -- a 2006 17-foot Trophy -- which is the one they actually take out on the water. It gets better fuel mileage, and it's easier and quicker to get going.

"You can get more places at a faster speed," Dintino says.

The docked Cloud IX functions as a "floating cottage," one that can be comfortable and relaxing even when it's raining outside.

"I love it when it's raining. There's something about the sound of the rain coming down on the hull of the boat," says Judy Dintino, a retired secretary who worked for the New York State Office of Mental Health.

Everything on the boat has a place, and every place has a purpose. And there is no clutter -- anywhere.

"There's a reason for everything on a boat," says Dintino, pointing out the wall rack for books, the built-in caddy for an auxiliary phone and the designated spots for fire extinguishers and fishing poles.

The tricky thing about a boat is that you can't go out and just buy things to furnish it, Dintino notes.

"Everything has to fit into a small area," he says.

Indeed, it took some searching to find the perfect, small-scaled leather sofa for the salon (the main living area). They purchased the sofa for $250 online at overstock.com.

The galley is a model of small-space efficiency.

"Everything we have here is smaller," says Judy Dintino.

She points out the three-burner stove, toaster oven that takes the place of an oven, microwave, Cuisinart griller and mini food processor.

While they cook meals here, they also grill outdoors, and dine at the Buffalo Launch Club or at other restaurants on Grand Island. Takeout is always an option.

Much time is spent socializing, of course. Judy Dintino belongs to a members' book club that meets September to June as well as a bowling league.

Husband Ray is involved in many boating-related activities. He is a past commander of the Buffalo Power Squadron, a nonprofit organization promoting safe boating through education. He also spent one summer broadcasting the live on-water WBEN weekend boating reports aboard his 28-foot Chris-Craft.

"I would combine a boating tip along with the marine forecast during my weekend reports. It kept us on our toes with what was happening on the area waterfront," he says.

"To this day, friends still call me to find out about the weather for a boating trip either to or from their port of call," says Dintino, a former science teacher intrigued by all-things-weather, especially as they relate to boating.

As for their summer lifestyle, they also enjoy getting off their boats to walk the dog, take in the view from the dock, swim at the Buffalo Launch Club pool and visit with other boaters.

"It's our own little community," Ray Dintino says.

His wife agrees.

"It's our neighborhood; these are our friends for life," she says.

smartin@buffnews.comnull