Minnesota Jetboaters

[shnknapp]

We are located in Woodbury and have had our boat for one year. Have not brought the boat on any lakes as we are about 10 minutes from the St. Croix. Haven't been out yet this year as the entire river is currently a no wake zone due to high water levels.

 

[Rakkaone187]

We are located in Woodbury and have had our boat for one year. Have not brought the boat on any lakes as we are about 10 minutes from the St. Croix. Haven't been out yet this year as the entire river is currently a no wake zone due to high water levels.

You are right, this years flooding continues to impact so many rivers and communities. On positive note, all of the water we’ve received has been been good for crops and replenishing last years drought.

 

[shnknapp]

You are right, this years flooding continues to impact so many rivers and communities. On positive note, all of the water we’ve received has been been good for crops and replenishing last years drought.

Good point. Once the water drops, we anticipate some good times on the water. Last year it got to the point were we were limited to where we could go on the river as the level was so low.

If you ever decide to hit the croix, let me know and I can give you suggestions on best place to launch.

 

[Rakkaone187]

Good point. Once the water drops, we anticipate some good times on the water. Last year it got to the point were we were limited to where we could go on the river as the level was so low.

If you ever decide to hit the croix, let me know and I can give you suggestions on best place to launch.

Many thanks. I’ll do that for sure!

 

[Rammrodd]

We are out of Rosemount. We used to do Prior but the limited ramps are dreadful once it gets nice. Not worth the stress. We go out with friends on Minnetonka occasionally. We mainly do the rivers. Launch at Jaycees park in Hastings or St Croix bluffs park to get on pool 3 of the Mississippi and the St Croix. Love heading down to Red Wing and pool 4 on the Mississippi. Tons of launch points in red wing and access to Lake Pepin as well.

With the river high we haven't got out there yet this year. May try our luck at Minnetonka on Monday.

 

[Jerlane]

I'd love to hear some tips about boating on the St. Croix. We've been once late in the fall two years ago. It was kind of goofy. The boat launch had no dock making boarding a challenge for some. The water also seemed really low and we actually hit a few sand bars. I had to get in the water to push us off a few times and the water was COLD! Other than that, the scenery was beautiful and I'd love to explore it more. I'd be interested in good launches and maybe places to stop or restaurants etc.

 

[Rammrodd]

If you are early or late enough in the season the docks could already be pulled out. Jaycees in Hastings is nice, no direct tie off dock but when the water is low enough there is an adjacent beach you can pull up on. The St Croix bluffs park launch is really nice. Only issues we have had there is when the water is low the bay gets shallow. My suggestion for river navigation is get the navionics boating app on your phone. $20 a year and is more responsive and detailed then the built in nav on the Yamahas. It's a must for us on the river.

 

[Jerlane]

If you are early or late enough in the season the docks could already be pulled out. Jaycees in Hastings is nice, no direct tie off dock but when the water is low enough there is an adjacent beach you can pull up on. The St Croix bluffs park launch is really nice. Only issues we have had there is when the water is low the bay gets shallow. My suggestion for river navigation is get the navionics boating app on your phone. $20 a year and is more responsive and detailed then the built in nav on the Yamahas. It's a must for us on the river.

Thanks for the info. I think the dock was out in 2020 due to COVID from what I heard. I didn't have Navionics at the time, but do now. I'm sure that will help.

 

[Julian]

FYI--the forum member map is something we want to work on - the version we are on is very limited and is only showing a tiny portion of active members.....sorry.

 

[shnknapp]

I'd love to hear some tips about boating on the St. Croix. We've been once late in the fall two years ago. It was kind of goofy. The boat launch had no dock making boarding a challenge for some. The water also seemed really low and we actually hit a few sand bars. I had to get in the water to push us off a few times and the water was COLD! Other than that, the scenery was beautiful and I'd love to explore it more. I'd be interested in good launches and maybe places to stop or restaurants etc.

We have a store and launch spot at Windmill marina which we pay $1500/year for. A little pricey for some but having the ability to leave our boat and launch without having to wait is worth it for us. They also let you pay per launch which I believe it's roughly $20. Some may scoff at that idea but I think it's worth it. Dock hands are extremely helpful and pay close attention when unloading/loading your boat. It should be note that Windmill is a no power ramp (unloading and loading is all done by ropes). I prefer that as less chance of newbies playing bumper boats.

As far as other options, the Hastings ramp is definitely a good option. Other than that, you have the bluffs, Hudson, Prescott or another DNR launch north of Stillwater. All of these ramps tend to get really busy and you can easily wait an hour or more to launch.

Being able to enjoy your time on the river is definitely dependent on the water levels. Towards the end of last season, we didn't even try Kinnikinnic pass and Stillwater was a bit sketchy with the low water levels. As far as places to eat, Prescott, Stillwater, and Hudson offer options within walking distance. Just need to be patient and wait for one of the city docks to open up. You can also eat in Afton but I was not impressed with the two options.

 

[Rakkaone187]

FYI--the forum member map is something we want to work on - the version we are on is very limited and is only showing a tiny portion of active members.....sorry.

No worries about the map. I’m just happy this forum exists. An updated map is the frosting on the cake, but not the cake itself.

 

[Rakkaone187]

We have a store and launch spot at Windmill marina which we pay $1500/year for. A little pricey for some but having the ability to leave our boat and launch without having to wait is worth it for us. They also let you pay per launch which I believe it's roughly $20. Some may scoff at that idea but I think it's worth it. Dock hands are extremely helpful and pay close attention when unloading/loading your boat. It should be note that Windmill is a no power ramp (unloading and loading is all done by ropes). I prefer that as less chance of newbies playing bumper boats.

As far as other options, the Hastings ramp is definitely a good option. Other than that, you have the bluffs, Hudson, Prescott or another DNR launch north of Stillwater. All of these ramps tend to get really busy and you can easily wait an hour or more to launch.

Being able to enjoy your time on the river is definitely dependent on the water levels. Towards the end of last season, we didn't even try Kinnikinnic pass and Stillwater was a bit sketchy with the low water levels. As far as places to eat, Prescott, Stillwater, and Hudson offer options within walking distance. Just need to be patient and wait for one of the city docks to open up. You can also eat in Afton but I was not impressed with the two options.

Paying for convenience isn’t a bad thing. Not sure how scoffing is productive. I can’t afford the bill but it doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea for those that value and can afford the convenience. Owning a boat itself is a luxury and we should all be fortunate and happy to have the means to do so.

 

[Rakkaone187]

I hope everybody has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.

 

[CA Sterling Archer]

Another MN boater here. We usually go to Lake Marion. It’s close, clean, quiet/not overly crowded, sand bars, and beach/park/playground. I’ve begun to see more jet boats on it the past few years.

Prior Lake is nice because it's bigger, more to explore and cruise. Having Charlie’s on Prior restaurant is a great plus. As the lakes get bigger, waves seem to as well. Not many water sports for us here.

St Croix can get choppy with the larger boats on it. Real fun to put in at Hastings and ride up to Stillwater. They have some free public docks (limited space for sure) behind the paddle boats to tie at and then you can easily walk around downtown.

Minnatonka is another huge Great Lake to explore with all the small bays. Big Island Nature Park is really fun to dock at and walk around on… it used to be the location of a carnival/fairgrounds from the 40s (?).


Lake Byllesby south of the cities used to be nice, but the last few years it’s seemed to get bad with algae, debris, and even sewage runoff.

With 10,000 lakes, plenty to do and explore here!!!

 

[RightStuff]

Big Island Nature Park is really fun to dock at and walk around on… it used to be the location of a carnival/fairgrounds from the 40s (?).

The amusement park was open from 1906-1911, crazy to think how long ago that was!
Big Island Park Wiki

 

[jetboater4life]

This is our first boat as well and it has been very user friendly. That’s one of the reasons we bought it. I have done all the work on it myself so far and haven’t needed to use a shop yet, so I can’t comment on that. In the fall I top the tank off and add marine Sta-bil and fog the engine. I’ve heard of people flushing with antifreeze, but it doesn’t seem to be necessary. I change the oil and spark plugs in the spring (might rethink changing oil in the fall instead).

I have been jetboating out of Rochester MN for 20 years. The first 10 started in 2002 with a 1997 twin engine 170hp 14' seadoo speedster. That thing was a rocket ship. We mainly ran it on Lake Zumbro, 15 mins north of Rochester. With my family of 5 growing we outgrew that little 4 seater jetboat and and after 9 months of researching and searching in 2012 I found my current 2010 Yamaha 212x. I have it on a lift on Lake Zumbro and we occasionally take it to the Mississippi or a twin cities lake. Once a year we take it up north to visit family on Island lake just north of Duluth over the fourth of July week.

My Yamaha has never been in the shop for the 10 years I have owned it except for a little fiberglass work from some damage the previous owner had done to the hull.

I change plugs every year if regular plugs and every few years if irridiums. I change oil in the fall so that it sits in fresh oil all winter. I fog each engine while my son dumps about 3/4 of a gallon of rv antifreeze into the flush port. It takes about 40 seconds per engine. I make sure to pinch off the water intake line so the antifreeze doesn't just run out the intake grate.

 

[Rakkaone187]

My family and I just spent 4th of July extended weekend tent camping and boating at Lake Itasca, Lake Bemidji and Lake Minnetonka. Itasca is great for fishing, very clean. Lake Bemidji has a nice large beach sandbar, also great for fishing. And of course Minnetonka was great, although there’s a lot of weedy floating that get chopped up by all the prop boats. In August I’m planning a trip to Mille Lacs Lake.

 

[Rakkaone187]

Took my kids out for the first tubing last weekend. We have two 4 year old (boy/girl) twins. My kids expressions being on the tube was magical. They were so happy and expressed how much they didn’t want to stop having fun at the end of an 8 hour boating day. Regardless of the type of boat someone has, it’s the act of spending time on the water in a boat with people that bring smiles.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Performed a search using member map to see how many members are in Minnesota. Results came up with 2. Based on the lower values I figured the map is not at all indicative of actual member numbers. So, how many members do we have on this forum that live in Minnesota?

I thought if you lived in Minnesota you had to buy an aluminum boat unless you got special permission to buy another type!

Not knocking aluminum boats, an Alumacraft Trophy 195 is on my short list for a new boat.

Jim

 

[Tark]

It’s fun to read about everyone’s experiences in Minnesota! We live in Rochester and have owned the jet boat for only one season. We had a blast with it. We spent time on the Mississippi River, Lake Zumbro, Lake Pepin, Lake Madison, and the Okoboji IA lakes. We hope to explore Red Wing on the water this summer. Any guidance, thoughts and ideas for that area would be much appreciated. Can’t wait for summer! Snow in the forecast for tomorrow…