Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

[americanmcss]

Hello all,

Like most of you right now who are watching their boat idle in storage waiting for spring to pop I myself am preparing, planning and dreaming. To get right down to it, I am planning a long boat trip with my wife and friends on Lake Chelan in Washington State. There is a small secluded town called Stehekin at the northern tip of the lake that we would like to get to. There are no roads in and out of town so you either hike (I have done it once and it sucked...lol) fly, or take a boat in. From the launch at Chelan, the trip is about 50 miles. I am very familiar with the southern 1/4 of the lake but have never ventured farther north than that. We are hoping to do the trip in late spring or early summer 2014 so hopefully the weather will be on our side. It would be a one day trip up leaving as early in the morning as we can.

For the Important stuff we have:
1990 Bayliner Capri w/ 5.0L Mercruiser. We have two props: a standard 3 blade 19" pitch and then a 4 blade 15 inch pitch. For this trip I assume the the 3 blade would give the best cruising economy. The engine is brand new this year and has maybe 30 hours of run time on it. The outdrive was completely serviced with new cables, bellows, hoses, seals, and gaskets when the engine went in. The boat is very seaworthy and everything is in proper working condition or will be by then. The fuel gauge sending unit needs adjustment or to be replaced as the fuel tank is empty while the gauge shows 1/4 tank. That burned us last year and we fell on the mercy of kind boaters to tow us to the fueling dock. We have all of the required safety gear and will be carrying extra fuel on board as well.

I would like this trip to go smoothly for my wife and my friends, so I hope there are a few experienced Chelan boaters who could give some advice on making the trip fun and safe for everyone as well as anything out of the ordinary we may want to have available to us too. My only real worry would be running out of fuel so we will be stopping at the public fueling stations along the way to keep full, plus as I stated earlier, we will have a spare can of fuel on board.

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!
Tom

 

[JoLin]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

You don't mention how big your tank is, your 'cruise' speed, or your fuel burn at cruise. Aside from the weather, those are the most important things to know.

Does Sea Tow or Towboat US operate in that area, and do you have tow insurance? Do you have a VHF radio, and a cell phone programmed with the phone numbers of the marinas along the way, along with the local LE number(s)? You do as much as you can to insure you don't have mechanical or fuel shortage problems. If you do, however, you need to be prepared for the next step, which is summoning help.

Have fun!

 

[thumpar]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Fuel would be my main concern. Do you have a fuel transfer device. I would not want to try to fuel up from a spare gas can on the water without some kind of pump. I agree the 19 pitch prop is going to be the best economy.

 

[thumpar]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

I looked up the fuel tank capacity of that model and Bayliner shows it at 31 gallons. Is there fuel docks on lake Chelan? I haven't been there since I was around 12 or so.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Only 31 gal, I'd be nervous too unless there are CONFIRMED fuel stations that will be open and have fuel available. I have a 90 gallon tank and wish it were 125. I never rely on a fuel gauge. Thankfully, Yamaha shows me how much fuel was used since last reset. Your 100 - 150 mile trip is easy even on a 90 gallon tank.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

You didn't mention if you had a vhf radio,or safety flares. Them should be at the top of the list as well as life jackets and throwable device.
50 miles one way isn't to bad of a daytrip,come back the next or so. Also double check the bilge pimps,seen one the owner " thought " it was fine till he needed it the most,I pumped out 75 gallons when he noticed it was acting funny. Turned out he had backed into a retaining wall and cracked the molded in swimplatform,took on water while anchord overnight with the whole family aboard. They woke up to water over the floor in the galley! As close as ya want to get from sinking.....
Well enough of that,have a safe and happy trip!
Grub

 

[thumpar]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

The Capri was made from 14' to 24'. What size boat and what size fuel tank?

It is in his sig.

 

[fuzzybob]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Hi Tom, I've made the trip up the lake a few times. The last time for the 4th of July week-end last yr. My brother in law worked at Stehekin for three years. It's a great trip!!

If you've been on the LK. you know about the wind problem..... you really have to watch the weather. Last yr. I had turned back till we were able to get in behind a larger boat and follow him.

There is a gas dock at the landing and public docks to tie up to. Docking fee goes to the Park service. I burned 18 gals. in my boat ( in my sig) I was loaded heavy with 5 adults and gear for a 3 day stay. I used less on the trip down lake in great weather with no wind.

Just watch the weather and have a great trip!!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

get SeaTow or Tow Boat US towing insurance, verify the weather ahead of time, (I also have the weather app on my phone). know your water, bring along beverages for the trip, and extra in the event you need to be towed.

enjoy.

I routinely boat between 50 and 80 miles every trip and do not blink an eye. was towed 25 miles once due to a bum prop and plugged heat exchanger (would have been a $1100 tow if not for Boat US membership). Its 14 miles just to the intercoastal from where I launch

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

You should be using about 8 gph at cruise (about 30 mph), which would easily get you there and back on a single tank. Slower will get you even further! I think one top up in Stehekin for peace of mind and your good.

I'm always leery about taking fuel with me, I don't like to store it in the bilge and there is not good place above deck either.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Have you ever changed a prop in the water? I am always weary about lakes because there tend to be so many stumps and what not on the bottom that will trash a prop. Make sure you have what you need to change out the prop in the water.

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

double post

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

I've made the trip many times and highly recommend it!
Besides fuel, watch the weather because that lake can go from dead calm to whitecaps in the time it takes to reel in your gear! I have pounded back to Chelan more than once and while I was fine with it, my wife was not thrilled.
There is very little debris in the water usually so hitting anything of consequence is not an issue but it's not to say impossible. I have heard of people tearing the lower unit off on submerged logs but I've never had the experience (thankfully)
Summer is great up there but the lake does get busy. We were out in February last year (pic from Feb trip) and found it just perfect. Have a great trip!
View attachment 219923

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

@ Blackhawk180

awesome photo-thx for sharing.

to op- I would bring a 3-5 gallon gas can just in case.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

50 miles one way with that boat? Not a problem, I wouldn't even think about extra fuel. Looking at boattest, a similar boat to yours does around 3.5 mpg at best cruise, just above 30 mph. 50 miles/3.5 =14 gallons, so less than 1/3 of your capacity! (and only about an hour and 40 minutes of travel at 30 mph.)

You have more than enough reserve, and the added risks and complexity of carrying fuel isn't worth it. Its just extra weight, which you don't need any more of. Even if you didn't have a refuel dock on the other end, you would have enough, but that would make me a little nervous.

 

[americanmcss]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Wow. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all of the great advice. To answer as many questions as possible at once, Yes we do have VHF, GPS flares, throwables, horns, whistles and all of that. I will be prepared to change a prop in the water as well. Chelan is one of the deepest lakes in the US and I dont think stumps are much of a problem in the cruising areas for the most part, however depending on the weather it can toss up some debris. One of the boat rental companies claims that their 20' b/r's are great for trips up lake, so I plan on making it possible.

I know the weather likes to pick up later in the day so I'm hoping that we can get going as early as possible. I will definitely be looking into the tow insurance which is worth every penny in my mind (Thanks for the great tip you guys!). I will be double checking the location of public fueling stations before we leave and then marking them on the map just in case.

JoLin: I don't really have any of that in hard data except for the fuel tank size at 31 Gal but I also plan on making a couple of "dry runs" in a lake closer to home thats a bit smaller, but I'll run a couple laps at cruising speed just to confirm steady fuel usage and all of that.

Well thanks again for all of your input, especially from you experienced Chelan Boaters! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and enjoy the new year to come!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

I will be going right passed Lake Chelan tomorrow on my way to Rufus Woods, its about the same size as Chelan, we'll be camping on the beach, temps aren't expected to be above freezing the entire trip, the fishing should be good though.

The last time I went to Stehekin there was no wind, the water was like a mirror both ways, perfect trip, but like others said, it can change fast. As long as you aren't in a hurry just wait until the wind stops. On that trip I filled up in Stehekin, my buddy didn't, he ran out of fuel on the way back. The problem was we planned to ski all the way back, I had jumped in his boat to ski and a friend had my boat, so I was stuck floating in the lake with them until my boat got there.

On Chelan there isn't anything past 25 Mile Creek for assistance or supplies. You can launch at 25 mile creek and cut down on the length of the run (it's not half way dispite the name).

 

[americanmcss]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

ondarvr:
About 25 Mile Creek, that is kind of what I had found out as well. We wont be taking this trip until at least May or June so hopefully we wont have to worry about any horribly inclement weather but the wind is always a factor there.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Check the water level, they drain it down and I'm not sure when they raise it back up in the spring. I've been there early when the weather is great but the lake is low (and very cold), this may limit your launch options.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Planning a 50 mile boat cruise on Lake Chelan WA....tips and advice?

Honestly I think you are worrying too much, but to be honest I completely understand why, its tough for boaters who sometimes spend their lives on small lakes to step out of the box on a big lake and actually test your boats legs out.

I've been in the very same boat(pun intended)...

Never in my life would I have thought about a long trip but a few years ago we loaded up 12 passengers( two whole families) and went from Bullfrog to Rainbow bridge in my boat, all told 130 miles round trip with a few side trips, it was the highlight of the vacation!!

Get after it, you are not going to live forever!!