Higher Water = Lower Bridges!

[JTC1016]

Seems obvious enough right? Well, I didn't think the water had gone up 4"... but I was wrong. We were going under a bridge in a channel that we've been through a dozen times this year already. It's always close, but we always clear it by a few inches, and we've had a pretty dry summer.
The weekend before last we had the bimini deployed because it was hot, so instead of creeping up and checking the height like I usually do, I ASSumed we would make it. We didn't. Luckily the plastic on the stern light (which is actually on top of the tower) absorbed the abuse and shattered. Babbit's online was able to get me a new one by last Thursday so we were back on the water this weekend.
That $225 mistake will sure cure my laziness with bridges though. On the bright side, the replacement is an easy 15 minute install if anyone else plays bridge roulette.

 

[justason]

i was hesitant to open this when i saw that beautiful tower in your avatar. glad you got away with just a light failure, sadly a $225 one !

we have 2 bridges on our lake, we don't fit under one until the water drops. I've spray painted a small line on the bridge support for my "tell". I need to drive a stake into my shoreline and mark it for elevations as well. The other bridge we fit under off plane, on plane its close.

Does anyone know, or know how to measure the difference in boat elevation when on plane vs floating ?

 

[JTC1016]

i was hesitant to open this when i saw that beautiful tower in your avatar. glad you got away with just a light failure, sadly a $225 one !

we have 2 bridges on our lake, we don't fit under one until the water drops. I've spray painted a small line on the bridge support for my "tell". I need to drive a stake into my shoreline and mark it for elevations as well. The other bridge we fit under off plane, on plane its close.

Does anyone know, or know how to measure the difference in boat elevation when on plane vs floating ?

For us it makes a big difference how the boat is loaded with people and supplies too. I'll be out with 7 buddies this weekend and I'm sure we'll clear it by plenty vs. when it's just me, the wife and kids.

 

[Buckeye Boater]

Our lake jumped up almost a foot early in the spring/summer and I saw several bimini's smacked up. We live right by a very low bridge in a channel and I watched a kid with his parents boat try to go under and take out the windshield of a glastron. It was epic.

 

[flyingnugget]

I cringed reading that but still Laughed...Epic : ) Would love to be a fly on the wall when he brought that boat back to his folks...

 

[mraz72]

Lake Ontario was up 4 FEET this year which caused all sorts of problems. without markers on the bridges it would be hard to tell what the clearance is....

 

[Wayloncle]

i was hesitant to open this when i saw that beautiful tower in your avatar. glad you got away with just a light failure, sadly a $225 one !

we have 2 bridges on our lake, we don't fit under one until the water drops. I've spray painted a small line on the bridge support for my "tell". I need to drive a stake into my shoreline and mark it for elevations as well. The other bridge we fit under off plane, on plane its close.

Does anyone know, or know how to measure the difference in boat elevation when on plane vs floating ?

Get in the boat and go fast, lean over the side and mark where the water is, stop then repeat step #2

 

[zipper]

Lake Champlain is up 5' over last years level, when i posted about low water woes, We went under the same bridge last week and my antennas cleared by 2". I lowered them for the return trip. This was last year,
Five feet of water over this sand bar now.

 

[Eric Popper]

There's a bridge on the Chain of Lakes that we can skirt under by about a foot on a good day. I always take it slowly and have my wife up on the seats watching the tower. I think that we're good at the 8' marker but I don't believe that this is relevant to any other bridge or boat....

Eric

 

[scokill]

I think 4" clearance would be below tolerance for me. Wake, load differential, etc. Just not enough margin. I have to watch where I cross some bridges and you always get the jack wagon that ignores no wake.

 

[justason]

jack wagon .

Thats a new one