PIB first timer...advice?
 

I live near Detroit and normally boat on LSC. Never been to PIB, but would like to make the trip their this summer with my wife.

Does anyone know of launch south of Detroit that I could launch at and leave my truck/trailer there overnight? Also, are there any private slips at PIB, as a first timer I just want to feel it out and would rather not raft-up.

Thanks...

Bolles harbor boat launch in monroe is awesome. As for pib I've never been.

You should go. It is a blast if you like to drink beer, and look a chics.

U Aint a boater if you live that close to PIB and have never been....Im an illegal alien and ive been just shy of a million :lolhit: Keep Out of the corn fields and get over there...:angry-smiley-038:

Most of the the private docks belong to yacht clubs, I dock at the public docks which are A B and C docks right across from the boardwalk. Rafting off there is big and if you go on a busy weekend you can count on it, up to 4 boats. Your other choices are the mooring buoys, or anchoring in front of Perry's monument. A water taxi will pick you up. There are individual docks at middle bass, not sure of the marina, then you can take over the sonny s to PIB. There are also state docks on PIB but not sure where they are, I just know there close to some really shallow water.

Good time there for sure.

We went up this weekend. I have always docked at the public docks but this time stayed over at Park Place. It's new, clean, and private showers too. You can stay in your own slip. I joined as a member but you can show up, first come first served, so there is no guarantee you will get a slip. It really depends what you are into, they claim family friendly, however, it didn't stop us from turning up the tunes and having a good time on Saturday. Everyone there is pretty relaxed and accommodating. There is also a pretty good group of offshore boats that dock over there. We were over on the East end next to the monument, gets pretty shallow there so be careful.

1. I don't be;ieve you can park over night at bolles...not sure though I would double check on it.

2. do NOT pass out in the park, the cops really frown on it.

3. Dont pour a lot of dish soap in the fountain..the cops really frown on it.

4. Friends dont let friends wear buckets.

5. The place next to the roundie makes decent seagull...chicken doubtfull, seagull probable.

Lake erie metropark has a very good ramp. Private docks on the weekend will be impossable if you dont belong to a club. If going during the week call Crews Nest they will take you if they are not booked. Public docking sucks unless you dont mine people walking over your boat, running into it or puking on it !!!!

do the mooring buoys get full,,on a busy weekend???

Yes

I haven't seen those, how many slips do the have and we're can I get some info on it.

Mooring buoys go quick for some reason. A lot of sail boats tie up there and take there tenders over.

Here you go:

Park Place boat club
http://www.parkplaceboatclub.com/

They combined with Boardwalk, it's a new place over on the east corner of downtown, by Toledo st. The place we were at wasn't very big, maybe 15-20 slips total, but they have a combined 4 docks so you should be able to find room I would think. This would be over at Dock 3 & 4.

You can park overnight at Bolles Harbor or Sterling State Park, BUT you have to pay for an "overnight" stay. Learned the hard way.

thanks for the info everyone. Under decent condition and cruising (35-45), how long do you think the ride is from Bolles Harbor or Sterling State Park.

Frickstyle; does Park Place have vacancy on a first come first base during the weekends?

[QUOTE=89gti;3724664]thanks for the info everyone. Under decent condition and cruising (35-45), how long do you think the ride is from Bolles Harbor or Sterling State Park.

Frickstyle; does Park Place have vacancy on a first come first base during the weekends?[

Figure about 45 minutes cruising at a slow speed. Stop on the south side of middle sister for a beverage and look for Perrys monument for your heading to PIB.

Took me less than an hour cruising at 45.

You're gonna cruise 35-45? This is OFF-SHORE only! We put in at north Lake St. Clair and enjoy the ride at 70-80 if conditions permit. My favorite bar is Level 2 for good dance music and dirty dancing. For food you can't beat the $6 subs at Subway! If you have the bucks then you can get a good seafood dinner. We usually go during the week when slips are plentiful. Have fun; Cruise faster:evilb:

No guaranteed vacancy for non-members. You can show up, and they may have a spot, or may not. Depending on what weekend you are going, it can fill up pretty fast. Check out their calendar of events (PIB website) and ask on here before you go. Some weekends docking is plentiful, others, the island can fill up on a Thursday.

You should have gone this weekend. Would have been a great weekend for a first timer..... We showed up Saturday Morning, and there we plenty of open public docks.... It was pretty dead compared to other weekends I have been there. Lake Erie was pretty calm both Saturday Morning and SUnday Morning.......

You guys have a good ride home? Got a little snotty on the south side this afternoon. Nice meeting you, see you next time!

What is PIB?

Met three guys at Kelly's Island one yr that had just gotten in from their first trip to PIB. Was a professor from the university of Toledo and two of his students. They sailed there in the professors 21' sail boat.
Was near zero wind and took them 9 hrs! Neither of the students had ever sailed before and both got sea sick on the trip. (9hrs of it!!)
When @ PIB they all (of course) got drunk as monkeys and the two students passed out on the boat, down bellow, one on the floor at the foot of the stairs leading down from the cockpit. The prof. returns from the bars (at dark) to his boat (also drunk as a monkey), promptly gets sick and puked through the cabin door, into the cabin and onto the sleeping student! :thankyouthankyou:
They were now @ Kelly's because someone told them it was as much fun.
Never forget them as they were cooking shrimp on a grill from their tiny sail boat, had everything they owned laying in the parking lot (Seaway) airing out, in party mode again, it's dark, no wind and they try to bribe me to tow them back to PIB :lolhit::cartman:

Learned a lot about life and my liver at that place. Was taught the definition of the term "swinger" when a group of us 17 yr olds were camping there :whistle:

Yrs ago, Playboy rated it as the #3 pick up spot in the nation.

Went over Sunday afternoon and had lots of open spaces, Docked right up at B Dock. Sundays are usualy pretty open and more family friendly.

I was there yesterday with family. Did you see the two guys at Roundhouse? We stayed for a bit, they were pretty funny. It was pretty relaxed on Sunday, good time, but I didn't party (DD).

Hit some 4-5 footers in the cabin cruiser off Cedar Point on the way over, it does NOT handle snotty water at all, worst riding hull ever!

Had the family with us so hit the winery, Mr Eds and the boardwalk. Ride over was perfect with the ride back being a little snotty but man was it a fun ride in the offshore.

I left PIB at 11:30 am Sunday. Sounds like this was the right choice.... The first 10 miles noth of PIB was a little rough, as it always is.... But after that Lake Erie was as smooth as I have ever seen it. We were with a buddy in a cmaller, much slower cabin cruiser so we had tabs and drive burried @ 30MPH. Once we got past that first 10 miles, the lake was so flat that my boat began to porpoise (Velocity doesn't like smooth water)..... But since my buddy doesn't ahve a GPS in his cabin cruiser, we delt with the porpoising @ 30 until he was familiar with where he was at. I was then able to trim up, and hammer down. It was a smooth ride once I was able to get the boat out of the water....

Yes, that must have been you I saw come in around noon. We were eating up on the balcony of the Boardwalk. I walked down about 6 o'clock on my way out and checked out your 37'. You were parked behind a Top Gun, you have a nice boat. I am still working on the Top Gun so I'll be rockin' the cruiser this year. I'll stop by and say hello if I see you at your boat next time. The ride home for us was like glass, which is goo dbecause the Sea Ray feels like its gonna fall apart in anything over 2-3'. If Carolina Classics had a bigger berth, that would e a nice smaller cruiser to have for Erie, or a Contender, for family boating.

There was also a nice red 38 TG, newer, that came early afternoon. Sharp ride!