To Boat on Winni or Not to Boat on Winni..Changed for 2016 and I need input
 

So after a 5 year stay in Florida we moved back to NH this past spring. While looking at homes in NH from FL, we were also looking for boats and dreaming of our day trips to Winni.

Now the boating season is over... I am exhausted. 8 trips or so plus a few other smaller lakes in the region. The problem was trailering from londonderry. It seems like loading/unloading, waiting, and having that time crunch just zaps the life out of the day trips. It also has be thinking about 2016.

With a 19' boat ( that I am selling as we want to upgrade bigger ), I am debating on getting a wet slip somewhere on the lake. It just seems like that would make life much easier for us. Save time, effort, energy, etc. The question is, am I right? Does having a slip on the lake really make that much if a difference when you have an hour drive anyway? Will it make the day trips more enjoyable?

We are coming north on 93 into the lakes region. If I wet slip it, what is the easiest access point/marine on the lake? What can I expect to pay for a wet slip?

Any thoughts here would be appreciated.

thanks!
Jason

I wouldn't have bought a boat if I had to trailer it--I'd had too much of that with my 4-wheelers. That being said, you might also consider valet service, which is cheaper than renting a slip (usually) and will keep your boat out of the elements, etc. Someplace in Gilford would be closer, but Meredith Marina might be perfect and make it easier to get to anywhere fairly easily.

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Thumbs up for valet service
 

After tailoring our boat from Litchfield (right next door to you) for 3 years, we had valet service with Meredith Marina for 8 years. It's an easy drive up 93. The valet service was very convenient. Just call them an hour prior and your boat will be fueled and ready in the water when you arrive. At the end of the day, just leave it at the dock and they pull it for you.

The only reason we no longer use the valet service is that we finally have a cottage with our own dock.

Valet or a slip is definitely worth it. It made day trips much less stressful and more enjoyable.

Day Trippen
 

Jason either owning / renting of a slip or having the use of a valet service have both their advantages as well as disadvantages so I recommend that you consider which alternative best fits your needs and life style. In either event it should result in a fun filled and relaxing day at the lake for you and the family.

Exactly Same Position
 

Know exactly what you are talking about. We are located over in the Portland area of Maine but enjoy Winni. Also like Great East for in water picnics but Winni is much more fun with the access to many restaurants along the lake. The ride over and the trailering with offload and unload though is a real drag. We are looking very hard at the valet service for next season as a way to get the most out of our boating days. Meredith is a fairly long haul for us but just not having to haul the boat and offload/load is a big plus. Have considered both Sebago and Long Lake over here on the Maine side--slips and valet much cheaper-- but neither offers the diversity of experience Winni does

I can fully understand where you are coming from, and I think a slip is probably the best bet for you, especially if you get a boat with sleeping accommodations.

That said, I have a boat with sleeping accommodations and I cannot imagine having it in a slip. I LOVE taking it to different lakes, rivers, and the ocean and trailer towing does not bother me at all. If you have an adequate tow vehicle, consider towing a bigger boat for awhile before you opt for a slip.

Winnipesaukee is wonderful and I'll always keep coming back, but man, it's very limiting (geographically and legally) compared to all the other places you can go in a boat. We live in trailer boating paradise. The ocean is less than an hour away. The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River are only a 6.5 hour drive. Lake George, Lake Champlain, Buzzards Bay, and the Hudson River are all only 3 hours away. Narragansett Bay, the CT River, or the Lakes region of Maine are just 2.5 hours away. All of those alternative places allow overnight anchoring.

I live in Derry so I know the drive well.

I have a boat and wet slip. We love to spend the weekends on board.

As others have said, you just need to decide if you want something large enough to be comfortable to overnight on, and then possibly locked into Winnipesaukee as it may then be too large to trailer.

Stop by Cafe Teresa some Friday night and we can discuss it further if you like.

A others have mentioned, the trailering aspect every time you go to the lake gets old. We were hauling each time from Beverly (a good hour and a half) and finally decided to keep the boat at the lake. We chose a trailer/valet scenario (at Andrew's Marina) which is easy, fast, less expensive, and allows me to launch myself, be launched, or take the boat wherever (if I wanted to.) It cuts out a lot of time, possible frustration, and wear and tear.

If Winni is your major boating destination (it is ours), then a slip or valet will serve you well. Your day will be so much easier and will be less stressful. We live very close to the lake (like 500 yards close) and we bit the bullet and slipped our boat just for that reason. Let's face it, there are some days that you come in from a day of sun and fun and don't want to cover your boat, let alone retrieve it and trailer it home for an hour and a half.

Jason- regarding your boat size. You were on the right track originally! My 26' plus bowrider will be in the water for another month. You are welcome to take it for a ride to understand how much more enjoyable Winni can be with a slip and enough boat!

Slip
 

I say go with the slip if you can afford it. We started with Valet (at West Alton Marina) but after a couple years moved to a slip (also at WAM). The valet can be limiting if you need to dock for any length of time (sudden need to go to the store, etc.), plus you can stay overnight in your boat when tied at your slip (I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong here). At WAM, there are slips available where you have a spot of ground immediately in front of the slip where people put up tents/sheds (some very elaborate, all seasonal).

As to Dave R's point about limiting yourself to Lk. Winni - nothing says you can't take your boat out of the water, put it on your trailer, and haul it off to some other exotic destination.

Especially this time of year. Its almost (almost) like having the whole lake to yourself!

boating on the big lake
 

I live in Windham and bought a boat on Winnipesaukee two years before purchasing our house at the lake. We utilized the rack service at Mountain View.

When I reached the Dunkin Donuts at Londonderry, I'd call into MVYC and ask for my boat. When I arrived, it was in the water and ready for the day. It was very convenient and allowed to be immediately be in the water. Exit was just as fast and easy. It maximized our time and our boat stayed very clean.

It was easy and was a great way to go. If I didn't have a dock, I'd still be doing it the same way.

Does anyone know if a pontoon boat can be racked or valet? I would think if it's valet it would have to have its own trailer?

Yes, though a couple marinas I've worked with have mentioned that they would prefer the owner to rent a slip--the forklift forks and 'toons can sometimes disagree.

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With the right configuration they can easily be racked. Our marina tends to just set them on the ground.

Done them all - my 2 cents:

1. Trailering - hate it, too much of day wasted, too much work...

2. Valet - Ok, but has limitations

3. Marina (Wet Slip) - loved it. Come and go as you please, sleep over if you want. Favorite part - tie-up at end of day, fire up one of the marina grills, cook dinner, have cocktail, relax. Return home when I want.

I have trailered for the last three years (see #1 above) and next year we are going back to a wet slip at a marina.

When we decided to get a boat it was determined up front that we weren't going to trailer it. Too many hassles, too many unpredictable delays.

In my case, I ended up buy a condo for access to the marina, and also a place to store a vehicle in the winter. Our setup is valet service, though we could also rent our buy a slip if I really wanted to go all-in.

You can always keep your trailer and pull your boat out if you want to go someplace else, but if Winnipesaukee is your primary boating lake, I think you'd be best served with a permanent spot on the lake (valet, wet slip, whatever). Many of the marinas also have their own sort of community, so it's a good opportunity to meet more people.

We're on Paugus Bay, which personally I've been very happy with. There's a few options for gas, a couple of options for food/drinks by boat (Margate and Naswa), ~ 35 minutes to Meredith and really not that far anyplace else (60 minutes to Alton Bay/Pop's). Additionally it's very easy to get to and a short drive from where you are.

I think you'll find that you'd be inclined to use your boat more if it was more accessible and less hassle.

Like several others, we also decided from the start that we were not going to trailer a boat, and have just wrapped up our 10th(?) season in a wet slip we rent. The flexibility is fantastic as we head up from the Concord area and our boat is ready and waiting to go whenever we want.

Being in the water I can go up any time to clean/wax or just hang out and enjoy the show in the Weirs Channel, an added bonus. :)

Another advantage is that if we have a problem the boat is at the marina and they can work on it during the week so any downtime is very minimal.

This is a good point. One of the reasons I like to trailer is that I do all my own work on my "toys". My boat spends down time under a roof and is only 8 feet from my workshop full of tools. I can work on it any time I want.

cost
 

I noticed no one addressed cost. I don't know about valet cost or wet slip at other marina's but a wet slip at MVYC is anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000. It maybe hard to get a slip there now as the last 2 years saw more rentals, not sure if there is a waiting list.

I love trailering the boat all over NE. It's the reason I bought as small a tri-toon as I could find. But, there can be many surprise's, best advice to any one trailering... Don't skimp on the tires!

Agreed.

My experience has been to use them until they are 5 years old, then replace them regardless of how they look. I also run them 20% over-inflated for longest life. Yes, it wears the tread in the center faster, but trailer tires rarely fail due to tread wear (unless there's an axle alignment issue), they usually have tread delamination or belt failures. I used to be a proponent of buying expensive Goodyear Marathon tires, but these days they are made in China like every other trailer tire. If your trailer came with 205-75-14s (really common trailer size), you can likely fit 215-70-14s and gain 120 lbs more capacity per tire for the same price as the 205s. The best deals I have found on trailer tires locally are at NTB.

Yes, we are paying 3600 for our 26'5" boat with 8.5' beam. It is a tough check to write, but worth it!

Damn
So what would a wet slip cost to rent for a 19' boat?

I valet my 26 ft. boat at Meredith Marina. Cost last year was 1850.00 They are awesome people to deal with. We have gone back and forth with the valet vs slip idea and have found the valet works perfect for us. I call an hour in advance and when I get there it is in the water waiting for me. Most of the time uncovered and ready to go. As others have said you need to do what works for you. Good luck.

Slip cost
 

At fays Boat Yard covered slips were $120/ft. Open slips were $110/ft

Try Renting for a season
 

I'm at Glendale Yacht Club, which is an easy drive from your location. There are usually a few slips for rent there for the season so you could try before you buy. I say buy because GYC is a condo dock association with a clubhouse, parking, winter storage etc. There is no commercial activity as with a marina.

But....
 

The only thing that makes that payment a little easier to swallow is that your Winter storage is included in your slip fee at MVYC. We still think it's the best deal on the lake for marina slip rental.

The Breeze
Wave 'cuz I'll be wavin' back

I valet my 20 toon at Channel Marine. They usually put them on the ground. The 'can' rack them but then they have to realign the rack supports for it, so they rather put it on the ground. Mine is currently on the ground in the rack building.

A 20 toon cost me about 1350 summer (May-October) and they usually have it in the water within 15 mins of me calling (I usually walk in, ask, then go get my gear ready and the boat is in).

Thanks for all the responses! Hopefully a slip will be the way to go.

Mountain View Yacht Club
 

I have some friends that have their slip there- can't speak on the service, but the facility is beautiful. Plus- the added bonus of walking to Meadowbrook!

I personally don't mind trailering, It keeps the boat cleaner as it doesn't sit in the water all summer, saves me money by not having to rent a slip. and gives me the best flexibility of where I want to go for the day. As another poster said, there are TONS of options for boating in the area so why limit your self to Winni?

On weekends we will trailer up to winnisquam simply for the fact that Winnisquam has a great public boat ram as well as the fact that winipesaukee gets too rough to be enjoyable on our 18 foot boat. If we have the day off during the week then we will head over to Winnipesaukee.

If we want to go out for a cruise or do some water sports after work we can go over to the Merrimack river.

It helps to have a nice big garage to store my boat in at home, keeps me from having to cover it from the weather.

Are there any charts for the river? I would love to explore it.

What part of the merrimac? I live in Newburyport and have a 17'....

Actually my inlaws have a place on newfound and they may be able to get a mooring for $800 for the year in the complex that they are part of. Just need a small boat to get to it! But they have a summer camp there and we can pretty much go when we like. Major perk!

So $800 sounds great...but again leaves the issue of going to other places. We like Winni. We like Winnisquam. Cannot figure out if we will get worn from Newfound lake real fast and I will just be back square one trailering from NewFound to Winni for the day and back to New Found,. then back home down 93 to Londonderry.

A bit further North, somewhere around Concord NH