lake tahoe, some guidance needed

[speeddreamon]

i've read about the winds, mapped the marinas, read about the campgrounds but it's hard to know the real "nuts and bolts" of a boat trip up there without having visited yet.
my issues/questions/thoughts:
1) i'll be drinking and i don't want to drive all over trying to put the boat in the water, take it out, meet up with people, etc. i'm trying to find a campground where all those activities can be minimized. ideally i'd own a house with my own launch ramp and have a hired boat driver so it didn't matter how much i abused my liver on any given day. (please no lectures on drunk boating, it's another topic)
2) it's $20 in, $20 out, $30 roundtrip from what i understand. could a person anchor off shore with a fluke anchor (bow and stern) and keep it there overnight? if so, where are some campgrounds where doing so would be possible and close to your actual campsite. it's pretty clear i couldn't anchor on the east shore (waves), but is there any shoreline that is pretty calm all day? is the shoreline sandy enough for a fluke to grab pretty good?
3) i've got an "old" jet boat, it's low in the water. i've got an awesome bilge system but i'm not crazy. is it practical to boat out there in such a small vessel, provided i stay away from the east side as winds pick up? if the waves get big, what are they like along the shorelines, is it possible to limp back to calmer waters or is it a death trap?
4) most importantly with regard to number 3, i have a heck of a time docking the boat because most are too tall and just swallow the boat, it goes underneath them. are there some in particular that are "jet boat friendly"?
5) what are the best camping areas where you can launch, park your rig, walk on-shore for supplies and anchor easily?
thanks in advance, cheers!

[NdaWind]

Camp Richardsons Southwest shore - Cabins are closest to the water, RV and tent camping are a 10 minute walk or 2 minute drive through campground. Moorings available and water taxi is always quick and available. Store and restraunt on site.
http://www.camprichardson.com/

[justfloatn]

Jet boat at Tahoe = bad idea.
Leaving a jet on the water, unless you are staying in the Keys, is a very bad idea. I had a friend take an old howard flat to Tahoe. The weather was fine when they tied up. It was swamped and sank while eating dinner at one of the resurants. That is how fast the weather changes.

[rshrp2003]

Jet boat at Tahoe = bad idea.
Leaving a jet on the water, unless you are staying in the Keys, is a very bad idea. I had a friend take an old howard flat to Tahoe. The weather was fine when they tied up. It was swamped and sank while eating dinner at one of the resurants. That is how fast the weather changes.
Second that.... I think even a ski boat could be in trouble if the wind picks up stong enough.I had a small boat out there years ago and I can tell you that you won't be going fast , waves were crashing over the bow it felt like i was in the middle of the ocean , but then i ve been out there on the most calm days that there wern't any waves . I would check weather and wind conditions.

[speeddreamon]

on that note, would you say that anchoring in emerald bay is going to shelter us from a majority of the wave action? what online source do you guys typically trust most with regards to wave/wind forecasts for lake tahoe?
thanks

[grads2112]

on that note, would you say that anchoring in emerald bay is going to shelter us from a majority of the wave action? what online source do you guys typically trust most with regards to wave/wind forecasts for lake tahoe?
thanks
The campground at Emerald Bay has buoys that you tie up to approx. 50-100' off of the shore so bring a raft to paddle in and out from the boat. Emerald Bay can get rough enough during the day to sink a low profile boat but not nearly as rough as the rest of the lake. I think if you only tie the boat off at night you should be alright as it does not get very rough at night.

[rshrp2003]

on that note, would you say that anchoring in emerald bay is going to shelter us from a majority of the wave action? what online source do you guys typically trust most with regards to wave/wind forecasts for lake tahoe?
thanks
Most of the news channels here out of sac give us weather reports for tahoe so I don't check on line but when i do I'll check the ski resorts

[robert hahn]

your wanting to put your boat on lake tahoe. i live about 2 hours from tahoe. i have put my boat on tahoe 2 times. you need to check wind advisery every day. the times i was there it was like glass in the morning until about 11 am. i camped at neveda beach, really nice camp ground. there is a marina just south of there. you can rent a slip for 55 a night, or 20 in 20 out. the beach is about 300 yards from the campground. the campground at camp richardson looks like sardine camping, neveda beach has beautiful camp sites. place to party richardson resort, live band 2 pm til 6 pm. sunnyside have really good and drinks. i own a 21 advantage, low transom. i did take on water, over the front and back. the lake is great. youll never make it around in one day, mother nature will get you. the lake does get rough on the east. one day i started at the south shore, only made it to the sunnyside restaurant. do you have insurance?

[grads2112]

Most of all do not let people scare you about this lake! If you notice changing weather conditions don't try crossing the lake, duck into a cove...it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. I'm including some pics of the center of the lake to show you what it can be like.
This was taken at 3:15 p.m. mid July
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0632.jpg
12:30 P.M. same day
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0612.jpg

[grads2112]

Emerald Bay in early August (not this year) 4:30 p.m.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_1594.jpg
Sand Harbor
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_1564.jpg

[Husk]

Wow! That first boat is incredible!
If you're mooring your boat overnight, just make sure your lines aren't too tight. Bad things can happen...ask me how I know.
Most of all do not let people scare you about this lake! If you notice changing weather conditions don't try crossing the lake, duck into a cove...it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. I'm including some pics of the center of the lake to show you what it can be like.
This was taken at 3:15 p.m. mid July
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0632.jpg
12:30 P.M. same day
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0612.jpg

[rshrp2003]

Pics are great...... Speedreamon , lake tahoe is probably the best lake to boat on. If you havn't done it , I would recommend going. You wont be disappointed .

[Fastlane]

Just got back from a week long trip! Only Two days were real bad on the lake. Took a beating on the way back from Emerald Bay.

[rshrp2003]

there was a report on the news for this past saturday and they advised that people should consider taking their boats out due to high winds. We don't see this often ?

[speeddreamon]

everyone's advice is greatly appreciated. photos are worth a thousand words, really. and yes, those posted are pretty much ideal conditions i'm sure and it can get bad, but hey...a lake that beautiful at least deserves a shot.
we've reserved boat-in camping at emerald bay on the 20th and 21st this month, so we'll be there. hopefully the weather cooperates!
by the way, i found out we could rent a slip at the tahoe keys for something like $8/foot/day which isn't too bad, considering. availability is the issue though.
thanks a million and continued advice is appreciated.

[rshrp2003]

I will go the a few more times this year. tahoe keys is a really nice place but very pricy to launch 50.00 .I should launch at cave rock but its a little bit of a tight squeese for trailer parking but it is only 15.00 don't forget to bring a camara and binoculars, lots to see

[ekbearly]

Meeks Bay is probably one of the best places you can stay. Great sandy beach, boat ramp, slips, awesome food and camping/cabins.

[Fastlane]

Make sure to fill up before launching your boat. Zephyr Cove Marina was $5.89. I made the mistake of launching with two empty tanks. It was 89 octane though!

[speeddreamon]

we went to emerald bay boat-in with a 2 night reservation. everything was supposedly full for the upcoming days but we ended up staying 5 nights there! you would be suprised how many people don't show up even though the sites are reserved. :eek:
the lake was pretty good earlier in the day. we made it almost to cave rock on our first day, with a late start, and around 2pm started making our way back to the tahoe keys for fuel. we had probably 2 foot chop and boy did it suck. we took water spray over the front the whole way, thankfully i took my waterproof jacket.
roundtrip launch at the keys was $30. a one time handling fee of $20 applied to parking our trailer (they put it in "storage for you). then we paid an additional $10 per night for the trailer. the car is parked near the launch ramp...without your trailer hooked up.
the lady working in the harbor master's office at tahoe keys is the most awesome person i've ever met. she made the difference and really encouraged us to have fun out there. they have this live video camera up on a post that she uses to show you where to park, how to launch and if you need to know where something is (for example, camp richardson) she'll just point the camera over there and help you see where to go.
we bought fuel at the keys every day, premium, at around $6.70 a gallon or so. small price to pay though, i wouldn't want to be on that lake without a lot of fuel, just in case something happens. getting fuel at the keys is nice because you don't have any waves in there.
the second day we were there, we discovered the "beacon" restaurant at camp richardson. they are the home of the "rum runner", a delicious drink and they also serve the best fried calamari i've ever had. in some ways i wish we hadn't found this place, we spent an average of $80 there every day. parking can be difficult, with afternoon wind the dock there is quite treacherous. on our last two days, we had discovered a trick for parking there, you can tie up to the buoys on the west side and they'll come get you in a little zodiac inflatable. much more relaxing to know the boat is floating rather than potentially smashing in to the dock. it's sort of cool to sit there drinking $8 rum runners and eatting $16 calamari, looking at this really scenic lake and seeing your boat float out there. this is truly an experience that most people might not be lucky enough to have.
in emerald bay, we found out that most boaters don't have any idea what 15mph means. jetski folks are particularly unaware of this speed limit in there. in some respects though, a jetski at 15mph makes more wake than if they go fast; so i guess it might be ok. we treated the whole bay as a 5mph no-wake zone, it just made the most sense. at 15mph we're plowing along making too much wake and it's really busy in there to go fast.
the water was not to bad in temperature, chilly at first but still fun to dive in and stuff. take a snorkel mask and examine your boat from underwater, it's pretty cool! if you don't have a marine radio, get one and keep it in the boat. this isn't the first time i've found it to be useful. there is a good weather broadcast for the lake that you'll want to listen to. on our final departure day, we were gone by around 9am and thankfully so...the weather was forecasting 3-5 foot waves on some areas of the lake.
oh, when you go to emerald bay, be sure to walk up to the top of fannette island (provided it isn't nesting season). it's a great view.
all in all, we got real lucky with weather, our timing was good. if you have a boat and haven't gone to this place, i highly recommend you do so. bite the bullet and pay the prices for everything you need or want, it is well worth it.
here is a look at all the camping gear piled into our boat:
http://www.heli-chair.com/images_public/boat/lake_tahoe/jet_boat_camping_gear.jpg
a picture, from fannette island, down on the water with our boat in view:
http://www.heli-chair.com/images_public/boat/lake_tahoe/speed_dreamon_in_emerald_bay.jpg
me rafting out to the buoy at boat-in camp, you have to leave your boat out there overnight so take a raft or kayak or something to get back and forth with:
http://www.heli-chair.com/images_public/boat/lake_tahoe/speed_dreamon_at_buoy.jpg
another view of the "shuttle" process:
http://www.heli-chair.com/images_public/boat/lake_tahoe/rafting_to_the_buoy.jpg
here is the dock at emerald bay boat-in:
http://www.heli-chair.com/images_public/boat/lake_tahoe/emerald_bay_boat-in_dock.jpg
a view out into the lake from the top of fannette island (my boat in foreground):
http://www.heli-chair.com/images_public/boat/lake_tahoe/fannette_island_view.jpg

[grads2112]

The pictures are great and it sounds like you had a killer time, thats good to hear. I know what you mean about the Beacon, that place becomes addicting...they must put crack or something in those Rum Runners.:D I told you not to let people scare you off of this lake(post #9).:rolleyes: I'm headed to Tahoe in about 5 hours, your post pumped me up even more. Thanks.

[justfloatn]

I'm headed to Tahoe in about 5 hours, your post pumped me up even more. Thanks.
Are you going to be back by Sat.?:idea:

[rshrp2003]

I was out there this past sunday , what can you say, the lake is truly awsome.check out the pics . Anyone know the 29 laveycraft ..... real nice boat

[grads2112]

We just got home from Tahoe a little while ago and it was absolutely beautiful up there. 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky...I wish we brought the boat. Here's a few pictures from the most amazing suite I've ever stayed in. It was a corner suite with views of the lake out of every room.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0192.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0193.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/grads2112/IMG_0194.jpg

[justfloatn]

Dam. No job mo-fo and still stay in a sweet a$$ room...you are the King.--> Mrs Daytona :D ;) :D

[John.]

looks like the view from the room in the movie Smoking Aces.

[grads2112]

Dam. No job mo-fo and still stay in a sweet a$$ room...you are the King.
...with two women I might add.:D

[justfloatn]

...with two women I might add.:D
:sqeyes: Focker :mad: ...My next life, I want to be you :D
Well you minus the thong and dildo pics :devil: :D :D

[highvoltagehands]

I was out there this past sunday , what can you say, the lake is truly awsome.check out the pics . Anyone know the 29 laveycraft ..... real nice boat
That's Duncan. Nice guy from Cameron Park area. His boat was at the 2007 LA Boat Show. Notice the resemblance, I splashed my gel from his design.

[highvoltagehands]

...with two women I might add.:D
And one of them is mine. Hate it when that happens.:D

[grads2112]

And one of them is mine. Hate it when that happens.:D
Doh!:hammer2: