New to the Lake

sgold44 · 06-28-2006, 04:30 PM

Hello. This is my first year on the lake( I used to be an ocean boater). I would love to get some ideas on coves, swimming areas, sand bars etc.
I hava a GPS w/a c-map chart of the lake, so I can find my way around pretty well. I have a slip at Parker Marine in Alton Bay. We love to explore. I have 2 daughters, 8 & 11, (and a wife)

(can't forget about her!!)
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott G.
Sea's The Day III

WINNOCTURN · 06-28-2006, 05:28 PM

Have you signed up to take the Marine Safety Course; it’s mandatory for any one who will be driving the boat.

First thing, never utter the words RED RIGHT RETURN! There is No return on a lake. I would highly recommend getting a chart of the Lake. No I demand you get a chart before venturing out on the Lake. This Lake is very unforgiving. You can be in 50’ of water one minute and 2’ in another. Oh, did we mention ROCKS? Do you know where the”Witchs” is?

The Bizer charts show dotted lines to follow around the navigational markers, rocks and other obstacles. I would rely on this much more than a GPS unit starting out on the Lake. Pick a destination, plan your course and repeat the trip till you are comfortable with it. Better than that if you know some one with experience on the Lake, ask them to go out with you and show you some of the more easer traveled routs, to Wolfeboro, Winter Harbor and when you really think you got it down try the Weirs and the Channel for fun. The last place you mat want to conquer is Moultonboro.

When you are confident you know it all, let’s try it in the Dark. I prefer the Lake much more at night. Hence my screen name, WINNOCTURN.

Let’s be careful out there!

Airwaves · 06-28-2006, 05:44 PM

What I like to do is just look at the chart, pick an area where I haven't really been before, or in a long time, and then go exploring.

Just a word of caution, once you get into the small bays and coves a lot of the rocks are not marked either by a spar or on the chart, so go slow and keep a lookout!

Meanwhile to get you started, Sally's Gut....Cow Island....Hole in the Wall...Green's Basin. Off the Margate in Paugus Bay there is an area that is sandy and shallow that folks go to swim. If you like hiking check out Stonedam Island (you may have to call ahead first since it's a conservation area) I'm sure others will give you some better ideas

jrc · 06-28-2006, 06:23 PM

Do a search on this forum for sandbars or anchoring, it comes up a lot. The closest popular sandbar to you is in West Alton. Look for FL75 on your c-map chart. It's near Sleeper's Island.

Get there early on weekends it fills up fast. If you want to anchor in one of the crowded spots bring an anchor for the stern as well as the bow.

Dave R · 06-29-2006, 08:59 AM

Welcome Scott,

We boat out of Alton Bay with our 11 and 9 year old daughters all the time. You already have the best setup, IMHO (I have the same), for navigation so that's a huge advantage. We prefer Braun Bay and Farrar Point (just west of Mile Island in Center Harbor) for sand bar stuff. Braun Bay fills quickly on weekends and we won't even bother with trying to find a spot there if it's crowded. When we get there early it can be fun for a few hours on a weekend day, but we leave once there's no longer room to toss a frisbee around. Weekdays there can be awesome. Farrar Point never seems to really fill up and I never see more than one row of boats there. The bottom is less pristine than Braun Bay but it's still nice. It's quite close to the public docks and restroom in Center Harbor too.

To echo JRC, do procure a stern anchor before you even try to go to any of the sandbars, everyone else will have one and expect you to as well. We use a 2 kilogram Bruce style anchor on a 50' 3/8" rope and (vinyl covered) 3/16" chain rode off the stern and it works etxremely well without taking up much space in the boat. It never fails to set on the first attempt and is easy to kedge if you don't want to get wet.

If you like to just drift and swim in deep water, it always seems a bit warmer in Moultonboro Bay. Moultonboro Bay is also the most interesting place to explore, in my opinion, as well. A trip to Green's Basin or Lee's Mills is fun for the sake of the trip, not really the destination. There are scads of narrow passages, rocky coves and such to explore. It's entirely unlike most of the rest of the lake. To echo what WINNOCTURN stated, it is challenging to navigate up there if you are not used to it. Some of the most open stretches of water in the bay are littered with boulders just below the surface. "The Graveyard" comes to mind... Do know exactly where you are and what's ahead at all times up there and you'll be fine.

Orion · 06-29-2006, 10:22 AM

A real nice feature of this lake is that there are many public-docking areas around the lake where you can take your family for food/drink and (dare I say) shopping (Bizer's web site has listings). There are also many scenic cruise areas that you'll find by exploring as Airwaves suggests (Sally's Gut, Green's Basin, Center Harbor, to name a few). Rocks are everywhere and you can find a 20' rock in 21 feet of water so don't feel smug if your depth sounder is showing 20+ feet.....watch the charts (Bizer has them all marked).

06-28-2006, 04:30 PM	#1
sgold44 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Middleton, MA & Paugus Bay Posts: 46 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	New to the Lake Hello. This is my first year on the lake( I used to be an ocean boater). I would love to get some ideas on coves, swimming areas, sand bars etc. I hava a GPS w/a c-map chart of the lake, so I can find my way around pretty well. I have a slip at Parker Marine in Alton Bay. We love to explore. I have 2 daughters, 8 & 11, (and a wife) (can't forget about her!!) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Scott G. Sea's The Day III

06-28-2006, 05:28 PM	#2
WINNOCTURN Deceased Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Moultonboro Posts: 849 Thanks: 350 Thanked 351 Times in 193 Posts	Get a CHART of the Lake! Have you signed up to take the Marine Safety Course; it’s mandatory for any one who will be driving the boat. First thing, never utter the words RED RIGHT RETURN! There is No return on a lake. I would highly recommend getting a chart of the Lake. No I demand you get a chart before venturing out on the Lake. This Lake is very unforgiving. You can be in 50’ of water one minute and 2’ in another. Oh, did we mention ROCKS? Do you know where the”Witchs” is? The Bizer charts show dotted lines to follow around the navigational markers, rocks and other obstacles. I would rely on this much more than a GPS unit starting out on the Lake. Pick a destination, plan your course and repeat the trip till you are comfortable with it. Better than that if you know some one with experience on the Lake, ask them to go out with you and show you some of the more easer traveled routs, to Wolfeboro, Winter Harbor and when you really think you got it down try the Weirs and the Channel for fun. The last place you mat want to conquer is Moultonboro. When you are confident you know it all, let’s try it in the Dark. I prefer the Lake much more at night. Hence my screen name, WINNOCTURN. Let’s be careful out there!

06-29-2006, 10:22 AM	#6
Orion Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Cow Island Posts: 914 Thanks: 602 Thanked 193 Times in 91 Posts	destinations A real nice feature of this lake is that there are many public-docking areas around the lake where you can take your family for food/drink and (dare I say) shopping (Bizer's web site has listings). There are also many scenic cruise areas that you'll find by exploring as Airwaves suggests (Sally's Gut, Green's Basin, Center Harbor, to name a few). Rocks are everywhere and you can find a 20' rock in 21 feet of water so don't feel smug if your depth sounder is showing 20+ feet.....watch the charts (Bizer has them all marked).

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06-28-2006, 05:44 PM	#3
Airwaves Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: I'm right here! Posts: 1,153 Thanks: 9 Thanked 102 Times in 37 Posts	What I like to do is just look at the chart, pick an area where I haven't really been before, or in a long time, and then go exploring. Just a word of caution, once you get into the small bays and coves a lot of the rocks are not marked either by a spar or on the chart, so go slow and keep a lookout! Meanwhile to get you started, Sally's Gut....Cow Island....Hole in the Wall...Green's Basin. Off the Margate in Paugus Bay there is an area that is sandy and shallow that folks go to swim. If you like hiking check out Stonedam Island (you may have to call ahead first since it's a conservation area) I'm sure others will give you some better ideas

06-28-2006, 06:23 PM	#4
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	Do a search on this forum for sandbars or anchoring, it comes up a lot. The closest popular sandbar to you is in West Alton. Look for FL75 on your c-map chart. It's near Sleeper's Island. Get there early on weekends it fills up fast. If you want to anchor in one of the crowded spots bring an anchor for the stern as well as the bow.

06-29-2006, 08:59 AM	#5
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	Welcome Scott, We boat out of Alton Bay with our 11 and 9 year old daughters all the time. You already have the best setup, IMHO (I have the same), for navigation so that's a huge advantage. We prefer Braun Bay and Farrar Point (just west of Mile Island in Center Harbor) for sand bar stuff. Braun Bay fills quickly on weekends and we won't even bother with trying to find a spot there if it's crowded. When we get there early it can be fun for a few hours on a weekend day, but we leave once there's no longer room to toss a frisbee around. Weekdays there can be awesome. Farrar Point never seems to really fill up and I never see more than one row of boats there. The bottom is less pristine than Braun Bay but it's still nice. It's quite close to the public docks and restroom in Center Harbor too. To echo JRC, do procure a stern anchor before you even try to go to any of the sandbars, everyone else will have one and expect you to as well. We use a 2 kilogram Bruce style anchor on a 50' 3/8" rope and (vinyl covered) 3/16" chain rode off the stern and it works etxremely well without taking up much space in the boat. It never fails to set on the first attempt and is easy to kedge if you don't want to get wet. If you like to just drift and swim in deep water, it always seems a bit warmer in Moultonboro Bay. Moultonboro Bay is also the most interesting place to explore, in my opinion, as well. A trip to Green's Basin or Lee's Mills is fun for the sake of the trip, not really the destination. There are scads of narrow passages, rocky coves and such to explore. It's entirely unlike most of the rest of the lake. To echo what WINNOCTURN stated, it is challenging to navigate up there if you are not used to it. Some of the most open stretches of water in the bay are littered with boulders just below the surface. "The Graveyard" comes to mind... Do know exactly where you are and what's ahead at all times up there and you'll be fine.