think early ice-out......yes From FLL
 

Here is FLL's boat, ready for ice out...

Of course the rest of us are all excited that we are about to have ice-in!!!

Paugus bay
 

I would imagine that Paugus Bay should be safe by now or def. by the weekend. It was about 1-1.5" last saturday. I stood on it but didn't trust it enough to let go of the dock!

Excellent shot DRH.:coolsm:

Are there restrictions on boating the lake when it is iced over?

Stated differently: assuming you had the money, and the desire, you could (theoretically, anyway) have a pleasure boat with the ability to plow through lake ice: a small ice breaker.

Sure, ice users would hate you, but would the Marine Patrol be able to prevent you from tootling around the lake, breaking ice as you go?

If that's a recent image, I'd feel a little better about leaving it for the winter although I'd worry about water in the powerhead of the motor freezing. Maybe with that strong aluminum hull he can break ice in the Spring if he gets it running!:rolleye1:

BT

...just two pixels
 

...yes, took that photo yesterday Wednesday Jan 24 2007 at about 1pm....that's Gov Isl in the background on the right and Timber on the Left and Gunstock & Belknap Mts which cannot be seen due to the sun over-exposure (probably due to my el cheapo 60 dollar, two-pixel camera). The boat is out of the water with drain plug removed, the lower unit-gearcase-propeller is under the water which is being circulated. How's that sound?

I don't know FLL if your real hearty or just plain crazy!!Either way you you score a lot of points with me.WOW!!!

Looks like the ice is receding a little on the weirscam.

Nice picture -- but I'll be more impressed with a view taken from the middle of the lake looking in all directions at the shoreline!

Agreed!
 

I'm with you, This'nThat! I'll try to oblige if/when the ice becomes safe and we get some snow!

How about it, Babes on Sleds ... you doing your snow dances? :laugh:

Ice Ice Baby....
 

That would be the ice-eaters at work around the docks.

Ice-making is happening 24/7 right now across the whole lake. Interested to hear the ice-thickness reports over the next several days. With the coming temps, an inch or more a day is likely. Unless the winds really pick up, we should be in great shape within a week. This weekend might still be a bit sketchy for someone like me who treks pretty far from mainland to get to my camp. "Great shape" defined as at least 7 inches of black ice over most of the lake and most definitely where I am walking:) . Week after next, I'm there! Here fishy fishy fishy....

Cool thing about outboard power heads
 

There is a neat thing about outboards. If they are left down such as FLL has done then gravity takes over and the water flows right out of the powerhead.... I grew up with an old mercury outboard and our winterizing rutine was to lower the engine once the boat was on the trailer and out of the water...let it drain then put it back up and trailer it home and into the Garage.... They only Potential issue I see here for FLL is if the ice gets in around the lower unit...but with a circulator going he should be able to avoid that.....

They only Potential issue I see here for FLL is if the ice gets in around the lower unit...but with a circulator going he should be able to avoid that....



I could see that as a potential problem as well though since the circulator is keeping ice from forming in moving water. Any water in the lower unit will freeze since it will be below 32 degrees and not moving.

I agree. Getting the lower unit out of the water would be a great idea. FLL is this possible?

R2B

...a major blunder.....duh!
 

Yes, the entire boat can normally be raised up another two feet which would raise the outboard completely out of the water. For now, that is most likely not doable due to ice build-up on a a few areas of the boat lift.....have not actually attemped this yet. Winterizing an outboard always includes replacing the lower gear case 90 weight gear oil just in case some small amount of water got past the rubber seals and into the gearcase. If it freezes, it will expand the non compressable gear oil and split the aluminum gearcase. So, all this knowledge here, but still a major blunder.......boo-hoo! Plus, 90 weight gear oil would probably take a month to drain out at temps of five degrees. And yes, I would be very carefull to not let it drain into the lake water.

As the cold sets in, my single 1/6hp pump was not enough to keep the ice open for the area needed, so now there's two 1/6hp pumps located accordingly. Unlike the much more expensive 1/4 and 1/3 hp pumps which are light weight plastic, the least expensive Lowe's $64.00 pump is very heavy and made in Taiwan so it must be a cast iron body within a plastic shell......hopefully the Taiwan pump builder has built it for the long haul.

Probably, my plan is to raise the boat up high enough to get the outboard all the way out of the water, as soon as the temps warm above freezing so it can drain and I can replace the gear oil.

Like someone likes to say: 'a bad day at the lake is a whole lot better than a good day in Boston traffic.'

The ice got noticably thicker and stronger in the past day. The deep freeze is definately feeding the ice.....and making it strong......like an ox.......aarrrggg!(?)

It's ice-in on Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro and the ice is safe enough to go out on. Check out THIS PICTURE of snowshoeing on the Lake last Saturday!

Looks like another case of ECF (Extended Cabin Fever) Snoeshoeing on 1" of snow. LOL:D

Any truth?
 

Rumor has it the "northern end" of the lake (Greens Basin/Ambrose Cove etc) has frozen enough that ice houses are out.....any truth??

There was one bob house out in Center Harbor a couple days ago.

Ice
 

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see bob houses on any of the northern coves on the lake. I think by tomorrow afternoon we'll see bob houses in great numbers all over the lake.

Who is Bob and how can afford so many houses on the lake?
 

Did Bob win Powerball or did he inherit his money?:D

What about Bob?
 

Bob did not win Power Ball or inherit all his money. Just lots of hard work.

Dr. Marvin, Dr. Leo Marvin.........


Ice , ice baby

I ALMOST walked off Weirs beach and onto the ice this morning, but the thought of running back to the house wet scared me off. Soon though, very soon.

All he wanted was some peace and quiet
 

Maybe he wanted some peace and quiet and thought he could get it out on the lake at bob's house

Saw a guy drive his pick up and tag along 18' trailer on Alton Bay yesterday a set it up near the bandstand. I told him the day before there was only 6-8"

Thats just stupid. Why risk it? I don't drive a truck on the ice, nevermind a truck and 18' trailer, unless I have at least 14" and thats in the thin spots.

Crack! Boom!
 

...Such a good sound that is! At midnight, the lake ice in front of Black Cat is making such noises, noises I haven't heard since last year's ice pack. When the ice is thin, the noises are usually weaker-sounding (crinkle- gurgle.) That's what I heard when I left Monday evening to spend a few days with friends out of state. Tonight I've returned to the CRACK! BOOM! of a healthy, thickening ice pack. It's almost at the threshold of rattling the windows, but not quite. Can't wait to test the thickness in the morning.

Please post results.

You gotta love that sound. Scary sometimes when you are alone and a crack goes right between your legs..woah :eek:

Well, here's one of the houses, early Saturday morning. This leads to some questions, however:
House value?
Property taxes?
View tax?
Lake frontage?

Newbie
 

Hi Folks,

I'm new to this board, but have been reading and enjoying all your posts. I had my doubts there would be an Ice fishing derby this year, then puff, out of the north comes cold weather and ice in.:laugh: :D :) I'm getting excited as I type. It's time for me to get the gear ready to head up to your great lake and enjoy some winter fun, winning the Great Rotory Fishing Derby...Somehow I think there are many others thinking the same thing:cool: :cool: :cool:

IceCadet

Beautiful
 

Happy to See Boat Out!!!!!!!
 

Meredith Bay
 

Hello all,

I took a ride to Meredith Bay this morning... there about 9 Bob Houses on the bay..

The Meredith Town Tax Assessors Office has set up a booth at the ramp..:laugh:

According to several fishermen I spoke with they have about 5" of ice..

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Good News... Ice is Safe... Bad News..noone I spoke with had caught any fish! (Maybe that means there will still be plenty left for the derby!)

SteveA

Bob's house
 

Do bob houses have to be registered? They should be, and tack on a view tax at the same time. Since most bob house owners are residents they should pay a surtax if they know someone from out of state. People not-named-bob should consider some kind of legal action against all of these Bobs. :laugh:

Bobs set up camp in the middle of Weirs Bay, although he only brought a tent!

Thanks a lot for the pics Steve. That makes me very happy to see that!:D

19 Mile Bay
 

Drove by this morning and was amazed to see several bob houses AND a truck AND a camper AND several snowmobiles on the bay ice. Hope that no "rescues" will be required.

Ice Report at Black Cat Is. South
 

There is about a 4 inch thickness of ice to the south of Black Cat Island, and the open spots that were present earlier in the week have re-frozen. The ice is a mix of black ice and snow ice, and the upper 2 inches are very soft in many areas. There is also about an inch of water on top of the ice in many places, that now is re-freezing. Stepping on it causes a disconcerting crack and sinking feeling, but only to the main ice below. However, with just three good whacks of the mountaineering axe, I got through to the lake. The areas of black ice do a much better job standing up to the axe.

As a precaution I tied myself to the shore with a climbing rope, wore a life vest, secured the mountaineering axe's wrist leash, and cranked the wood stove way up before I went out, "just in case." It felt like overkill until I got out there and saw the ease with which the ice broke (in some places).

One family did venture out much farther, on an area of mainly black ice between Black Cat and Hull Island - see photo.

As temperatures hover around 15 degrees, the main pack is cracking and booming loudly. Looking down towards Rattlesnake I can see heat ripples in the air above the ice, a good sign that it's thickening even more.

If they catch a really big fish.....
 

Do they have to take it to a .... TAXidermist? (rim shot) :D :D :D

Maybe a new source of revenue for the state!

Sorry couldn't resist..:rolleye2:

our local paper in MA this weekend showed an ice shanty being dragged out into Meridith somewhere. Amazing that a weeks worth of cold locked up the ice so much. As a side note our local Rod and Gun club held their ice fishing derby today, they thought with no ice last week they would have to cancel.
wow, what a difference a week makes