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Waterfront: Getting Hooked

I can't recall the exact year but it was in the 1980's. I drove with my girl friend (now my wife) to her family cottage outside of Sault Ste. Marie. A paved secondary highway lead to a dirt road which lead to a smaller dirt laneway. Maple trees and towering hemlock lined both sides of the lane. The lake was clear, clean and bordered on one shore with massive granite bluffs. The cottage wasn't much by today's standards, two bedrooms, an outhouse and shed by the water dubbed the "Dancehall" but as we call them in the North, it was a nice "camp."
I had always gone trailer camping with my parents but to have your own place on the water, your very own private campsite with a building, well let's just say I thought I hit the jackpot all around. 
Fast forward a couple years and through desire or need, my future in-laws sold the cottage (just one year before my wife and I were established in careers). It was from that moment of when the cottage was no longer a possession, that my wife and I started on our journey to replace what was removed from us.
We all desire waterfront for different reasons; some want solitude, some want to make memories with family and others are looking for a different lifestyle. Whatever your reason, waterfront property has and always will be one of the best real estate investments you can make. 
I'm not here to tell what to buy but rather, over 30 plus years of searching, buying and selling until we find the right place, I am hoping I can save you TIME in your search from what I have learned. I have had water access, off the grid, both water access and drive-to and full service drive-to properties. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Over the course of following articles I will go over each experience from the things you may not think about such as what kind of boat works best for building on an island to using a propane fridge to bringing in hydro to your property. 
I hope you will find the upcoming information useful.
All the best,
Joe