Navionics in Canal Erie

[mr 88]

One variable on the trip time is the number of locks , entering them without having to wait for eastbound boats and even asking the lock master to call ahead to the next lock . We did that near the end of last August and saved a lot of time as you can wait a half hour for one to open, then a 25 minutes to a half hour to get in.and out..We went through a ton of them,a lot more than you will . Most were open and waiting for us bc of the call ahead. There will be long sections where you can get on plane with no worries, example ,right after you go through Lockport it's a solid wall on each side for 4.miles or so with absolutely no.houses or docks to be seen. After that there are a few short sections,then your into a populated area and water police, no wake at that point until you hit the Niagara.
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[Wave34]

One variable on the trip time is the number of locks , entering them without having to wait for eastbound boats and even asking the lock master to call ahead to the next lock . We did that near the end of last August and saved a lot of time as you can wait a half hour for one to open, then a 25 minutes to a half hour to get in.and out..We went through a ton of them,a lot more than you will . Most were open and waiting for us bc of the call ahead. There will be long sections where you can get on plane with no worries, example ,right after you go through Lockport it's a solid wall on each side for 4.miles or so with absolutely no.houses or docks to be seen. After that there are a few short sections,then your into a populated area and water police, no wake at that point until you hit the Niagara.
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Good advice, I will plan ahead and try to call before arriving.

 

[Wave34]

Swiston's does have great Beef on Weck and is located a few hundred yards up Ellicott Creek ,which enters the Erie Canal about a 1/3 of a mile from where the Canal ends at , [ technically the Little River ] as the Niagara is just on the other side of the Island where you terminate. No problem with water depth on the Creek for a few miles or so.

Do you, or someone knows if there is a dock at Swiston's?
Looking from space, it looks like no, and quite tight for the boats the other side of the river.

 

[JimS123]

The colorful umbrellas next to the brown roof is the outdoor patio. Their dock is attached to that. At the time of the photograph no one was docked there. The dock is maybe 100-120 feet long and will hold several boats.

The docks across the creek is a marina and they offer no transient dockage.

What doesn't show in your picture is the bridge (to the left) that crosses the creek. That was the one I warned you about. We just have a small runabout, but I do have a 8' VHF antenna mounted on the side deck and I have to lower is to get under the bridge.

There are some fairly good sized cruisers at that marina, and obviously they are able to transit it. I just wanted you to be aware ahead of time because i don't know how high you are or how low the bridge is. This Summer the water was a foot higher than normal, and that affected a lot of things.

The municipal dockage on the Erie Canal is on both the Tonawanda and North Tonawanda sides. Swistons is only a 2 block walk, so you can get there one way or the other with little hassle.

 

[Wave34]

Thanks JimS123,
I posted all that a bit fast when I saw the cruisers the other side of the river, and tried to delete my post after but since I already edited it, the option was removed.

I agree, water level will play a big factor regarding if I can go under the bridge or not. I took a look at my boat specs, and from the top of the roof to waterline, it is supposed to be 9'8'', but that tells nothing until I'm at the bridge I guess.

Is the municipal dockage called Gateway Harbor on the map?
I was thinking of going to the North Tonawanda Gateway Harbor marina, which is very close to the bridge and downtown.

 

[JimS123]

Yes, Gateway Harbor. There is dockage on both sides of the canal and power and water are available. If you tie up for a couple hours for lunch or dinner its no problem. If you stay overnight there is a fee. There are ample facilities, including a pumpout.

Swistons is a lunch destination. There are a dozen other fancy places for dinner in a 2 block radius, and many have live music in the evening.

One day each week in the Summer there is a concert on the water. Get there early because at concert time the boats are stacked 3 or 4 along both seawalls.

If it were me and i wanted to go to Niagara falls, I would simply dock there and call Uber. There isn't much dockage between the Tonawandas and the big drop.

 

[Wave34]

Thanks.
Winter will be long...

 

[Mischief Managed]

I did the entire Erie Canal From Buffalo to Albany this year. You picked the best part, we liked the west half better than the east half, but it was all good. I think it took us 7 days to go end to end, with a day and half stop in Fairport,which was our favorite port. The speed limit on most of it is 10 MPH, so you can make much better time than no wake speed. I cannot recall anywhere that you can open it up west of Onieda, but I could be wrong. We enjoyed the 10MPH speed much more than we thought we would. We really appreciated the incredibly friendly and helpful bridge and lock folks. You do not need any GPS to navigate the canal, it's incredibly well-marked. We used navionics solely to judge our ETA to locks and bridges so that we could inform the operators of our impending arrival via VHF, a mile or so out. They always knew we were coming regardless though because they communicate with each other frequently about boats on the canal. I hope you have a great cruise, PM me for advice if you want.

 

[JimS123]

That's a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand they will be ready for you when you get there. On the other hand, if you try to make up time by speeding, they will know you got there too early and may give you a hassle and not open the bridge..

 

[Mischief Managed]

That's a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand they will be ready for you when you get there. On the other hand, if you try to make up time by speeding, they will know you got there too early and may give you a hassle and not open the bridge..

I never tried to speed, so everyone was very friendly and eager to help us maintain progress. My boat swills fuel on plane and sips it at the hull speed of 8.5 knots (10MPH). It's ideal for the canal. The only place we got on plane on the whole trip was across Oneida and that was just to blow the soot out of the turbos.

 

[JimS123]

The two weeks between college and my first professional job my buddy and I took a trip to Syracuse in a little 16 foot woodie. Those days the canal was on austerity budget and one attendant would man up to 3 bridges if they weren't too far apart. They used canal authority vehicles to go from one to the other.

On our way back, with a job starting the very next day, we sorta got caught up in Rochester talking to a couple girls on the pier. Anyways, I had to make up time so we could make the last set of locks before they closed for the day. Coming around the last turn before the last bridge at 30 mph the bridge attendant caught me and would not raise the bridge.

Laying across the front deck I was able to ease the windshield under each bridge beam and we made it! My last view of the guy was him waiving his arms and screaming just after I dumped the throttle.

That was 48 years ago. I grew up on the canal. All the water cops knew me. I guess the bridge guy didn't. In any event, I drive much calmer these days, especially with the help of 4-stroke engines.

(The rest of the story is that I DID in fact start work the next day, and met my wife-to-be a few weeks later. Our first date was on that woodie.)

 

[Mischief Managed]

Those days the canal was on austerity budget and one attendant would man up to 3 bridges if they weren't too far apart. They used canal authority vehicles to go from one to the other.

I think the canal authority still uses one bridge attendant for multiple bridges. We saw the same attendant at Gasport and the next three lift bridges east of there earlier this year. This was shortly after the canal started to open for the season and on a weekday, so maybe it was a function of the light boat traffic (ours was the only boat traveling on that part of the canal at that time.

 

[four winns 214]

......if you try to make up time by speeding, they will know you got there too early and may give you a hassle and not open the bridge.....

They will absolutely do that so don’t speed.

We cruised the western half of the Erie Canal to Buffalo (actually Tonawanda is the terminus of the canal) and really enjoyed it. We launched our Ranger Tug R-27 and started at Bennet’s Marine at the top of Seneca Lake and cruised the Cayuga-Seneca Canal before joining the Erie Canal. We overnighted at Seneca Falls on the Cayuga-Seneca. It’s worth a side trip off the Erie.

 

[JimS123]

They will absolutely do that so don’t speed.

We cruised the western half of the Erie Canal to Buffalo (actually Tonawanda is the terminus of the canal) and really enjoyed it. We launched our Ranger Tug R-27 and started at Bennet’s Marine at the top of Seneca Lake and cruised the Cayuga-Seneca Canal before joining the Erie Canal. We overnighted at Seneca Falls on the Cayuga-Seneca. It’s worth a side trip off the Erie.

I'll second that. The Finger Lakes are an awesome venue in itself. Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake are both easily accessible off the Erie Canal. Only 1 lock in between and no more than a mile or 2.

The original terminus of the Erie Canal was in downtown Buffalo. Back in the day there was no access to the canal in Tonawanda. The Buffalo to Tonawanda section was eliminated something like 100 years ago. If you traverse the Niagara River from Tonawanda to Buffalo, you'll see flat lands on the East bank of the Niagara, which contains parks, launch ramps, etc. That was the original canal, and it was filled in eons ago when the canal was upgraded.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

If it were me and i wanted to go to Niagara falls, I would simply dock there and call Uber. There isn't much dockage between the Tonawandas and the big drop.

Bring your Passport and cross the Rainbow bridge and take in the Falls from our Canuck side. Much more to do and see. I don't know if Uber will take you across but if they don't just walk across. It is a short walk to the action on the Canadian side. If you are into the Casino thing we have 2 full blown Casinos, not just the slots. Then there is Clifton Hill. Just stay away from those Niagara Falls souvenirs made in China and Viet Nam.

 

[JimS123]

If you want to see a panoramic view of both Niagara AND the Canadian Falls, walk over the bridge. Also, go there is you want awesome hotels and restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. Also they have the best landscaping and awesome gardens.

If you just want to see BOTH falls close up,and personal, stay in NY. No hassle with customs.

If you are into casinos (for whatever reason) NY has one that will take your money just as bad as the ones in Ontario and you won't have to walk that far.

 

[Wave34]

Since I always like to have a 'Plan B', I was looking for transportation in case of one of us breaks down somewhere along the canal and someone needs to go back to Picton or Kingston to pick up the truck and trailer.

Google maps doesn't find a route with public transportation.
And bus companies, like Greyhound, Coach etc, don't seem to go along the canal.
And there is no ferry crossing Lake Ontario.

What would be the best to do? Have the boat fixed by a marina along the way and get ripped off, plus hotels, delays etc or take multiple taxis, or Ubert?

I know there is a bus leaving from Niagara Falls to Toronto, then Montreal, but I don't know if it stops in Kingston. But that doesn't help if we have problems along the canal. We will be 3 boat.

Other than buying a house and stay there, what options exist?

 

[JimS123]

Boy, tough questions! To say the ride along the Erie Canal is going thru the boondocks is putting it mildly.

I only have experience between Syracuse and Buffalo. The repair facilities are few and far between. There are some launch ramps, but they are not abundant either.

Depending upon the location of the breakdown it may require a long tow.

My only suggestion would be to do a lot of PMs before the trip and pack a lot of spare parts. Write down the numbers for Sea Tow. Have all 3 boats prepared for towing.

Maybe call Sea Tow's 800 number now and ask them what facilities might be available.

I would be more concerned if I were alone. At least you have friends close by.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

JimS123. I'm going to assume Canal Fest has been cancelled or postponed latter in summer. Maybe next year Jim. I have a few boxes of stuff I ordered and sent to my Uncle's on Bryant street, it will be there for a while. No Muskellunge Lake NY trip this year. Over a 60 year tradition for my family. It started after the war for my older Cousins, Uncles and Great Uncles. Some years we even went fishing.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

You could cross into Canada and take the GO Train transit ( busses to Oakville ON) all the way to Kingston, I've done it a few times to get to Kngston, not cheap. Renting a vehicle in Niagara and driving the Q.E.W, to the 403 then 401 to Kingston would be less expensive and a few hours faster, about 5 hours. That was a few days ago, now you can't cross into Canada since the Canadian border is closed to all non essential crossings. Getting to your boat isn't essential, yet. Hopefully soon things will get better, can't get much worse.