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You want to own a cottage, but your budget does not match your dream of sitting on a deck overlooking sparking water, the cry of the loon breaking the silence. You could follow George Popper's example and buy a water-access cottage, a more affordable property because you can reach it only by boat.

The Toronto architect bought a large parcel of land on Lover's Lane, an island in the Thousand Islands, renovated one cottage on the property for his own use, subdivided the lot and is now selling another cottage.

What attracted him — besides the lower price — was the lack of roads. "Once you get out of the car and into your boat, all of a sudden you feel free," he says. "It attracts the kind of person who likes tranquillity."

A boat ride may not be everyone's preferred method of getting to the cottage, but for those who are into boating, buying a water-access property can mean significant savings. Christopher Huddart estimates he saved about $150,000 on the 2003 purchase of his cottage on Hungry Island in Six Mile Lake.

"If you want to get into cottaging and have a smaller budget, then a water-access cottage is the way to go," says Mr. Huddart, a real estate broker of record who owns Christopher J. Huddart Ltd. in Coldwater and Six Mile Lake, and handles many such cottages.

The recently released 2008 Recreational Property Report by Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. found some significant price differences between waterfront cottages with road access and those without. The survey was done in early June.

The Rideau Lake area reported the least-expensive water-access cottages, with a price range of $100,000 to $200,000. Properties reached by road in the same area go for $200,000 to $300,00.

Some of the most expensive water-access cottages are in the Midland/Penetanguishine area, where prices are between $275,000 and $650,000. Road-access cottages in the area run from $375,000 to $1-million.

Some water-access gems can be found in the Parry Sound area for less than $200,000, compared with prices of between $200,000 to $400,000 for cottages reached by road.

In the Gananoque/Kingston area, the difference between water-ƒ|and land-access cottages is relatively small: $170,000 to $200,000, compared with $170,000 to $300,000.

The survey shows that a buyer in the Sudbury area could save $100,000 by buying a water-access cottage.

In the Haliburton Highlands, such properties range from $130, 000 to $300,000, while cottages reached by land go for between $200,000 and $800,000.

A road-access cottage in the West Kawarthas sells for $240,000 to $2.5-million, compared with $185,000 to $425,000 for one reached by boat.

Given that a standard waterfront, land-access cottage in Ontario went for between $311,826 and $621,174 last year, properties reached by water can be very attractive, especially for first-time buyers, says Pauline Aunger of Royal LePage Pauline Aunger Real Estate in Smith Falls.

Some people request a water-access cottage because they have an idealized vision of island life, she notes. "There's a huge romantic vision that comes with having an island. People who have never owned waterfront property often think of an island as being that bit of utopia with lots of privacy."

But most buyers of cottages without road access are driven by price, she says. "For some people, water-access cottages are the perfect entry level."

There are two types of water-access cottages: a single cottage on a small island and one of many cottages on a larger island. A cottage that is the only one on a small island usually sells at a higher price because you are buying an entire island, says Kathy Dimaline, owner of Davis & McLay Real Estate Inc. in the Bruce Peninsula area.

There are other advantages to owning a water-access cottage besides affordability. Property lots on islands tend to be much larger and have more shoreline than those on the mainland. This keeps neighbours further away, thus ensuring privacy.

"Properties on the shores are close to each other. They're lovely, but it's one house next to ¡K [the] other on the road," says Mr. Popper, who has several dozen neighbours on the island. "The islands are greener, more private and more natural."

Another advantage of cottages reached by water is that property taxes are lower because the absence of a road reduces their market-value assessment. Many owners of waterfront properties with road access have seen their assessments rise sharply in recent years.

"Some people who have had their cottages in the family for years are all of a sudden getting whopping tax bills," Mr. Popper says. "In some extreme cases, they're being forced to sell because of property taxes."

Water-access cottages tend to attract younger people because of the challenges the properties present, Mr. Huddart notes. "It's a young person's property, so you have to have 'good-knees days' and be handy. You have to know how to do things, how to build things and how to be resourceful."

The major inconvenience of water-bound cottages is having to bring all the paraphernalia associated with cottaging over by boat, which often requires numerous trips. This can prove a particular hardship if you need to transport renovation materials.

You also need to buy or rent a boat and know how to operate it. And next year, everyone in Ontario will be required to have a license to operate one. Even then, a cottage may not be accessible over the winter if the lake freezes. Mr. Popper normally cannot reach his cottage between Christmas and March. Mr. Huddart can use his winterized cottage 10 to 11 months a year by trading his boat for a snowmobile, provided the lake is solidly frozen.

With a boat, you need a marina where you can dock it when not at the cottage, and this can prove to be a problem as some developers have snapped up some marinas for waterfront condominiums. To save their boat slips, some cottagers have banded together to buy their local marinas as they come on the market.

Most water-access cottages have hydro, but some rely on generators. There are people who prefer water-bound properties that are off the power grid so they can install windmills or solar panels. In addition, not all water-access cottages have wells or septic tanks. However, composting toilets or electric toilets are good alternatives, says Ms. Dimaline, the real estate agent.

Another disadvantage is that while a water-access cottage is generally a good investment, renting them out can be problematic, says Laura Gustaffson, a real estate agent with Muskoka-based Vacation Time Realty, which specializes in cottage rentals. The market niche is smaller than for cottages with road access because older people, families with very young children and those who are unfamiliar with boats tend to avoid water-access cottages, she says.

Special to The Globe and Mail