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Anyone on Sammamish yesterday?


gregtay

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I think everyone went out and bought a boat!... and no one knows out to use it.  Yesterday we headed out around lunch time and launched at Sammamish state park, water was flat and calm, sun was out (rare for us in Seattle) and not many boats out.  Kids swam for a few hours while we chilled on the boat then we got in some decent surfing.  Plan was to stay out late but around 5 the weather started to change, wind picked up, clouds rolled in and we figured we'd head home and have dinner there vs. on the boat.  Heading back to the park to pull out it was clear there were now a ton more people on the lake (expected.. sunny Friday afternoon) and then when we got the launch ramp (around 5:30) it was total chaos. I think there were 20 or so boats all waiting to get out and there were all hovering right up against the docks, each dock pier had two boats tied up on it, it was almost impossible for my wife to weave to the end of the dock to get me off to get the truck.  Jump in my car and there are about 7-8 people waiting inline to retrieve their boats and the line to launch is all the way out of the park and on to lk samm parkway.  Normal for a sunny Saturday.. but it was Friday at 5:30.. the weather was headed down hill and it is going to rain all weekend (so not likely people launching for the weekend at their house on the lake.)  Just sat there in line going nowhere, seems the launch ramp was gridlocked... people were tied up to the piers waiting for their trailers to come around but they were stuck in line.  The people at the front of the line were all set to back down the ramps but basically just parked there because they didn't know drive their boat onto the trailer and weave in front of the parked boats.  It was clear by looking at the crowd that there were a ton of first timers. (as my wife masterfully weaved between a few boats, swung in front of a new Nautique that the owner clearly didn't know how to launch/retrieve was just parked on the dock that I backed down one lady noticed that we were in and out in about 30 seconds and she sweetly came over and ask where they can go and learn how this is all suppose to work. They just bought the boat (a little Bayliner) and really don't want to be "those people" but had no idea what to do (and I think got yelled at a bit.)  I tied to help out.. but did admit we are all probably pretty terrible at it in the beginning.)  

Anyway.. I have been boating at Sammamish for 20 years and I have seen some crazy days out there at the launch ramp, certainly sat out on the road plenty of times with the park full, but yesterday a 5:30 was another level.   I certainly understand those people who ran out and purchased a boat this month... my wife summed it up best "today for a little bit I completely forgot about all the crazy stuff going on." (Seattle is now at 3 months of total lockdown :-/... so life is FAR from normal here.)   Anyway... I guess that is the summer of boating to come:).  Wish I had a house on the lake but around there that's crazy money.

 

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I wasn’t on Sarmmamish but am expecting the same thing around here this summer. Tow boat sales are unreal right now, and I’m told many are going to first time boaters. I have to imagine the I/O brands are the same, or seeing even higher volumes since some are cheaper price points. 

There’s a lot of big vacation $ (Disney, islands, Europe) being diverted into boating and other local recreation. Certain higher end bike brands are sold out through this fall too. The lack of youth sports is another big reason for more time available to boat and recreate.

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3 minutes ago, NWBU said:

I wasn’t on Sarmmamish but am expecting the same thing around here this summer. Tow boat sales are unreal right now, and I’m told many are going to first time boaters. I have to imagine the I/O brands are the same, or seeing even higher volumes since some are cheaper price points. 

There’s a lot of big vacation $ (Disney, islands, Europe) being diverted into boating and other local recreation. Certain higher end bike brands are sold out through this fall too. The lack of youth sports is another big reason for more time available to boat and recreate.

I think you are right... people are realizing they need to create their own "vacation" locally and a boat seems like a pretty good way to do it.  I had an old friend call me up this week saying he wants to buy a boat (had been out boating with me 20 years ago), he said he thought the family would love it. Wanted something cheap he could sell at the end of the summer... didn't really want to experience boat ownership. His next question was: how big up a boat will me Honda Pilot tow?  I want something we (family of 5) can sleep on :-O.  I think there is a lot of thinking along those lines right now.

Thankfully my wife hasn't caught on to the high-end bike demand at the moment... otherwise she would probably demand I sell a few off! :-O  The guys at my local bike shop are putting in long hours and the bikes are just flying out the door.  Even saw an older guy walk in a pick up a new s-Works Turbo Creo for $14k. (and for some reason I am more okay with $10k+ bikes when they don't have motors.)  Sadly my race bikes have just lived on the trainer so far this year... all races cancelled so far :-/

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