boat access Pickerel Cove
 

How big of a boat can get under the Train Bridge? Or how much vertical clearance is there? (for proper perspective, can anyone who has experience with this compare it to the Back Bay bridge [Wolfeboro] or the entrance to the Basin?)

Pickerel Cove
 

If I remember correctly(been a few years since I've been in there), it's a smaller culvert than entrance to the basin(tighter squeeze) and very similar in height to the Back Bay bridge. I can get into Pickerel cove in my bass boat(18.5 ft) with a little room to spare, but not much. Proceed with caution if you're going to attempt it. You may even want to cut your motor and use a paddle, or push your boat through (using the sides of the culvert once you're inside). Hope this helps. Good luck and be safe.

The RR bridge is not the gating factor
 

The culvert under the RR tracks is not the primary issue. There is a 3-foot diameter water pipe about 15 feet AFTER the culvert that is the limiting factor for most boats. As indicated only on Bizer's chart (shameless plug here), the water pipe is 3.3 feet above "full pool". The Wolfeboro bridge, at 4.2 feet, has almost one foot more clearance.

Today, the lake is about 6 inches below full, so the vertical clearance to Pickerel Cove is 46 +/- inches today.

This photo, taken 07-Sep-03, shows the water pipe blocking most of the view.
http://www.bizer.com/lwsummer/0390707_pickerel_cove.jpg

Hey Bizer not a shameless plug at all.Great info and photo.Is the height clearance what appears to be the bridge beam,a pipe,or the culvert itself. On the 6th edition it says"overhead pipe vertical clearance 3.3ft. SS

Thought I'd revive an oldie than start the same topic. My family will be looking at a house in that cove. I'm asking the question again of how big of a boat is realistic for that culvert access to Winni? I guess height from water to windshield is the real question instead of length. It seems as if we'd have to boat shop for boats in the water to measure them. Haha how deep is the water trough there? I don't mind trimming way up or something but don't want to get stuck under there. Lots of boat docks in pickerel cove so people must boat from there often.

This video should help
 

It certainly depends on the lake height. It's the water pipe that will be your problem. This video is me going through last year on a wave runner. It will give you a good idea what it looks like with the lake almost at FULL. I added some free youtube music for added enjoyment. ;)

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lmkZhgOe3Y4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmkZhgOe3Y4

After watching that video my guess is maybe a my bassboat would fit but not sure if any other boat would.

Thank you PBFF. Very helpful! Looks like a neat cove but that pipe worries me. For boats we were thinking an aluminum v-hull like a large tracker, polar kraft, etc w/ a 150 4 stroke outboard for an all around use boat cause we fish and ski. You can see other moderately sized boats docked in there so it must be doable. Thanks again.

I think a key factor is purchasing a boat in which the windshield can be lowered.

My question is who thought it was a great idea to put a pipe in that low?

Can't believe I've never been in there on my PWC. Didn't realize the cove was that large.

When you go through that pipe, on a day where the lake is busy, you realize if you shut off the engine you hear nothing. It feels like you're in another world because you can't see or hear the lake. The majority of houses in there have boats. If you sit outside the entrance you will see boats going in and out quite often on a weekend.

We will be looking at 3 houses in that cove. They might not be ideal but we don't have ideal money to spend. Some compromises will have to be made to buy any lake property, let alone on Winnipesaukee. Thanks and a lowering windshield will need to be looked into. Any guess on depth through there?

Lily pads and vegetation could be a factor.
 

It's not deeper than 15 feet in most places, I could be wrong but that's what I have seen. I would also consider the growth of lily pads as the summer progresses. If you go in there now you can navigate to the end and you'll see only spotty vegetation. By late summer the cove has a ton of pads and it would be something I'd really pay attention to when selecting a piece of property over there. It could turn into a problem. Again, only from what I've observed fishing in the cove from May to October.

If you are looking at the one almost at the end of Harglen Lane it has a deeded dock on Paugus Bay so no issues with boat size.

Where exactly is Pickerel Cove?

The cove is to the right as you enter Paugus Bay. About 1/4 mile beyond the NWZ.

I have taken my 21' bow rider in the cove many times but always late in the season. If my windshield folded down I could go in all year. I once arranged to be in the pipe when the train went overhead.

How often on Winni do you get a train to pass over your boat? Wish I had a picture of it.

Thanks for the replies. Couple more.....does that tunnel freeze enough for sleds and atvs to get through or is it just easier to find a way over land? Is that train track system part of the sled trail in the winter?

Homewood....

A low freeboard boat like a small 19' runabout or Donzi classic will fit under the bridge no problem. Look around the cove and see what the neighbors have docked. You will find most boats are pretty small.

The railroad tracks are part of the corridor sled trail. So people will be zipping by on their sleds & atv's come the winter. I am not sure the water freezes enough under the bridge to get a sled across. I have never seen sled tracks go under that bridge. Not to say its not possible, I just haven't seen it!

Woodsy

I have gone In there on my Jet Ski. very tight going In there

:D

That's one of them. Weird garage and driveway thing down to the water. What's up with that?

I would guess it is a drive thru garage so you can launch your boat at your own property and not have to go to a public launch. Or to get to the water side of the property because going around the house on the sides it is not possible.
Let us know after you see it.

That's cool. I once timed it so that I drove my car under an oil tanker on the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel for similar reasons.

Couple things:

1. that is not a water pipe but a sewer pipe.

2. the cove does fill with weeds/pads as the summer progresses - especially down towards the end by Hilliard Rd.

3. the culvert does not freeze during the winter but accessing the local trails, especially the tracks, is not a problem during the winter.

Good luck with the purchase!

I used to have a house in the cove
 

It is a nice quiet place for kayak, canoe and paddleboat. you never have to fear having the kids out there by themselves and getting dumped by crazy boat wakes. I had a 18 ft Sea Ray and didn't have too many problems, if you end up with a with a great deal of spring rain, it could shorten your boating season, but not by a great deal.

When I was there (2009) the residents were fighting the milfoil problem, it was getting a bit thick and they were trying to raise money for chemical treatment. The cove is not a great place to swim as it is probably only 5 feet at the deepest spot in the middle and there is a great deal of muck on the bottom as there is generally not a great deal of water flow.

Overall we really enjoyed our time there, the neighbors were great and the place is very quiet compared to some other areas on Winni,

good luck

Sounds like the family is not very excited about those houses anymore. Taxes and the tunnel seemed to have dulled the excitement.

Pickerel Cove
 

Good day folks,

We purchased in Pickerel Cove last fall, no regrets at all, got a killer deal on a decent home on lake Winni, with some compromises.
We keep a 29 Foot boat at Channel and looking to buy a small 13 foot Boston Whaler to keep in the cove and have for going to the community beach.
Pickerel Cove is nice, extremely quite, not to mention Meredith is 6 minutes to the Town Docks, and Lowes as well as several Grocery Store are another 6 minutes the other way.
This cove offers lots of great options, you can snowmobile out your back door onto a main corridor, you can boat/PWC out to the big lake, the Weirs is a short walk, everything is there and your out off the beaten path.
NICE.......Love It.....:D

How wide is the tunnel at lake level?

My family also has a home in Pickerel cove. Boat is stored at Channel. During peak times there is a wait to get your boat but the service is awesome. It isn't the tunnel that is the problem it is the pipe that is next to it. Weeds have been diminishing in the cove but can still be an issue.


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