let me know what you find, I'll be at the Portland and Seattle boat shows. I also go to Seafair every year.-Jeff

Been thinking about heading to Portland to get out of SoCal.
How is the boating? How's the skiing? I grew up on the CT river near Hartford, and those were some of my favorite times on the water. Any thougthts we be apprecaited. Dave

Hi Dave,
Short Portland boating summary: 2 rivers flow through town -Willamette and Columbia. Willamette is fairly narrow; people tend to cruise a 10 mile(approx.) strip from the falls downriver to downtown Portland and the Riverplace marina. There's a few islands, a few coves and only one real marina w/restaurants; pleasant, low key, not really very exciting.Upper Willamette (above the falls is great for waterskiing). Columbia river (Willamette flows into the Columbia) river is of course hundreds of miles long from eastern Washington to its mouth at the Pacific. Its rougher, wider, windier, has a fair amount of islands, beaches, coves etc. Again almost no marina/restaurant complexes. Compared to Seattle for instance with its world-class shoreside development,festivals, marinas, restaurants, ferries, seaplanes, military boats, tour boats, fishing fleets, yachts, sport boats, ski boats, antique/vintage craft, locks, lakes, canals, bays, sound, Islands and ocean acess its kind of boring. -Jeff