Neophyte on the Lake

[Lcookster]

Hi everyone- please forgive me for the following questions, which for the rest of you will have obvious answers. We are renting a house this July 4rth week on Tuftonboro neck. Very excited as it will be our first Winnipesaukee vacation. We have a 19 foot Maritime skiff/center console. We have a fishfinder sounder/depth chart. We have Garmin 182 GPS but have been told by the Garmin people they don't have a chart program for the Lake. We have been told that the Lake is a challenge to navigate. Anyone have any information for us? I read in this forum about a Bizer (lol, I don't even know what that is although my husband might). We just want to be prepared.

We will be bringing kids who would like to do 'tubing' behind our boat. Is this safe in Tuftonboro neck? We are pretty cautious boaters and not speed demons. Also, I have been told that you can take your boat to Wolfeboro and there are public docks there so you can motor over and have lunch. Is this a far ride from Tuftonboro neck and would I need to make arrangements in advance in order to be able to tie up? Sorry if these questions are so basic! Thanks in advance- L

[PROPELLER]

The lake can be a challenge but if you have a chart it is easy to use. Bizer is a reference to a manufacturer of a lake chart. There is another, Duncan Press & they are both available on line from this site or at many of the area stores and marinas around the lake.

Wolfboro is 20-40 minutes by boat from your area depending on how fast you go & how rough it is. The town docks at Wolfboro & all the other towns around the lake are first come first serve.

There are many safe areas around the lake to take the kids tubing. If you use common sense it will be obvious where it is safe or not safe to go tubing. Enjoy your vacation.

[islandAl]

Welcome to the lake. Quick note, licenses are required for almost all boaters now (a few of us old timers have another year or so)
This is the link to Bizer (person) who produces a great map. You DO want to buy one either on-line or at local store http://www.winnipesaukee.com/links/cgi/jump.cgi?ID=57
You can also go to quick links above select lake links and then boating.
You will spend most of your time in Moultonborough bay and tubing is fine. Weekdays best with less traffic. Same for trip to Wolfeboro and tie ups are first come first tied. Watch the weather as a very windy day could bring 5-6 waves down at the Wolfeboro end. Depending on exactly where you are, 20 to 25 miles. Nice ride and well worth the trip. Naturally, you can go lots of places on the lake.
Most neighbors will assist with advice, places to fish, tricky rock locations and weather forecasts. Have a great time.

[Woodsy]

Ditto! Al's advice is right on. Get a map. The GPS will be helpful but will not show the markers. I believe there is a rough outline of the lake on your GPS. If you can, take the time to get your NH boaters certificate. The navigation rules on the lake might be different from what your used to.

Welcome!

Woodsy

[Mee-n-Mac]

You are correct about Garmin not making a chart for the lake but I hear it's got the major islands mapped so with that and a lake chart (Bizer is my preference but Duncan press is an alternative) I think you should be OK. Ordering (and studying) one before you get to the lake can add to your peace of mind. Between the 2 you should always be able to know where you are on the chart and thus follow a safe course (as marked on the chart). In the event you're not sure, proceed slowly and remember that "BEN" is your friend. In that neck of the woods you might want to understand how to navigate around or through the "Graveyard" and around Cow & Little Bear Islands before you get on the lake. Where on Tuftonboro Neck are you staying ?

As for tubing you just want to stay out the areas where the lake gets narrow. North of the above islands and in Winter Harbor are relatively good and close locations. The open area of the lake just off the neck (known as the Broads) can be choppy, especially on a windy day.

There are town docks in Wolfeboro where you can tie up (3 hr limit). The are numerous restaurants and shops but it can be (very) crowded that time of year. Weekdays aren't bad and weekends before 10am you're probably OK. Your vacation week is more busy than most so there's no guaranteee you'll find empty dock w/o a (long) wait during the weekend prime hours (11am - 5 pm). From the closest tip of Tuftonboro neck to the Wolfeboro docks is just a little over 5 miles. Add another 2 - 3 depending on where you're staying so I would call that reasonably close. As Al said above, it's first come first served wrt dock space.

If you have other questions as to what to see and where to go post back.


*BEN - For Black tipped markers stay East or North. For red tipped stay west or south.

[Silver Duck]

Lcookster

It's true that Garmin doesn't make a dedicated chip for Winni comparable to the C-map chip with Bizer's map pre-loaded.

However, I just checked and their Mapsource US Recreational Lakes and Fishing Hot Spots - East CD (compatible with the 182) has a very reasonable chart of the lake, which, in combination with a hard copy of the Bizer map will be perfectly useable for your vacation.

You are correct in saying that the lake can a challenge to navigate; it's easy to lose your bearings among the islands.

It also has hard spots (i.e., submerged rocks) in unexpected places. I believe that finding one may be what inspired the Bizer folks to start their map making business (see Bizer Rock on the map!)

Getting the software for your GPS is a good idea, but getting the Bizer map is a necessity!

Enjoy your vacation, and perhaps I'll see you on the lake!

Silver Duck

[JTA]

Plan your trip on the chart before you go. If you get lost, go up to the nearest lighted buoy and it will be numbered ... then, find it on the chart. I assume your boat has a compass. Also, many times I go from the Tuft Neck area down to Wolfeboro in the morning when it's calm. The lake picks up chop during the day (there are often afternoon T storms) so, your ride home could be an adventure. Good luck!

[Misty Blue]

Lcookster:

When you get up here go to any marina or sporting shop and get the State of NH boating safety booklet. It is pretty generic but has the general rules (some are totally spcific to NH waters) that you need to know and describes our state unified marking system which is very unique. It is a good system though and you will need it to get out of Moultonborough bay for sure.

As for the tubeing, remember each tuber (skiier) needs a type 1,2 or 3 PFD and each person being towed needs an observer over the age of 12. That is if you have two people in the water you need two observers. Even if you have two kids on one tube.

If you send me a personal post with your address I will mail you a book.

Have a blast!!!!

Misty Blue.

[jrc]

First do you need a safe boating certificate? Here are the rules:

I. No person born on or after the dates provided in this section shall operate a motorized vessel with any type of power motor in excess of 25 horsepower on the public waters of this state without first obtaining a certificate of boating safety education in accordance with this subdivision:
Date of Birth Certificate Required
January 1, 1983 January 1, 2002
January 1, 1977 January 1, 2003
January 1, 1973 January 1, 2004
January 1, 1967 January 1, 2005
January 1, 1963 January 1, 2006
January 1, 1957 January 1, 2007
All January 1, 2008

You can take care of this before you come up, online at http://boat-ed.com/nh/course/p4-3_whomayoperate.htm

BTW it's not free, but you really don't want to get up here and not be able to boat.

Second on tubing the rules are here: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/...-D/270-D-3.htm

Third, if you plan to explore the lake, get a chart. Either Bizer or Duncan will do. It really isn't that hard to find your way around if you stick to the popular routes. But there are rocks in the most unexpected areas. They are clearly marked on the maps and with bouys but the NH bouy system is weird.

Finally, I reccomend saving the big exploring for the weekdays. Every summer weekend and of course Monday the 4th, the lake will be crowded. Starting Tuesday, things will be much better.

There are five towns on the lake with free public docking. You just look for an empty spot and tie up, there are no harbor masters or anything like that. Obviously common curtesy requires first come, first serve.

Wolfeboro and Meredith are the most popular. Both have big public docks and dozens of shops and resturants. Alton Bay and Center Harbor have less docking and less places to go. Weirs beach is popular with the kids. It has a lots of docking, pizza, other beach food, arcades, train rides and beach shops.

[Frank]

Just a little more on your Garmin GPS... I have a similar unit loaded with the US Recreational Lakes CD, which is very nice for the lake. But, if you want your GPS to be even better, go to www.bizer.com and click on the GPS page. There, Bizer sells a waypoint file you can download into your Garmin GPS that will add the lighted markers to your map. I find this incredibly useful.

And, I always keep my Bizer chart on hand too.

- Frank

[Lcookster]

Wow! I am so grateful and impressed that you all responded so quickly and generously with information. Thank you! Specifically, our house is on Winter Harbor. Don't know anything about it, so don't know if that is a good or a bad thing and how that might make motoring to one of the towns more or less challenging. Feedback? Also, in terms of some of the 5 foot waves you describe, sounds like that would be challenging for our little 18 foot skiff. Do you agree? I love the bumps but some of the kiddos might freak out. lol Looking at a map, it looked as if motoring to Weirs beach might be too much for our size boat. I am going to sit with my husband and we will do all the things you folks have recommended. We will have a much better time being prepared, and of course don't want to create any problems for other boaters there. I also read the thread about boating with dogs, very helpful. We will be bringing our Golden. By the way, we live on the North Shore of Boston and launch our boat from Perkins Marina in Essex. Take it through the salt marshes and out into the ocean, but not far out! Mostly motor around the islands. It's great to check out if you are ever in the area. Thanks again- you're a great group.

[PROPELLER]

No need to worry about the 5 foot waves unless there is a strong north west wind. Winter Harbor is a great area & is perfect for tubing as you are not on the broads(the largest part of the lake). There also is less traffic especially during the weekdays. Wolfboro is very close to Winter Harbor so no trouble going to the town docks there.

Weirs Beach is no problem for you in your boat from Winter Harbor as long as the chop is not too high. Just check for that strong north west wind I mentioned earlier. I recommend you go on a weekday though as its very crowded in that area on weekends especially during July 4th.

Don't worry too much about it being rough. I know the area you boat in Essex well as I have boated the North Shore & Cape Ann for many years before coming to Winni. The lake is mild compared to what I have experienced in that area. I did alot of boating off Plum Island into the Annisquam & launched in the Merrimack in Newburyport. Its a great boating area.

[Zee]

We have a 19 foot boat that goes everywhere on the Lake. In and around the Weir's on the weekend can get very choppy with all the boat traffic. I would suggest going there during the week. Winter Harbor is very well protected from a lot of the bad weather and chop the broads experiences. (The borads is the large expanse of lake from Barndoor Island to the Weirs.) Don't let the broads scare you, most of the time the navigation is just fine. If you are used to going out off-shore at home, you should be fine. Just watch the sky as storms will have a major impact on the wave action. It is a big lake and our favorite sections are the north part of the lake. Even on weekends, it is not very busy from Cow Island through the graveyard and into Moultonboro Bay into Green's basin. Lots of water up there and a lot less boats.

There are lots of areas to tie up at public docks. Going couterclockwise from Winter Harbor, try Pier 19 in 19 Mile Bay for some of the best sirloin burgers and very expensive gas. There are no water access restaurants in Moultonboro Bay other than Pier 19 and some might say that is not technically Moult. Bay. Going further west, you have Center Harbor with a grocery store, hardware store, wine shop, Coe House restaurant and for breakfast and lunch try Sam & Rosie's. Further west is Meredith. Too much to do to name it all but at least 12 restaurants within walking distance from pizza to seafood, all kinds of shops. Walk up the hill behind the Mill and you have many more shops. Then there is the Weir's, very honky tonk and great for kids. Paugus Bay has a Burger King (yuk) with docks. Glendale has public docks, but there aren't any restaurants or shops within walking distance. Ames Farm in Gilford (At the Alton line) has a nice restaurant with a nice breakfast menu I am told. Then there is Alton Bay with a few restaurants. And finally Wolfeboro. There are many docks there and on weekends you may have to drift out there waiting your turn but it is my favorite town. Walk up the street to the Wolfe's tavern, one of my favorite eating spots. Lots of shops.

[Mee-n-Mac]

Propellor & Zee have pretty much said it all re: Winter Harbor. It's both protected enough from the wind and wide enough that it should be perfect for boating with the kids and tubing. Also nothing really tricky there re: rocks and markers. Recommended first trip out onto the larger lake would be to Wolfeboro, some 6 - 7+ miles away. Nothing really tricky about navigating that route either. Some weekday when there's less boat traffic you may want to go from Wolfeboro Bay out (and left as you exit Wolfeboro) and explore the (Varney) Islands and local coves and bays. You can see the Bahre mansion on Clay Point. If Winter Harbor is a 1 and the northern part of the lake is a 10 (on the navigation difficulty scale) then this is a 3.5. Some rocks and markers to concern you but do-able with a chart and once you've got your lake legs. There are some nice places to drop anchor and lunch and swim along this route. Coming out of Winter Harbor and going right you head up the other side of the neck, past Cow I and then around Little Bear and Ragged Islands. Again a nice exploratory and relatively easy trip. After that another good (but longer, maybe 11+ miles) weekday trip would be to the Weirs. The kids will enjoy the arcades.

Most of the chop on the lake is from boat traffic which is minimal during the week. Only a really big storm could blow 4+ ft waves on the Broads and then you'd have known not to go out ahead of time because you checked the weather report, right

[gtxrider]

As said by others Winter Harbor is a good place for tubing sonce you are off the broads and it is pretty much out of the wind. We used to ride over there to ski if the wind was kicking up white caps in Alton Bay.

Going across the lake to the Weirs should not cause much hassle, just watch the weather forecast before setting out on an extented cruise.

FYI, the Burger King on Paugus Bay has docks so if you want to go thru the Weirs Channel the kids may enjoy the KING. The ride thru the channel can be SLOW.

Better yet tie up at the Wiers and take a walk to "Waldo Peppers" for lunch.

[Lcookster]

Many thanks to all of you. Hubby bought the Bizer stuff, the basic Garmen stuff and did all that you folks suggested. I really appreciate the insights and suggestions.