Ice-Out 2012

[MAXUM]

With the ice disappearing so quickly I guess I better get around to replacing the impeller in my stern drive. I know what I'll be doing on Saturday.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

With the ice disappearing so quickly I guess I better get around to replacing the impeller in my stern drive. I know what I'll be doing on Saturday.

Gen 2 Alpha? Those last forever.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Gen 2 Alpha? Those last forever.

Wouldn't own anything else! It's an '03 Alpha I Gen 2

I've had a new impeller for it sitting on my workbench now for over a year and keep putting it off. Couple of hours in the garage pre-season beats a blown engine in the middle of the summer.

My last boat with a 94 Alpha I Gen 2 went 10 years before I replaced the impeller and it was probably still OK and my current boat will probably be in the same condition but having a new one in there is piece of mind I guess more than anything else. Heck it's a $20.00 part. I learned my lesson last time and didn't needlessly buy the entire housing kit.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

Wouldn't own anything else! It's an '03 Alpha I Gen 2

I've had a new impeller for it sitting on my workbench now for over a year and keep putting it off. Couple of hours in the garage pre-season beats a blown engine in the middle of the summer.

My last boat with a 94 Alpha I Gen 2 went 10 years before I replaced the impeller and it was probably still OK and my current boat will probably be in the same condition but having a new one in there is piece of mind I guess more than anything else. Heck it's a $20.00 part. I learned my lesson last time and didn't needlessly buy the entire housing kit.

Those are great drives. The "floppy vane" impeller design change when they went to gen 2 was brilliant. I know some people hate changing the impeller in the drive, but it's a lot easier than changing the impeller on my engine in my Bravo 3 equipped boat. That Bravo pump is in an awful place to access and the impeller is only good for 2 seasons max. The only plus is that I don't have an oily mess to deal with when I change it.

[mas1992bc]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the board as a contributor, but have been reading it for years. I setup a webcam at my house to monitor the progress of Ice-Out this year. It takes an image every 20 minutes during daylight hours and uploads it to a website I created that shows a time lapse video. I've only captured a few days so far, but I will continue to capture the images this entire month. Here's the link if you are interested. You can pause the slide show or select a specific image by just hovering over the image or the markers underneath the image.

http://ec2-23-21-133-74.compute-1.am....com/slideshow

(Note that if you are using Internet Explorer version 8 or lower, the site will prompt you to install a small Google plug-in called ChromeFrame - which is necessary for the animation)

Mike

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by mas1992bc

Hi everyone, I'm new to the board as a contributor, but have been reading it for years. I setup a webcam at my house to monitor the progress of Ice-Out this year. It takes an image every 20 minutes during daylight hours and uploads it to a website I created that shows a time lapse video. I've only captured a few days so far, but I will continue to capture the images this entire month. Here's the link if you are interested. You can pause the slide show or select a specific image by just hovering over the image or the markers underneath the image.

http://ec2-23-21-133-74.compute-1.am....com/chipmunks

(Note that if you are using Internet Explorer version 8 or lower, the site will prompt you to install a small Google plug-in called ChromeFrame - which is necessary for the animation)

Mike

Hi Mike;

Thanks for the web cam!! Just curious where on the lake is this??

Dan

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Hi Mike;

Thanks for the web cam!! Just curious where on the lake is this??

Dan

I guess up in narrows of Marlborough Bay.

[mas1992bc]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Hi Mike;

Thanks for the web cam!! Just curious where on the lake is this??

Dan

Hi Dan,

It is in the channel between Ambrose Cove and Moultonborough bay, just around the corner from Buzzel Cove.

Mike

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by mas1992bc

Hi Dan,

It is in the channel between Ambrose Cove and Moultonborough bay, just around the corner from Buzzel Cove.

Mike

You must be near the Clark's Landing / Bon Aire cottages?

[Island Girl]

I linked to this time lapse from the ice-out page along with a link to the Silver Sands daily picture. This way you can always find them.... and the other Winnipesaukee WebCams.

IG

soon, very very soon

[mas1992bc]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

I linked to this time lapse from the ice-out page along with a link to the Silver Sands daily picture. This way you can always find them.... and the other Winnipesaukee WebCams.

IG

soon, very very soon

Sorry, but I had to change the URL of the site (and it might have to change again - I'm trying to figure out where to host it without paying too much money for the hosting site). Your best bet is to put a link to my comcast site on the ICE-OUT page. My comcast site has a link to the webcam time lapse that I will keep updated and will always be correct. It is:

http://home.comcast.net/~mscopa

From that page, just click the "Lake Winnipesaukee Time Lapse Video" link. Sorry about the change.

Mike

[Island Girl]

Thanks for the update... I have replaced the link with the one you just posted.

IG

[AC2717]

I have March 30th at 3pm, think i am going to be over by a day or two, or three

[Bear Island South]

Originally Posted by AC2717

I have March 30th at 3pm, think i am going to be over by a day or two, or three

I like your thinking...my guess is the 28th.
I am going for two in a row, I had the day right last year but was 6 hours off.

[Mink Islander]

The Lakeport lake temperature today is 39 degrees! (insert Snoopy Dance here). Ice out is definitely accelerating. Going to be a new record, for sure. I picked March 20th and that may be a late guess.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Dave R

Those are great drives. The "floppy vane" impeller design change when they went to gen 2 was brilliant. I know some people hate changing the impeller in the drive, but it's a lot easier than changing the impeller on my engine in my Bravo 3 equipped boat. That Bravo pump is in an awful place to access and the impeller is only good for 2 seasons max. The only plus is that I don't have an oily mess to deal with when I change it.

Gonna move this discussion over to the boat maintenance part of the forum, great stuff to talk about, just don't want to pollute the ice out thread.

Speaking of, for the first time this morning I noticed that good old "spring smell" in the air. Don't exactly know how to describe it other than that.

Only thing better than that is fresh cut grass smell ;-)

Bring it on!

[riverat]

Gunstock Acres Cam
http://www.wunderground.com/webcams/erikas/2/show.html

[Merrymeeting]

Much to my amazement, there are a few ice fishermen walking on Merrymeeting today. Thankfully they seem to be staying near shore as there are a few large open areas on the lake and the ice looks awful fragile to me. I don't plan to test it.

[Merrymeeting]

The ice is starting to look dark on many of the webcams, the Minge Cove time lapse shows lots of ice pack movement, Ossipee webcam area has opened substantially in the last 24 hours, Shaw's Pond on King's Highway went from being totally locked in to totally open in the past 48 hours, Alton Bay open past the band stand.

Won't be long now. A little wind will do it.

[Lakegeezer]

The traditional leading indicator for ice-out in my area has started to show, meaning we would normally be 2-3 weeks till ice-out. However, there are already ribbons of open water in Moultonborough Bay, so I think it will happen earlier, especially given the sunny 70's in the forecast for the week and the grey color of the ice. I'd like to pull the boat into the garage to prep it for an early spring launch, but the driveway is still soup. Update: Sunday AM, the temps were below freezing, so I dragged the boat out of its winter pile of snow and into the garage, with minimal tracks in the gravel driveway.

[LadyJane]

My guess was March 24. Looks like that won't be far off.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

WeirsCam


Click here for a Lakes Region Aerial Photography panorama of the lake taken yesterday by Flyguy


Here is another flyguy shot of The Broads yesterday from Lakes Region Aerial Photography


Lake Winnipesaukee Weather Cam at Black Cat Island

Water Temperature at 2 ft: 40.1 °F

Water Temperature at 10 ft: 41.1 °F


Minge Cove Webcam

[codeman671]

I just got off a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale after a week. It's hard to believe that it's in the 70's at home and only 80 here. Can't wait to be home tomorrow. Already told Winnisquam to have my boat ready this week.

At $0.55 per minute for satellite Internet on the ship I probably spent $20 in the
last week checking out the webcams at home.

[Island Girl]

Pine Island Guy was at his dock earlier today... Turned the south webcam back on. P.I.G., is the other cam on?

IG

[Island Girl]

Here is the MODIS from earlier today.... a tad enhanced for easier viewing.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

It is good to see your cam back up! Been missing it. Lucky you getting an early island trip!!!


Pine Island South

[Pine Island Guy]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Pine Island Guy was at his dock earlier today... Turned the south webcam back on. P.I.G., is the other cam on?IG

With the incredible weather we got the itch to drive up and see how far we could get... We got the Alumacraft in the water and headed out through the ice, and made it around to the dock by hugging the shoreline...

Got the south camera up, but the east camera is still sick

What a beautiful day to be on the lake!

ice ice go away -PIG

[DRH]

Yesterday's sun and unseasonably warm temperature did a real job on the ice. Here's an image captured by the Minge Cove Webcam at 8:17 AM this morning:

[mas1992bc]

A couple of great shots caught by my webcam this morning. Moultonborough webcam link.

[camp guy]

I was having lunch at Garwoods yesterday and all of a sudden a double cockpit woodie came from under the bridge, turned to the right for a while, then turned and put the throttle full-speed ahead and did a pass from north to south giving all of us in Garwoods a glimpse of hope that open water will happen soon.

Thank you to the two people in the boat - you made my day.

[bab1234]

The broads are REALLY dark, watched the big hole in front of diamond and off twards alton get bigger yesterday. I think the ice will be gone from the broads any moment, the bays that froze over first will be a few more days. Let the summer games begin. Oh and watching the ice melt is kinda like watching paint dry, a bit boring but the end result is satisfying.

[CrownRay]

No way that ice survives the end of the week. Temps in the 80's forecasted! Wachusett Mountain is mostly brown now, almost no snow.

SeaRay goes in the harbor in 13 days!

[JMR]

Neighbor went from Ames Farm to the Broads side of Rattlesnake yesterday afternoon in his boat. He took some pics and hopes to post them today. We visited Rattlesnake Landing and it is still iced in with about 4 inches of ice.
Saw a boat moving at a decent clip through the cracks in the ice in Alton Bay about 3pm on way around the tip o' the bay.

Planning on being on island this weekend! Going to make week drag along.

[mhtimber]

Originally Posted by JMR

Neighbor went from Ames Farm to the Broads side of Rattlesnake yesterday afternoon in his boat. He took some pics and hopes to post them today. We visited Rattlesnake Landing and it is still iced in with about 4 inches of ice.
Saw a boat moving at a decent clip through the cracks in the ice in Alton Bay about 3pm on way around the tip o' the bay.

Planning on being on island this weekend! Going to make week drag along.

That was my cousin, Capt. Icebreaker, he took me for an ice-out excursion after he and a friend physically broke their way out using poles to break up the ice ahead and push large chunks away from the engine. The ice was basically slush, very 'shardy,'

To borrow a line from TV it was 'Ice Road Boating.'

It was one of the more amazing boating experiences I've ever had.

Thank you Capt Icebreaker.

[JMR]

Great shots. Did you get around Alligator Point?

[mhtimber]

Originally Posted by JMR

Great shots. Did you get around Alligator Point?

Couldn't get that far yesterday but likely I'm going to try again on Wed. or Thurs.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

With the ice disappearing so quickly I guess I better get around to replacing the impeller in my stern drive. I know what I'll be doing on Saturday.

You might be boating!!!

Dan