Re: ky to ohio river
The distance from Kentucky Lake to Evansville is at least 170 miles, depending on where on Kentucky Lake you start. You'll have to transit three locks and your boat must be able to make 105 miles on the water without refueling, unless you carry extra fuel with you. To make that trip, you really, really need to get river charts. If you run into trouble, you'll know at what river mile you are.
From Kentucky Lake, plan to go through the canal over to Lake Barkley and lock through Barkley Dam. The delays at Kentucky Dam can run into the hours. From Barkley Dam, take the Cumberland River to the Ohio River. When you reach the mouth of the Cumberland at Smithland, DO NOT HEAD STRAIGHT FOR SMITHLAND DAM EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN SEE IT! The water is too shallow for most boats and you run a considerable risk of hitting bottom. Instead, follow the channel left for a couple miles around the southern tip of Cumberland Island and then turn upstream to Smithland Dam. It's 37 miles from Barkley Dam to Smithland Dam.
Once on the Smithland pool, it's 18 miles to Golconda Marina and that is the only on-water fuel stop until Nu Plaza Marina just below Evansville, 105 miles farther up river. You'll be on the Smithland pool for 74 miles when you reach the John T Myers Dam. From there, it's 53 miles to the Evansville riverfront.
You can download Ohio River navigation charts here:
http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/optm/default.asp?mycategory=41
Cumberland River charts can be downloaded here:
http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/opn/CumbRiver/cumbmap.htm
