How far away is too far to own a boat.

[bspeth]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

Bout 25 miles to our day trippin spot.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

About 30 min to the cabin,5 min to lake Superior. If I'm going more than an hour to other lakes,I take the duckboat,as them trips are just for fishing.

 

[edthearcher]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

here in madison wi. we have 4 lakes, 3 are connected to each other. by a river. 2 hours to the mississippi, 1 1/2 hour to lake michigan. if you fish its the greatest around here

 

[BigDfromTN]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

We travel 110 miles each way. Have an RV parked at the river and leave boat there during the season. We normally go for the weekend each time as well.

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

The closest lake is 50 miles one way. Next closest is 110 miles one way. We day trip both of those. We often go to the early church service on Sunday afternoon, get on the lake by 1pm, boat until 7pm, eat super and drive home by 10 pm. I've trailered as far as 8 hours to get to a lake but that wasn't a day trip of course. In total I've boated 7 lakes and 2 rivers in 5 different states.

 

[gtochris]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I don't think I'd use it nearly as much if I had to tow every time!
We are 1/4 mi from the dock, we would walk it more however always have a ton of stuff to bring along!

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

About 70 miles each way for me. If your familiar with the NYS Finger Lakes.. that's where I go........

 

[shrew]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

We are really lucky where we live. I have 3 nice lakes within 10 min of my house and a couple more an hour away. We have Ft loudon, Tellico and Melton Hill. Watts Bar and Norris also. I think it must be a pain to drive several hours to get to a lake and wonder how far I would traver to have a boat. How close or far away are the lakes you guys go to and what would be your limit?

You make the assumption that everyone boats on a lake, or that everyone even knows where the lakes you're referencing are located.

I live about 2.25 hrs from where keep my boat. My boat lives at the marina. I wet slip it in the summer, and it sits in the marina parking lot in the winter time. I met a guy last year that travels 4 hrs each way. We boat in the same location for a reason.

 

[briangcc]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

Canandiagua Lake, NY - about 1:10 hours away (state launch, $7 per unless I have my empire pass then $0)
Seneca Lake NY - about 1:30 hours away (state launch, $7 per unless I have my empire pass then $0)
Lake Ontario, NY - about 1 hour away (I launch at Point Breeze, freebie)
Lake Ontario, NY - about 1 hour away (launching from Olcott and I think it ran me $10 per to launch)
Lake Ontario, NY - about 1 hour away (launching from Niagara State Park [Old Fort Niagara], again $7 unless I have my pass)
Lake Erie, NY - about 1 hour away (launch at small boat harbor and I think it was $7 per trip to launch)
Black Lake, Hammond NY - 4 hour trip (once per year, stay for a week, free state launch)
St Lawrence River, Alexandria Bay NY - 4 hour trip (maybe once per year, $7 unless I have my empire pass OR happen to be camping there then $0)

Haven't launched on the Erie Canal in Lockport in years. Free if I do and only minutes from my apartment.

I'm trying to get my family back onto Baptiste Lake in Bancroft ON or over onto Lake Nippising - either of which will be a 4+ hour trip for a week one way.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I live in Michigan, we are surrounded by water, I can be on the water in less than 20 minutes or as long as 3 hours, and do everything in-between as often as I can. Still takes time to hook her up and drive there.
Looking for new and different lakefront as I type, being on the Great Lakes doesn't mean you can boat out the front door. They are a bit too ocean like to just keep a boat there, ya still need shelter, so it's a viewing/walking/swimming type lake unless you go to the launch, same with the end of the day, ya can't just park it out back, or front.

 

[jkust]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

We are thirty seconds from the closest boat ramp at home. But we keep ours at our lake house now which is just over two hours. I put my time in trailering and can say I don't like it and am done with it.

 

[Brian 26]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

We use to be 45 minutes from our preferred lake, we moved and our now 6 miles.

We still do day trips to a river we like about 45 minutes away but not very often.

To answer the question in the post title, anything over an hour is getting too long for a day trip, I get in the mindset of "I still have to get this boat loaded up and all the way home" and it takes the fun out of being on the water.

 

[Boathooked]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I agree. I am 30 minutes from my boat, which is my condo on the water. Since buying it in February I have slept on it three times, taken it out twice, and been on it at least two dozen times! I cannot imagine being much further away.

It seems to me that if the shortest drive to launch is an hour or more, it's too far for day trailer boating. Maybe even less. Sure it can be done; anything can. But the root of the question is whether, with the drive, you will use the boat enough to make it worth it.

When you add the time to load all the stuff at home, deal with the launch from the time you enter the gate to the time you drive the boat away, reverse that, and put everything away at home (worse if you have to clean and cover) there's not much time at sea.

It also means you have to commit the full day to make it worthwhile. So that means you can't go on a Saturday if anyone has sports, home projects, commitments with others, etc. And not on Sunday, too if you go to church (I go atheist in the summer).

And woe unto you if you go on a Saturday and something happens and you don't get home in time to go to that thing at the in-laws. You are at high risk!

And if you are left with only full days, how many are there? If you live where it gets too cold in the fall and spring, you have about 14 weeks in the summer, which equals 28 days if you skip church. How many have commitments, how many rain? Doesn't leave much.

To me the best boating is the short hops. An hour cocktail cruise or just an excuse to run the boat. A half-day fishing trip. Take the children tubing for a couple hours. An hour at dawn before work; a short evening fishing trip under the bridges on a week night.

 

[thumpar]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I can't image going more that 30 minutes to get to where you boat. We are luck around here there are probably 10-15 lake within that. We have to many to count within 1 hour. We prefer our home lake 11 miles away though. It is 25 miles long and has some sandy beaches to stop at.

 

[nickcunn]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I have nick-a-jack lake (TN River) 25 min from house,

Chickamuga Lake (Tn River) 45 min from house,

Lake Guntersville 30 min from House,

Weiss Lake about 60 min from the house.

Any more than an hour is to far for me. I just wanna be on the water.

 

[NYBo]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

Twenty minutes to the Hudson River. Plan is for the distance from the raised position of a boat lift to the water, on one of the Finger Lakes. Come on, retirement!

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I live about 2.25 hrs from where keep my boat. My boat lives at the marina. I wet slip it in the summer, and it sits in the marina parking lot in the winter time. I met a guy last year that travels 4 hrs each way. We boat in the same location for a reason.

Good to see there is a couple of us out there. As I mentioned, I'm 3hrs away. 3hrs there, 6hrs on the lake(minimum) and 3hrs back. The only thing of concern is the gas I use in my 3/4 ton crew cab traveling there and back...... Otherwise, it's a non issue going to one of my all-time favorite lakes........ The other lake I frequent is 45 mins away, even tho I have multiple lakes within 10 mins......

 

[ricohman]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

I'm about 30-45 minutes away, depending on where I launch. There are closer lakes but I won't use them, to small.
Anyway, I will drag my boat anywhere for fishing. And heading up north is at least a full days drive, but well worth it for a nice fishing trip.

 

[ssoper]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

10 min to our local small lake
45 min to the Mississippi
3 hours to our cabin by a lake

 

[drrpm]

Re: How far away is too far to own a boat.

For river trips in a canoe or kayak the closet river (Savannah) is about 5 minutes and the furthest I'll go is about 4 hours but my most frequent good whitewater trips are about 2 1/2 hours away. The motor boat stays in a shed a couple miles from Clarks Hill Lake which is about a 20 minute trip. Whitewater trips involve a lot more driving but are easy to coordinate since its just me and some other experienced friends. Lake trips involve wives, children, friends, who is bringing what and multiple vehicles so 20 minutes is plenty far enough.