Ice-out and early season boating

Wolfeboro Matt · 03-16-2006, 05:43 PM

Assuming the ice-out is as early as people are predicting, how early is it "safe" to put the boat in? Meaning, there is typically a lot of debris floating in the water immediately after ice-out, is there not? How long does it take for the bulk of it to wash up on shore? And "ice-out" doesn't necessarily mean ALL the ice is out of the water, does it? I assume there are still chunks of ice floating around?

Thanks!

Mee-n-Mac · 03-16-2006, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfeboro Matt

Assuming the ice-out is as early as people are predicting, how early is it "safe" to put the boat in? Meaning, there is typically a lot of debris floating in the water immediately after ice-out, is there not? How long does it take for the bulk of it to wash up on shore? And "ice-out" doesn't necessarily mean ALL the ice is out of the water, does it? I assume there are still chunks of ice floating around?
Thanks!

You're correct that ice-out does not equal no ice but it's the debris in the lake that's the real concern. You have wood that the ice fisher people left on the lake and damaged dock pieces floating about and tree limbs and such that are blown into, or wash into, the lake during the spring storms. Most of it is gone after a couple of weeks of free lake, pretty much all of it by 4 weeks. 85.392 % of it shows up on my beach

ITD · 03-16-2006, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac

You're correct that ice-out does not equal no ice but it's the debris in the lake that's the real concern. You have wood that the ice fisher people left on the lake and damaged dock pieces floating about and tree limbs and such that are blown into, or wash into, the lake during the spring storms. Most of it is gone after a couple of weeks of free lake, pretty much all of it by 4 weeks. 85.392 % of it shows up on my beach

Thank you for gathering that much, I wish you would collect more because the other 14.608 % ends up on my beach.

Airwaves · 03-16-2006, 08:22 PM

Quote:

ITD wrote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac
You're correct that ice-out does not equal no ice but it's the debris in the lake that's the real concern. You have wood that the ice fisher people left on the lake and damaged dock pieces floating about and tree limbs and such that are blown into, or wash into, the lake during the spring storms. Most of it is gone after a couple of weeks of free lake, pretty much all of it by 4 weeks. 85.392 % of it shows up on my beach

Thank you for gathering that much, I wish you would collect more because the other 14.608 % ends up on my beach.

Well I wish you guys would do a better job!

My "home" port outside of the place at the lake is the Merrimack River and I have to tell you, after EVERY high water we are dodging century old trees in the water !!!!

Rattlesnake Gal · 03-17-2006, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac

85.392 % of it shows up on my beach

We must be missing more of the debris than we thought!

Keep in mind, one of the most dangerous times for boating early in the season is after dark.

Misty Blue · 03-18-2006, 11:34 AM

Spring is tough. With the high waters last fall and the ice damage caused by power outages on the islands I expect that there will be even more than normal debris in the Lake this spring. Remember a 3' by 8' dock section floating on the water stands only about 3/4 inch above the water. Hard to see in the day, impossible to see at night and hard on the old out drive!

That said, let's not be a bunch of sissies. We miss you guys up here and can't wait until you get your butts (er, what I meant to say is "boats") up here, and soon!.

Misty Blue

03-16-2006, 05:43 PM	#1
Wolfeboro Matt Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: middleton, ma and wolfeboro, nh Posts: 85 Thanks: 6 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Ice-out and early season boating Assuming the ice-out is as early as people are predicting, how early is it "safe" to put the boat in? Meaning, there is typically a lot of debris floating in the water immediately after ice-out, is there not? How long does it take for the bulk of it to wash up on shore? And "ice-out" doesn't necessarily mean ALL the ice is out of the water, does it? I assume there are still chunks of ice floating around? Thanks!

03-18-2006, 11:34 AM	#6
Misty Blue Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 658 Thanks: 121 Thanked 283 Times in 98 Posts	Flotsam and Jetsam... Spring is tough. With the high waters last fall and the ice damage caused by power outages on the islands I expect that there will be even more than normal debris in the Lake this spring. Remember a 3' by 8' dock section floating on the water stands only about 3/4 inch above the water. Hard to see in the day, impossible to see at night and hard on the old out drive! That said, let's not be a bunch of sissies. We miss you guys up here and can't wait until you get your butts (er, what I meant to say is "boats") up here, and soon!. Misty Blue