The "Broads"
 

Hi can someone tell me where the "Broads" are located? I hear that it can be a very rough area. Do you have to pass the Broads to get from Moultonboro to Meredith or Weirs? We have 2 small children and a 19ft boat looking to buy in Moultonboro but a little worried about having to travel in rough waters. Thank you!!

The Broads is pretty much the middle of the lake, the biggest open part--on the Bizer map, which you should pick up the next time you're in town, it's labeled north of Governor's Island. We have a 20' pontoon and have driven through a bunch with no issues--in fact, the worst chop we've faced has been just outside of the Weirs docks (last October, BTW, when it seemed EVERYONE came out on that last nice Saturday).

Outside of a crazy busy day, or foul weather, you'd be fine crossing them in a 19ft boat.

From Moultonborough to Meredith, you pretty much avoid them. To the Weirs and other spots southeast, not so much.

If you need a Bizer chart please consider helping to support this site by ordering it here:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/index.php?pageid=store

I cross the Broads all the time in my 16 foot boat but you have to use judgement. Days when the wind goes over 10 mph, I avoid crossing.

Yes you do cross the Broads coming from Moultonboro to Merideth but you can minimize your exposure by going under Long Island Bridge then head directly towards Shep Browns behind Bear Island and then take a right after Cattle Landing. There is a LOT of hazard between Moultonboro and Merideth including: The Graveyard, the 6-pack, the Witches and various other markers along the way. You would want to know what each of these is before taking that trip. As people have said, buy a Bizer and know how to read it (don't forget the compass). A GPS is also a great idea. If you can take that trip with someone familiar with the lake for the first ride....that would be an opportunity you should not pass up.

Broads
 

First time boating on Winnipesaukee can seem overwhelming. But it is not. You need to get out there and get some experience. Actually its pretty simple.
Before you decide to go for a ride, check the weather report. If its going to be a windy or stormy day, then stay off the lake and find something else to do. Even if you had a bigger boat it wouldn't be an enjoyable ride anyways.
Also buy a good chart, and use it as you go along. Sit or stand next your husband while he is driving, read the chart, and point out which way to go. The chart will show you which side of the markers is safe to proceed. The numbered markers on the chart will show you were you are on the lake.
Also if you are approaching a huge wave then slow down especially with small children in the boat. The more you get out there, the easier it will get.
Eventually you will know the lake as well as the town or city you live in.

Have fun & be safe!!

you never know...
 

We took a ride one sunny fall day from Ctr Harbor to Wolfboro in our 22 ft bowrider. Water was calm all the way as we went under the Long Island bridge and past the Barbers pole. Once we hit the broads there were (literally) 4 foot swells coming from all sides. its hard to imagine that certain parts of the lake can be so calm and other parts like an ocean.

A few years ago in early September, Senter Cove Guy and I went diving in Wolfeboro Bay, The bay was glass (where we were diving...northern side), but the ride home to Melvin Village via the Broads was memorable -- for two guys with (at the time) 100+ years of combined Lake time. The video:

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S0yZ-cvusJs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://youtu.be/S0yZ-cvusJs

got sick just watching lol

had a couple of those days in my 23foot cobalt

I wonder if this was the same day
 

We spent the day in Winter Harbor skiing/wakeboarding and the trip home across the broads was crazy. I noticed that the time tag in the photos was also September a few years ago.

PFFFT....looks like a typical weekend day in Meredith Bay near the Weirs!! :)

You video looks a tad bumpy. It does not show the magnitude of how bad that really was and how bad it really gets. Once caught out there a new respect for mother nature on Winni is developed! I always take pictures when the lake boils and they never show how big those rollers are.

I just consulted my divelog and the date appears to be 09/19/2009. That seems to be further corroborated by the fact that on 09/21/2009 I took some pictures of clay pigeons that we found during that dive. You will notice that I have some clay pigeons in my hand during the video so they wouldn't get broken during the ride home.

I agree.. Video and pictures never are able to convey just how hairy things really can be on the water.

Hmmm - I always thought "the Broads" was a place to meet chicks. :D

That is a very interesting question, where, what is the broads. I would say the broads start at the lower end of Rattlesnake and go to about Sandy Island. I don't think they go all the way to Wolfeboro or up to the Five and Six Mile Island area. That is my opinion. I don't know if the broads has ever really been defined, other than the widest part of the lake.

Broads
 

This is what I consider to be "the broads"...

Sunset Bob Caught what it looks Like
 

On a rough day crossing the broads. And he has others that are even more scary in his photo gallery.

Wind and the Broads
 

The most dangerous winds on the Broads come from the North and the West and any combo of those. The wind catches the water and creates big waves. By the time these waves get to the middle of the lake... they are huge and dangerous. The same wind speed coming from East and South and variants of those create a lot of bump on the water, but nowhere near the height of the waves from N and W. The one to watch out for is WSW. Sometimes this wind direction is of the edge of W that the big waves do form. Other times WSW is toward the S and much better conditions will occur.

We who live on the Broads constantly monitor the weather for this reason. It is the main reason for putting up Snake Eyes in 2004... so I could see what it was like out there before venturing out to Rattlesnake. If you go to www.rattlesnakecam.com/watch.htm you can see the cams from around the lake... keep in mind that the images look more calm than it really is.

Then we have the three day blow. This happens after a nasty cold front and the NW picks up and does not let up for three days. In the summer this does not happen as frequently as in the late fall.

We get plenty of jetskiing in on the broads so do not be put off by the warnings... there are lots of lovely days and much less wind.

IG

We've been boating at Winni for only few years now and truly love it, trying to go as often as possible. We enjoy all of the lake, the Broads included, although I don't consider it a destination, "lets go to the Broads today". Depending on where you are on the lake it's really a cross over to get from A to B wherever those points happen to be. I'm sure I haven't seen or experienced by far the worst it has to offer but I've been out when it's really "honkin". I'm one of those nuts that likes it when it gets hairy I suppose because I grew up on the ocean. My wife (and dog, Sadie) not so much. We have a 21 foot BR which is much better in the rough than our 1st 17 footer. I have a Stingray Hydrofoil mounted on the outdrive which really helps me trim the bow up at low speeds when it gets real sloppy. We just take it slow so we don't pound and really the most fun is "running" back home, riding and surfing the waves. Makes my day, anyway. But it's always good to check conditions before crossing; you can always stay closer to home or stick closer to shore for the day.:look:

Be safe and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

That is exactly the area I was saying, ishoot.

I would agree with Bizer get one of his charts and watch compass and markers.

while I'm not sure if there is a set in stone boundary....I include the water all the way up to Ozone to be part of the Broads. I'm sure some may say it goes up to Black Cat or Braun Bay. All that water can be testy too when the wind is blowing out there.

Hate to rub it in...
 

But as one who lives up here, the Broads is definitely a destination. There is nothing better than to head out in the Broads on a pretty calm day, with not much traffic (think weekdays early or late in the season), and just kill the engine, then sit back and watch the world go by. Naps, lunch or supper, snacks, a little libation, finished off by a great sunset and a putt putt crawl back to the marina.

We actually do that a lot.

Ya got me! I'll buy that. Now it's on my list. (specially the libation part!):liplick:

Today was one of those days! It was dead flat like glass calm in the middle of the broads!

I agree! Great flat, calm day! Too early for a lot of boat wakes!

Did you take a dip?

You forgot the "dip".

Shhhhhhhhh
 

I didn't want to give out all my secrets:laugh:.

Boat Design
 

The design of the hull makes a lot of difference in handling rough water. Our previous boat was a 1994 21' Four Winns Horizon, and it handled rough water very well. I didn't worry too much about unexpected conditions on the Broads. Our current boat is a 2006 22' Four Winns Horizon, and it doesn't do well at all. I was really surprised at the difference. The older boat was harder to get on plane -- a much sharper transition. I suspect the manufacturer wanted a boat that was more gradual getting on plane to allow speed changes. But I think the price of that is poor rough water performance.

So if you're routinely on the Broads, make sure your boat is designed for it.

Boat design
 

You are correct, in the name of economy, newer hulls are designed to plane quicker and at a lower speed. Sacrificing comfort in rough waters. My 1986 4wins was an awesome rough water boat. The newer boats turned me off so I settled for a 'performance hull' Formula which has excellent rough water handling.

Boat design and deadrise
 

If you're concerned about how a boat handles rough water then refer to its deadrise; this is the angle, in degrees, between horizontal (the water surface) and the bottom of the hull at the transom. the value usually ranges from 0 degrees (a flat bottom boat) to 24 degrees (many performance boats). Modern dayboats and cruisers usually have about 18 degrees of deadrise. More deadrise creates a sharper angle at the keel, allowing the boat to penetrate waves more smoothly than a flat bottom.

My 1992 Four Winns Horizon 200 has 21 degrees of deadrise and handles rough water fairly well, but not as well as a friend's 1986 Wellcraft 21' with 24 degrees of deadrise.
A 2015 Four Winns Horizon 200 has 20 degrees of deadrise.
A 2016 TAHOE 550 TS (cheaper, less powerful boat) has 16 degrees of deadrise.
Bayliner doesn't publish deadrise for their boats.
Do you see a trend here?

Lower deadrise allows a boat to plane with less power and lower fuel cost, but at the expense of a smooth ride.

Great explanation!!

The Broads . . .
 

are chill sometimes.

Rough in the broads
 

Nice pic Misha888. On the other hand, today the broads were absolutely flat. No wind, rare boat wakes. Just beautiful, for any size boat.

And What About Pontoon Boats?
 

When I'm away in Florida, I see lots of "power catamarans". A description follows here:

A Neighbor has ordered a "Glacier Bay".

http://www.glacierbaycats.com/images...0Miami2007.jpg

Comparisons on the ride:

http://www.glacierbaycats.com/site/d...owercatamaran/

:look:

That would be the day! The antique boat races were going on at the other end of the bay, and we were over near Sewell Road looking for clay pigeons and whisky bottles. Another great day diving. But 2009? Yikes...seems like last year. ;)

I remember making the same Wolfeboro-to-Melvin ride as a kid with a couple of friends in a Whaler, and we were getting tossed around like it was our job. Funny how you can remember individual rides like that...out of thousands.

And, yes, it looks a little bumpy in that video...but it really doesn't do justice to the ride, or the swells. But the dive site was like glass.

thank you . . .
 

Another gorgeous calm day today.

I remember the wind was howling that day. I had a brand new Merrymeeting Lake hat. We were on the Wolfeboro docks watching the races. The wind caught the hat, blew it 3 docks over, into the water and waves, and it sunk before anyone could grab it. :(

Maybe all is not lost
 

Maybe Grant and Senter Cove Guy can make a diving trip to the area of the Wolfeboro docks and retrieve it for you. I mean, it has to be well preserved after these years underwater, right. Not faded due to sunlight. :emb:

They probably already found it. I know they sometimes participate in the annual dive around the docks as part of the cleanup assisted by Dive Winni.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ro+docks+clean

My longtime friend and use to go all over the lake when we were kids. We would boat in my 12 foot Arkansas Traveler with a 5HP on it. We would leave Green's Basin and travel all the way down the lake, across the broads to the Weirs. We would hang out for a bit and then travel back. Our parents just thought we were staying up at our end of the lake. We were such bad girls- Ha Ha!!