please help newbe with ohio river trip

[thewiles]

So we just got our first boat a month ago. Its a 1983 chris craft viking 18' deck boat. Very well kept and sound boat. We have been hitting the local lakes(paint creek and rocky fork around highland and ross county) we have some time off work from july 26th-30th and wanting to try out the ohio river. We are looking for suggestions on a good trip. Ideally what I am wanting to do is put the boat in the water somwhere and leave the truck and trailer there. Take all our camping supplies with us to a camp grounds about 4-6 hours away. camp that night, then get up and go about 4 hours further and hang out and do some kind of cool family activities, then go back to the camp grounds for another night. then head back to the truck the next day. Well, I know this is probably a bit much for someone who has never been on the river, but you have to try it to find out...right?
So I am open for any suggestions. I am about 1 hour north of aberdeen on 41, so I could go anywhere from cincinatti to marietta to ramp in?
We will be fishing, tubing, hiking and site seeing.
I have 3 kids, 12, 8, and almost 5.
I am looking for specific suggestions on ramps, camping, what to take that may be different than boating on a lake.
really any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would like to make this trip something the whole family will want to do again and again!
thanks
jay

 

[tswiczko]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

http://www.activecaptain.com/

This will get you some ramps marinas and docks it's free like IBoats hope this helps

I hope you enjoy IBoats. There's a lot of useful knowledge here(and probably the other kind too)

 

[four winns 214]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

One thing to know, is that the Ohio River is a somewhat different animal than small local lakes. There is a lot of commercial barge traffic. There are locks and dams you may have to contend with on a three to four hour cruise, depending on where you put in and which way you go. Don't let the locks scare you, they're easy to transit if you have a marine radio and can even be transited with out one. Also, if you're cruising three to four hours, I would recommend having river charts.

Here are a couple resources:

To download river charts for your particular area of interest:

http://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/_kd/go.cfm?destination=page&pge_id=1449

A well done article on how to transit a lock:

http://portky.com/articles/locking.html

 

[John Dismang]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

Not sure how far you are going but if you come down to Louisville, KY. there is a riverfront park that is very nice. Alot of boats and people out cruising. It becomes alot more scenic if you go past Louisville also. Not many marinas to fuel up so better take that into account.

 

[thewiles]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

thanks for the replies already. The links have been really helpful!

As for how far we want to go? I am not sure and thats what I really am hoping you all can help me with. I have been reading some older post on here and it seems a lot of people go to the marietta area! Also alot of people are baoting the waterways off the ohio. Any of you have any suggestion on which ones are better.Have any of you camped at any of the campgrounds on the river? The only ones I can find around cinci are sandy springs and island creek marina.
thanks again everyone!

 

[maharg]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

I camp and put in at White oak creek in higginsport. The farthest I have gone it to the Manchester islands (about 30mi from the ramp). I cannot advise of any campgrounds besides white oak.

 

[John Dismang]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

There is a very nice campground just west of Leavenworth, IN. called Horseshoe Bend but I don't know if you are going that far. Has a boat ramp and all which they are working around but is open. There is also a restaurant in Leavenworth called "The Dock" which people really like. You can walk right up a steep boat ramp and it is right by the water. If you are getting down past Louisville, let me know and I will try to help more.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

http://www.rivers-edge-marina.com/

There is also a campground here

 

[tswiczko]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

There is a very nice campground just west of Leavenworth, IN. called Horseshoe Bend but I don't know if you are going that far. Has a boat ramp and all which they are working around but is open. There is also a restaurant in Leavenworth called "The Dock" which people really like. You can walk right up a steep boat ramp and it is right by the water. If you are getting down past Louisville, let me know and I will try to help more.

I was there last year John and the boat dock for "The Dock" wasn't there have they put up a new one yet?

 

[Dick Sorensen]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

I would highly recommend you get a copy of Jerry Hay's "Ohio River Guidebook" (www.IndianaWaterways.com) I recently ran from Wheeling WVA to Pittsburgh and had the Guidebook along with the Corp of Engineers Charts....the guidebook was so much more practical...just enough information (from camping sites, launching ramps to actual river data)...it just worked. what I did on my small boat was to photocopy the pages that covered the part of the Ohio I was running...put them in sheet protectors....highlighted the locks and other challenges....then held them all together with a metal key ring....I could flip back and forth easily...reversed it to get home...bend it over and jam it next to the wheel, etc.....I won't travel the Ohio without it....good cruisin'

 

[sasto]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

One thing to know, is that the Ohio River is a somewhat different animal than small local lakes. There is a lot of commercial barge traffic. There are locks and dams you may have to contend with on a three to four hour cruise, depending on where you put in and which way you go. Don't let the locks scare you, they're easy to transit if you have a marine radio and can even be transited with out one. Also, if you're cruising three to four hours, I would recommend having river charts.



what 4 winns said...and..To me traveling amongst the barges and learning their lingo....1 whistle, 2 whistle....huh...,they may become your best friend or a nightmare, depending on your courtesy and communication skills. Give way to the river trafffic. May have to forget about port/stbd. Keep good comunication on your VHF, relax and have fun.

 

[John Dismang]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

No, there is no dock but with the sandy bank it's not difficult to nose in and get off....if you have a small enough cruiser! The water is deep enough to keep your motors out of the muck also. As far as barge traffic, I've been on the ohio for over 30 years and have had 0 problems with them ever. The river is so wide that if you can't maneuver away from them than there is a problem. The only place you may need to talk with them is at the locks if they are locking through with you. In that case, I normally just wait and let them go.

 

[sasto]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

No, there is no dock but with the sandy bank it's not difficult to nose in and get off....if you have a small enough cruiser! The water is deep enough to keep your motors out of the muck also. As far as barge traffic, I've been on the ohio for over 30 years and have had 0 problems with them ever. The river is so wide that if you can't maneuver away from them than there is a problem. The only place you may need to talk with them is at the locks if they are locking through with you. In that case, I normally just wait and let them go.

So right... John, the OP said an 18 footer. I missed that.

 

[four winns 214]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

I've been on the ohio for over 30 years and have had 0 problems with them ever.

I agree, but you understand them and respect them. Someone who has no experience on the river may not understand the hazards associated with them.

 

[John Dismang]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

Now that is very true. I remember when I was young(er) and we used to set out trot lines across the river. Our huge 10' jon boat had a 5hp motor that quit all of a sudden and one of those big barges came up stream. Pulling ourselves across with the line is all we had. Had me puckered tighter than a snare drum but we made it . Long story short.....you gotta understand that they don't stop for ya so you gotta get out of their way!!

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

More crap floating in that river than I care to deal with. My only time was at E. Liverpool and the logs and other miscellaneous debris made it a PITA.

 

[four winns 214]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

More crap floating in that river than I care to deal with. My only time was at E. Liverpool and the logs and other miscellaneous debris made it a PITA.

Good point to make for someone new to the river. Boaters do have to watch out for floating logs and such, but in stable weather in the summer it's not a huge problem, at least not around Louisville. If there have been thunderstorms with very heavy rain in recent days locally or upstream, the amount of debris will increase.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

River Bend Park up river in Cinci has some good live outdoor conerts you can hear from the river

 

[75TowerOfPower]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

You can either catch one of those or catch a red's game if you make it down this far. There are some restaurants you can tie up at as well.

 

[riversrme]

Re: please help newbe with ohio river trip

I would highly recommend you get a copy of Jerry Hay's "Ohio River Guidebook" (www.IndianaWaterways.com) I recently ran from Wheeling WVA to Pittsburgh and had the Guidebook along with the Corp of Engineers Charts....the guidebook was so much more practical...just enough information (from camping sites, launching ramps to actual river data)...it just worked. what I did on my small boat was to photocopy the pages that covered the part of the Ohio I was running...put them in sheet protectors....highlighted the locks and other challenges....then held them all together with a metal key ring....I could flip back and forth easily...reversed it to get home...bend it over and jam it next to the wheel, etc.....I won't travel the Ohio without it....good cruisin'

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