The Hornet's new nest

[mattyboy]

the hornet living on the cigs old lift, fit right on. makes prop swapping easy

[duckhunter]

Looks great - nice setup! We would sure do a lot more boating if we didn't have to mess with the boat ramp.

[gcarter]

That looks great Matty!

[mattyboy]

Thanks guys

only issue is the hornet is way higher than the cig on the lift the first time i pulled in an lifted it up i had to crawl and cling to the sides like spiderman it is like 7 feet above the water and with the deck flare the step is way in. everyone on the deck thought I was going in. a milk crate solved that issue.

the project is coming along nicely still some work to do . I call her a great 20 footer from 20 feet she looks brand spanking new, up close she has a few wrinkles which is expected for a 45 yr old., the only issue bothering me is I feel the boat maybe a tad under-powered when this motor dies she get modern power and drive.

[gcarter]

New power would be a good call.

[mattyboy]

I had the 5.0 re-built and tweaked just a bit so it might be a while before it gives up the ghost

today was a good day

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Matty,
Is that a constant level lake? The mountainous terrain surrounding the lake looks very scenic. Nice setup you have there. Bill

[mattyboy]

Bill
the lake level stays pretty consistant. they do have a dam/spillway that they draw some water off to a water system in NJ.

the lake is about 9 miles long and about a mile wide half in NY and half in NJ the NJ end was wetlands but was excavated so it is about 10 feet deep. the NY where I live ranges from 10-50 feet deep at spots. The biggest problem we have is runoff from the mountains back in the 50 s thru the 70s phosphates from soaps in the septics and fertilizers has made into the silt in the bottom of the lake, it's like a pot of miracle grow. weeds are everywhere, now with the cleaner engines and greener society the water is pretty clear so the sun is getting to the bottom firing off weed growth. steps have been taken but it will take time. Back behind the boat lift was all weeds and about 2 feet of the fertile silt, they put in aerators with some biological organism that is eating that silt there is no weeds or silt now just the soft bottom. it took about 3 years though.

I love the lake it really is a pretty area, nice to get home from work and be out on the lake in 5 minutes a real stress beaker.

[yembo77]

I've always wondered that. If I did get a slip, where I left the boat in, would I come home from work and go out on it? I think I definitely would! LOL But everytime I say that, we always have something else in the way of going out on the boat. So I save my $800 a season and just dump her off the trailer when we actually get the chance. Sunday was absolutely gorgeous weather in GWL! Would have loved to be out there but the boat was down. Long story there.

-Matt

[mattyboy]

Matt,

the first 3 season I had the 16 we kept it in the water from may to oct. sometimes I would stop at the marina and go for a quick blast around the lake then go home for dinner. The 16 was painted so the paint was showing some blisters after that we would trailer and dunk her . we would not go out quite as often but still got out 2-3 times during the work week. Marie and my son would have the boat hooked up and a picnic basket with dinner in it so we stayed out 'til dark. The custom trailer helped a lot it was a pleasure at the ramp . we could be hooked up and out on the lake in 10-15 minutes.

Sunday was very nice sorry to hear you are having boat issues.

[Capevettes]

Nice setup Matty. It looks very similar to my lift. The solar power works great. The lift really keeps the hull clean and you don't have to worry about wakes or weather any more. Looks like a beautiful area too.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill
the lake level stays pretty consistant. they do have a dam/spillway that they draw some water off to a water system in NJ.

the lake is about 9 miles long and about a mile wide half in NY and half in NJ the NJ end was wetlands but was excavated so it is about 10 feet deep. the NY where I live ranges from 10-50 feet deep at spots. The biggest problem we have is runoff from the mountains back in the 50 s thru the 70s phosphates from soaps in the septics and fertilizers has made into the silt in the bottom of the lake, it's like a pot of miracle grow. weeds are everywhere, now with the cleaner engines and greener society the water is pretty clear so the sun is getting to the bottom firing off weed growth. steps have been taken but it will take time. Back behind the boat lift was all weeds and about 2 feet of the fertile silt, they put in aerators with some biological organism that is eating that silt there is no weeds or silt now just the soft bottom. it took about 3 years though.

I love the lake it really is a pretty area, nice to get home from work and be out on the lake in 5 minutes a real stress beaker.

Very interesting about the old chemicals making the silt so nutritious for the weeds and about the organism (microbug?) that is eating the silt. Do they ever let out enough water where your boat can't be used? Do the weeds ever block your cooling water passages? The thought of coming home and being on the lake in only a few minutes sounds wonderful! Bill

[mattyboy]

over the last 20 years every 3-5 years they have a draw down from oct to feb they lower the lake about 10 feet which gives waterfront property owners a chance to do maint on bulkheads and beaches. this also helps in weed control exposing the weed's root system to frost killing them. The water you see behind the lift with a 10 foot draw down is almost all gone just a small creek in the middle.

the beginning of this year boats/pwc were breaking down left and right due to clogged cooling systems and a rash of bad ethanol gas
after leaving a weedy no wake zone you need to give her a quick shot of reverse to clear the prop and always an eye on the temp

here is a pic of the weeds and a shot of the last draw down which was combined with a very dry winter the summer was almost lost the lake didn't re-fill . the end of that dock should be in about 5-6 feet of water