Lake Winnipesaukee

[octavio3311]

Me and another boating family have rented a house on the lake (with dock for 3 boats) for the last week of June. Im taking the Yamaha, my buddy is taking his Crownline.

Me and the wife are on the fence about this trip. I mean - we boat exclusively on Candlewood Lake - it's literally down the street, a 2 minute walk. Feels strange to pull my boat out of Candlewood and hump it 4 hours to drop in another lake. I usually do vacations on the ocean, but the kids want to do something different and really wanna go.

Anyways -never having been there before - any suggestions? My buddy's been there a ton of times, but I'd rather ask this motley crew.
Tips/pointers? Things to avoid? I've read that the wind can kick up something fierce in the broads. I've also read about unmarked rocks beneath the surface.

 

[Topper232]

Hey @octavio3311 .....we tow the boat to Newfound Lake in Bristol, NH for a week every 4th of July. For one of those days, we'll make the 30 min drive over to Winnie for the day. It's a huge lake and the water can get quite choppy, so be careful, but it's beautiful. There are restaurants, beach bars, small towns that you can stop in. We love it. In Fact, my friend that lives on Newfound Lake is considering moving to Winnie, or the "big lake" as they refer to it, just because there's so much more to do.

I would make sure that you're with someone that knows the lake well, as there are a lot of submerged rocks, some of which are right out in "open" water. I follow my fried around in his 19' boat since he grew up there and knows the trouble areas.

 

[bumpy]

We have a timeshare in Wolfeboro the last 2 weeks of June every year ( we usually only use the first 1, the week before the 4th gets a little busy), and we love the big lake. A new chart from Bizer and a gps will keep you safe, but study the chart before you go into new areas. I have found that the rocks are well marked, and even in the broads the waves are manageable. Lots of town docks for day use, and the area starts to come alive at the time you'll be there. There is a Yamaha dealer (Irwin) in Paugus Bay; I bought my boat from them and I have gotten great service from them when needed. I think you and the kids will enjoy Wiers Beach with its' arcade and food, and it's the base for the Mount Washington tour boat. I would recommend the trip, with the boat.

 

[octavio3311]

Actually, now that I'm looking at the dates - we'll be there from 6/19 - 6/26.

 

[bumpy]

That is our week as well; maybe we'll see you there!

 

[octavio3311]

That is our week as well; maybe we'll see you there!

I have no idea where we're staying. Ive seen pics of the house - gorgeous big house with docks, and a private beach. I'll have to get more info. Like I said, I've never been there - a buddy invited us to share this house with him. He gets this house every year.

I'd like to think that all the hazards are marked, but after reading up on all the unmarked rocks, I am now considering getting a GPS/Chartplotter just for this trip. Never wanted or needed 1 before, I boat exclusively on my home lake and know the lake pretty well. If I get 1, I could care less about the fish finding capability - I'm just looking for a simple inexpensive GPS!

 

[Gym]

@octavio3311. Check the NH boating requirements online. They require a boater course/license. I believe you can get a non resident permit online for a fee. They also recognize some other states licenses.

 

[RightStuff]

I'd like to think that all the hazards are marked, but after reading up on all the unmarked rocks, I am now considering getting a GPS/Chartplotter just for this trip. Never wanted or needed 1 before, I boat exclusively on my home lake and know the lake pretty well. If I get 1, I could care less about the fish finding capability - I'm just looking for a simple inexpensive GPS!

I'd go with Navionics on a small/med tablet, like a 7-9" sized one. And along with it get a mount (like a ram mount) for the dash somewhere.

 

[octavio3311]

@octavio3311. Check the NH boating requirements online. They require a boater course/license. I believe you can get a non resident permit online for a fee. They also recognize some other states licenses.

Good to go! I have a CT boating license (it's a requirement) and they honor it.

 

[octavio3311]

I'd go with Navionics on a small/med tablet, like a 7-9" sized one. And along with it get a mount (like a ram mount) for the dash somewhere.

We have a couple of IPads and IPad minis - but none of them with cell service.

 

[RightStuff]

Cell service isn't required for their app (not talking about the website). Just install the app and the app will use the GPS in the tablet to determine location. You will probably want to get the paid version of the app for more detailed maps, but that's minimal by comparison to getting a dedicated device for boats maps.

 

[bumpy]

Navionics has a iPhone app and an Android phone app; I did try the iPhone version on a 4 and had trouble seeing the screen. I think my newer phone is much brighter, but I got a Lowrance plotter last year and love it.

 

[octavio3311]

Cell service isn't required for their app (not talking about the website). Just install the app and the app will use the GPS in the tablet to determine location. You will probably want to get the paid version of the app for more detailed maps, but that's minimal by comparison to getting a dedicated device for boats maps.

Going to look into this a little further. Might have to commandeer the wife's IPad mini. I don't dare take the kids IPads!

 

[DUSTOFF]

@octavio3311 - Check out the navionics site to see their chart coverage: https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#@9&key=eaaiGxfrrL
A cheap (gps enabled) android tablet with a $10 navionics subscription will probably be much cheaper than a dedicated GPS/chartplotter.
(I think we bought our son a cheapo tablet for less than $50)

Bizer released their latest chart update, I just received mine 2 days ago: http://www.winnipesaukee.com/index.php?pageid=store

I use a Nexus 7 tablet with Navionics, as well as paper charts.

@RightStuff : You are correct, cell service is not required to run the app, but the apple products without cellular capability also lack a GPS receiver.

 

[Gym]

We have a couple of IPads and IPad minis - but none of them with cell service.

Most smart phone can be used as a hot spot for your wifi enabled devices.

 

[octavio3311]

Researching all these options.

Another option I was thinking about was the Garmin 640 which has both street mode and marine mode. I figured I could also use it in my car. The 2 newer cars have GPS in them, but my commuter has an old dash mounted 1 that can't be upgraded - was thinking of replacing it anyways.

I'm not a fisherman, probably the only Portuguese dude that doesn't fish, so the fish finder/chart plotter combos are useless to me.

 

[bumpy]

I have used my combo unit as my primary depth finder as well as a gps, and someday when I mount the transducer into this boat I will again. With these displays, it will be nice to free one up from depth duty to fuel, or compass, or voltage, or.................

 

[Topper232]

Researching all these options.

Another option I was thinking about was the Garmin 640 which has both street mode and marine mode. I figured I could also use it in my car. The 2 newer cars have GPS in them, but my commuter has an old dash mounted 1 that can't be upgraded - was thinking of replacing it anyways.

I'm not a fisherman, probably the only Portuguese dude that doesn't fish, so the fish finder/chart plotter combos are useless to me.

I also have the Garmin GPS MAP 640 and love it. It does not, however, have the inland lakes on it. I think that you can buy/download them from Garmin though.

 

[Island Jay]

I live in NH and have enjoyed Lake Winni for 20+ years. We head up there when ever we can. It is a big lake and you cannot do it all in a day. Kids will love Weirs beach. Games, ice cream, boardwalk, etc. Plenty of restaurants to visit by boat and sights to see in general around the lake. Well worth taking the boat.

Now it is a busy lake, especially around weekends and holidays. The broads can be choppy and getting in/out of weirs can feel like you need to be an ace on the boat. But worth it.

My wife parents have a place on Newfound lake in Bristol. No where near as big as Winni, but it is a nice wide open lake. If you just want to see a good size lake to sandbar, tube, and relax, Newfound is nice.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Plug in GPS for you apple devices:

http://bad-elf.com/collections/plug-in-gps