any new england rivers?

[lucky7]

that would be a nice trip in a bow rider? i guess parts of the coneticut and merrimack are nagivible. any advice?

 

[zach103]

Re: any new england rivers?

connecticut. i hav't been on the ct river yet . hopin to this year. but i heard its reallly nice.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: any new england rivers?

One of my favorite boat trips is on Long Lake, Brandy Pond, Songo River and Sebago Lake in Maine. Long Lake is like traveling down 11 miles of big river. Brandy Pond is a small lake tha';s connected to Long Lake via a channel, and at the end of Brandy Pond, you can enter the Songo River for a nice trip to Sebago Lake (which is pretty darn big). You will need to go through one lock, I think it's <$7, round trip. The river is no wake the entire length and it takes about an hour. It's a narrow river that would appear better suited to a canoe, but it's deep and sandy and I have no trouble taking my 25 footer down it.

You can do the entire trip from the north end of Long Lake, to exploring Sebago, and get back to where you launched in a day. I have doen it several times. I have also spent the night at anchor a few times on Sebago too. That's fun as well.

There's some great restaurants at the south end of Long Lake by the public docks. Rick's Cafe is my favorite. There's an ice cream place on the upstream side of the Songo Lock, great place to hang out if you have a long wait for the lock. There's a great little casual restaurant with docks called Frye's Leap Cafe on Frye Island in Sebago. Never had a bad meal there.

Friends of ours on the Songo River

Busy day in the lock.

Giant sandbar on Sebago. The water is 3-4 feet deep with a sandy bottom for hundreds of acres in this area.

My boat and a friend's boat in Kettle Cove, Sebago Lake.


CT. River is fun too, but it gets really crowded and a little crazy on weekends.

 

[zach103]

Re: any new england rivers?

yah my buddy launches his jet ski in hartford then goes down to the shore. says the closer you get to the shore the busier it is.

 

[bigblocksarefun]

Re: any new england rivers?

I've been up and down the Conn. River more times than I can count, but I'm always working. Beautiful river though, and long. Thames is kind of boring, lot of old turn of the century industrial wrecks along the shore. I've heard the Housatonic is cool though. Can't wait to get the boat going so I can show the wife what I get to see all the time.

 

[Black Snow Slide]

Re: any new england rivers?

Great thread.... I live in southern Ma. Not alot of rivers in this area. I have a Wellcraft 18' bowrider and we have Mt Hope Bay, Saconnett river and Taunton river. All are salt water but lots of fun while not getting too choppy.We raft up with friends in Pirates Cove. Nice sandy bottom, 6' deep at low tide and 8-10 at high tide. You have Bristol RI just around the corner, a couple restaurants with docks close by as well.

I will be going to Sabego lake a few times this year. (I feel a get together brewing) I have been there a few times when I was a kid and nothing but great memories.

If you are from any state other then NH, DO NOT go into NH to boat. I went to lake Winnipisakie and was boarded 4 times by fish and game in one day. I guess Dad, Mom, and 2 kids on the hook is a good target for borderline harasment. They made it very clear that an out of state person is not welcome in there waters. The third time I was boarded they took a measureing tape and measured the spaceing of my registration letters. Ask around with other out of state boaters and you will find others with similar stroies. Too bad because it is so beautifull.

Lake George in NY is another great boating destination.There are restaurants and hotels close to the lake with docks. There fish and game hang by the boat ramp and have maps of the lake showing hazards and destinations also they will handle a line for you. You need to make reservations early because it getts very buisy durring summer.

Keep an eye on this part of the forum for the Sabego lake get together. Be great to meet the boat voices of the forum.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: any new england rivers?

If the Hudson is close enough to you, you can go all the way to Canada. Once in Canada, you can go all the way to St. Lawrence Seaway. I did it in a 15 foot 55 horsepower Glastron. Had full canvas and slept on board. 4 days up from New York City and 4 days back. You buy a chart book from parks and recreation, and althoug when I did it the locks and canals were free, now, I believe there is a 50 dollar season fee and 25 dollar one time use fee. Beautiful trip. You could spend a month on Lake Champlain alone. Up near Montreal, there used to be a marina at an amusement park called La Rhonde. Prior to being an amusment park it was a Worlds Fair site. Canals and locks are speed limited to no wake so there is a boring day. But on the other hand, sometimes cattle come down to drink from the canal.

The Chambly Canal in Canada at the end of Lake Champlain was old--19th century and all locks were operated by hand--Very quaint and picaresque. Dont know if it is still in operation though. Times have sure changed though--I understand that now, to get into Canada and back into the States, you need a passport. Back then, (1973) you didn't even need to stop at customs.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: any new england rivers?

If you are from any state other then NH, DO NOT go into NH to boat. I went to lake Winnipisakie and was boarded 4 times by fish and game in one day. I guess Dad, Mom, and 2 kids on the hook is a good target for borderline harasment. They made it very clear that an out of state person is not welcome in there waters. The third time I was boarded they took a measureing tape and measured the spaceing of my registration letters. Ask around with other out of state boaters and you will find others with similar stroies. Too bad because it is so beautifull.

Wow, sorry to hear that. I have plenty of friends that boat there with NJ, CT, MA, and ME bow numbers without harassment issues. As much as I'd prefer it to stay uncrowded, I have to confess Winnipesaukee is a wonderful destination and cannot agree with you.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: any new england rivers?

If the Hudson is close enough to you, you can go all the way to Canada. Once in Canada, you can go all the way to St. Lawrence Seaway. I did it in a 15 foot 55 horsepower Glastron. Had full canvas and slept on board. 4 days up from New York City and 4 days back. You buy a chart book from parks and recreation, and althoug when I did it the locks and canals were free, now, I believe there is a 50 dollar season fee and 25 dollar one time use fee. Beautiful trip. You could spend a month on Lake Champlain alone. Up near Montreal, there used to be a marina at an amusement park called La Rhonde. Prior to being an amusment park it was a Worlds Fair site. Canals and locks are speed limited to no wake so there is a boring day. But on the other hand, sometimes cattle come down to drink from the canal.

The Chambly Canal in Canada at the end of Lake Champlain was old--19th century and all locks were operated by hand--Very quaint and picaresque. Dont know if it is still in operation though. Times have sure changed though--I understand that now, to get into Canada and back into the States, you need a passport. Back then, (1973) you didn't even need to stop at customs.

We are planning a trip on the Hudson this Summer. albany to NYC and back for a stater. Maybe Champlain and back to Albany as an extension to the trip, if the family agrees.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: any new england rivers?

Try circumnavigating Manhattan Island. It can be fun but beware: the East River is narrow at Roosevelt Island and the big boats don't slow down. I took a 5 foot wake there and took green water over the windshield. They make Hells Gate sound terrible with whirlpools and tricky current--Well, It is the confluence of the Harlem River, the East River, and the Long Island Sound. Yes there are some currents there but if you have anything bigger than a rowboat and are decently powered, it is no problem. The whirlpools are there, but they are not the classic whirlpool that sucks you down. You can cruise right over them. And you can see Yankee Stadium and watch planes take off over LaGuardia Airport. If you are real lucky, you will see Trump's helicopter. You can not dock at Liberty Island, but you can circle the Statue and get som truly beautiful pictures from a different perspective than normal. If you care to go to The Chrysler Crew and go to photo albums then frank's boats you will see a shot of the twin towers taken in 2000 with the boat near liberty Island.

Most of the lower Hudson is not tricky to cruise, however, you should get charts for the upper. For example, the Esophus Flats are not well marked--even though you will see an old lighthouse--and if you don't know, there is a danger of running aground in 1 foot of water.

All in all though, It is a gorgeous cruise and not one that you will forget easily. People may argue the point, but some of the most beautiful scenery in the world is in the Hudson Highlands and you will pass many historic points like where the chain was stretched across the river during the revolution, West Point, Anthony's Nose (Mountain named after him because of its shape--he had a beak eagles would envy) Storm King Mountain, Bannerman's Island Arsenal, Tappan Zee--site of the once longest suspension bridge in the world.---I could go on and on for hours.

 

[pduquette]

Re: any new england rivers?

Wow guys! The locks at Sebago! I remember going there as a kid when my parents started getting us into camping. That sounds like a gathering I gotta get time off work for! (Actually any boating activity qualifies) Peter

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: any new england rivers?

Thanks for the tips Frank. I'm eager to get out there. I have Chris Brown III's Cruising guide and C-MAP MAX Superwide electronic charts for the entire NY canals system and the Hudson. I will have paper charts as well.

I require about 6 feet of vertical bridge clearance. Can I get under the Amtrak rail bridge at the mouth of Spuyten Duyvil creek without waiting for it to open? My chartplotter and electronic chart are under shrink wrap at the moment, so I cannot easily check...

 

[SteveRay]

Re: any new england rivers?

Great thread.......I do about 90% of my boating on the CT River but more towrds the South Hadley, Turners Falls section. Very nice stretch of river but can be very busy at times too. Admiral and I are interested in making it down to the southern part of the CT.
If you launch in Hartford, can you make it all the way to the sound????​

 

[25thmustang]

Re: any new england rivers?

Great thread.......I do about 90% of my boating on the CT River but more towrds the South Hadley, Turners Falls section. Very nice stretch of river but can be very busy at times too. Admiral and I are interested in making it down to the southern part of the CT.
If you launch in Hartford, can you make it all the way to the sound????​

I will be keeping my boat in Portland right under the Aragoni Bridge. This is about a 20-30 min ride south of Hartford area and yes you can navigate the river from Hartford. It gets tight up that far but for small boats is no issues. I plan to use the boat primarily in the river with some LI Sound trips as well as Block Island etc...

 

[SteveRay]

Re: any new england rivers?

Wondering if we could get a rendevous with people in the area????? How far are you from the Essex area? I hear that is very nice as well

 

[25thmustang]

Re: any new england rivers?

On land I am probably 40-45 towing, on the water probably over an hour... Either way when the boat is in the water I am not against driving it, or towing it down to Saybrook and launching down there (save some fuel).

 

[lucky7]

Re: any new england rivers?

has anyone here been on the merrimack? hooksett or lowell?

 

[Mingle]

Re: any new england rivers?

has anyone here been on the merrimack? hooksett or lowell?

As a new boater, the Merrimack is the ONLY place I've been so far. There's a ramp in N. Chelmsford and another almost opposite in Lowell. The first couple of times, the water was really low and it was impossible to launch anything other than a jet ski from the Lowell ramp. Went again yesterday and the water was much deeper. You can only travel about a mile each way - going downstream you're blocked by the dam the other side of the Roarke Bridge and going upstream you have to watch for submerged rocks - clouted one a couple of weeks ago but was going slowly so it was no problem. I spoke to a guy at the ramp who had hit a rock at top speed and was waiting to see how much damage he'd done. Look for the houseboat on the left and slow down once you go upstream of it.

Cheers
Mitch

 

[magillacuddy]

Re: any new england rivers?

My father-in-law does his boating on the CT river near Easthampton MA. He likes it, and we have always had a good time. Its a fairly wide/shallow river (at least where he is), so you might want to stick to deeper chanel if you have a larger boat.