Saturday Boating on Winnipesaukee

GusMan · 08-29-2022, 10:07 PM

While I agree that boating on Winnie on the weekends is just plain crazy... It's a combination of total shoreland development, amenities (restaurants, sandbars etc) that draws all the traffic.

Moderately busy lakes like Winnisquam, Ossipee, Wenworth are just as beautiful as Winnie, but offers none of the restaurant, tourist destinations that people crave.

If you'd like a totally relaxing, non-captain bonehead day (or at least a rare sighting!) even on a Saturday in prime summer Saturdays.... head to Conway Lake. I was there on Saturday 8/20 for a small bass club fishing tournament. Weather was absolutely perfect... 85 and sunny and calm. The lake was absolutely quiet. Looking down the 3-4 mile (?) length of the lake if you could see 8-9 boats or PWCs I'd be surprised.

Saturdays can be relaxing if one would consider their options...

Cheers...

Gusman

TiltonBB · 08-30-2022, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GusMan

While I agree that boating on Winnie on the weekends is just plain crazy... It's a combination of total shoreland development, amenities (restaurants, sandbars etc) that draws all the traffic.

Moderately busy lakes like Winnisquam, Ossipee, Wenworth are just as beautiful as Winnie, but offers none of the restaurant, tourist destinations that people crave.

If you'd like a totally relaxing, non-captain bonehead day (or at least a rare sighting!) even on a Saturday in prime summer Saturdays.... head to Conway Lake. I was there on Saturday 8/20 for a small bass club fishing tournament. Weather was absolutely perfect... 85 and sunny and calm. The lake was absolutely quiet. Looking down the 3-4 mile (?) length of the lake if you could see 8-9 boats or PWCs I'd be surprised.

Saturdays can be relaxing if one would consider their options...

Cheers...

Gusman

That sounds nice but it would be something only a small amount of people (I think less than 5% of boaters) could or would do.

The vast majority of Winnipesaukee boaters have no means to transport their boats. All of their boat movement and off season storage is handled by local marinas and service companies. Many boats are too large for an owner to transport anyway and hiring people involves another expense.

A lot of people on the lake have become used to the increase in weekend boat traffic and plan around it. The people fortunate enough to be at the lake all summer (or all year) have weekdays available to go to their favorite destinations.

This week and next week are two of the best weeks of the boating season. The lake is quiet and the water is still warm.

We went to Meredith for dinner at 6:30 last night. There was no wait and there were about 5 slips available. The lake was like glass. Great ride! (There are a few advantages to being old!)

tis · 08-30-2022, 06:56 AM

It would be interesting to know how many boats are kept at slips-marina or privately rented, how many just put in for a day and how many are actually owned by people that live on the lake.

Garcia · 08-30-2022, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tis

It would be interesting to know how many boats are kept at slips-marina or privately rented, how many just put in for a day and how many are actually owned by people that live on the lake.

I always wonder this as well. In my 50+ years on the lake as an "islander", I have seen a big increase in the number of boats, esp. on a weekend. There are far more day users than there were in the past.

This is not a complaint and everyone has an equal right to use the lake - it's just an observation.

ishoot308 · 08-30-2022, 08:16 AM

Being a full time islander, I do agree that there are more boaters / boats now on the big lake. From 10:00 AM Saturday morning until 3:00 PM Sunday it can get crazy. After 4:00 PM Sunday and all during the week its absolutely beautiful and quiet however!

We don't usually bother trying to go for lunch by boat on a Saturday or Sunday unless we leave early and arrive at a town dock no later than 11:30 AM to ensure we get dock space.

The best part of the boating season starts in a week from today!!

See you out there!

Dan

BroadHopper · 08-30-2022, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Being a full time islander, I do agree that there are more boaters / boats now on the big lake. From 10:00 AM Saturday morning until 3:00 PM Sunday it can get crazy. After 4:00 PM Sunday and all during the week its absolutely beautiful and quiet however!

We don't usually bother trying to go for lunch by boat on a Saturday or Sunday unless we leave early and arrive at a town dock no later than 11:30 AM to ensure we get dock space.

The best part of the boating season starts in a week from today!!

See you out there!

Dan

Agree with you! However, I think the weekend warriors arrive on Friday around 3 pm and leave around 7 pm Sunday. Observed on the Walmart side of the lake!

joey2665 · 08-30-2022, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Agree with you! However, I think the weekend warriors arrive on Friday around 3 pm and leave around 7 pm Sunday. Observed on the Walmart side of the lake!

I have been staying off the lake on Saturdays and get on about 1 on Sunday and by 3pm traffic is very light, ast sunday I got a spot in Wolfboro at 3:30 immediately and sat right away at Marker 21

chachee52 · 08-30-2022, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Agree with you! However, I think the weekend warriors arrive on Friday around 3 pm and leave around 7 pm Sunday. Observed on the Walmart side of the lake!

On the Broads this year I will disagree. It gets pretty quiet around 1pm on Sundays, so about 11am to 1pm you get a little bit of a crowd, but after that it is pretty quiet all summer long on Sundays.
Saturdays have been busy except this past Saturday we all were saying how little traffic on the Broads there was.

Woody38 · 08-30-2022, 02:56 PM

My first boat (17 foot, Crosby fish and ski) had a 60 horse power outboard. Was in late 1950-early 1960's. Sweet boat, I do not remember the year it was built. Bought it from someone buying a much larger boat.

______________________________

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

XCR-700 · 08-30-2022, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody38

My first boat (17 foot, Crosby fish and ski) had a 60 horse power outboard. Was in late 1950-early 1960's. Sweet boat, I do not remember the year it was built. Bought it from someone buying a much larger boat.

______________________________

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

Was there such a concept as fish and ski in the 50's/60's???

I recall we had mostly Glastrons and Starcrafts in the 60's and mostly well under 50HP, but with the infamous cable and pulley steering and clouds of 2 cycle oil smoke!

XCR-700 · 09-05-2022, 11:06 PM

Well did it again,,,

We were at the Gunstock Craft Fair on Saturday and it was a bit smaller than expected and we had more of the afternoon left than expected, so we broke out the boat thinking maybe people might be doing other things like packing up their summer homes and such. Oh boy were we wrong!

Just as soon as I hit the Paugas sandbar the madness began, and it never got better.

It was possibly the worst day I have even seen on the lake for ignoring safety rules.

So many people totally ignoring distance/speed rules, cutting people off, it was a total free for all in front of Weirs Beach. And the line to get under the bridge only to see people get to the other side and turn around. It was the oddest day on the water I can remember.

It was very clear when you had a group of people in a rental boat who didnt know the basic rules and were kind of just winging it. But what was seemingly worse, was the guys with silver hair that seemed to just be arrogantly blowing off any rules as if they could care less. As one of the now older boaters on the lake this surprised me. I was really shocked by the utterly blatant disregard for basic safe boating rules by guys with nice boats that clearly were not rentals. Pretty much a get out of my way I dont care attitude. I have encountered this when waiting for dock space at various town docks, but never this bad.

So now I guess I need to be on the lookout for the gray foxes, as well as the newbies, and the distracted drivers playing with their cell phones, and the kids showing off, and rogue waves from the wake boats, and so on,,,

Well it was a really good reminder why I have come to like boating during the middle of the week.

thinkxingu · 09-06-2022, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCR-700

Well did it again,,,

We were at the Gunstock Craft Fair on Saturday and it was a bit smaller than expected and we had more of the afternoon left than expected, so we broke out the boat thinking maybe people might be doing other things like packing up their summer homes and such. Oh boy were we wrong!

Just as soon as I hit the Paugas sandbar the madness began, and it never got better.

It was possibly the worst day I have even seen on the lake for ignoring safety rules.

So many people totally ignoring distance/speed rules, cutting people off, it was a total free for all in front of Weirs Beach. And the line to get under the bridge only to see people get to the other side and turn around. It was the oddest day on the water I can remember.

It was very clear when you had a group of people in a rental boat who didnt know the basic rules and were kind of just winging it. But what was seemingly worse, was the guys with silver hair that seemed to just be arrogantly blowing off any rules as if they could care less. As one of the now older boaters on the lake this surprised me. I was really shocked by the utterly blatant disregard for basic safe boating rules by guys with nice boats that clearly were not rentals. Pretty much a get out of my way I dont care attitude. I have encountered this when waiting for dock space at various town docks, but never this bad.

So now I guess I need to be on the lookout for the gray foxes, as well as the newbies, and the distracted drivers playing with their cell phones, and the kids showing off, and rogue waves from the wake boats, and so on,,,

Well it was a really good reminder why I have come to like boating during the middle of the week.

I'll go out any hour of any day, but will adjust my expectations and behaviors accordingly.

In fact, I've used the lake a lot this year to teach my kids the ol' "you can't control what happens, but you can control how you respond."

Of course, things'll ramp right down these next weeks...

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

XCR-700 · 09-06-2022, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

I'll go out any hour of any day, but will adjust my expectations and behaviors accordingly.

In fact, I've used the lake a lot this year to teach my kids the ol' "you can't control what happens, but you can control how you respond."

Of course, things'll ramp right down these next weeks...

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

Well you will certainly be a better boater if you learn to survive a Saturday Summer outing on Winnipesaukee ;-)

Major · 09-06-2022, 11:49 AM

We went to the Paugus Bay (Margate) sand bar at 11:00 am. It was already very crowded! My son's dogs love it there so we had fun swimming and playing around. When we left at 1:30 pm, the sand bar was nearly fully crowded. So much so we pushed our boat out to open water.

The lesson learned over the past couple of years is that everyone needs to slow down a bit and be a little more deferential. Not a very profound take. The lake is so busy that just because you have the right of way doesn't mean you can take it. I am far less aggressive than I used to be. It also wouldn't hurt if the boaters who are towing their kids on rafts were a little more aware of their surroundings. (By far the most incidents I have is with boaters who are trying to throw their kids off the rafts.)

Saturdays are manageable, it just takes some patience.

chachee52 · 09-06-2022, 05:20 PM

Should have come to the Broads, pretty quiet day for such a nice day. On Sunday around 1pm cruised across from my friend's next to the Hole-in-the-Wall across the Broads and was shocked to only have to change my course because I came near a boat once. And that was a stretch of me being extra room kind. The last 2 weekends everyone around my camp were talking about how quiet it was out there.

Weirs always seems to attract the "I need to get no where fast" crowd. Can't tell you how many times I was pushed around by wakes going through the small no wake area at the point of Governor's Island because people were passing me this summer. Didn't seem to make a difference what day, just more so on weekends definitely.

dickiej · 09-06-2022, 11:17 PM

Is this what the broads looks like on Saturday.??

XCR-700 · 09-11-2022, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dickiej

Is this what the broads looks like on Saturday.??

Can you imagine trying to navigate through that,,,

LakeTimes · 09-11-2022, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCR-700

Can you imagine trying to navigate through that,,,

Do every 4th of July... except it's at night.

Wouldn't feel safe with less than 3 sets of eyeballs on board!

Descant · 08-30-2022, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tis

It would be interesting to know how many boats are kept at slips-marina or privately rented, how many just put in for a day and how many are actually owned by people that live on the lake.

Not too long ago I heard from MP that there are about 100,000 boats registered in NH and about 40,000 of those are primarily used on Winnipesaukee. There are more unregistered boats now, e.g. kayaks, and in our affluent society many shorefront families own several boats. Not all are used at the same time, of course. To me, the biggest changes over the years have been the introduction of bigger outboard motors (remember when 35hp was "big"?) leading to bigger boats with bigger wakes, and forklift trucks for boat storage. A 26 foot 13000 pound boat can go on the rack, but that's a lot of boat to pull behind the family sedan. So, a marina that used to have a couple dozen slips now can have 150 boats in valet.

tis · 08-30-2022, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Descant

Not too long ago I heard from MP that there are about 100,000 boats registered in NH and about 40,000 of those are primarily used on Winnipesaukee. There are more unregistered boats now, e.g. kayaks, and in our affluent society many shorefront families own several boats. Not all are used at the same time, of course. To me, the biggest changes over the years have been the introduction of bigger outboard motors (remember when 35hp was "big"?) leading to bigger boats with bigger wakes, and forklift trucks for boat storage. A 26 foot 13000 pound boat can go on the rack, but that's a lot of boat to pull behind the family sedan. So, a marina that used to have a couple dozen slips now can have 150 boats in valet.

?

I do remember when 35 HP was big!! I wonder if they have actually ever tried to see how many are slips and how many are by landowners. ??

WinnisquamZ · 08-30-2022, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

That sounds nice but it would be something only a small amount of people (I think less than 5% of boaters) could or would do.

The vast majority of Winnipesaukee boaters have no means to transport their boats. All of their boat movement and off season storage is handled by local marinas and service companies. Many boats are too large for an owner to transport anyway and hiring people involves another expense.

A lot of people on the lake have become used to the increase in weekend boat traffic and plan around it. The people fortunate enough to be at the lake all summer (or all year) have weekdays available to go to their favorite destinations.

This week and next week are two of the best weeks of the boating season. The lake is quiet and the water is still warm.

We went to Meredith for dinner at 6:30 last night. There was no wait and there were about 5 slips available. The lake was like glass. Great ride! (There are a few advantages to being old!)

So true. After Labor Day is a holiday around these parts

Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

lakewinnie · 08-30-2022, 07:35 AM

Last month, my wife and I were docked at the Center Harbor town docks. Slightly windy day. Brand new Monterey (25 feet or so) is trying to pull in to the docks that are in front of the town beach (facing the Center Harbor Inn). Older captain tries two times and can't quite get in, so I go over to the dock to help him. He gets close to the dock, and a younger guy in the bow hands me the dock line - but it's not attached to a cleat on the boat! It's just a loose dock line!

So I attached it to the cleat and pulled him in.

Funny and fortunately not too dangerous, situation. At least I had a good laugh.

XCR-700 · 08-30-2022, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakewinnie

Last month, my wife and I were docked at the Center Harbor town docks. Slightly windy day. Brand new Monterey (25 feet or so) is trying to pull in to the docks that are in front of the town beach (facing the Center Harbor Inn). Older captain tries two times and can't quite get in, so I go over to the dock to help him. He gets close to the dock, and a younger guy in the bow hands me the dock line - but it's not attached to a cleat on the boat! It's just a loose dock line!

So I attached it to the cleat and pulled him in.

Funny and fortunately not too dangerous, situation. At least I had a good laugh.

Thats almost too sad to be believable,,,

Its truly amazing that we dont see serious accidents every day with that kind of mistake as our new standard of boating preparation.

Some days it is frightening.

08-29-2022, 10:07 PM	#1
GusMan Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 133 Thanks: 1 Thanked 45 Times in 26 Posts	Saturday boating. While I agree that boating on Winnie on the weekends is just plain crazy... It's a combination of total shoreland development, amenities (restaurants, sandbars etc) that draws all the traffic. Moderately busy lakes like Winnisquam, Ossipee, Wenworth are just as beautiful as Winnie, but offers none of the restaurant, tourist destinations that people crave. If you'd like a totally relaxing, non-captain bonehead day (or at least a rare sighting!) even on a Saturday in prime summer Saturdays.... head to Conway Lake. I was there on Saturday 8/20 for a small bass club fishing tournament. Weather was absolutely perfect... 85 and sunny and calm. The lake was absolutely quiet. Looking down the 3-4 mile (?) length of the lake if you could see 8-9 boats or PWCs I'd be surprised. Saturdays can be relaxing if one would consider their options... Cheers... Gusman

08-30-2022, 08:16 AM	#5
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 6,266 Thanks: 2,398 Thanked 5,286 Times in 2,057 Posts	Being a full time islander, I do agree that there are more boaters / boats now on the big lake. From 10:00 AM Saturday morning until 3:00 PM Sunday it can get crazy. After 4:00 PM Sunday and all during the week its absolutely beautiful and quiet however! We don't usually bother trying to go for lunch by boat on a Saturday or Sunday unless we leave early and arrive at a town dock no later than 11:30 AM to ensure we get dock space. The best part of the boating season starts in a week from today!! See you out there! Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!

09-05-2022, 11:06 PM	#11
XCR-700 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: MA Posts: 1,342 Thanks: 757 Thanked 538 Times in 313 Posts	Oops I did it again,,, Well did it again,,, We were at the Gunstock Craft Fair on Saturday and it was a bit smaller than expected and we had more of the afternoon left than expected, so we broke out the boat thinking maybe people might be doing other things like packing up their summer homes and such. Oh boy were we wrong! Just as soon as I hit the Paugas sandbar the madness began, and it never got better. It was possibly the worst day I have even seen on the lake for ignoring safety rules. So many people totally ignoring distance/speed rules, cutting people off, it was a total free for all in front of Weirs Beach. And the line to get under the bridge only to see people get to the other side and turn around. It was the oddest day on the water I can remember. It was very clear when you had a group of people in a rental boat who didnt know the basic rules and were kind of just winging it. But what was seemingly worse, was the guys with silver hair that seemed to just be arrogantly blowing off any rules as if they could care less. As one of the now older boaters on the lake this surprised me. I was really shocked by the utterly blatant disregard for basic safe boating rules by guys with nice boats that clearly were not rentals. Pretty much a get out of my way I dont care attitude. I have encountered this when waiting for dock space at various town docks, but never this bad. So now I guess I need to be on the lookout for the gray foxes, as well as the newbies, and the distracted drivers playing with their cell phones, and the kids showing off, and rogue waves from the wake boats, and so on,,, Well it was a really good reminder why I have come to like boating during the middle of the week.

09-06-2022, 11:49 AM	#14
Major Senior Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Laconia Posts: 1,079 Thanks: 446 Thanked 1,018 Times in 424 Posts	Paugus Bay We went to the Paugus Bay (Margate) sand bar at 11:00 am. It was already very crowded! My son's dogs love it there so we had fun swimming and playing around. When we left at 1:30 pm, the sand bar was nearly fully crowded. So much so we pushed our boat out to open water. The lesson learned over the past couple of years is that everyone needs to slow down a bit and be a little more deferential. Not a very profound take. The lake is so busy that just because you have the right of way doesn't mean you can take it. I am far less aggressive than I used to be. It also wouldn't hurt if the boaters who are towing their kids on rafts were a little more aware of their surroundings. (By far the most incidents I have is with boaters who are trying to throw their kids off the rafts.) Saturdays are manageable, it just takes some patience.

09-06-2022, 11:17 PM	#16
dickiej Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: White Salmon, WA Posts: 300 Thanks: 21 Thanked 171 Times in 93 Posts	Is this what the broads looks like on Saturday.?? Attached Images

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08-30-2022, 06:56 AM	#3
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,741 Thanks: 752 Thanked 1,458 Times in 1,015 Posts	It would be interesting to know how many boats are kept at slips-marina or privately rented, how many just put in for a day and how many are actually owned by people that live on the lake.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ishoot308 For This Useful Post:
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08-30-2022, 02:56 PM	#9
Woody38 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 578 Thanks: 46 Thanked 110 Times in 81 Posts	My first boat (17 foot, Crosby fish and ski) had a 60 horse power outboard. Was in late 1950-early 1960's. Sweet boat, I do not remember the year it was built. Bought it from someone buying a much larger boat. ______________________________ I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

The Following User Says Thank You to Major For This Useful Post:
ApS (09-27-2022)

09-06-2022, 05:20 PM	#15
chachee52 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 452 Thanks: 6 Thanked 94 Times in 73 Posts	Should have come to the Broads, pretty quiet day for such a nice day. On Sunday around 1pm cruised across from my friend's next to the Hole-in-the-Wall across the Broads and was shocked to only have to change my course because I came near a boat once. And that was a stretch of me being extra room kind. The last 2 weekends everyone around my camp were talking about how quiet it was out there. Weirs always seems to attract the "I need to get no where fast" crowd. Can't tell you how many times I was pushed around by wakes going through the small no wake area at the point of Governor's Island because people were passing me this summer. Didn't seem to make a difference what day, just more so on weekends definitely.

The Following User Says Thank You to LakeTimes For This Useful Post:
XCR-700 (09-11-2022)

08-30-2022, 07:35 AM	#22
lakewinnie Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Moultonborough and CT Posts: 71 Thanks: 36 Thanked 59 Times in 24 Posts	Funny boat story Last month, my wife and I were docked at the Center Harbor town docks. Slightly windy day. Brand new Monterey (25 feet or so) is trying to pull in to the docks that are in front of the town beach (facing the Center Harbor Inn). Older captain tries two times and can't quite get in, so I go over to the dock to help him. He gets close to the dock, and a younger guy in the bow hands me the dock line - but it's not attached to a cleat on the boat! It's just a loose dock line! So I attached it to the cleat and pulled him in. Funny and fortunately not too dangerous, situation. At least I had a good laugh.