Low Water Blues
 

We went to check out the launch ramp near our place on Lake Huron yesterday. Unbelievable how much the lake is down. While we might be able to launch the Black Thunder, there is no way I can get it back on the trailer. Plan "B", hoist it in. Called the local marina. They want $6.50 a foot to pick the boat up - each way!!! Is this really excessive, or am I just out of touch? It tends to make you think twice about going out for the day when you add almost $600 on top of all the other expenses.

A hoist shouldn't be more that $30-$50 each way. I think $6.50/ft, each way is outragous. :rolleyes:

The marina at the end of my creek was $5 per foot, both ways, last year.

-Greg

Why is lake Huron so low? Sorry if that sounds like a dumb question but I am not from that part of the country. Are all the lakes in the upper mid-west down also?

The lakes go through cycles. The last high water was in 1986. Lakes Huron and Michigan were about 4 ft. higher then. Right now it's about 1 ft above the all time lows set in 1963. Depending on who you listen to, drought can be blamed, both winter and summer. Some people think that the Corps on Engineers has a hand in it too. It's bad enough that the freighters are carrying reduced loads. Prop shops probably love it.

Wow, that sucks.
'course, you could buy a Fountain and tell the marina that according to the guys on OSO, it's not really as long as advertised. ;) That should knock about 5 feet off the hoist bill.