destinations near New Jersey

Hi, I live in NJ and was wondering if anybody knew of any place within a 2 hour drive that I can take my 16 foot Baja speedboat with a 115 horsepower outboard. I already take it to the Deleware River and am thinking of taking it to Lake Hopatcong. Also I have heard that Lake Hopatcong can be a zoo and is sometimes very choppy. what is the right time for my to take my small boat that gets kicked around fairly easily? Thanks.

Re: destinations near New Jersey

i keep my 16' maxum im a slip @ hopatcong from April-mid october... yes, lake hopatcong can be a zoo on weekends during the summer months. it get very rough on a sat or sunday, however on a weekday the water is usually smooth as glass.<br />well now that its october already, i dont think there will be many people out on the water anyday, but they do start to drain the lake several feet for winter. so its going to start getting shallow in some areas. i wouldnt recommend making the trip this late in the season.. you can just try the jersey shore on a calm day and stay in the bay. i'm prob going to make a few more trips there before winter.. if u have any more ?'s let me know

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Where on the bay do you go? does it really get that calm there? My boat is a very shallow hull and moves along quite fast, how high is the chop in the bay on average? Thanks.

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Baja, Greenwood lake (1/2 in NY) allows outboard motors. <br />Also, Cranbury Lake (Sussex county??) I think, used to allow outboards. <br />You can launch in Highland Park (Across the river from New Brunswick) and cruise the Raritan River into Raritan Bay (Near NYC).<br />You can launch in many places on the Shrewsbury River or the Navesink River (in Monmouth County), or come down to Ocean County and launch on the Manasquan or Metedeconk Rivers, which empty into Barnegat Bay. Both Raritan and Barnegat Bays have significant waves under certain conditions.

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Try the Hudson River. I did it in my 14ft with no problem on a nice day. Early morning and late afternoon are supposed to be the calm times of day.

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Hey if you want another MFG looks like its16/18 ft long I have one here in NJ for a very small fee. It has a johnson gold 50 hp I thing. It has a trailer but I prety sure it won't make it more than a few miles from Toms River NJ

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Hey forget it That boat sat there for the last 14 years and today its gone. It had a really nice gold series motor too! Bummer I wanted that motor.<br />steve

Re: destinations near New Jersey

Baja - <br /><br />I know it's a little late in the season... <br />The Hackensack River (stop laughing) from Secaucus up to Hackensack should be a fun place to run your boat. I'm not sure if that's within two hours of you, though. There's a nice launch in the county park in Secaucus by Snake Hill.<br /><br />Stinky - <br /><br />Same thing happened to a boat I told Mark about...<br /><br />Mark - you might be snakebit!

Re: destinations near New Jersey

KilroyJC, <br /><br />I looked on Yahoo maps to find the Hackensack river. Looks like an interesting river to boat. I couldn't find an area labeled Snake Hill, though. Is it near the Sports Complex? Any info on depth, etc?<br /><br />Thanks <br />Mark.<br /><br />EDIT:<br /><br />Did some more searching and found that snake hill is now laurel hill. There is a park there and boat launch. Hackensack river is chock full of history. I'm trying to find some photos to get an idea of the size of the river. There are still areas that are polluted, but it sounds like an interesting cruise through some industrialized areas that are making a come-back. I'm putting this one one my list of boat trips to do in the spring.<br /><br />Here is a piece from the "Hackensack Riverkeeper" brochure on the river:<br /><br />"Eco-Cruises depart from Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus, NJ, and tour the lower Hackensack River and several Meadowlands marshes. Depending on time and tidal conditions, we can travel as far north as Hackensack and as far south as Newark Bay. Regardless of where we travel, wildlife-watching is a big part of every Eco-Cruise and the highlight of every trip is a tour of the Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area, a wonderful place that teems with wildlife throughout the year." <br /><br />And all along I thought it was puddles of Ethyleneglycol and mercury.... <br /><br />River Keeper Eco-Cruise link