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Best year-round lakes in US


greg2222

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I'm starting this topic because a lot of us buying new very expensive boats and for some of us wake season is just 3 months . I want to know if there is a good lakes to drive in to in winter time , Maybe some pictures or recommendations , wake surfing in Christmas time , etc

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I never saw water temps lower than 55F last year and it was a very cold winter by Arizona standards.  Lots of folks here surf year round in full wetsuits.  I skied year round in a Camaro Black Tec.  But if you're thinking of houseboating it, you'll want one with a good heater.  Most of those winterize and lay up as nights do get below freezing from time to time.

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I’d say Texas, but you don’t want to come here. It’s getting crowded. ;) 

That being said.  A few years ago it snowed Christmas Eve (RARE) and I surfed In the sunlight Christmas Day. Temps were about 51 as I recall in the water.  And I have never in 20 years winterized my boat. I just just put a lightbulb in the engine bay. Done. 

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24 minutes ago, Slurpee said:

I’d say Texas, but you don’t want to come here. It’s getting crowded. ;) 

That being said.  A few years ago it snowed Christmas Eve (RARE) and I surfed In the sunlight Christmas Day. Temps were about 51 as I recall in the water.  And I have never in 20 years winterized my boat. I just just put a lightbulb in the engine bay. Done. 

Snowbirds descend on us here quite a bit. They're usually the ones in rental pontoon boats and runabout annoying us when trying to ski. Can't really get out ahead of them at sunrise like in summer since it's too chilly in desert mornings. 

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2 hours ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Its only 3 months long if you allow it to be 3 months long. We ski from March/April until November/December here. A good full wetsuit and a good drysuit makes a world of difference. 

Exactly.  It's all what you make of it.  

 

A few of my former neighbors skied on new years day a few years ago.....it was the only day of the year, over a 10 year period, that they had not yet done a water sport on that lake.  It was cold as hell, snowing like crazy, but they had open water and took care of business.    

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I have skied March 17  and as late as Nov 7. The Nov was cold on face hands and feet! With a dry its not bad on the body.  The March 17 was in a shorty. Then the next week we were back into dry and never got back into a shorty till May.

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3 hours ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Its only 3 months long if you allow it to be 3 months long. We ski from March/April until November/December here. A good full wetsuit and a good drysuit makes a world of difference. 

Some of the lake are drained for winter , there is not many natural lakes on east cost.  My point is to go for little vacation with boat. 

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ahopkins22LSV
9 minutes ago, greg2222 said:

Some of the lake are drained for winter , there is not many natural lakes on east cost.  My point is to go for little vacation with boat. 

Ah gotcha. That’s not a bad idea either. Maybe I should think about that too!

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Lake Havasu, AZ and image.png.1c94a26c03a773161356a8e6a1d55cb9.png   

Parker, AZ.                                                                       

image.png

We surf Lake Mead (Las Vegas) year around too. 

image.png

Edited by bbattiste247
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Lake Havasu and just below at Parker, AZ.  Surf every Xmas day.  Water is still cold at 55, but air around 70.  Easy in a wetsuit, even better in a dry suit.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/23/2019 at 11:19 PM, Slurpee said:

I’d say Texas, but you don’t want to come here. It’s getting crowded. ;) 

That being said.  A few years ago it snowed Christmas Eve (RARE) and I surfed In the sunlight Christmas Day. Temps were about 51 as I recall in the water.  And I have never in 20 years winterized my boat. I just just put a lightbulb in the engine bay. Done. 

Hey slurpee - quick question about your lamp setup.  Can you give me some tips on wattage, location, etc?  I will likely have my boat winterized but I would like to use a lamp setup for the time being in case of a rogue freeze on Lake LBJ before I can get anything done.  My boat is on a lift over the water and I do have electricity on the dock but I don’t want to burn my boat up if I can help it. 😜. I have one of those larger silver metal lights that I can use if that is what works. 

Thx!

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14 minutes ago, Leftlane said:

I have one of those larger silver metal lights that I can use if that is what works. 

Yikes!!!  A single 60 watt incandescent or two 40w in parallel will do the trick - just hang them off the belts,making sure nothing touches a meltable part.  If you have a heater or shower, then you will have to deal with that separately.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Leftlane said:

Hey slurpee - quick question about your lamp setup.  Can you give me some tips on wattage, location, etc?  I will likely have my boat winterized but I would like to use a lamp setup for the time being in case of a rogue freeze on Lake LBJ before I can get anything done.  My boat is on a lift over the water and I do have electricity on the dock but I don’t want to burn my boat up if I can help it. 😜. I have one of those larger silver metal lights that I can use if that is what works. 

Thx!

Howdy. Ymmv. And it’s at your own risk. I won’t go into how long it takes 28 degree air to crack a block that was at 45 degrees earlier that day. And will be again the next day. Sustained temps are required over several day’s.  Or really low temps.  

My situation is I have an over the tower cover. I hang a 20W CCFL ship light from the tower to make the cover glow (to indicate electricity is present when I glance out the window). I have a 20W light hanging off the steering wheel (before I had closed cooling running to the heater core), and I had a 30W light tucked in the engine bay hanging next to a silent rider. Now I skip the last two and have a little desk heater with a thermostat blowing warm air into the engine bay (maybe 50 degrees... ish). Kind of wedged underneath the bench rear cushion. With the cushion open at a 45 to fit it and allow ventilation.

i have a little remote sensor for my outdoor thermometer that reaches my house that I toss on the seat in the boat. Just because I’m curious. I recommend something like that. It’s probably something you can get if you look around now that now pushes to the cloud and your phone. 

Edited by Slurpee
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I have used a porcelain lamp base wired to a cord and screwed to a piece of plywood.  Like @Eagleboy99 said, just poke a 60W bulb in it and set it in the bilge under the oil pan and near the raw water pump.

https://www.lightingsupply.com/leviton-49875.aspx?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk7jR4Z7P5QIVj8DACh05jwJyEAQYBSABEgKKb_D_BwE or at your local big box store.

I have since moved on to a few 15W seed heating pads.  I seem to recall getting a good deal on four of them.  I put two around the raw water pump and hoses and drape two over the manifolds.  I figure the mats are far less likely to quit than a bulb, and one can blow and I'm still covered.  Similar to this:

https://www.toyboxtech.com/met-certified-seedling-heat-mat-seedfactor-waterproof-durable-germination-station-heat-mat-warm-hydroponic-heating-pad-for-indoor-home-gardening-seed-starter-10-x-20/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0vW9qaDP5QIVVf7jBx2ehQElEAkYBiABEgLE3PD_BwE

Disclaimer:  I keep the boat in a garage in Florida, and we generally get only a few nights in the mid-20's each year.

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Were going out this weekend, San Diego, lake San Vicente was just redone and is gorgeous. Over 300 feet deep and weather this weekend in mid November is from 91-87 degrees. 

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