10 day adventure in Lake Superior

[Pack Rat]

I'm not putting in until May 19th and looking for some idea's from the rest of you. I'll be picking up a spare radio battery from the iboats store and I'm looking at a spare prop from them too but have a general question. There a lot of rock where I'm going and my understanding is the rubber hub internally is more to prevent lower unit damage than anything else. Is that true?

What other kind of extra supplies would you bring? The area is about 30 miles by 25 miles with 22 islands. The coast guard is stationed right where I'll be putting in. The Islands are a National Park (Apostle Islands).

I've run the area a little so I won't be totally green in what to expect.

 

[ssobol]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

What other kind of extra supplies would you bring?

Your motor is likely to have shear pins in the drive mechanism. If the prop hits something really hard the pin(s) shear to protect the motor. You might want to have spares. However, you may not be able to replace them without dismantling the lower unit.

 

[sutor623]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

Your motor is likely to have shear pins in the drive mechanism. If the prop hits something really hard the pin(s) shear to protect the motor. You might want to have spares. However, you may not be able to replace them without dismantling the lower unit.

Yeah if you are running a smaller hp motor on that Zodiac, like ss said, get some extra shear pins. I like to bring an extra set of plugs cause you never know if/when they will foul up. Maybe a backup kicker left at the camp site?

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

I have spent a fair amount of time on Lake Superior and I'll say that the Apostle Islands are easily my favorite spot, totally awesome out there! Truly a water wilderness, love it

I've only been out in sea kayak so I can't necessarily provide quality advice as it relates to a small outboard powered boat.

I will say this...

Weather can be big out there! The biggest water I have ever experienced was out there. 12 footers in a 21 foot sea kayak is "interesting".

Plan ahead and prepare, The Lady (Lake Superior) is indifferent to you and your little boat.

If weather permits, find your way to the North Shore of Devils Island, soooooo cool!

Bears are on the islands so be sure to learn/practice proper bear bagging technique.

And last, have fun

 

[Peter_C]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

What other kind of extra supplies would you bring?

Beer and cookies!

Sounds like much of your food will be freeze dried unless you plan to make a run to town.

Are there bears on some of the islands?

If it were me, since I am cold blooded, I would make sure to have plenty of dry clothes, and excellent rain gear.

I so wanna go! Touring around islands by boat is high on my list of things to do. Hopefully you will share some pictures when you return in May.

 

[jondavies]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

Wow - that looks like a fantastic trip!

As for stuff to bring, you should give some thought about how you are going to anchor the boat at night. It's hard to drag a boat onto the beach when it's loaded with gear and you may damage the bottom if it's rocky. Also, winds and currents can shift during the night and that can cause trouble too (don't ask me how I know). At the very least you should have a second anchor.

Here's a system that looks as though it would work well. I haven't tried it yet but I'm going to set something like this up before my next boat camping trip:

http://www.neilmoomey.com/howtos/anchor_buoy/

Good luck!

Touring around islands by boat is high on my list of things to do.

Did I tell you about our Lake Powell trip? It's an awesome boat camping destination.

 

[Pack Rat]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

I did stop at the local boat dealer looking for some tips. The guy at the back counter said his expertise was outboards so I informed him of my pending trip and asked what spare parts he would recommend. He called me an "idiot" for going into Lake Superior with a 12.5' inflatable and proceeded to belittle me for a few miniutes offering no recommendations. So me and my big fat wallet left.

Getting back to the spare prop question. The expert at the counter said the rubber hub is for vibration. NOT TO LESSEN DAMAGE TO LOWER UNIT. I don't have a shear pin on my OB (Mercury 2010 25 hp EFI 4 stroke). Last night at work a guy said he bought a composite prop at 1/3 the price for a spare emergency prop. I don't even see them offered.

Anchoring is definitely something I'm concerned about. I might unload everything on the beach and sleep on board since I agree the wind can shift at night and cause problems. Some of the islands have docks, first come first serve. In the past we simply lifted the boat up and carried it in a few feet but I may be solo this trip.

Pictures below are the same island different sides (Stockton Island).

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

You could take along a GPS to waypoint marks, usefull when returning to start point, spark plug wrench, inflator, boat repair patches kit, sunblock just in case, lots of beers and a nice boater se?orita. Hubs are suppossed to minimize prop impact against hard objects, when boating at areas that don't know usually place swivel lock at a un lock position, that way when tail eventually hits hard objects will raise protecting prop and transom as well.

Happy Boating

 

[Johnny Knoxville]

Re: 10 day adventure in Lake Superior

If you are going alone (which I don't recommend) you may want to buy or maybe rent SPOT. At least if you have an (disabling medical) emergency or are out of cell range you have recourse. At one time Boat US used to rent EPIRBs SPOT or similar would be better in your case, as you can check in or allow tracking information to someone who cares.

Having boated in those rocky realms of the great lakes, I would want at least two spare props, one metal and one perhaps synthetic.

Bear spray, if you are certain you are on Islands with same. I never go anywhere these days on land or sea, where it is legal w/o a handgun of some sort. Since you will be in a National Park you can check the regulations but it is legal. Just don't venture into Canadian Waters.

Looks like fun and that is just an amazing part of the world.

My inflatible buddy and I are going back to Lake Fontana (Smoky Mountain NP and Nantahala NF) in mid may to do island camping.
Missed last year after three in a row.

Breakdowns do happen so two boats are better than one and a suitable travel companion with rig, better yet.