port clinton, puttin bay, etc

[justgotaboat]

i will be staying in port clinton area for work a while. i have never boated in this area, however was thinking of bringing my boat out here for a while. How is lake erie to for boating? what can people recommend to do or not to do. areas to go to or stay away from. etc. I have a 2001 sea ray 245 weekender (24'). Am i biting off too much lake for a smaller boat? all the boats i see in the marinas around here are a lot bigger than me.

thanks for the help and input

 

[Planeguy]

There are many days when a 24 footer will work just fine. There are other days I won't take my 34 footer out! It all depends on the weather so be sure to listen to the marine weather and forecast. From Port Clinton you are a short boat ride over to Put In Bay on South Bass Island. It is known for its bars and restaurants. Weekends are very busy but during the week you would be fine.

 

[JimPend]

I have a 36 Trojan at Brands' Marina downtown Port Clinton. I agree with Planeguy above, the lake can turn bad real quick so a 24 ft. boat is ok as long as you watch the weather. It can turn into a 4-6ft chop in 20 minutes. It is a chop not rolling waves.
I like Kellys Island alot more than Put In Bay but everyone should try PIB at least once. Also if you bring your boat get a chart for the lake there are many reefs not marked out there, the whole west end is shallow, if you're in 30 ft. of water you're in deep water.
You might want to consider Brands' it's on the river and there is about a half mile of river you could use if the weather turns windy or bad.

 

[SLW]

I agree with the above. Be careful, but GO GET YOUR BOAT! Western Lake Erie is great for boating.

Put-In Bay is the village located on South Bass Island. (but at any given time, probably more than half of the people downtown think that Put-In Bay is the name of the island they're on) There are 4 mainland ports from which people can catch a ferry to get to Put-In Bay, but Port Clinton is by far the most popular. I can't imagine sitting in PC for too long watching thousands of people going to PIB before needing to see what the fuss is about. Since you'll already be in PC, you can easily just jump on the Jet-Express and check things out before venturing out alone. Note that there's only one way into the bay, so make sure you study charts - following locals can get you into trouble.

Even though the closest free lobster lives almost 1,000 miles away, The Boardwalk IS famous for their lobster bisque.

Rent a golf cart and explore the island. There are swim-up bars, regular bars, burger joints and nice restaurants. There are recent discussions here about dockage. Strategy is required on wkds. It's easy during the week, but you also won't get a feel for what PIB can really be like if you go on say a Wednesday.

Middle Bass Island has a brand-new marina with floating docks. That island doesn't offer golf cart rental though, so you have to walk or catch a shuttle to one of the two establishments on the island. It's quiet, quaint, a little cheesy even, but it's also close and easy.

Kelley's Island is larger than South Bass, but the village is considerably smaller and there are fewer dockage options. Like SBI, you can rent a golf cart to get around. You still won't go hungry or thirsty on Kelley's, and unlike SBI, Kelley's has a beautiful sandy beach (but it's on the far side of the island from the marinas and town)

I'm biased of course, but I think Cedar Point in Sandusky Bay is one of the best amusement parks in the country. Tons of overnight guest dockage and a day-wall if you just want a brief visit to eat.

There are also several other marinas with restaurants in Sandusky Bay, and a brand-new facility if you want to dock downtown and explore Sandusky itself.

Just on the other side of Catawba from Port Clinton are East Harbor and West Harbor. Plenty to explore. Marinas including Anchors Aweigh, Marina Del Isle and Gem Beach have restaurants accessible by boat.

Popular places to drop the hook include the beach in front of Cedar Point, the "sand bar" which is actually the end of the peninsula that dips from Marblehead into Sandusky Bay and the bay at the north end of Kelley's island (the before-mentioned sandy beach)

I really can't do the area justice in a single post. So back to step one: go get your boat!