Towing from Laughlin to Cottonwwod

[4day!!]

How is the drive while towing a boat from Laughlin to Cotonwood(grade, width, length)?.I will be towing a 25' Eliminator with an '03 suburban small V8. I am planning on geting a slip at cottonwood and leaving the boat in the water. Is there a place where i can leave my trailer there and any opinions on the security of my boat while in the slip overnight. Is there a problem getting a slip there mid summer on a weekend(non-holiday)???
I plan on towing early morning or evening both times to avoid excessive heat.

[Three Days Only]

Why not just go to Katherines Landing, its right there 20 mins from Laughlin. Leave your boat in a slip, and then go back to Laughlin in the evenings.

[4day!!]

From alot of the posts and word of mouth, Katherines sounds like a nightmare. I will be with only my 12 yo son and myself and dont want to deal with unrouly asholes while i try to do everything myself. In addition what are the chances of getting a slip on a Sat. mid summer non-holiday at Katherines?

[RiverToysJas]

The run out of Laughlin is long and steep, take it slow and you'll be fine. ONce you're at 95 is pretty flat. I think the whole trip about 45minutes towing.
Slips are great, but you'll need to make a reservation I think.
I called in January for my March trip, and they didn't have any 24' slips. Since you're allowed to hang out up to 3', I got a 20'er for my 22'8" boat. They don't have near as many of the 24'+ slips though.
Slips are nice and secure!
http://www.op6c.com/mohave_03_04/images/DSC01178.jpg
Plenty of good parking whenever I've been there.
Have Fun, it's a great place!
RTJas :D

[4day!!]

Originally posted by RiverToysJas
The run out of Laughlin is long and steep, take it slow and you'll be fine. ONce you're at 95 is pretty flat. I think the whole trip about 45minutes towing.
Slips are great, but you'll need to make a reservation I think.
I called in January for my March trip, and they didn't have any 24' slips. Since you're allowed to hang out up to 3', I got a 20'er for my 22'8" boat. They don't have near as many of the 24'+ slips though.
Slips are nice and secure!
http://www.op6c.com/mohave_03_04/images/DSC01178.jpg
Plenty of good parking whenever I've been there.
Have Fun, it's a great place!
RTJas :D
Thanks RTJ, You wouldn't happen to have that phone #?

[RiverToysJas]

Originally posted by 4day!!
From alot of the posts and word of mouth, Katherines sounds like a nightmare.
All the bad stories of Katherine's are usually with putting in and taking out. Getting a slip will avoid all issues. I love Katherine's and have never had any real issues there at all. Lines could get long at peak times, we just don't launch or take out at paek times now. ;)
RTJas :D

[4day!!]

Originally posted by RiverToysJas
All the bad stories of Katherine's are usually with putting in and taking out. Getting a slip will avoid all issues. I love Katherine's and have never had any real issues there at all. Lines could get long at peak times, we just don't launch or take out at paek times now. ;)
RTJas :D
What do you consider peak times. Also dont they have a lot of sobritey checks. Not that i will be drinking much with just me and my son, but for future reference

[BADBLOWN572]

You can also dock your boat in the courtesy docks after 5:00pm (?) for $10.00. Just put your $10 in the envelopes you provide and stick it in the drop box. If you don't you will come out the next morning and there will be a nice chain on your boat attaching it to the dock.
As Jas said, the drive just out of Laughlin is steep, and has some winds in it, but it is not that bad. Plenty of room to manuever. Watch your speed when coming into Searchlight. Cops will pop you there for 1mph over the speed limit. Have fun!

[MudPumper]

Katherins isn't too bad unless it's a Holliday weekend. Holliday weekends, expect 2-3 hr wait to put in and out. Rediculous. Katherins is pretty open and has a lot of parking, if it's busy it may be a long walk from parking lot to ramp. They usually have an employee directing people which lane to launch from and to keep things undercontrol on the ramp. And like Three Days said, it's a lot closer to Laughlin. Cops at in and around Katherins are usually cool unless you are doing something to attract their attention. Good luck and safe boating.

[Three Days Only]

i have never had any problems at Catherines Landing. Most likely due to the fact that we do not launch up there until around 12:00 to 1:00, difenitly not prime time. If your boat is in a slip your done. Park in the close lot and walk out there go boating.
It is just a lot closer to Laughlin, if your staying there. Cottonwood Cove is a trek.

[classic_cruzin]

Cottonwood is a little bit of a drive if you stay in Luaghlin but there is never a wait for the ramp even on holidays. Getting a slip is next to impossible unless you are staying at the hotel or r.v. park. Just not enough slips to fill the small demand plus this year they have more house boat there then in the past so all the end tie spot are no longer avaliable. But for me cottonwood is worth the drive. If you want you could trailer your boat each night and drop it in the parking lot so you dont have to have a slip or drive back to Laughlin with the boat. I leave mine there over night, but I put a trailer lock so there is no chance of theift. Cottonwood has a pull up gas pump by the ramp which is about a dollar cheaper. last trip (2 weeks ago) price was 2.50 a gallon for super. Not bad copared to 3.45 on the water.

[Sportin' Wood]

If You rent a room at Kathrine Landing You can reserve a slip at the same time. The lottery for slips really sucks. They rent them out on first come basis but you have to be there at 1:00 I belive.
If You wait till after dark to put it back on the trailer the line is gone. Plus if you can get out of the casino's before 7:00 am its not bad to put in.
As far as the check points.....Don't do anything that would wreck your weekend.

[THOR]

It's an easy drive, just take it slow.

[hd&boatrider]

Originally posted by Sportin' Wood
If You rent a room at Kathrine Landing You can reserve a slip at the same time. The lottery for slips really sucks. They rent them out on first come basis but you have to be there at 1:00 I belive.
If You wait till after dark to put it back on the trailer the line is gone. Plus if you can get out of the casino's before 7:00 am its not bad to put in.
As far as the check points.....Don't do anything that would wreck your weekend.
I agree here...The prime hours are probably 8-11 and believe it or not right around 12-1 with the slips being assigned it gets really congested around the docs and launch area. Hit it between 11-12 to launch or early....by 7. Taking out you need to make sure you miss that 4-6 timeframe. Holiday weekends take that all the way to sundown :(.
I have waited for a permanent slip out there for a number of years and finally got one a couple of weeks ago :). I don't have to worry about the lines anymore....

[89checkmate]

If you are going on the weekend, I would definately recommend going to Cottonwood, that part of the lake is much nicer, and very little waiting and hassles at the ramp.
The road going into Cottonwood is plenty wide but a two lane road.
If you have the time, take a trip up to the Hoover Dam (about 40 miles) it is worth it.
Have fun.

[WUTWZAT]

non emergency Katherines Ranger Station (928) 754-3272 or call the toll free Laughlin Visitors Bureau @ (800) 452-8445 or visitlaughlin.com
hope these help.
Jason

[89checkmate]

If you are going on the weekend, I would definately recommend going to Cottonwood, that part of the lake is much nicer, and very little waiting and hassles at the ramp.
The road going into Cottonwood is plenty wide but a two lane road.
If you have the time, take a trip up to the Hoover Dam (about 40 miles) it is worth it.
Have fun.

[JAM]

It's about a 45 minute drive, which is often a shorter time than it takes to launch at Katherine's. There's only the one big grade out of Laughlin, so leave early when it's cooler and gas up the boat in Searchlight to reduce weight if your concerned about things like that. Last season, we pulled our 21' with our '99 Suburban Vortec 350 with no problems. Cottonwood still has free entry, no launch fees, and a nice facility. (Shhhhh...don't tell too many peeps. It's our ***boatForum secret, OK?)
We did leave the trailer and boat in the lot overnight with no problems. I was nervous about it though and would reccommend parking it as close to the hotel office as possible just for the added visibility.
If you haven't done so before, treat yourself to a ride upriver towards Hoover Dam.

[No Drama]

If you get a slip at Cottonwood, make sure you take all food remains out of your boat, we left chips and a few munchies in ours. The Racoons, (SpellCheck) and other varments helped themselves to everything. The folks at the Marina were extremely helpful, loaned us a dry vac and helped clean the mess. All in all great time no dissapointments. Oh get gas very early, the lines are long with few pumps. Have fun, we did.

[Essex502]

Drive to Cottonwood - you won't regret it. The north end of the lake is beautiful and you can also avoid the headaches of Katherine Landing. Forget about getting a slip at Katherine's except midweek arrival and paying through the following weekend. A couple of year's ago we went for our last trip on a Memorial day...the available slips had all been rented over a week in advance - i.e. someone physically showed up at the counter and rented the slip for more than a week to guarantee they had a slip for the holiday. Launching was easy though as we put the boat into the water before 7:00 each day. Tough getting it out without 1-2 hr wait. Bypass all of the headache and go to Cottonwood.

[4day!!]

Thanks for the replies gang. Don't worry, i'll keep it on the down low.

[Mike67rs]

You guys have convinced me to try the trip to Cottonwood from Laughlin. The wife and I will be there in June after 6 days in Havasu. We had not planned on launching Saturday due to crowds, so I think we will make the trip to Cottonwood from Laughlin on Sunday. I am actually looking forward to the towing challenge. I want to try out some new mods on my Dodge diesel.
How far up river (or lake) can we go before we start running into shallow water and hazards. I have never been up towards Hoover Dam, but I would like to check out that part of the Lake. I heard it gets narrow with a strong current. Mike

[4day!!]

Originally posted by Mike67rs
You guys have convinced me to try the trip to Cottonwood from Laughlin. The wife and I will be there in June after 6 days in Havasu. We had not planned on launching Saturday due to crowds, so I think we will make the trip to Cottonwood from Laughlin on Sunday. I am actually looking forward to the towing challenge. I want to try out some new mods on my Dodge diesel.
How far up river (or lake) can we go before we start running into shallow water and hazards. I have never been up towards Hoover Dam, but I would like to check out that part of the Lake. I heard it gets narrow with a strong current. Mike
Sorry Mike you cant go there. This is my thread. Stay away from Cottonwood.
Just kidding, say what type of vehicle are you towing with and what mods?

[dicudmore]

Originally posted by Mike67rs
You guys have convinced me to try the trip to Cottonwood from Laughlin. The wife and I will be there in June after 6 days in Havasu. We had not planned on launching Saturday due to crowds, so I think we will make the trip to Cottonwood from Laughlin on Sunday. I am actually looking forward to the towing challenge. I want to try out some new mods on my Dodge diesel.
How far up river (or lake) can we go before we start running into shallow water and hazards. I have never been up towards Hoover Dam, but I would like to check out that part of the Lake. I heard it gets narrow with a strong current. Mike
Mike you can go pretty close to the bottom of the Hoover dam.
The run from cottonwood north is beautiful. Friends have all made the run to the dam, I've only been as far as Willow beach (a few miles short of the dam) they don't let boats go north of willow until after memorial weekend. Gorgeous all the way from cottonwood to willow though :D

[Mike67rs]

Originally posted by 4day!!
Sorry Mike you cant go there. This is my thread. Stay away from Cottonwood.
Just kidding, say what type of vehicle are you towing with and what mods?
03 Dodge 2500 Diesel 4X4. I just installed the Edge EZ and did my first tow with it last week. The box made a major improvement over stock. I only ran it at level 2 because my EGT guage is on back order. I should have it installed by our June trip. I plan on doing 4" exhaust and and AFE drop in filter next.
Dicudmore...Thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to the trip.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/15541st_Trip_069-med.jpg

[throttlejunkie]

Cottonwood Cove is great. Stress free launch ramp. Never crowded. Often windy, which can cause the water to be pretty rough. The further you head north, the calmer the water. Head north out of the marina, and you can find alot of nice coves. Like everyone else has said, the ride up to Hoover is awesome. Make sure you stop at Willow Beach Marina, and jump in the water to cool off. Oh yeah the phone number for Cottonwood------702-297-1464
Have fun

[dicudmore]

Originally posted by throttlejunkie
Cottonwood Cove is great. Stress free launch ramp. Never crowded. Often windy, which can cause the water to be pretty rough. The further you head north, the calmer the water. Head north out of the marina, and you can find alot of nice coves. Like everyone else has said, the ride up to Hoover is awesome. Make sure you stop at Willow Beach Marina, and jump in the water to cool off. Oh yeah the phone number for Cottonwood------702-297-1464
Have fun
ya that will cool you off alright....
I leave my drinks tied to the courtesy dock, submerged a little,come back a little later and they are NICE AND FROSTY

[RiverForUs]

Originally posted by dicudmore
they don't let boats go north of willow until after memorial weekend.
Is this something new? I was there in April a couple of years ago and went all the way up to the dam. And this was post 9/11.

[novaguy]

Well, after 2 years of being boatless, I finally finished putting my boat together that had been stolen. I will be leaving to the river tomorrow and staying at my house in Bullhead. Can someone give me directions from Bullhead to Cottonwood Cove. I don't know if I will actually make it there this weekend, however, I would like to have the directions just in case.
Thanks,
Rob

[JAM]

From BHC, go over the bridge and west out of Laughlin up the hill (I forget the Hwy #) to 95. Go north on 95 to Searchlight. Once there, look for the signs in town that point east to Cottonwood Cove. Make the right turn and head east for about 10 miles until you dead end into Cottonwood Cove.
Pulling a boat, it's about 45 min from Laughlin.

[Ziggy]

Originally posted by Mike67rs
How far up river (or lake) can we go before we start running into shallow water and hazards. I have never been up towards Hoover Dam, but I would like to check out that part of the Lake. I heard it gets narrow with a strong current. Mike
Check out this thread..I've been planning the same run--good info on this threadhttp://www.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49375