TOPIC: Cruise Planning

Growing up in Wisconsin, my boating experience has been limited to trailing a boat to one of the hundreds of lakes the state offers, or visiting family and friends that have lake property and taking the boat off the lift etc.

I appreciate many of the boats represented in this forum are speed boat or day boats. Still, some of the classics have cabins and cannopies that offer respite from the sun.

Question to Terry and Jimandros (and others) how have you planned and executed your adventures? (fuel stops, food, lodging)

Terry has provided pictures of Mama Mia all over the mid-west and north east. Terry, in another post, you mention a trip on the Tennesee river.

I got my kid's Switzer in the water April 24. I have a boathouse slip at Hidden Harbor in Winneconne. I've run up the Wolf to New London, up the fox to Berlin & out to Oshkosh.
Swapped the Switzer for my Shell Lake last weekend.
Very little boat traffic all season; High gas price I guess.
Today I'm the locktender at the Eureka Lock.

Well, for some reason I capsized the Switzer.....

And here is a lock picture, I hope it stays upright & doesn't spill out.

The lock is spilling out!
To answer your question, I have no plans but need to use 40 hours of holiday time at work. So maybe?

We live in NW South Carolina on Lake Keowee with dams that border lakes Hartwell and Jocassee. We pick a lake and just cruise around, basically looking at lake homes and saying things like "I wouldn't pay a penny more than $4,000,000 for that one"...after complaining about the price of 15 gallons of gas. Not much respite from the sun except for parking under overhanging trees here and there. A stop at the Cabana Club on Keowee for cold beer and wings is always part of the plan, if you can call it that.

We have sandbars, so no shade.

I don't get it, each picture appears upright until I click send. Far too modern & high tech for me.
Jan, look at my nice engine....... don't get excited.

First, thanks to those the replied to the topic.

Jimandros, looks like your family has a couple immaculate boats. Hoping Ken or one of the moderators can help flip your pictures 180 degrees. I see you have an original OMC I/O which apparently is a Nautilus favorite. Thanks for providing your time to the Eureka lock. Without enthusiasts like you, and the Berlin Boat club, there'd be no access for boaters.

Nautilus, that shot of the bow of your boat is magnificent. I bet a number of those million-dollar home owners wish they could have your boat. Similar thing happening in Wisconsin. All the 3 season cottages are slowly being bought up, torn down and 5000 square foot homes are being squashed on the lots. 2nd and 3rd generation family members are losing the properties because they can't afford to keep them in their families.

I have to apologize for my original, poorly written post. To clarify, lets say you drop your boat in somewhere and intend on covering 200 miles over several days. Are there any resources you use devoted to boaters/cruisers to help plan a trip? Or, do you rely on local friends/clubs? Or just wing it!

Example: I'd like to travel the Illinois river from Chicago to Peoria and back. I'd like to be able to stop along the way to explore some of the towns, get some lunch or dinner, Lodging etc.

Thoughts?

Jimandros,
That is some beautiful Glass! Years ago we camped out at the Eureka dam fish camp.

Hey Larsspar,
At first I boated only on local waterways but once I got Mama Mia! to where I had confidence in reliability, wanderlust struck, and we yearned for bigger water.


The destination was Pell City Alabama.

The original 1961 Merc operator’s manual was included when I got the boat and the name Jim Myers was written on the cover. I also found his name and address on the Airguide clock that he apparently sent out for repair.
With that I called directory assistance and got a phone # for Jim Myers. So I ring up the number and an old guy answered. He says hello and I say something like well you don’t know me and he cuts me off and says “Well if I don’t know you then I don’t want to talk to you” click!
Thought I blew it but decided to try again. He answered and I mentioned old Glasspars, that got his attention and he didn’t hang up. I told him I had an old Glasspar Sedan that was once his.
He responded “I don’t think so cuz I still have my Glasspars “We talked awhile, and it came back to him that his nephew from Fox Lake IL bought his 59 Sedan in the seventies. He still had his 58 Lido and 69 Cutlas at his summer home near Pell City Alabama.

I wanted to meet Jim who was in his eighties then and see his boats. I also wanted him to revisit Mama Mia!

Pell City is on the Coosa river and not connected to any major waterways. The Tennessee river skirts northern Alabama and that is getting close. First thought was to launch at Canal St in Chicago and head south via the Illinois to the Mississippi, Ohio, and then lock through to the Tennessee. (Kentucky Lake)


Seemed a bit ambitious so ended up trailering to Kentucky and launching at Kentucky Dam. Had heard of the Great Cruise Loop and this is a section of that although the loop would take you south on the Tom Bigbee Waterway to Mobile where I continued up the Tennessee River to Decatur AL.
In preparation I contacted the TVA and purchased the charts bible and downloaded the various state boating regulations. Don’t drink beer in Kentucky. You gotta take a ride down to Tennessee to legally pop a cold one. And once in Mississippi anything goes.

Fitted a Garmin GPS loaded with Inland Lakes and Waterways, a VHF radio and depth sounder. Also had a folding bicycle for transportation when in port.

Studied maps and charts and listed the State Parks, resorts, marinas and fish camps along the route.


After long hot 100F days in the deep south one craves the deluxe accommodations.


Yall come back now hear!

Spent 10 days on the water and covered 700 miles by boat. And yeah, plans need to be flexible so definitely some just winging it. Although communicating a daily float plan is important.


Got to meet Jim and take him out for a ride on the Tennessee.


Jim was a Glasspar Guy, RIP Jim.


10th day out and within site of Kentucky I was blessed with the first rain drops. Crazy!


Time for some Patsy.


Thanks,
Terry

Terry, thanks for sharing the great adventure.

This is exactly the kind of information I'm seeking. My plan is to fit modern navigation equipment. (VHF, GPS/chart plotter, forward scanning sonar) Chart plotter/sonar can get fairly spendy, so continue to study options. Considering a through hull transducer, but the thought makes me squeamish. My main concern is running out of fuel.

Good advice on studying state boating regulations. I'd be the guy drinking beer while boating in Kentucky. Does Kentucky encourage whiskey drinking?

I've watched several good YouTube miniseries on Loopers and Trent Severn. (passes time while doing morning exercise in the winter)
Seatleboatguy, BoatingWithBoogaboo, Sailing Soulianis

Glad you were able to meet the orginal owner of Mama Mia. Must have been very satisfying.

How long is a cruise of the Illinois Fox River down through the Chain of Lakes? I read that as you proceed south, you're haulted by a series of dams.

Nautilus, I was just studying Lake Keowee. At 26 miles long and with many islands, I gather you can cruise for quite a while.

I understand it's man made and wonder how mindful of the depths you have to be along the shoreline and islands......

There are places you have to be aware of but for the most part, the terrain is fairly steep so the water is generally deep enough along the shoreline. I cruised a 57' boat on Keowee for seven years...never ran it aground.

Terrydi, thanks for the compliment.

Larspar, regarding the Chain O Lakes, I grew up in Northern suburbs & we went there frequently. The chain is a WPA project if I recall correctly. By the 70s the water was dirty (actually felt oily when you swam), lots of erosion & loss of habitat. The channels were quite sedimented in.
In the early 80s a user pass was implemented & the money went to dredging & other improvements. I've never been there since it was implemented but I hear good things.
It is possible to boat the river from Wilmot Harbor just inside Wisconsin south to Grass Lake then thru the lakes via a few different routes into the the river again heading to Jonsburg & McHenry. After McHenry there is a lock & dam from what I understand to (or at least near) Algonquin.

I'm interested in exploring Table Rock Lake and Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley after I retire.

I have boated the Mississippi from the Twin Cities to Dubuque (Dubuque run was started in LaCrosse) with an 88 SeaRay 230 Weekender. Also the Apostle Islands, with the above SeaRay, a 1970 17' SeaRay & the last time there in 2018 with the Shell Lake. A 49 year old OMC Fossil Drive, how crazy is that.

EAA is going on in Oshkosh this week. Today I did Winneconne to Calumet County park/harbor across Winnebago & back. Watched a Delta 787 doing fly-bys on the way & a United 777 doing the same on my return.

Larspar... regarding worrying about running out of gas - not sure you would be interested, but I have a nice 18 gallon Marathon tank that is skinny in width to fit vertically and is twice as wide as it is tall. it is designed to sit exposed and has its own fuel gauge on top and has a direct fill cap. my boats are short shaft, so tank is too tall (like 18") and the short shaft boats are 15" at transom. they are typically mounted with floor clips and had just 2 bolts in flange of high to inner splashwell... and likely could also mount against a Gunnell sideways as I have seen in some cruisers. this would add range to your tank and could quickly be removed for regular small lake outings. Let me know if interested and if you want to see pictures and Measurment's... and f you found a second one, you would have a floating fuel barge. That EAA is cool... had about 20 of those Dick Rutan Vary Ease plane fly in a row over the house heading over there and about 10 radial engine speedsters before them...gotta get back there next year... did anyone ever watch this from their boat where they have the sea planes?

Hey All,

Every port has a story. There was a 70 mile stretch I ran in Tennessee which is about max between filling up the gas tanks. I carried a 6 gal can but figured I could make to the Saltillo Marina without using the reserve. Was running a little late and phoned ahead to let them know and they said they were closing for the day but would wait.

The marina was on my TVA chart but not my GPS. I went past it once and circled back to a dark overgrown channel. I turned in and about a ¼ mile up the creek was a ramshackle marina badly in need of paint. Most the boats in the slips appeared in sad shape and some looked to be salvage candidates.
When I called ahead, the gentleman that said he would wait told me they were fixin to drink some beer and would be out on the porch.


All were friendly natives and they loved seeing Mama Mia!

Filled up the tanks and can’t remember the last time turning the crank to reset the pump which maxed out at 99.9/10 cents. Wanted to join the group for a cold one although I still had quite a way to go.

Tecate always hits the spot when out boating. It’s a light beer with a slight bitterness and squeezing a fresh lime slice creates the perfect summer thirst quencher. But I was out of limes and saw some Bud Lime at the last stop and said what the hell, it should go good with the County Boy pickled eggs and sardines for supper.

So, I grab an icy cold Bud Lime and go up and meet the group who were all very friendly folk.




They even offered to put me up for the night in a one of the trailers on the property.
Looked cozy but I had to go now so I finished my beer and got back on the river.


Got delayed by barge traffic locking through to Pickwick Lake and arrived up there after dark. It was a nailbiter and it was only the GPS with buoy markings that got me safely to port that night.


The Pickwick Landing State Park is a magnificent facility, and the people were some of the friendliest folks ever. You know, every port has a story.

Thanks,
Terry

Terry, thanks for sharing the great stories. I hope to have similar future adventures with my yet to be named boat.

Jimandros, I understand watching the EAA from Lake Winnebago offers some great views. Thanks also for the information of the Fox River/Chain of Lakes.

Dr. Go, thanks for the offer of fuel tanks. My boat came with twin 18-gallon tanks. If you add in the filler necks, I suppose I can hold 39 or 40 gallons. I'm guessing I'll get 3 or maybe more nautical miles per gallon. I'm just pointing out without proper planning; I might find myself a long way from a marina.

I am envious of each of you that have operational boats currently!

Larspar… there were a few times my boat was waiting for repairs… then a couple years Iife got in the way and boat didn’t see the water. That Minocqua show was first time back in the water for 3 years… I am not getting any younger, so it was very rewarding! You will be in the water by next season it would seem the way you are attacking this project.

Larspar,
Just be happy your boat is pretty solid to start with.
I thought you would be in the water this season then you began re-engineering the fiberglass boat industry.

I have 5 boats, so always a spare or 2 available.

I believe I posted previously regarding this book covering a cruise on the Sea of Cortez in 1965.


They trailered Glasspar Ventura I/O from S California and cruised hundreds of miles along Mexico’s west coast.




Peggy Sue III receives final touches at Glasspar factory.


Federales board for inspection before launching.

www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Powerboating-West-Coast-Mexico-Murray-Spencer/1124994682/bd

Hi Terry,
I had not seen this previously so I appreciate the post.

I'd like to find a copy.

Hope the off season treats you well....