Samoset Condos

[ishoot308]

I am looking for information on the "Samoset" Condos in Gilford. I am thinking about a possible purchase there and would like to hear from anyone who may have a place there or have stayed there in the past.

Please email me off line at ishoot@gsinet.net

Thanks!!

Dan

[rander7823]

Hi Dan,

My family and I have rented there for the several years. We stayed in Unit 12 ,which much to or dismay was recently sold, and another unit up by the tennis courts. We enjoyed staying there very much. The beach is nice and the units seem fairly well maintained. The kids also love the pool. It is nice to stay at for a week or so. The views are great and the Mount travels right by.
The downsides. The hills are steep and the father you live away from the lake the longer the trek back and forth. The parking is a little tight on the weekends, but what can you expect. If you are looking for a quiet weekend place... stay away. I have had to go out at 11:30- 12 midnight on several occasions and tell the 10-14 year olds to stop playing football in the dark people are trying to sleep. Hey I am all for a little fun, but kids screaming at midnight on a hot summer night with no A/C and the windows open.

Good Luck

[ishoot308]

Thanks Rander!

I don't like the noisy part, but I guess that is what happens at these condo type places.

I was also curious how the mooring and docking situation there works.

Thanks again!

Dan

[Resident 2B]

I agree with Rander's assessment.

When my kids were younger, ages 3 through 14 and ten years ago, we rented there a lot. At that time in our lives, it fit perfectly. Plenty of kids, a bit clicky if you did not own a place there, but overall a good week or two. It was a great place for the kids and the activities around the pool were well organized.

Parking seemed to get worse each time we stayed. If you are on the front row, the folks from up the hill drive down to use the pool. So the closer to the pool the worse the parking is. If you are near the tennis courts, or between the tennis courts and the office, there is not enough parking when the place is full, as it often is on weekends.

I understand there is a waiting list for moorings and docks, but we never looked seriously at buying a place there so you would have to check that out.

There are some places for sale in Laconia across from the Weirs on Lucerne Ave that come with deeded slips if that is a high priority for you. I would not be able to enjoy the summer witout the boat, and waiting to get to the top of the list is worse than watching paint dry. There are marinas close, so that is an option.

With winds from the north, that part of the lake gets very rough, so that is another consideration. All in all, if you want kid activities and a nice place for a younger familySamoset will work well. You can also ski at Gunstock in the winter with a short drive. They still have a good rental program, so that is another consideration.

Good Luck!

R2B

[rander7823]

I thought there were enough docks/moorings to cover every unit. I also thought none are specifcally assigned so it is on a first come first serve basis to get a spot. This may have changed or I might have been misinformed

[dpg]

I thought there were enough docks/moorings to cover every unit. I also thought none are specifcally assigned so it is on a first come first serve basis to get a spot. This may have changed or I might have been misinformed


I have no specific information on this complex but I would tend to doubt the docks are first come first serve. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[rander7823]

I have no specific information on this complex but I would tend to doubt the docks are first come first serve. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

All the times I have stayed there and we have spent a lot of time at the beach I have seen very little boat traffic. Maybe one or two a day coming and going. Most of the boats look like they just sit there. Which is kind of sad

I agree it is a recipe for disaster. Maybe a property listing would shed some light

[tis]

If you are interested in a quality report, I can tell you they were not cheaply built like some condos. Sugarloaf Mountain Builders built them and the lumber came from Winnipesaukee Lumber.

[Island Life]

I have no specific information on this complex but I would tend to doubt the docks are first come first serve. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I've visited friends there. They have a mooring and can dock for a short time but then have to moor their boat. They need a little dinghy because one of the usually ends up swimming out to fetch the boat.

[jrc]

I owned and spent every summer weekend at Samoset for four years ending three years ago. So that's the basis of my report.

There are about 140 condos and about 70 boats spots. Renters cannot have boats so most years there are enough spots. In case of too many boats the condo association had arrangements to dry stack at Glendale. Some people have offsite docks because Samoset limits the size.

There are about 30 docks and the rest of the boats must use the moorings. Docks and moorings are first come first served all the time. So whenever you return from boating you do not know what you will get. There was some requirment that you be at your condo to use a dock or you could use a dock when the mooring field was filled.

In practice this is how average weekend went. Get up Saturday morning and walk with the family to the docks. Paddle the condo's dingy out to a mooring and get my boat. Tow the dingy with the boat to the drop off dock and load the family. Go boating.

If I came back early and there was a dock open, use the dock and leave the boat overnight. If no docks open, drop the family and tow the dingy. Pick up a mooring and paddle in. On hot days, skip the dingy and swim in or out. That swim on a hot summer afternoon is one of the best memories of Samoset.

Sunday morning same deal, but Sunday afternoon things reverse. If you get back early you take a mooring. That way your boats isn't banging against a dock all week. Remember Samoset is on the Broads.

On a windy or wakey day hooking a mooring could really be difficult, but I got the hang of it. It was annoying sometimes after a long day of boating to have to do the dingy thing but the only time it really was a PITA was coming back late at night. That guaranteed a distant mooring and a dark paddle back.

[SteveA]

Ishoot..


Check your email and give me a call.

[ishoot308]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

We went and looked at a couple of the condos that were for sale at Samoset. While I was very impressed with how well they kept up with the grounds, beach, and dock area, and the inside of the condos were very nice and built well, I did have some concerns with parking, as there are no designated spaces and the walk back and forth to the dock as they don't let you drive down to drop off gear. I was also concerned with the amount of renters vs owners.

I think at this point we will continue our search to own either an island property or a place in an association.

The search continues!

Thanks again!!

Dan

[Justenuff]

I never owned at Samoset, but rented for about 6 years. My parents were looking to buy a condo, and we crossed Samoset off the list for the following reasons:
1. Motorcycles are not allowed in the normal parking spaces next to the units, I had to park up near the street.
2. Renters are not allowed to have boats, therefore we could never enjoy our sailboat when we were on vacation.
3. If you come for a visit by boat, you don't have a place to moor or dock.
4. Parking spaces were first come, first served. Several times we had to park a long distance from the unit because owners/visitors had company over the weekend. Made it difficult to pack in and pack out.
5. Shallow end of pool is too deep for my daughter to swim. We always had to be in the "cold" pool water.

The units were very nice, and the grounds well kept. I really wanted to buy a place there, but the rules kept getting in the way.
:look: