first time on Erie
 

i plan on headin to lake erie this weekend for the first time.
I am from pittsburgh and boat on our rivers, i plan on heading to erie pa to lanch. anything i need to know? i will be looking for a hotel close to the water and bars, restaurant on the water? Any info for this first time Erie boater would be much appreciated.

Im from the outher side of the lake so cant help you with where to go or things to do. But what i can say is keep your eyes on the lake all the time. The waters can turn from 0-2 ft to 4-5 ft in what seems like a blink of an eye. outher then that have a good time its a fun lake to boat on. oh ya and by the way go Browns :helmet: :evilb:

Was out there today and came up with a phrase that is very true to lake Erie.

"drop a waterproof video camera in your washing machine (on record). Then watch your recording. This is lake Erie".

Basically there is no rhyme or reason or consistency to the wave height, wave length, or direction. It is litterly like being in a washing machine. Always keep your hand on the throttle. Never get too comfortable.

Not trying to scare you away. People don't understand how rough it can get out on Erie, even on a nice day, u til they experience it for themselves.

Does your Velocity have trim tabs? I usually use a lot of tab out there to keep the nose down a bit.

Yes it has k planes on it
Any good marinas,bars or restaurants to stop by around Erie pa?
Thanks again

Sorry I am from the detroit area. Have never made it that far east. Farthest east we have been is Sandusky OH (Cedar Point) a few times. Most recently Monday. the lake kicked up pretty bad Monday night so we had to stay at Put In Bay for the evening. The lake wasn't much better today, but it was day light so we went for it.

You will be OK if you're careful. I take my 22' Donzi to Put-in-Bay several times a year. As stated, conditions can change fast so put safety first and if it gets too ugly then head for the nearest harbor. I'd invest in a chart and cruising guide if you plan on doing this more than once. Also have a VHF & GPS as minimal safety gear. Have fun. Lake Erie is awesome.

Kelly's Island- Village Pump is a good restaurant and it's a short walk from the docks a lot of the big off shore boats dock at The Casino which has dockage as well. Kelly's is pretty good size and fun to check out on a golf cart if you haven't been there before.

Put-in-bay- Obviously a great time if you're looking to get wild. Plenty of dockage and plenty of trouble to be had.

The OP is in PA, so I am thinking a trip to PIB or Kelly's is going to be a bit far for him....

thanks for the info
it should be fun!!

OP - Im in the same "boat" as you. Havent tried Erie yet, but want to get on the lake sometime this summer. Will be doing the Buffalo WNYPO poker run this August and would like to get on big water before hand.

I'm located about an hour South of Ashtabula, or Geneva on the Lake, so its a little easier for me in travel time. Thought about running from GoL to Sandusky for a weekend, or something like that.

I'm guessing you'll run up 79 to Presque Isle?

We run across all the time , it's only 26 miles from the point . Rum runners at the Sheridan can take care of your cocktail needs and rooms .We usually stay on the boat at Wolverine marine they have alway's been good to us and you are protected from any bad weather that might blow up .

Hey Rm,

Check your pm. There are basically two places you can launch. Lampi Marina-Just follow 79 until your on the bayfront and you will see signs or you can head out onto the peninsula and go to Presque Isle Marina and launch there. Nice launch.

Bars are limited to raft up to. RumRunners or the Sheraton/The Cove. Rumrunners is a good time. You can't get much closer to the water than the Sheraton.

We will be out all weekend.

just read this post - sorry so late - we were out sunday ran up the lake towards NY - please call me next time you are in tow, would love to show you around.
Chris 814-45O-5529

thanks for the info guys,
chris and fabin61 thanks for the offers. when i make it up to the lake i might have to take you up on the offer, it would be great to have some one who knows the lake show me around.

thanks again

The problem with the central basin is that there are not a lot of places to hide when the seas kick up, which can be in a blink of an eye up there. You can always go down the Ashtabula river if the lake is too rough and its not far from GOL state park. My advice to any newcomer to Erie is to stay local until you start to get the feel of how the lake changes,which can be unbelieveably fast. Presque Isle in Erie has the bay that can be accessed through the iron channel also when things get ugly (which is more often than not).

Just my two cents from getting the !@#$% beat out of me on many occasions.