NW Inland Freshwater Rendezvous????

Lake Chelan is an extremely beautiful place.
I always go all the way back to Stehekin, you just need to be aware of the weather because the waves can get very bad.
It's the third deepest lake in the US.
This is this past August, we went with Jim (Sundancer)
20210826_184710.jpg
and his wife.
 
Ok, so this might be a stretch. As I am here listening to the methodical thumping of my embroidery machine, do we all own Sundancers? Well all but GFC. How about a PNW Sundancer owners something? A patch or jacket back or even a jacket back stitched to flags? Like a compass rose with a red pointer to the PNW and the script of "Sundancer Owners of the PNW" or "PNW Sundancer Owners"? Anybody with thoughts on this? I have this big machine thumping away and it gets me thinking. And I only have three weeks of work backed up all of a sudden.
 
Gofirstclass said:
I like it, and as a former owner of two different 330's does that entitle me to entry into this exclusive club?
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I believe it absolutely does especially if you are still a Tri-Cities yacht club rendezvous point if we decide to make a Snake/ Colombia river run. LOL
 
@Sundancer, you can ignore the PM I sent you. I just found this thread. I'm game! All I need to do is figure out how to get through Idaho and Washington with the extra-wide boat behind.
Yes, it is hot through August, especially with Lewiston being low in a canyon. "It's a dry heat". I would think around the first week or two into September would work well. Let's see; we can tow the boat and drive one car down to Lewiston and drop off the boat, drive both car and truck/trailer down to the Tri-Cities (or wherever), drop off the truck/trailer, drive the car back up to Lewiston, float the boat down to the truck, haul the boat back up to Lewiston where we pick up the car, then drive home. Simple!
 
JHornsby3 said:
How about a PNW Sundancer owners something? A patch or jacket back or even a jacket back stitched to flags? Like a compass rose with a red pointer to the PNW and the script of "Sundancer Owners of the PNW" or "PNW Sundancer Owners"?
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Fantastic! Let's do a bit of searching for like artwork and post back here.
 
Nater, it's pretty easy to get an oversized load permit for Washington State.
It's all done online, and it's $20 for a 30 day period.
 
From Lewiston to Tri-Cities? Well thats like buying the cow and only getting to sniff the milk. (trying to keep it clean as I almost typed something else) Need to come on down further and experience The Dalles with it's wind waves and all.

I have a design I will throw out as soon as I can find someone that can draw it out. I can stitch it. I can think it out. But don't ask me to draw anything other than caveman type stick figures.
 
JHornsby3 said:
From Lewiston to Tri-Cities? Well thats like buying the cow and only getting to sniff the milk. (trying to keep it clean as I almost typed something else) Need to come on down further and experience The Dalles with it's wind waves and all.

I have a design I will throw out as soon as I can find someone that can draw it out. I can stitch it. I can think it out. But don't ask me to draw anything other than caveman type stick figures.
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Send it my way. My oldest is an absolute whiz at that kind of thing. She does it on her iPad and iPen.
 
JHornsby3 said:
From Lewiston to Tri-Cities? Well thats like buying the cow and only getting to sniff the milk. (trying to keep it clean as I almost typed something else) Need to come on down further and experience The Dalles with it's wind waves and all.

I have a design I will throw out as soon as I can find someone that can draw it out. I can stitch it. I can think it out. But don't ask me to draw anything other than caveman type stick figures.
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Lol, The Dalles, where everyone windsurfs.
Great boating weather!
 
Nater Potater said:
@Sundancer, you can ignore the PM I sent you. I just found this thread. I'm game! All I need to do is figure out how to get through Idaho and Washington with the extra-wide boat behind.
Yes, it is hot through August, especially with Lewiston being low in a canyon. "It's a dry heat". I would think around the first week or two into September would work well. Let's see; we can tow the boat and drive one car down to Lewiston and drop off the boat, drive both car and truck/trailer down to the Tri-Cities (or wherever), drop off the truck/trailer, drive the car back up to Lewiston, float the boat down to the truck, haul the boat back up to Lewiston where we pick up the car, then drive home. Simple!
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Nater,

We have a few options up our sleeve! I have friends in Lewiston and Mike (GoFirstClass) has mentioned he "knows" someone that might drive us back up to Lewiston to start the trip for a few beers when we get back to Tri-Cities to share our trip stories! I know I'd pitch in for mileage, gas, beer, whatever it takes to have him drive us to Lewiston! I think it would make it a lot easier knowing our trailers are waiting for us when we get there.

September would be a good time to go and Wyrman has it, it's only $20 for a 30 day WA Oversized permit. As you probably know, Idaho is only $50 for the year or used to be anyway. I don't think I bought one last year since we didn't hit Priest or Lake Pend Oreille. It's pretty easy and can be done online. I can assist or send my docs as an example if it helps. I'm still planning on a trip to Lake Pend Oreille and will keep you posted when those dates get firmed up. Might be the week before or after Memorial Day, but it's a little early at this point.
 
wyrman said:
Lol, The Dalles, where everyone windsurfs.
Great boating weather!
Click to expand...

I have a buddy that comes up and races a Cal20 singlehanded there every year. He said the winds can get harry but he has never had an issue just slicing through those waves. He is one of those that always gives me crap about buying fuel. Until his little outboard crapped out on him. He hasn't mentioned it in a few months now.

He is talking about running the singlehanded to the islands in 2022. I think some of those blow boat guys are a bubble off plumb.
 
Nathan, as you probably know, towing an over-width load with a beam the size of the 330 on the freeway doesn't require pilot cars. You mentioned in another thread that you're just off the freeway where you live so if I were in your shoes I'd just sneak from where the boat is to the freeway then you're home free.

The freeway brings you all the way into the Tri Cities and within a couple of miles of a place you can tow to and overnight on the boat while it sits on the trailer. To see that on a map, search for Kennewick, WA then follow the river shore to Clover Island. It's just downstream from the SR395 bridge about a mile or so.

BTW, here's a video I shot a couple of years ago in an area on the Columbia that is downstream from The Dalles, between there and Bonneville Dam. Fun times!
 
Gofirstclass said:
Nathan, as you probably know, towing an over-width load with a beam the size of the 330 on the freeway doesn't require pilot cars. You mentioned in another thread that you're just off the freeway where you live so if I were in your shoes I'd just sneak from where the boat is to the freeway then you're home free.
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Yes there is roads that require a pilot car. And it depends on the road. But there is some around me that require a pilot for anything over 9' wide. And it it required on most loads with a total length over 70'. I fell in under that by 3". And it's the same in Idaho. There is some roads, like highway 93, that you have to have a pilot on for anything over 8'6" wide. And for the life of me, I don't understand why this is. Some of those restricted roads are just fine. While some that have nothing for a requirement, should be bridged.

As for running I-84 from Ontario to Pendleton, now that would be a crap shoot. That is some of the most patroled stretches of road around. More so between Hermiston and Pendleton, with Cabbage being the big draw. And I don't know about going down the other side with surge brakes. Hell it was spooky enough with the jake brake on a 2018 International and 27k lbs. I just don't know that system and how it works yet. I can't really feel anything on mine.
 
JHornsby3 said:
As for running I-84 from Ontario to Pendleton, now that would be a crap shoot. That is some of the most patroled stretches of road around. More so between Hermiston and Pendleton, with Cabbage being the big draw. .
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I-84 isn't a problem if you have the permits, the signage and the orange flags on your widest part of the beam. You're legal then and the cops won't mess with you.

When I had my 330 I towed it all over the place, even going through the Seattle/Bellevue area going to and from the San Juans. We did sneak from Mt. Vernon to Anacortes but did it at night because it's a 2-lane. We parked at the rest area near Mt. Vernon and slept on the boat until until about 11:00 p.m. then headed to Anacortes. When we got there we parked in the parking lot of the Safeway and again slept on the boat. We launched at Cap Sante Marine and had a good 2 weeks in the San Juans. Great trip.
 
Im out of the know for up north. I've never pulled anything up there. I have tried to sneak around Boise at night on a Sunday. Only had about a half mile to go to the site and the turbine wheel let loose in the turbo and shot out the stack and the compressor shot out the front and blew the top off the air cleaner. Sent it about 30 feet in the air. Made it 30 miles before that happened. Luckily I didn't get any tickets but they did do a level 1 inspection. I got very lucky.

Around here, no after dark and no Sundays at all. No holidays or specific days following. They don't mess around, around here. I've had conversations with the local trooper as he drooled over the boat in the driveway.
 
JHornsby3 said:
Yes there is roads that require a pilot car. And it depends on the road. But there is some around me that require a pilot for anything over 9' wide. And it it required on most loads with a total length over 70'. I fell in under that by 3". And it's the same in Idaho. There is some roads, like highway 93, that you have to have a pilot on for anything over 8'6" wide. And for the life of me, I don't understand why this is. Some of those restricted roads are just fine. While some that have nothing for a requirement, should be bridged.

As for running I-84 from Ontario to Pendleton, now that would be a crap shoot. That is some of the most patroled stretches of road around. More so between Hermiston and Pendleton, with Cabbage being the big draw. And I don't know about going down the other side with surge brakes. Hell it was spooky enough with the jake brake on a 2018 International and 27k lbs. I just don't know that system and how it works yet. I can't really feel anything on mine.
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Jhornsby,

I think some of the Idaho stuff changes based on construction. My boat is 11 feet wide and I've never run into the pilot car requirement. Here is a link that explains it and it could change between now and next year, but it looks like Pend Oreille and Priest are safe from Pilot cars. I know you are 11' 11" and should be OK as well.

PDFGate.aspx (permits4idaho.com)

I did miss a signs talking about a bridge that did NOT allow oversized loads. I drove from Priest River up towards Priest lake one year and found the bridge under construction. Fortunately my boat on the trailer was higher than the concrete barriers that had lights sitting on top of the concrete. My son was watching and he said were about an inch or two higher. I just concentrated on keeping it down the middle and watching the mirrors to make sure I was centered! That was a shorts changing moment! The folks behind me followed me all the way to the launch to see who was driving. They were nervous towing a regular boat through there and were sure we were going to hit something! I wasn't going to be denied a week at the lake! Our friends had rented a cabin up there and we were GOING!
 
The Oregon "laws" are based on the federal laws. Me being 10' someodd" wide, I am required a pilot on certain roads. Those are all state roads not federal highways. But, according to the state troopers, I am bound to the same federal laws as a commercial driver is bound by. Anything over 11' and longer than 70' in Oregon is to have a pilot car. Or just don't get caught.

ID state highway 93 is a pilot car road for anything over 8'6". Not that there is anything other than fat head, over paid folks up in Hailey. But, I wasn't sure about other roads around Idaho. Now, I never seen a single map out of Idaho about roads and requirements or closures. I get new maps about every week and during the summer I got two to three a week.

The way I understand it with the whole process is that there is only one difference between you and I. And for me it doesn't matter where I am. I hold a CDL A and so if I get a ticket, it's three times the posted amount. So if we both got stopped for the same thing, you ticket would be $100. Where mine would be $300. Unless it's a safety corridor then it would be doubled. And with a standard class, you can plea the "i had no clue" where I can't.

We have a lake not far from us. I want to take ours out there but the wife doesn't. I'd have to take farm roads for some of it. But the largest boats they get are around 20'. I want to do it just for the fun of taking the bigger boat and seeing the reactions. The wife doesn't see the same humor as I do. And we would have to leave and be home in the light, as we can't be on the roads after dark here.
 
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