Make sure you’ve got an anchor and at least 75’ of line if you’re going to ride the river. Scary how fast that current can get you in serious trouble with the falls if you break down.
That’s actually where I started off riding 2 years ago on my dads ski. Its not bad over near strawberry Island. It gets old real quick tho. It has its pros and cons I guess. I really do not feel comfortable parking my car over there with some of the people that go down that way honestly. It has never been a problem but I guess me never living near the city I don’t have much faith down there lol. I have ridden a few older skis and one thing im going to say is, you are going to take way more of a beating on that ski then say a newer, heavier ski that holds it own a bit more in chop…I rode my buddies older Kawasaki in tonawanda river once and I felt like got my ass kicked. Im sure you will migrate too smooth water rather quickly. I mean your on a ski, go where ever you want but just be prepared your going to be exhausted.
Thanks for the advice man, that is what I was looking for…
:tup:
Finally. After a lot of work and time spent, it went in the water on Saturday.
Even went as far as to have a CG Vessel safety check on Friday. Great service. Coast Guard auxiliary person comes to you, free of charge, and goes over your craft with a fine-toothed comb. I found that it’s completely worth it. I made sure I was over-compliant. Extra extinguishers, VHF radio, multiple other items not completely necessary for a 24, but still a good idea to have on board. At the end, if you pass, you get a sticker to go on the port side windshield. Not exactly a get out of jail free card, but at the same time, your chance of being boarded goes down significantly.
CG check site: http://cgaux.org/vsc/
Passed, no problem. Yay.
Lots of cleaning time. The guy I bought it from really took excellent care of the thing, until his last year of ownership, when he sort of let a lot of things go.
Launch on Saturday went smoothly. Up until then, the largest craft I’ve launched had been my Waverunner.
Olcott harbor…yeah, that’s pretty tight.
Then did some shakedown on the lake. Boat performed flawlessly. Headed west and started seeing some sights, including this massive house
First time my dog has been in a boat, but he did great. Whenever I throttled up or was traveling over 10mph (knots, whatever), he would curl up here.
Under 10 mph
Other times
So, passed Wilson and kept going. Wanted to see the Fort from the water. Kinda cool
At that point, it looked like the rain was staying South, so up the river we went. Initially just to poke around Youngstown docks and such, then kept going to Lewiston, then kept going. Holy crap, that current is amazing. Didn’t want to go too far, for multiple reasons. Had to keep engine speed around 1600 just to stay still. Neat experience
Headed back. Things got a bit colder and choppier, but it still wasn’t bad. About 60 miles on it’s maiden voyage under my ownership.
Next trip, we’re heading to Sodus Point.
Not in over your head. Just on ur ski id wait till it warms up some more as you will get soaked. Lol West river is almost always calm. Down in Lewiston is fun as well as its calm until the jet boats go through and then you get nice rollers to play on.
@bracketracer … Those vessel check stickers are awesome. I had mine done a few years ago and I’ve seen the Coast Guard boat come toward us for a random stop, see the sticker, then peal off and nail the boat behind us.
Lower river is fun. Some won’t go past the Queenston bridge, 99.9% won’t go past Devil’s Hole just above the US power plant fishing platform (that’s where I turn around). A guy I used to work with ran his 19 foot bowrider with a 5.0 all the way to the whirlpool but he’s the only person I’ve ever heard of going up there besides the jet boats. He also tubed from the whirlpool to Lewiston several times and from just below the falls to the whirlpool once. Said the whirlpool rapids almost killed him despite wearing 2 life vests + his tube and he would never do it again. Just giving you some perspective on how crazy you have to be to take a boat past Devil’s Hole.
[QUOTE=JayS;4646878Lower river is fun. Some won’t go past the Queenston bridge, 99.9% won’t go past Devil’s Hole just above the US power plant fishing platform (that’s where I turn around). A guy I used to work with ran his 19 foot bowrider with a 5.0 all the way to the whirlpool but he’s the only person I’ve ever heard of going up there besides the jet boats. He also tubed from the whirlpool to Lewiston several times and from just below the falls to the whirlpool once. Said the whirlpool rapids almost killed him despite wearing 2 life vests + his tube and he would never do it again. Just giving you some perspective on how crazy you have to be to take a boat past Devil’s Hole.[/QUOTE]
That’s nutty…
Good to know. Yeah, I went as far as I was comfortable going.
We would also water ski across his large inground pool every year at his summer party using a system of pulleys and about 300lbs of weight hoisted into a tall tree. Pretty sure the word “safety” wasn’t in his vocabulary.
I like him already
Truth. On days when it was choppy I couldn’t keep up with @King on his ski and forget sitting down, lol. Joe’s ski is similar to mine. Also I ride with gloves on because of the harder ride giving me blisters.
@91MR2 the best place is Gallagher Beach IMO. If you want calm water, do some high speed runs down Union Canal. If you want rolling waves, head outside the breaker. Choppy stuff sucks unless it’s a really hot day and you’re just looking to cool down.
Strawberry island blows. It’s covered in flying bugs.
@SOLITUDE have you tried to launch at Aqua Lane Park? I assume you’re talking about launching at Black Rock Canal Park where it can seem a bit sketchy.
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I broke down out there last year and @King towed me in. But there are always so many other boats on the river that I think I would have been fine if I needed help.
:tup:
Yes that’s it lol! And hmm… Ill have to check that out
The west river is usually like glass. No traffic up there either, prolly because it’s Canadian water.
It’s because if they find an open container in your boat in Ontario there’s a good chance you’re losing your boat, even if the driver blows a 0.0. All the drunks stay on the east river which is why I love cruising the west river.
[/QUOTE][QUOTE=JayS;4646930]It’s because if they find an open container in your boat in Ontario there’s a good chance you’re losing your boat, even if the driver blows a 0.0. All the drinks stay on the east river which is why I love cruising the west river.
True story. I heard it’s very strict no bs up there. Good tip for all the new boaters.
Yep. The Coastie who did my vessel inspection and I had a conversation about this. Canadian waters=no drinking, no open containers of any sort, and best to have any alcohol locked up in a cabinet. If you’re moored up on a Canadian dock, drink up. But then, don’t step out on the dock with an open container.
Went out today because it looks like the weekend is shot. Got some new shoes that work great in the water and actually look decent too:
How’s the water temp feel?
I literally was out on thursday from 11am till 8:30 it was beautiful. It had to be chilly down there yesterday!
Water is fine, and this is coming from a guy who rides a ski where it’s impossible not to get soaked, lol.
Nice!
Air temp got cooler as the sun went down obviously but for the most part it was fine.