West Michigan boaters!
02-16-2015, 02:15 PM
#31
Yeah that's pretty sad, the po po ruined it for a lot of people in Grand Haven. The other harborage areas that I mentioned in the previous post are all pretty cool with the offshore crowd as long as you're a cool customer----anyway, good to see that you might put your boat back in the water again after all these years, Steve. 
02-16-2015, 02:34 PM
#32
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I am also a big fan of Pentwater. It's a quiet town (except when I'm in the harbor), but everything is close to the city marina and the nightlife isn't bad for a small town. Several decent places to eat and very laid back. The marina staff are very welcoming to the go-fast crowd. I've been going up there for at least 10 years in July and August for a week and usually run into a group or 2 of go-fasts that stay there for a week at a time just like me.
It's far enough north that Lake Michigan is much cleaner, but not more than 1 hour north of Grand Rapids. They have a nice SHORT Army Corps of Engineers channel that is one of the nicest I've seen and quickest access to Lake Michigan too. I trailer up there, put in at the municipal launch, store the trailer down the street. Pentwater Lake is great for family stuff like tubing/skiing,swimming, etc... but the whole lake and harbor is deep, so you don't have to worry about depths.
Mears State park is on the edge of town and has one of the best (and hardest to get into) campgrounds on this side of lake Michigan. They also have a really nice beach (clean).
It's far enough north that Lake Michigan is much cleaner, but not more than 1 hour north of Grand Rapids. They have a nice SHORT Army Corps of Engineers channel that is one of the nicest I've seen and quickest access to Lake Michigan too. I trailer up there, put in at the municipal launch, store the trailer down the street. Pentwater Lake is great for family stuff like tubing/skiing,swimming, etc... but the whole lake and harbor is deep, so you don't have to worry about depths.
Mears State park is on the edge of town and has one of the best (and hardest to get into) campgrounds on this side of lake Michigan. They also have a really nice beach (clean).
Last edited by Tibbstoy2; 02-16-2015 at 02:36 PM.
02-16-2015, 05:31 PM
#33
I am also a big fan of Pentwater. I trailer up there, put in at the municipal launch, store the trailer down the street. Pentwater Lake is great for family stuff like tubing/skiing,swimming, etc... but the whole lake and harbor is deep, so you don't have to worry about depths.
02-16-2015, 05:46 PM
#34
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My trailer is over 40' long (lots of extra tongue). The boat ramp is only one side of one really long steel reinforced wooden dock. I have seen a 40 Hustler put in there a few times (Tony from Spring Lake). Also saw one of those Harley Davidson boats (I think they are 50' - limited edition with Arnesons). Can't remember how long your warsh tub is... but there is an alternative at Charlie's marina that puts larger cabin cruisers in if that doesn't work. I'm pretty sure you'd be OK no matter how long you were.
We're going to be up there July 11-18 and August 1-8 if you'd like to be there in the same timeframe. I'd be happy to have your boat dwarf mine in the slip next to me!
Reservations go through the DNR website just like most of the other municipal options. Other than key dates due to festivals (4th of july and Pentwater Homecoming in August) you can pretty much get a slip without big advanced notice.
We're going to be up there July 11-18 and August 1-8 if you'd like to be there in the same timeframe. I'd be happy to have your boat dwarf mine in the slip next to me!
Reservations go through the DNR website just like most of the other municipal options. Other than key dates due to festivals (4th of july and Pentwater Homecoming in August) you can pretty much get a slip without big advanced notice.
02-17-2015, 04:56 PM
#36
I have seen a 40 Hustler put in there a few times (Tony from Spring Lake). Can't remember how long your warsh tub is...We're going to be up there July 11-18 and August 1-8 if you'd like to be there in the same timeframe. I'd be happy to have your boat dwarf mine in the slip next to me!.
Also, what makes you think my warsh tub will dwarf your boat?....I mean, it's just a warsh tub...I have fenders though, so don't worry.
02-17-2015, 05:23 PM
#37
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I've been going up there for probably 15 years... Definitely was a 40' Hustler - out of Spring Lake. He goes up there almost every year. New paint job a couple years ago. He has an onboard generator, AC/
That's not the only Hustler either... another guy that's been up there with a Hustler 388 Slingshot.
Among the other larger boats I've seen in 2014 that used the Municipal ramp:
-358 Sonic
-382 Formula
-352 Formula
-38 Powerquest
-32 Awesome Cat
The important thing is having a plan for where to park your trailer. If you're staying for more than a day, the marina has it worked out to store it at a marine yard down the street.
One thing is for sure, I haven't been the only one bit by the Pentwater bug, all of the boats mentioned above just keep coming up year after year. Great place to boat and you can do it on your terms... no rush, no boat traffic to worry about, no problems (unless you run XR drives).
I've seen warsh tub's like yours... they are tall hulls - being made of porcelain is kind of a questionable material though... better for toilets than boats. As long as you bring fenders, we're good.
02-18-2015, 01:08 PM
#39
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Guys: keep your eyes peeled for the launch of the West Michigan Offshore powerboat club! Some guys and I have been working on the formation of this club for several months now and have a pretty solid game plan. We're already incorporated in the state of Michigan, are on our way to our non-profit status, and have formed a board of directors. We'll do a few fun runs, numerous low-key hangouts, and some offseason stuff, too. We're not quite ready to roll, but are hoping to start generating hype on OSO, Facebook, etc, in early March. The official launch, where guys can join (very reasonable membership dues) will be April 1. This isn't just some guys getting together - it's an official club similar to Fort Myers Offshore, Eastern New York Powerboat Association, etc. Only a small portion of the website is up now, but more will be posted soon - www.westmichiganoffshore.com.
We have a group that will be all over this. Keep us informed. Add my email to any news [email protected]
Help spread the word so we can make this as successful as possible this year!
We have a group that will be all over this. Keep us informed. Add my email to any news [email protected]
Help spread the word so we can make this as successful as possible this year!
02-18-2015, 01:34 PM
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Would love to see all boaters in Muskegon for "The Chase" Muskegon Powerboat Events on June 12-14.
http://thechaseevent.weebly.com/
Great early summer boating activity.
http://thechaseevent.weebly.com/
Great early summer boating activity.
