Kayaking on Lake Winnipesaukee

[lakegirl]

My husband and I just got new kayaks and were wondering if any of you had any suggestions for good spots to kayak on the lake? :)

[BroadHopper]

A great place to kayak is north of Moultonborough Bay past Clark's Landing. Even the area around the Graveyard is a good kayaking spot.
I had kayak the Winnipesaukee river from Paugus Bay to Franklin where it joins the Pemi and Swift River to form the Merrimac. That was a beautiful journey. Of course you will have to portage around a few dams, but it is worth it.
This summer I am planning on kayaking the Pemi. from Lincoln to N. Hampton. :D

[Evenstar]

Hi,

I don't know how experienced you are, or what type of kayaks you have, but if you're new to kayaking there's some safety considerations for kayaking on cold water. The water in Winni is still pretty cold . . . currently about in the low 50's. That's easily cold enough for hypothermia, especially with the cool air temps we've been having.

So, unless you are wearing at least a wet suit, you shouldn't really paddle too far from the shore. When you kayak, you should always dress for immersion, because you never know when you'll end up in the water. No one expects to tip over, but it can happen easier than you might think, even in the most stable kayaks. That's why you need to dress for the water temperature, rather than for the air temp. I was kayaking on Squam last Saturday afternoon, and the water there is still cold enough that I wore both my wetsuit and my drytop.

[mcdude]

LG: Try the Merrymeeting Marsh/River. There is free parking and a boat ramp on Rt. 11 near the New Durham town line. I'd estimate that it is about 5 miles of uninterrupted paddling from there down to the first dam in Alton just past the fire station. Lot of birds and other wild animals to check out. By all means bring your camera! http://home.earthlink.net/~farfrumhom/images/boat.gif
"The Merrymeeting State Wildlife Management Area on the Merrymeeting River offers superb quietwater paddling. One could spend hours paddling this waterway, absorbed in the marsh’s biologically rich wonders...." from trails.com

Also there are some public ramps on quieter, smaller lakes where you won't be bothered by big wakes such as Crescent Lake in Wolfeboro, and Manning and Crystal Lakes over in Gilmanton.

[fatlazyless]

Another spot close to Meredith, is little Lake Pemigewasset, on Rt 104, in New Hampton, close to the Bobby's Girl Dinner. It has a State of NH parking lot and access path that is designed for carry-in boats, like kayaks & canoes, and the boat put-in ramp is narrow and bordered by big boulders or something, so it's not wide enough for a boat trailer.

From the Dept. of interesting info, the Vermont weather guy on tv says that the water temp of Lake Champlain is now 40 degrees, which is the coldest it has ever been this late in the season. Makes me glad that I'm here in the warm waters of Lake Winnipesaukee and not in that little freezin' state to the left.

[mcdude]

LG: The Alton Canoe/Kayak Race/Ride is coming up soon. You should consider joining in!

Home > Town Calendar


6/26/2005 - Parks & Recreation - Canoe/Kayak Race:


10:00am at the Masonic Temple Parking Lot. $15 per boat/$10 single paddler. Register before June 10 and receive a race shirt, limit 2 per boat. Prizes will be awarded to category winners. Register race day at 8:30am.

here's the LINK (http://www.alton.nh.gov/CalendarDetail.asp?ID=1424)

Click for photos of recent events (http://www.alton.nh.gov/PnRPhotos.asp)
(The Easter Egg Hunt is being held in the Community Center....formerly the railroad station. Why don't we rent this spot for a forumfest?)

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/502/medium/20IMG_4345.JPG

[Knomad]

On the lake we like the area around Lee's Mills and Green's basin or Black Island.
As long as you keep close to shore where there is little other boat traffic - you are pretty safe.

Off the lake, the Merringmeeting marsh is fun - stop off at the deli on Rte 28 just south of the Alton traffic circle for lunch.

[ART]

Although two of my powerboats can go above 50mph it is the kayak that I regard as the most dangerous of all boats out on the open lake. Kayaks are very difficult for others to see because they sit so low in the water.

Acknowledging that this statement will probably be unpopular, for safety sake I think kayaks should only be used on Winni's shorelines.

Ps: In the photo above where are the life jackets?

[ApS]

"...Kayaks are very difficult for others to see because they sit so low in the water..."
You're right. Look at the kayak furthest to the right in McDude's photo.

:look: :look:
You can't see the kayak at all.

.

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

We have four of them and I love to take them to differn’t parts of the lake each time we go somewhere and do some serious exploring. I hook them together, one behind each other and tow them behind our boat, it’s kinda like ducklings following the momma duck. When we get to our destination we anchor off shore, hop on them and go exploring. What better way to get up close and personal with the shoreline? Once I've had enough, which doesn't take long, an hour on one them and I'm done, we hook them back up and off the next spot. We've seen a lot of the lake this way.

We have the sit on type (ocean kayaks) as opposed to the sit in type... Can you imagine me tiring to get one from the swim platform of a sailboat? I’d be soaked in a heartbeat. If it gets to rough on the way home we pull them up on deck and lash them down. It great fun... Or as my buddies in Maine say "Wicked good fun"

[ApS]

I've got two vintage kayaks: one has a wood frame, and the other frame is aluminum.

When I encounter other kayakers and, in the course of the usual gabfest, they nearly all assume that mine are those very expensive Klepper models -- quite a compliment!

I recall paying $75 at a boating auction for my second kayak, which included four (!) wood paddles plus a sailing kit; however, it was the paddles to which I was drawn.

They were finely varnished, nicely-curved paddles with blades of very thin, five-ply plywood -- and nearly new. They are very lightweight and were hand-made in the Black Forest of Germany. (And apparently no longer available).

But it was yesterday, while perusing my latest copy of Canoe & Kayak magazine, that kayak paddles caught my eye again. It's been just three years since last reading Canoe & Kayak magazine, and kayak paddles have undergone some transformation! Check out the variety available today (http://www.bendingbranches.com/compositekayak.html).

You can spend $425 -- for one paddle! (http://www.kayakproshop.com/PaddlesB4.html)

If you're really fussy about your selection, you can buy an adjustable paddle. Check out the vernier-style indicator. :look:

How many more gizmos can be added to a "paddle sport"? :emb:

[Misty Blue]

Lake Girl

I think that the Lakes Region Conservation Trust has a mapped course around the Lake. As I remember it goes from Weirs and other spots and visits 5 mile island, Stonedam, etc. Give Em a call. They love Kayaks. It's snowmobiles that they hate.

[Mee-n-Mac]

{snip} You can spend $425 -- for one paddle! (http://www.kayakproshop.com/PaddlesB4.html)

If you're really fussy about your selection, you can buy an adjustable paddle. Check out the vernier-style indicator. :look:

How many more gizmos can be added to a "paddle sport"? :emb:


Hmmm, now I'm wondering .... If some yuppie fool, errr, "enthusiast" can be coaxed in spending that kind of $$ for gizmo paddles I wonder if you could add a couple of strain gauges and a micro-processor or 3 and come up with a self optimizing paddle. As you stroke, it detects and corrects automagically the blade angle to maximize wrist comfort and the power delivered. Paddle like a pro w/o having to go throught the muss and fuss of actually learning ! ;) Aaaah yes once again I can see a McMansion and GFBL boat in my future. :D

[PROPELLER]

Never did hear what Evenstar thought of kayaking on Winnipesaukee. Maybe she decided to stay away.