Visiting in July
 

I tried searching but....

This will be our first visit. Staying on Cow Island. Where is a safe place to park a truck with a boat trailer and 2 additional vehicles for 4 nights?

I'm sure I'll come up with a million more questions so thanks in advance.

That's a lot of vehicles in the heart of summer to park temporarily. I'd suggest calling the various marinas in the area to see if you can arrange short-term parking with them and the use of their ramp.

Hope you have a great time on the lake! Buy a quality map of the lake and start studying it as soon as you can before you get up there. There are some treacherous areas that you can suddenly find yourself in. GPS is great but don't rely solely on that.

Make sure you have all the necessary PFDs, etc on board. The Marine Patrol is not to be trifled with. Same with fishing - get a license if you're going to drop a line. Those guys pop up out of nowhere.

Sit back, relax and listen to the Loons. Enjoy!

Come on man! It isn't that bad!

That is a lot of negative information to throw at someone making their first visit. (If you don't mind the Marine Patrol, Fish and Game, and the rocks you should have a great time)

Just be careful, be aware of where you are on the lake, and don't worry about the Marine Patrol. In over 50 years on the lake, the last 10 boating 200 to 300 hours per year, I have been stopped twice by the Marine Patrol. And once was for a stern light out that I hadn't noticed because it was recessed into the transom.

Winnipesaukee is a great, fun place with many different towns and places to see and I am sure that after this visit you will come back again and again.

Ask all the questions you want, there are a lot of people with a lot of area knowledge on this site.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that the lake is bad. Just putting out there the most common issues that new boaters run into. Better forewarned than minus an outdrive :)

Tuftonboro town beach
 

In Tuftonboro, across from the town beach on rt 109, there is a large parking lot. It's used by vehicles w/trailers that launch boats from the Pier 19 ramp (not the best ramp around but still a ramp). The lot is a very short drive from the ramp. With that said, I'm not certain about the extended stay limitations there, especially with three vehicles. I've seen pickups with trailers overnight from time to time though. There's an association that owns the boat slips at the ramp but I don't think it belongs to them. Seems to be a lot for overflow at the beach. Maybe someone else here can chime in about that. Otherwise, you can call the Tuftonboro police dept to inquire. Maybe you can get a short term permit.
More importantly, pay attention to what pricestavern and TiltonBB said about navigating the lake if you're not familiar with it.

Pretty sure that lot you are referring to on 109 is for stickered town residents only. If there is any time of the year where rules like that will be enforced it will be in July.

Ahh. Makes sense. OP might still want to call PD to check. Maybe they would make a temporary exception. It's a perfect spot for what they want to do.

The owner of the home you are staying at can get up to 4 permits @ $3.50 each through the town clerk for the town parking lot located across from the beach. Short walk down to Pier 19, then give to renters or their guests. July will be the month the police look for the parking tag. Hope that helps


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An actual, helpful post. Bravo.
In the mean time, welcome to the forum and to Lake Winnipesaukee.

Thanks to all. Great information.

I've no info for your original question, but if you have any questions about where to visit north of Ragged Island, feel free to message me. [emoji3577]

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Still looking
 

A week away and still have not secured parking for a truck and boat trailer and 3 cars for 7/21-7/24

Help

Can the people you are renting from help? I would think that they would have some type of arrangement if they are renting out their island cottage so that potential renters can park?

I didn’t find your post negative at all.

Good info to help him have a pleasant stay.

I would talk to who ever he is renting from about the parking.
I agree that’s a pretty tall order on parking.

I’d suggest Melvin Village Marina. But they might only cater to full season customers with slips. You might find something off the lake and room for one car near where ever you launch from.

As part of renting on an island this should have been discussed in advance, or worked out with the property owner. What do they have to say?

Unfamiliar with that specific area but are there any places open nearby that let you store boats long term, e.g. during winter, and could you work out a deal with one for short term storage?

I'm thinking maybe a boat repair place could do it.

I googled Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro self storage. There are several such places in the area. They should be able to store cars etc short term and be safe.

Owner has suggested Harilla Landing Yacht Club for a launch and parking on the side of the road. Not trilled with the idea. Have passed on the other possibilities you guys have suggested but not making any head
way.

Feeling stressed before we even begin go enjoy our Covid Christmas in July.

The boat ramp at Harilla’s is public.

Parking overnight on Long Island Road is illegal and is posted as such. The reality is that people do it all the time. Occasionally, vehicles are ticketed.

There is a private yacht club there, but I am not sure how that would fit in with your plans. Perhaps the owner of the rental has something different in mind.

Keep in mind. Islands are tricky, even for owners.

Most owners own or seasonally rent a slip for their boat. They can typically bring their car close to launch area for loading and unloading. They need to park ONE car and trailer within walking distance.

Pricestavern was correct, 4 cars and a trailer for a 4 day stay is tough.

There is a shortage in general because of COVID influx of people. Both perm and rental.

I think you should plan on 3 cars not being readily near water. That should not be hard. And focus on just your launch rig parking within walking distance. Or perhaps one car.

I seriously considered purchasing island property last summer on cow island and came within a hand stroke of the pen of buying (made two strong offers, both well over $1m). I was ready to purchase a $100K boat just to assure a seasonal slip!! You are competing against that !!! Not that you need a slip it’s similar resources that are maxed out that you are dealing with. But if it’s during the week there should be some parking available. If it crosses a weekend, good luck.

Once you do get to the island. It will be paradise.

I was wrong (but don’t tell my wife). Overnight trailer parking is illegal and rarely enforced. Overnight car/truck parking is OK. This could work in a pinch for you. It is a safe area. And the launch is convenient for Cow.

The car ticketing I referred to is for parking in the wrong direction on the side of Long Island Road. Sorry for the misinformation.

I just am surprised that somebody is renting an island without supplying parking for the renter! Mainland parking is a huge part of island living, it just doesn't make sense.

You can leave your boat trailer at the fire station on Moultonboro Neck Rd just passed Jojos Store.

Didnt you need a trailer sticker to leave the trailer at the fire station or am I thinking of somewhere else?

Oh! I'm not sure now. I've personally never have had to, but know others that have.

The town website does say that a sticker (available to resident or taxpayer only) is required to park a car at the beach. It also says trailers must be left at that fire station below JoJo's, but it is silent on whether or not a sticker is required for doing that. I suspect it is not, since the sticker goes on the corner of the vehicle windshield, not on the trailer. I submitted a question to the town asking for clarification. I'll post their reply if I get one.

In the interests of time, I suggest a call to the town hall [(603) 476-2347, Monday - Friday: 7:30 am to 4:00 pm]. They can answer the question quickly for you.

The rules about leaving trailers near the boat launch on Long Island apply Memorial Day to Labor Day. I often see trailers there at other times, likely by day trippers, as I don't recall seeing one left overnight.

This is hands down the best option. The owner can even get the stickers by mail from the town, if I recall correctly.

Trailer parking at M'boro fire station
 

I got a rather quick reply to my email to someone connected to the fire department. This was the reply:

"Any requests to park at the fire station must be approved by the selectboard. I would suggest reaching out to them well in advance of the desired dates."

Since there is nothing on the town website regarding permission being required, I have to wonder if this is one town department being out of tune with another. So the question remains unanswered.

Why wasn’t this solution pursued?
 

This solution was made in early March. It made perfect sense to me. Why didn’t the renter/owner pursue this….or maybe they tried and it didn’t work out. Please fill us in. 🙄

Not Trilled
 

The OP posted that she was
not trilled" (sic) with our offered solutions. Sounds like the desire was "valet parking", and we all fell for it. Nice try members. Whoever you are, "Laurie", good bye. Thanks to all who offered several good solutions, and to future renters, call the rental agent for your inquiries.
We got duped.

Maybe give these guys a call: https://www.jennesshillstorage.com

How did you make out with the parking?