No boat, so I wont chime in there....Personally, my fav beach area by far is the NE section (around the corner and past the Idaho state park north beach)...you access via Bear Lake Hot Springs...$7 per car...You drive to the water edge, nothing but sand....super nice and dang fun. Get there by 10:00-10:30 to ensure a great spot on busy weekends...plenty of beach to set up shop!