Boat Camping - Camping on Shore, Access by Malibu

[Raleigh]

What suggestions does everyone have for a boat camping trip? I’m taking the Bu out to a large lake in the mountains of NC with a couple of islands to camp on. I have an anchor buddy, box anchor and sand spike/ shore line. 

A couple concerns are how to keep the boat clean with all the gear (5-6 guys). Those white vinyl seats make me nervous but I’m planning on doing a thorough clean when done. 

Any good suggestions from the Bu crew? What to avoid, what definitely to bring? We will be bringing tents to sleep in and are going for 3 nights. Thanks! 

[JBell]

If you are not worried about high winds or storms coming through your anchor system will be fine. If you wan't something that will help you sleep at night and not worry about your boat(as much) in high wind. I would recommend bringing stuff for the setup in this thread:

I shore camped at Lake Powell a few times this year and a few things I bought after my first trip was . Two more 100' anchor lines, 4 caribiners. Two more spikes to use on shore if I needed them. An extra prop and a prop puller. 

[NWBU]

Take a clean blanket or tarp to pile all the sandy, gritty camp stuff on when you head home. Saves a lot of cleanup time later.

[Stevo]

Go to Costco and buy the $12 bathroom mats and lay them on the sun pad/walk through area and on the back seat when you get in and out.

or lots of towels 

[Raleigh]

2 hours ago, JBell said:

If you are not worried about high winds or storms coming through your anchor system will be fine. If you wan't something that will help you sleep at night and not worry about your boat(as much) in high wind. I would recommend bringing stuff for the setup in this thread:

I shore camped at Lake Powell a few times this year and a few things I bought after my first trip was . Two more 100' anchor lines, 4 caribiners. Two more spikes to use on shore if I needed them. An extra prop and a prop puller. 

What do you use the three 100' lines for? I have a 50' line now and am debating on two 100' or one 150'. The depth where I will be docking is 15-30.' Not sure if I'll be using your method or the anchor buddy but would prefer the anchor buddy. I guess this method you attached is the swim out method, which is fine. 

[twitchee2]

Boat in camping is always a blast!  I use a box anchor, 2 anchor buddy's in parallel (double'd up), I usually go more like 3:1 scope rather then 2:1 as recommended and a shore spike.   The amount of holding power that box anchor has blows my mind.  My boat is smaller than yours but the concept still applies.

As far as keeping the boat clean.  Lay towels over the seats. Shake tents/chairs/gear out out on shore as best you can, dunk the coolers (or anything water proof) in the water to get sand and dirt off the bottom before tossing in the boat. At the end of the day you are boat in camping, don't go overboard trying to keep it spotless but due your diligence and accept the fact that you will be cleaning the boat after a long weekend anyway. Enjoy the trip!

Edited June 27, 2020 by twitchee2

[Infinitysurf]

Sounds like a great time! I have a 24ft boat and my "small" size box anchor has never pulled loose. In a situation like that, I think I would give it 3:1 like suggested. On the anchor rope I bought 100ft braided line originally and then I cut it in half and used a lighter on the ends so it would not unravel. Typically I dont need more than 30ft or so...but for any trips I take the 2nd length just in case. I do see the benefits to packing like 2) additional 100ft lengths of rope just in case weather turns nasty and you want some extra peace of mind. Dont think I would spend the money to buy high end anchor line for something like that.... I would probably just get some decent stuff at hardware store. Never a bad idea to have extra rope. 

I always have one of those stand-alone battery jump start packs, its a handy backup to have in case of battery issues. Its fortunate that so far I have only ever needed it to save other people who didn't go prepared, lol. I also always pack an extra impeller, a spare prop/kit and my spare engine belt. Also of course any tools needed but long ago I took an ammo can and packed it with all the specific tools needed for any repairs that may come up (barring major issues of course) and I almost always have that box in the boat even if I am on my home lake. It also has extra batteries/flashlight, spare fuses, duct tape, zip ties, couple flares and some other misc. Would hate to have a fun weekend cut short over something easily fixed if I had the items to repair it myself.

On another note, I have taken my boat to Lake Norris a few times in the past 7-8 yrs and even tho I normally get a room at Hickory Star Marina to keep the family comfortable, one year I took off to meet a couple friends for 3 days/2 nights and b/c it was all last minute I was unable to find a room anywhere. I had packed a tent and air mattress since I knew the odds of finding a room were slim, but ended up anchoring up in a cove and sleeping on the boat. Was so comfortable! 

[JBell]

On 6/26/2020 at 11:21 AM, Raleigh said:

What do you use the three 100' lines for? I have a 50' line now and am debating on two 100' or one 150'. The depth where I will be docking is 15-30.' Not sure if I'll be using your method or the anchor buddy but would prefer the anchor buddy. I guess this method you attached is the swim out method, which is fine. 

Lake Powell shore camping sometimes requires my boat to bock anchored in small finger coves. The anchor buddy works fine when there is not much wind but if the wind picks up I tie my boat from all 4 corners to shore and it doesn’t move. 
 

most lakes aren’t like this though but I realized on my last teip that I would rather have too many ropes than not enough.

[thornylennert]

It sounds like you will have a great time with your friends. If you are planning to travel at nighttime, I suggest you buy a big flashlight to ensure that you will see everything on your way and don't catch any surprises. Trust me, during nighttime on the big rivers or seas. Darkness is your enemy number one. Make sure that every one of your crew has flashlights and follows the common rules, gets waterproof clothes, and every crew member must have a small backpack that he will use in case he falls off the boat so that he can survive for some time. Have good luck!

Edited September 26, 2022 by thornylennert

[platon20]

I would have a hard time leaving my boat on the water, even if it's tied up with 10 different ropes and anchors.  I would have to sleep on it to feel secure.

 

[shawndoggy]

14 hours ago, platon20 said:

I would have a hard time leaving my boat on the water, even if it's tied up with 10 different ropes and anchors.  I would have to sleep on it to feel secure.

 

anchors do work better when there's a person sleeping on the boat.

[Raleigh]

I ended up just using a large box anchor and tied it to the shore. Went on 3 separate overnight trips for 3 nights each. It was fun, but the mud and all the wear and tear from moving stuff on and off the boat contributed to the degradation of the seats and some other issues. We had between 4-7 people on my 25 LSV.  I'll fondly remember the times I went boat camping but after shelling out $15k on new vinyl and flooring I'm going to keep her tied to a dock, on the trailer, or on a boat lift.

[Jhucke]

2 hours ago, Raleigh said:

I ended up just using a large box anchor and tied it to the shore. Went on 3 separate overnight trips for 3 nights each. It was fun, but the mud and all the wear and tear from moving stuff on and off the boat contributed to the degradation of the seats and some other issues. We had between 4-7 people on my 25 LSV.  I'll fondly remember the times I went boat camping but after shelling out $15k on new vinyl and flooring I'm going to keep her tied to a dock, on the trailer, or on a boat lift.

I go to boat-in campsites at least once or twice a year and I will concur that if I had a late model 25LSV, I would absolutely NOT be using it to haul camping gear.  Best bet is to buy yourself a little john boat/dinghy and throw all your camping gear in that. I get nervous enough on my 94 MC! 

FWIW I use (x2) anchor + anchor buddy bungee rope in the back and regular dock line tied to tree in the front. Survived many extremely windy wavy nights like this and never had a problem. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Jhucke