Where do you go boating mostly?

Just what we like to do BigKahuna
 
Lake Norman NC. 


32000+ acres of fun! There are so many little coves to hang out in and nooks and crannies to explore. Not to mention the many wonderful waterfront restaurants you can pull up to for a quick bite to eat or a special meal. 


There are a few other lakes in the chain that you can trailer to but this is the largest by far......

We may have to head down and check out that lake some time next season.  
 
Were in a private community with a Lake, but a 17' and 90HP restriction so we have a dock at the marina on Lake Wallenpaupack about 10 min. away.  13 miles long and 52 miles of shore line, makes for a good season.  
 
We may have to head down and check out that lake some time next season.  

C'mon down! You won't be sorry! MH663 and his wife towed their Benny here this summer from Ohio to check it out.......
 
We boat on the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York.  This year we were on Cayuga and Seneca lakes which are connected by the Erie Canal.   These lakes are beautiful and especially good for wineries.  It's a good trade off to such a short boating season due to our weather.  


Kahuna, my wife wants to live on Lake Norman - probably within the next decade.  We are currently in the middle of debating over whether to live on the coast or live on a lake but definitely heading to NC. 
 
Gotta come visit!
 
Lake Murray in SC.  50,000 acres and 500 miles of shoreline.  It's a  great recreational lake and always seems like there is something to do.  There are a few bars / restaurants on the lake, but we could use a few more. For a lake this size, there are not that many "hang out" spots. There are two sides to a place called Sandy beach were tons of boats of boats beach or tie up during the summer, and Hurricane cove which is a popular tie up spot.  
 
We have moved our recreational boating to Centerhill lake In Tn Its closer to the house and cuts off about 1.5 hours of driving 1 way than Dale Hollow. We miss Dale hollow but the commute really makes a difference. 
 
The wife and I just got back from Arkansas. We boated on Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton. Both were fantastic. Ouachita was more of a natural surroundings, and Hamilton had more residential and commercial surroundings to it. 


I just put my new lower unit on, (had 8 hrs on it), and hit a shallow bottom in Ouachita. Talk about getting sick at the stomach. I was very fortunate in that I thought it the floats were no wake zone markers, but turns out that they were shallow water markers. I was going super slow, so while looking at the depth finder, the shallow hit before I could do anything. It hit, but just a little. No damage other than a little bend on one of my SS prop blades and a nick on the front of the skeg. No wobble in the blade or motor, so I'll call that lucky.


Ouachita:


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Hamilton:


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At the Fisherman's Wharf on Hamilton:


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I boat on a little eye dropper of a lake compared to some of you. At 268 acres it does not take long to get from one side to the other at 40mph+. But it's all sports and we're waterfront so it works for now.  
 
Bull Shoals Lake in north-central Arkansas along the Missouri border.  24th largest reservoir in the country and part of the White River, which is the 17th longest river in the nation.  Typical water clarity in late summer is 15-25 feet, with a limestone bottom and emerald green water in the summer.  


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We keep our boat behind the house attached to a floating dock year round. We live on the Crystal River in Florida. Our river is unique as it goes from fresh water springs and out 7 miles to saltwater in the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
Our boating has all been on Indian Lake....we don't have a trailer to travel around to other lakes.  It's 5800 acres and seems as if there is always something going on at the lake all summer long.  The lake is pretty shallow  (averages 4-5 foot deep for the most part) and you DO need to know where you can and can't go......even with a pontoon.   Since our lake house is on orchard island and the boat is about 4 miles away at the harbor boating isn't a hop on at the front door and go situation but we still enjoy the time out on the water.


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Our new cottage is on Houghton Lake in Michigan.  This upcoming summer will be our first on it with the new Bennington.  It is a 20,000 acre lake that is approximately 7.5 miles by 4.5 miles with 30 miles of total shoreline.  It is a shallow lake by nature, deepest spot is about 21' in one spot, but average depth is only 7.5' deep.


Map with water depths:








 
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Our new cottage is on Houghton Lake in Michigan.  This upcoming summer will be our first on it with the new Bennington.  It is a 20,000 acre lake that is approximately 7.5 miles by 4.5 miles with 30 miles of total shoreline.  It is a shallow lake by nature, deepest spot is about 21' in one spot, but average depth is only 7.5' deep.

Actually, it depends on the time of year but I've come across areas of 26'. However, by and large it is a shallow lake but I'd have to guess that 70 to 80% is navigable. 
 
I boat normally, on The Rez. It's about 33,000 acres, with a long ride ahead of you if you travel from the spillway up to our favorite sandbar; about 25 miles from point to point by way of the river. If we're going to go to the sandbar, we usually trailer out boat to the HWY 43 and put in there. That's about halfway, and can see the hwy where it goes across the water.


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Deep Creek lake in Maryland. It is 3600 acres, 10 miles long and 50 ft deep. Fishing used to be phenomenal, but with increased high speed traffic the fishing has dropped off. 
 
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