PSA - Traveling with Boat

[TXHUNT3R]

So I just got back from Broken Bow, OK with the family.

I hauled my bay boat up there, we rented a huge house for the entire family. Amazing place!!


I had a ramp picked out prior to going, did a little reading about the lake and so on.

The one thing I DID NOT DO. Call ahead and make sure the lake is open. Recent heavy rains had the boat ramps closed down. I'm sure they are back open now because they released a ton of water but that didn't help me these past few days lol.

Anyhow, don't do what I did and pull the boat 6 hrs for it to jut sit next to the house the whole time hahaha.

We still had a wonderful time but a good lesson learned.


And to throw some icing on the cake I got a flat on the trailer on the way home

Tendem axle and spare mounted up front, 5 mins delay. But still.... I GOT SWEATY lol

[TXHUNT3R]

I saw several boats sitting at cabins and houses in the same situation as I was.

The lake was open, lots of boats that are already on the lake had no problem. Just no one going into the lake that wasn't in before it raised up above the banks.

[kcnatural]

Well I guess its your fault but it would have been nice if the rental property owner would have let you know.

[TXHUNT3R]

Well I guess its your fault but it would have been nice if the rental property owner would have let you know.

Yeah that would have been nice but I doubt the house owners even live in the state. Just a network of huge cabins and houses all set up in resort style all around the area.

[TXHUNT3R]

I will never again travel to an area without calling the marina or park I'm going to launch at.

[WItoTX]

So if the boats were on the water, they could use them, but you couldn't launch a boat? What is the logic in that? I get no wake, but not understanding why a person couldn't launch?

[kcnatural]

The asphalt and the ground underneath get saturated with water. This causes damage to the asphalt when you drive on it. Not so much the concrete that the ramp is built out of.

[TXHUNT3R]

So if the boats were on the water, they could use them, but you couldn't launch a boat? What is the logic in that? I get no wake, but not understanding why a person couldn't launch?

Sure, let me explain a little more.

So we get up there and I unhook the boat at the house. We go to dinner and after we decide to go check out the park I had planned to launch at. Because the lake had come up maybe 5-8ft (guessing by the sight of it) the ramps were deemed too high to be open. So each road leading to a ramp had barriers up.

I thought, oh no, this means they all might be like this.

It was late so I woke up and called the park headquarters for all the access points to the lake (at least from what I could see on a map)

Spoke to a lady that morning that explained:

"All access points into the lake are temporarily closed due to flooding. If your boat is already on the water in wet storage, the lake is not closed. But getting INTO the lake right now is closed. "

I knew I was screwed and just pivoted to other things to do and didn't harp on it.

Hope that makes more sense.

[Bucknaked]

We did this at canyon lake a long time ago. I was young and much more bolder ( or stupid) . I had a giterdone 4x4 and made my own ramp. I would not suggest this now though!

[TXHUNT3R]

On a positive note, I ate at SHUCK ME that is owned by our very own TBHer.

Awesome place, great food, friendly staff.

We were trying to decide on where to eat as a group and I said, at some point we have to give Shuck Me our business!! Glad we did!

[TXHUNT3R]

We did this at canyon lake a long time ago. I was young and much more bolder ( or stupid) . I had a giterdone 4x4 and made my own ramp. I would not suggest this now though!

That thought did cross my mind lol. Some of those ramps are remote and could have easily just moved the barriers.

[quarterback]

Our canoe group had planned to go to SE Oklahoma this past weekend but the flows were too high. We normally camp at Pine Creek lake but the lake was 35+ feet above normal pool level. They've had a crazy amount of rain up that way this spring/summer.

[denimdeerslayer]

They let us launch off the side of the road down here when the ramps are closed.

[WItoTX]

Sure, let me explain a little more.

So we get up there and I unhook the boat at the house. We go to dinner and after we decide to go check out the park I had planned to launch at. Because the lake had come up maybe 5-8ft (guessing by the sight of it) the ramps were deemed too high to be open. So each road leading to a ramp had barriers up.

I thought, oh no, this means they all might be like this.

It was late so I woke up and called the park headquarters for all the access points to the lake (at least from what I could see on a map)

Spoke to a lady that morning that explained:

"All access points into the lake are temporarily closed due to flooding. If your boat is already on the water in wet storage, the lake is not closed. But getting INTO the lake right now is closed. "

I knew I was screwed and just pivoted to other things to do and didn't harp on it.

Hope that makes more sense.

Ahh, I gotcha. I wouldn't be surprised if someone got hurt trying to launch a boat when the water was high one time, and tried to sue.

At least you made the best of it!

[TXHUNT3R]

Ahh, I gotcha. I wouldn't be surprised if someone got hurt trying to launch a boat when the water was high one time, and tried to sue.

At least you made the best of it!

For sure, wouldn't surprise me at all.

Yeah we really did make the best of it. There is so much to do there!