By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

A local resident was inspired to create a men’s g

roup closer to home after experiencing the fun and success of the Lake Travis Houseboat group.

Craig Buchner — who lives in Steiner Ranch with his wife, Suzanne, and their two children, Tyler and Savannah — started attending the Lake Travis Houseboat group several years ago. That group formed over a decade ago and actually meets on a houseboat.

But the long drive to the other side of the lake inspired Buchner to create a Steiner group that could be accessible to more local men. So Buchner started Steiner Ranch Houseboat, a similar gathering for men, in June of 2016. The group meets at the Steiner Lake Club at 12300 River Bend on the last Tuesday of every month.

In the laid back environment, Steiner Houseboat is “a really fun time together,” said Buchner. “Guys show up around 6 o’clock, eat around 7:30-ish, and during that time everyone’s just kind of catching up with each other.”

Men will float on the lake, weather permitting, or stand around getting to know each other while a dedicated team cooks. Sometimes members will bring their boats for water sports. A free, usually gourmet meal is provided to attendees, who bring beverages of their choice and something to share like an appetizer or dessert.

“It`s just a wonderful environment to relax and forget about all the stresses of life. And that’s why the Lake Club was such a perfect fit,” explained Buchner.

“We want it to be just men. We don’t want children there. And no offense to wives, but it needs to be just the men,” he emphasized.

The intention of the group, beyond the opportunity to relax, is to give men the chance to share their daily lives with one another and to seek support when needed.

After dinner, around 8:15 p.m., the group circles up. Group leaders explain the heritage of Houseboat and how it came to be, along with a few basic rules for sharing.

Buchner said men in the community struggle with the same problems as men everywhere: marriage issues, separation and divorce; health issues; problems at work or unemployment; parenting struggles; and caring for elderly parents.

Whatever is shared, everyone benefits, said Buchner.

“A couple great things come from the sharing. One, if you’re the one sharing, you get a chance to get stuff off your chest. The other thing is, as you’re listening… it’s great to remember (afterward), oh you know what, I think I can help out that guy. I’ve been through it,” he said.

“Typically most men want to keep their problems to themselves,” continued Buchner. “Or they think that they can handle it on their own, until it gets so big that they realize they’re at a point where they don’t have any more solutions.”

Besides offering encouragement and prayer to its members, the act of sharing and listening can remind the men that their lives are not so bad, or that their problems are common.

Having started the group with the idea that its success could be measured by the number of participants, Buchner now gauges the group’s achievements in the number of men who continue to talk into the night after a gathering has wrapped up at 9 p.m.

For Buchner, bringing these men together has benefitted him twofold.

“It helps me to be thankful. The other thing is, it gives me a large community to go ask advice… It’s a brotherhood that I can go lean on if I’m going through a struggle,” he said.

Buchner encourages any men who are interested to attend. He also points out that the group is great for men who work from home and may not see a lot of other men in their day-to-day lives.

While there is a prayer before eating and another at the end of the night, Houseboat is, “not a church event,” and faith is not a requirement for participation.

Buchner also emphasizes that it’s a casual get-together, and men should feel free to arrive later than 6 p.m.