Easy food for boating?

[tgell001]

OK this is the most random thing that I've ever posted on a forum in my life but here goes.....

There is a big festival here in downtown norfolk on saturday and a few friends and i plan on doing a whole day of wakeboarding and swimming to beat the heat then going downtown to watch the fireworks in the evening. I would like to feed everyone but i have an 18ft runabout w/o a grill so I'm kind of short on options. Any ideas?

 

[blifsey]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Some things we've done
- chicken strips/tenders (can be bought at grocery deli). Tasty even cold out of cooler.
- packs of ham & cheese to make either sandwiches or if you don't want to fool with bread roll delive ham and cheese into a "ham roll"
- wife will make pasta & greek salads
- chips, wheat thins, etc.

The chicken strips (Publix are real good) seems to be main thing we do though.

 

[shrew]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Subs in the cooler

canned chicken salad and some bread and mayo. (only the mayo needs to go into the cooler, but you'll need to bring a bowl and a spoon)

lunch meats and bread

crackers, cheese, fruit, chips, dips and salsa

MRE's

Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwhich's

Pasta and Potato salad travel well in a cooler

OK, not all are great options, but you're limited to keeping it cool and dry and not having to cook or heat anything.

 

[skargo]

Re: Easy food for boating?

We always do the usual, sandwiches and snacks but this year we started bringing hotdogs. That's right, tasty piping hot, hot dogs.
We bring two thermos' full of boiling water, and and hour or two before we want to eat, throw the dogs into the thermos.

 

[partskenn]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Sub buns, with a variety of lunchmeats, cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes , pickles etc. Let everyone make them the way they want it. Pringles (they travel well), cookies.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Samich stuff with pita pockets instead of bread. Works great on the Coop boat. Also, even though you don't have a boat grill if there will be an island or shore spot available you could always bring along a little portable camping grill from Academy or elsewhere.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Easy food for boating?

We buy deli meat that we like, rolls, and a few salads unless we make the salads the night before.

Anyway we make up the sandwiches prior to going out, leaving off the cheese, mayo, or any other condiments and seal up the sandwhiches in a few zip lock bags. Everything goes into the cooler. Then when it is meal time very simple add the cheese of your liking or not, and add your condiments. the bread is not soggy, nor do you have to worry about warm mayo....the squeezable condiments are great.

Some plastic ware, and plates and all is good. Remember to bring a garbage bag with to clean up and dispose of when you are done.

I will have to try the hot dog thing and see how that works with a thermos I have a 12v pot that will boil water, but the thermos sounds easier.

One other thing I forgot is, we have a fire and ice cooler, which is a grill that sits a-top a cooler. We did go to shore once and use it, as it is propane but found it to be a little cumbersome moving in and out the boat since I have a closed bow, but it did work well.

 

[scrit9mm]

Re: Easy food for boating?

we get a loaf of bread and make sandwiches then put the sandwiches back in the loaf for easy transport, it is also a good idea to individually wrap the sammiches!

 

[sschefer]

Re: Easy food for boating?

We always do the usual, sandwiches and snacks but this year we started bringing hotdogs. That's right, tasty piping hot, hot dogs.
We bring two thermos' full of boiling water, and and hour or two before we want to eat, throw the dogs into the thermos.

I wonder if you just boiled them first then put them in the thermos they'd stay hot and fresh. Your trick might work for poached eggs on a muffin for breakfast too. I'll have to give it a go.

 

[AZSenza]

Re: Easy food for boating?

We do the fried chicken thing too, goes back to when I was a kid but for normal outings, we have started buying Uncrustables, they are frozen sandwiches with jelly (diff kinds) and peanut butter. We bring our small webber grill sometimes too and cook up a few dogs, just dont forget utensils like I did once! If your watter is cold, bring a watermelon and let it sit in the lake for an hour or two.

 

[Navigator_Victory]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Camp Stew...slightly modified for this

Wrap Potatoes, Onions, Sausage and whatever else floats your boat in foil and put that in the cooler.......together or separate to fit your tastes

Dig a small hole on shore and put these items in it,,,VERY IMPORTANT....put a 1/2 inch layer of soil on top of the foil or the fire will melt the foil..... then build a fire on top of it let fire burn down for about an hour....go ski while it does the work ....leave someone behind to make sure fire does not get out of hand.....

Scoop food out of pit and enjoy.......

Now to get the fire right I would recommend you try before you do this it is a little bit of a science.....

 

[skargo]

Re: Easy food for boating?

I wonder if you just boiled them first then put them in the thermos they'd stay hot and fresh. Your trick might work for poached eggs on a muffin for breakfast too. I'll have to give it a go.

We tried that first. The dogs got a little mushy, not terrible, but enough to notice. If you throw them in for a couple hours they are just right.

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: Easy food for boating?

I would just bring snacks chips, cookies, beef jerky, etc. Then when you stop for gas at the marina before heading downtown let your guest get what they want, more beverages, etc. Then when you get downtown to the festival they can get more food from a vender. Everyone is happy.

 

[amishboy]

Re: Easy food for boating?

I seem to recall from my jarhead days at Little Creek that there are surplus stores nearby. Try MRE's. It's a great novelty, no heat required, maybe some water, and you can mix and match. Best to take along some Tabasco. Then you can dare someone to actually use the tiny pack of toilet paper in the sundry pack.

 

[TBarCYa]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Here's a twist on the hotdog idea but I imagine it only works with an I/O... When we go offroading with the Jeep, some guys will take hotdogs (or just about anything else that just needs to be heated) and wrap them in foil and sit them on the engine block / exhaust manifold while driving. In the boat, I imagine a piece of expanded metal could be fastened to the engine above the exhaust manifold and foil wrapped dogs attached to the "grill". Put the dogs on about 10-15 minutes before you plan to stop for lunch and they'll be plenty hot... Only problem could be if you typically get gas fumes collecting in the bilge because then your dogs would stink.

 

[emoney]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Just buy one of those protable propane grills and cook some T-bones, man! After all that boating/wake boarding/etc. you're gonna be hungry, I tell you. Those things are what, $20.00-ish and don't take up much room.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Lots of good ideas so far (we use a lot of them)...

Nobody has mentioned cold pizza yet so I'll throw that out there as well.

Take plenty of water; more than you think you're going to need. That's actually more important than the food.

 

[Xandre]

Re: Easy food for boating?

Pre-grilled shish kabobs are my favorite!

Easy to make and No utensils needed!

 

[JB]

Re: Easy food for boating?

When shore lunch is not available: Jerky and GatorAde.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Easy food for boating?

http://www.festevents.org/home/

there's tons of food at the festival but free docking is unavailable (I help with harbor security for the festival) but in year's past there has been a water taxi to take you from the anchorage off Portmouth to and from the festival.
There is also a very casual restaurant with docks up Scott's Creek--just past the Portsmouth Naval Hospital , then left. When you get to the split at the creek (gas dock to the left) go right.
Teh restuarant at the pier at Tidewater yacht may be crowded; they let you tie up there to eat there but it may be restricted this weekend.

Two places at Great Bridge (Kelley's at the locks) if that timing works for you and if you are coming from that way (based on your bouy).

Some people tie up in front of Dominion Tower (says Bank of Hampton Roads on top) but you're not supposed to.

point is, you and your friends will enjoy the chance to get off the boat, walk around, hit the head, etc.

Don't build any campfires or fire pits downtown.

Be careful driving home after the fireworks and be sure your lights all work.

Where do you keep or launch your boat? Are you wakeboarding down at deep creek/great bridge, Southern Branch or Western branch?