Sallys Gut
 

Sorry I thought I saw a recent thread on Sallys Gut, but cant find it now.

Havent been there in many, many years and last time would have been in a much smaller boat with an outboard.

Wondering is I will have any depth problems with a fully loaded Formula 270???

We have family visiting from across the country and trying to take them on a short trip in the Weirs area with some interesting sights.

Any other recommendations for fun sights on a short trip in the general Weirs vicinity was welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks and sorry for the duplicate thread.

Depth Gauge
 

Just watch your depth gauge and pay attention to buoys and you will be fine.
Been through the Gut in a 29 PC. No problems!

No prob....
 

XCR...

You will be fine. I have the exact same ride as you, (270BR...I love your red color scheme), and go through there often without issue. Maybe because I am paranoid, I do put the outdrive up maybe 1/3 to 1/2 just to be safe. It does get very narrow on the Tommy's Cove/Fish Cove entrance/exit, so I would advise to stay dead-center right there for maximum depth.

What year is your 270/how long have you had it? Any advice about what to watch out for???

As for Sallys Gut, thinking my last trip might have been in my CVX-20, which needed about a foot of water ;-) This Formula is just a bit deeper,,,

Not so much worried about the hull as the twin Bravo 3 props, I dont need a $1000+ unexpected expense if I can afford it. Gotta pay for all that gas the merc 8.2 uses,,, Honestly its not bad, but our merc 5.7 in the Caravelle Interceptor was crazy fuel efficient. Almost like someone was refilling it for me when I wasnt looking.

Been through there in a 35ish foot Regal. Plenty of depth, plenty of room.

As things at the lake evolve over time, is there currently a preferred direction?

Thanks

Consider...
 

going west to east, exiting on the Fish Cove side. Going the other way, there's a tendency to give way a little too far to starboard just before entering the channel. This is because it's difficult to see what's coming from the other direction and it's quite narrow. On that north side near the entrance there's at least one rock just below the surface that was unmarked one year ago. I found that out the hard way as I scratched my way across it on my two month old jet ski. It's marked by someones makeshift red buoy now but on a larger boat, I'd rather be on the south side of the channel heading east.

From Fish Cove, I'd take that boat south, east, and north up past Cattle Landing and around Bear. From there, south around Welch for the great view of the broads. Back up to Glendale and following the west coast north through the no wake and Governors Island bridge and onto Weirs or Meredith. On that boat on a nice day, your guests aren't going to want a short ride. As the pilot, I wouldn't either. Have fun.

Rule o thumb
 

Because it is narrow does not relate to depth, whether it is Sally's Gut, the Graveyard or Hawk's Nest. The state generally thinks anything 8 feet deep at full lake is "Navigable". A few exceptions, but if the manufacturer says draft is 4 feet or less, dry weight, every navigable water on the chart should be OK. No problem poking around in a deeper draft boat., but be prepared to back out slowly if you're playing inside the buoys (at some of the best anchor/swim) areas. The real story is "Local knowledge". Several places around he lake are marked based on the old steamship days that have nothing to do with current 22 foot boats with retractable motors. When was the last time you explored Middle Ground Shoals? Or even the dreaded Witches? Shallow, but not crowded, and no whining neighbors. Crank the music, softly, please.

I went thru yesterday in my 16 whaler and my new garmin sounder off a few times alerting under 3’. I don’t know if I got a little off center or floated over a rock. A few seconds later it was 6 or so feet. Going sw the lower end seems a little tricky with not having many buoys.


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A couple comments above said watch your depth finder. On my 'toon, the sonar thingy is on the back of one pontoon, making it too late to use the depth finder for hazards. Fiberglass boats typically have through-hull transponders, but aren't they still too close to where the hit would happen?

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The transducer ("sonar thingy") is mounted there on your toon because that area is the deepest draft on your boat other than the motor itself. It's also the calmest water area for good sonar readings. You can adjust your shallow depth alarm to go off at any depth as well. Also, you can tip the transducer slightly forward to give you a more forward sonar reading.

Dan

Thanks, Dan. Can I "point it forward" enough that I'd have warning to stop? (Obviously not at speed, but at idle). I've not really thought much about it as, up until last week, I'd managed to avoid any strikes.

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No, it would just give a more forward sonar reading. I would keep it either level with the water line or just a very slight angle pitch towards the bow of the boat

Where the stern of your pontoon boat sits in the water the deepest I really wouldn't change much except maybe your low water alarm. I believe I have mine set at 5' which gives me about a 2' buffer before the skeag hits. When going through Sally's Gut or similar shallow water areas, I always trim my motor way up just to be safe...

Dan

Agree. Mine is newly installed so default alarm is 3’. It goes off a lot in some areas lol. So I trim up to be safe. I’m in a 16 whaler with outboard. The worst is when. It goes off and I can’t see the bottom. You don’t know it ifs false reading (Can happen from air bubbles etc) or something truly under the boat. Anyway...i think I stayed in the middle of the gut, I may have been a little crooked in the gut but was surprised to see it under 3’.

FYI...on an Inboard boat the transducer is best mounted through the hull, mine was just forward of the engines to avoid turbulence from the running gear.


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Yes,

It was with me on my boat. A fun ride, but it didn't seem like there was plenty of room at the time, but we made it through with no problems!

If your transducer is pointed to far forward you would lose the transducers ability to "catch" the sonar as it bounces back to the unit. The echo would actually bounce off the bottom and continue forwards in a sort of "V" shape. Same theory why most depth finders a almost useless at high speed. The boat is gone from the area before the sonar has time to bounce from the bottom and return to the transducer.

Just closing the loop on this one, in the last week we have been through Sallys Gut twice.

I chickened out first time and we took a friends McKee Craft Center Console seemed ok, so then we took the Formula, well that was a lot more unnerving than the trip in the McKee and than I remember in my Glastron CVX from countless years ago, but we made it even with the lower water level.

Not sure I'm in a rush to try it again soon given the falling water level, but on a positive note, you can see the big rocks clearly!

Fun trip both times, thanks for all the guidance!

My kids love going through there, we went this past Saturday after leaving Meredith. We made it no issues in my 24' as well. Couldn't believe the drop in water level from just the week before when we were on the lake!

There's a guy who's hobby seems to be sitting on his dock in Sally's Gut and yelling at boaters. My kids call him "the Soup Nazi" and always want to go through to see if he's there.

I feel left out never, never seen him,,,

Does he yell at you for no reason?

I have seen people go through too fast or playing loud music, and I can understand why that might be annoying.

Personally I think they should make it a one way route, but that will probably start a conversation in and of itself,,,

Me neither! Last year I did have a woman on another boat that was larger and putting out more of a wake than mine decide to pontificate on my wake while in there. She blurted out “No Wake!”....I looked around trying to figure out who she was talking about! Maybe it’s a weird form of Tourette’s Syndrome!


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Plus, if they make it one-way, they could eliminate the no-wake and allow 45 MPH through there :liplick:

Hmmmm
 

Hmmmmm, probably not. There is the no wake within 150 ft of shore. But you knew that by your smilie.:)

Dave

Your not going through the Gut enough if you have never run into him..... what is even better, is when the gut is clogged up, and you get to close to what he believes to be his exclusive lake area..... I was tempted to raise my outboard, and spray him with water, but I decided with the wife and impressionable teenagers on board, that likely wasn't a cool thing... (I must be mellowing in my old age)..... In my experience you generally don't here his grumblings, but that day he was all worked up as the gut was clogged, do to loon nest peeping.....That day marks the only time I have had to put a boat in reverse in the gut...

Now as for one way, why the hell not.... yes it will start a debate... Unfortunately the number of inconsiderate boaters is on the rise.... I had boats racing me to the entrance last summer.... to which I let them win... but found it amusing that I caught up to them inside the gut, because they where not to sure about what they where doing...... and too scared to pass oncoming traffic side by side in areas where there was more then plenty of room.

Anyways I digress, I am just a grumpy old capt.... who is far from perfect (My wife will remind me, of the one time I got stupid, and polished the prop on a rock, she even framed some of the metal burs for me).... A lake with out turmoil is to small for me....

Make me the third here who hasn't seen him, and I was through there a couple dozen times last year because it's part of a protected route for my jetski group.

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Wake Lady
 

There's a lady who lives near the entrance to Y Landing who yells at just about everybody boating into the marina. She's been there for years.:D

Maybe for some people, I dont even stay in gear constantly, carefully bumping in and out of gear to keep speed as slow as possible but maintain control.

Good luck to anyone going through there at anything above idle,,,

Yeah, I wouldn’t want to live there, no privacy.

I’ve seen him yell at people he thought were going too fast, threatening to send video to the Marine Patrol. (Made me think about goosing my throttle just to watch another tantrum.)

When a loon was nesting in the gut, he fancied himself some sort of self-appointed “protector”, ironically yelling at anyone who slowed down to look or take a pic.

glad to know I am not the only one that considers such antics.....

Loon Nesting area
 

It's unfortunate that "Loon Nesting Area" on the chart draws people to the site instead of the intended warning to stay clear.

That's true. And while they are well intentioned they don't understand that they scare the loons and therefore endanger them by driving them out into boat traffic etc. They want to look and take pictures but they don't understand how easily the loons feel threatened.