Bringing your boat to Tahoe
The boat
We have a 23' open-bow Chaparral speed boat. With a deep V-hull, powerful 7.2 liter V-8 engine, seating for 10 and, most importantly, an enclosed head, it's the perfect boat for cruising Lake Tahoe. We trailered our boat from San Diego to Tahoe for five seasons until we bought our vacation home in 2010. Now it winters in a Reno storage garage and I don't have to worry about the trailer breaking down on a 12-hour trip that includes a 7,000 foot climb up the Sierra.
Why we love boating on Tahoe
So here's where you label us "snobs". We started out as sailors in 1985 on San Diego Bay, and we love being out on a sail or powerboat on the bay or ocean. We're not, however, real fond of the Southern California small-powerboat scene. It's mostly on small lakes or on the Colorado River and the big river lakes such as Havasu, Mead and Mojave. The lakes are set in a sort of moonscape, surrounded as they are by the desert, and there is a lot of excessive speed in crowded waterways, drinking, cussing and general craziness. The lakeshore accomodations aren't much, the dining is limited and the weather is, well, damn hot and often windy. Then we went to Tahoe.
Tahoe is huge. 27 miles long and almost as wide, with legendary water clarity. The scenery along the shore and the surrounding Sierra peaks ranges from beautiful to spectacular. You can cruise the shoreline and gape at the lakefront homes of gazillionaires or enjoy quiet anchorages at numerous California and Nevada state parks. If you want solitude, head offshore and you'll feel as if you're making a solo trans-Pacific voyage. You can bring your own lunch and find a completely private cove to enjoy it in, or choose any one of nine good restaurants around the lake where you can find a lunch-time mooring with shore boat service (don't try this on July 4 weekend unless you arrive really, really early).
OK, the water is cold. If all you want to do is drink beer and swim off the back of your boat, stick to the So Cal desert lakes. Wetsuits are advised for serious wakeboarding or water-skiing. And it gets rough most summer afternoons. That's why I prefer a multi-purpose boat with a deep V-hull to a ski boat on Tahoe. Serious skiers get out by 8am when while the lake is like glass, or wait until the winds die down, usually after 6pm.
Advice for first-time boaters
1. Your boat gets inspected before it is allowed on the lake. The cost is around $75. Be sure the boat is covered to keep it dry and be certain to air dry the bilge and all compartments before pulling in for inspection. If the bilge is wet or oily, you will have a problem.
2. Know where you will keep your boat. Parking along the highway near the lake will not work for more than a day. There is parking at boat ramps, but it is very limited. There are no big "trailer lots" at Tahoe. If you are staying at a private home or hotel, ask about trailer parking before you make a reservation.
3. There are boat ramps, public and private, all around the lake. They are not free. They are not 24/7. At some places your boat can only be launched by a marina bull (fork lift).
4. Have a GPS and a map on your boat. It is very, very easy to get lost on the lake and spotting your mooring or ramp from a mile out is not easy. Know its GPS coordinates so you can get back to it.
5. Have a radio and a cell-phone. The US Coast Guard has a base on Tahoe and monitors VHF channel 16; so do a half-dozen police agencies around the lake.
6. Pay attention to the weather, particularly storm clouds gathering over the mountain peaks. It's a big lake and it can get very rough, very fast.
7. Going to lunch? Great. You'll want to motor very slowly towards the restaurant dock and hail the guys running the shore boat. They will tell you what mooring bouy to use, assist you in tying up to the bouy and take you to shore. They work for tips.
8. Biggest attractions: Motoring through Emerald Bay on the Southwest shore or throwing an anchor in Sand Harbor on the Northeast shore. Hungry? Lunch at Sunnyside, south of Tahoe City, is hard to beat. Garwoods on the North Shore is very popular, and Camp Richardson at South Lake is like a huge family summer-camp but with a lively bar scene. It's all good.