Getting ready....

[stickman]

Well, we did it. Took the toon to get its annual winterization this weekend. Our boating season (as limited as it was) has now come to a close for another year. When we get her home, we'll clean everything really good, 303 the upholstery, tuck dryer sheets in the seat compartments and bimini boots, and tuck her into her corner of the barn for a long winter's nap.

With any luck, next year will offer better opportunities to get her out and spend time on the water.

For all of you in areas that don't have to go through this annual ritual, count your lucky stars. It's just sad to know on those great autumn days around here where the weather has jumped into the 70's that we won't be able to enjoy one more cruise. When the night time temperatures dip into the low 40's, we know it's time. And, once we winterize the I/O, it's done until spring.

We'll still check out the site for stories and pictures from all you "southerners" so don't forget about us up here in the frozen north. Get your decks wet and raise a toast to us less fortunate ones.

See you in the spring!

[rickdb1]

Put mine away last week for the season. Used to wait until November, but it's just too iffy anymore. Hopefully this winter will be less brutal than last and spring will come early..

[drive2boat]

Planning to use mine this Friday and Saturday, probably for the last time this season. Virginia ain't far enough south-in more ways than one!

[Moser]

Myself, my brother, nephew and a good family friend are planning a weekend boat-in camping trip to Nancy's boat to shore campground on the Raystown the last weekend of October. We will use the 'toon for a base and fish for Stripers and Lake Trout from the Sea Nymph.

There's not much to winterizing the 'toon, change the lower unit oil and cover her up. Oh, and dump the fuel in a can for the snowblower, I don't even fog it down anymore. It's only down for about 8 weeks.

[stickman]

Enjoy your boating weekend, Moser. We just got our toon back today after winterization. Vacuumed the carpet, wiped down all the seats with 303, tucked dryer sheets in all the seats and bimini boots, put a couple of containers of moth balls on the deck, then covered her up in the corner of the barn. Made sure to put out some fresh mouse poison in the barn near her.

Boating is over for us until next season.

[stickman]

YAWN....(stretch)....

Is winter really over? One brother came over last night and picked up his boat out of our barn so he could begin getting it ready for spring. My toon was sitting in the corner behind it, so now that I can get it out I will have to be getting her "summerized" very soon.

Temps are still down, and so is the water level at the lake. This past winter they started on the marina project (finally) and last I knew the water level was still way below normal. Hopefully, I'll be traveling past the lake tomorrow morning and get a first-hand view.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news...ound/23695233/

Regardless, we should be ready for boating in the next few weeks even if the lake isn't.

Happy Boating y'all!

[funtooner]

Yep, Spent the full day cleaning this ship up for a long summer of fun.

[stickman]

In reference to the lake (Caesar's Creek Lake), we went by on Saturday morning, May 2, and the water level was still way down.

Looks like there has been a lot of shore-side work done on the marina and parking lot area, but I didn't see much in the way of water-side work. That is, there were some earth movers and a large area of cleared ground that looked like it might end up being a parking lot, but I didn't see any support structures for the sea-wall and walkway, nor any pilings for slips/docks, etc. in the water. It could be that I missed them as I drove past, but I would have expected them to be very noticeable in the area where there used to be water.

If it continues at this pace, it looks like boating on this lake is going to be a bust this year for us. I did see some boats on the water, but they appeared to be ones that could be hand-loaded.

[Moser]

Are there no ramps that allow for the dropping of the lake? On the Raystown there are 3 I think. The one there where we watched the Jet Ski show, the one at James Creek and Tatman Run. When the lake was dropped 15 feet for shoreline work we could still launch. I put my pontoon in at James Creek when the water was down 15 feet and had plenty of concrete left at the ramp.

[stickman]

Larry, I'll have to check to see if there are alternate ramps available. So far as I know, there are only 3 public ramps and one private one at the campground. With no slips on this lake at all, boats are put in and taken out at these ramps all summer long. If even one of them is not usable, that increases the usage of the others.

Randy said he went by the ramp where we normally put in, and we weren't going to be able to use that one. I think our level might be down as much as 30 feet.

I would suspect the other one I have used is even worse. The last one I know of is really steep (*ask Randy about his experience with that one sometime), and I have never tried my toon on it.

Correction - This from the lake website: "***The water level is currently down 13-feet so construction on the marina can be completed. A boat can still be launched at Wellman Meadows Boat Ramp at your own risk. The waterlevel will begin to come back up on April 25, 2015.***" Wellman Meadows ramp is the one I thought would be worse.

We may have to use a different lake this summer.