"Genius? Not!" wrote in message
. ..
I've got an 18 foot boat. And I'm new to boating. So I've got a million
questions. And probably more to follow those!

I think my day-trip limit, for now, is 2 hours to reach an uncrowded
warm-water lake.

The first thing to come to mind is how far do you like to trailer your
boat
for vacations and long weekends?

How far is too far and what's makes your destination too far?

What makes your destination worth the distance?

Marty

I live in central Ohio, and I would say I limit my day trips to 2 hours
travel each way. And that's pulling a 25' Malibu inboard, behind a 2500
Silverado.

This gets me pretty much anywhere in the state, including the Ohio River and
Lake Erie...both of said trips, I have made many times.

I also trailer to Lake Cumberland, KY at least once a year, about 280 miles
one way, but always stay at least a long weekend. I sometimes take my old
18' Cheetah jet-boat there...its a lot lighter than the Malibu, and trailers
well.

I have never justified any trips longer than that. When we visit the east
coast, we end up renting because we usually only spend one day on the water,
and we fly. I wouldn't want to trailer a boat all the way down there, just
for one day on the water.

Methinks a lot of it would depend on how big your boat is, and what you are
pulling it with. I rode with a guy pulling a 32' Baja to Erie (2 hours)
behind an F-150 six-cylinder/short bed, and it was all he could do keeping
it at 50 mph. On the other hand, I don't even notice my 18' behind my 350
cid Chevy.

--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.columbus.rr.com/ckg/

I've got an 18 foot boat. And I'm new to boating. So I've got a million
questions. And probably more to follow those!
I think my day-trip limit, for now, is 2 hours to reach an uncrowded
warm-water lake.
The first thing to come to mind is how far do you like to trailer your
boat for vacations and long weekends?
How far is too far and what's makes your destination too far?
What makes your destination worth the distance?
Marty
=================================
I/we keep our 21 foot mid-cabin in a small marina with mostly 24 ft.
wells on floating docks. We have the unlimited use of 2 launch ramps,
so we can pull the boat any time we choose. We take off for harbors in
Michigans Thumb area, mostly Pt. Sanilac and Harbor Beach. We usually
pull the boat on Monday and trail it to Pt. Sanilac and rent a well
there till Friday and do our cruising in Lake Huron. Its about a 70
mile trip and takes us about an hour and a half from the marina to the
Pt. Sanilac launch ramp. We sometimes take the boat up the river to
Lexington and come back on Thur or Fri, but the St. Clair river can be
a nightmare for a small boat on those days because to the weekenders
headed north.

Happy boating, Norm

"Netsock" wrote in message
...

I live in central Ohio, and I would say I limit my day trips to 2 hours
travel each way. And that's pulling a 25' Malibu inboard, behind a 2500
Silverado.

This gets me pretty much anywhere in the state, including the Ohio River
and
Lake Erie...both of said trips, I have made many times.

I also trailer to Lake Cumberland, KY at least once a year, about 280
miles
one way, but always stay at least a long weekend. I sometimes take my old
18' Cheetah jet-boat there...its a lot lighter than the Malibu, and
trailers
well.

I have never justified any trips longer than that. When we visit the east
coast, we end up renting because we usually only spend one day on the
water,
and we fly. I wouldn't want to trailer a boat all the way down there, just
for one day on the water.

Methinks a lot of it would depend on how big your boat is, and what you
are
pulling it with. I rode with a guy pulling a 32' Baja to Erie (2 hours)
behind an F-150 six-cylinder/short bed, and it was all he could do keeping
it at 50 mph. On the other hand, I don't even notice my 18' behind my 350
cid Chevy.

--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.columbus.rr.com/ckg/



I guess what I'm really looking for is a feel for how far is too far to the
point where it becomes work instead of fun. From the answers, the obvious
becomes clear as most stay within a couple of hours for the common trip and
many of those seem happy to be only a few minutes away! The longer trip
isn't frowned on at all, but as it should be is motivated by the expected
enjoyment of the destination and the time available to spend there. Some of
you seem happy to travel quite far to reach a favorite destination with 4
hours jumping out as a common high number. And in your case, you make the
point of what your towing and with what plays a role in the work vs fun
calculation.

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 12:56:40 GMT, "Genius? Not!"
wrote:


I guess what I'm really looking for is a feel for how far is too far to
the
point where it becomes work instead of fun. From the answers, the obvious
becomes clear as most stay within a couple of hours for the common trip
and
many of those seem happy to be only a few minutes away! The longer trip
isn't frowned on at all, but as it should be is motivated by the expected
enjoyment of the destination and the time available to spend there. Some
of
you seem happy to travel quite far to reach a favorite destination with 4
hours jumping out as a common high number. And in your case, you make the
point of what your towing and with what plays a role in the work vs fun
calculation.

Actually, we used to have a poster here that bragged about frequently
dragging his highly modified 2452 Bayliner from Derby, Kansas to San
Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.... must be close to 1750 miles... one
way....

for me, 1/2 miles is plenty....
--


That's a long haul for some recreational boating; must have been something
real special for him at the other end.