Possible Move to NJ - take the boat?

[tom5796]

Hi all - while we’ll miss the beautiful rivers, there is a very real chance that we might be moving from Oregon to New Jersey (Monmouth county area). We have a newer model 212 LS. Questions: take the boat? Trade for larger? Any advice regarding the boating scene in that area is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[D3nN1s]

We bounce between the Delaware River and Long Beach Island. River is dirty, but its 2 minutes to the ramp for me... Jersey Shore can be really nice, sandbars, ocean, etc... Not many lakes worth while, Hopatcong is really overcrowded and really small. In order to get the scenery we want we tend to drive North to NY for vacations, Lake George, Finger Lakes, Lake Placid... I guess I cant really complain there is a lot to do with a boat but you have to be willing trailer around.

 

[Stealth]

Welcome to NJ!!! It's a great place to live. The Jersey Shore is a great place to boat too. I currently have PWCs but laying the foundation for a 212 Limited. Delaware river and Atlantic City and South are my main destinations. Tons of boaters everywhere.

 

[seanmclean]

As said, great place to be a boater as long as you don't mind dragging it around. We slip on the Delaware, but pull it once or twice a season to check out stuff at the shore. Likely renting a house on the bay this summer for a week.

Monmouth County should have plenty of river to ocean access via the Navesink or a little south to Toms River. It's a hike from that way over to the Delaware (at least an hour), but lots of fun stuff to do. Water can get a bit full of debris after major storms (or all of 2018 since it never stopped raining), but otherwise quite nice.

 

[PeterB]

I was stationed at Sandy Hook Coast Guard station in Monmouth county, and later lived in Toms River one county further south. The Sandy Hook bay and Navesink are great areas as @seanmclean mentioned. The Ocean side can get a little sloppy and the inlets can get crazy at times just like any big water areas, but boats of all sizes have many options in NJ. We used to fish the canyon 200 miles off shore on a 42' sport fish so lots of things to do with bigger boats, but we had lots of fun with a 17' also. I'd bring the boat and learn the water, then trade up if you find the need/desire.
Good luck if you make the move!

 

[Emptytemples]

Hello NJ friends,

Anyone drop in at Buchanon Park Boat Ramp over the years? Via sattelite view, it looks ok. Curious how the river is from there to the bay? Getting the itch to explore Raritan, Navisink, Sandy Hook, etc now that we have the bigger boat. I saw a few restaurants on the east side of Staten Island that look easy to get to as well if we get really adventurous.

I like the lakes like Wallenpaupack, the blue Marsh Reservoir, etc but they are limited. I like to get out of the boat, stretch the legs, set up on a beach for a bit and let the kids play on the shore. That is one of the reasons I like OCMD. There is the sandbar by Hoopers and Assateague has been a family staple since I can remember. The lakes don't usually offer a shoreline to anchor at and walk in to the beach. With the 3 year old and 1 year old, it is almost a necessity to stop for a bit and play off the boat.

I'm also sort of afraid of the Delaware river with the youngsters. The one year old can't keep her fingers out of her mouth. I'm also solo as far as launching as the wife watches both kids while i'm launching and retreiving.

Any suggestions?

 

[Emptytemples]

Thinking about trying this Buchanon Boat ramp on Sunday and exploring Raritan to Sandy Hook area. Does anyone know if you can anchor on the West side of Sandy hook to access the beach?

 

[Skyhawk223]

Never went to Sandy Hook although interested in checking it out. I am over on Long island.

 

[Emptytemples]

So here's what I learned from this past weekend. The Buchanon Boat ramp in Sayreville, NJ is a nice enough ramp. Buchanan Park Boat Ramp · Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park, River Rd, Sayreville, NJ 08872. I probably won't use the ramp going forward. The Raritan River is pretty dirty. There were logs floating down the river, plastic, garbage etc. It was actually sort of sad to see. I sucked up a piece of plastic when I was getting towards the Parkway bridge. I did enjoy this ride though and maybe all of the extra stuff in the river was due to the historic rains we had over the last few weeks. The ramp itself was nice. It was $30 dollars to launch for the day, a bit pricey to use once. you also have the option to pay for an annual pass. There are water hook ups to utilize when you are done which I didn't know. Would have been nice to rinse the trailer off and possibly even flush the engines right there.

We got in the water around 10:30 or so and there was no line for the ramp. The ride out to the Raritan Bay was sweet because it was so flat and you wound around the river for a bit. Go under the Parkway and RT 35 or whatever that is and get into the Bay. It was still calm in the morning and not much boat traffic. I followed the channel for a bit but found out there was at least 15' of water all the way to Sandy Hook so I was closer to the shore. It took us about 50 minutes from the boat ramp to the beach. I cruised between 25 and 30 mph. We anchored at a spot off the tip of Sandy Hook but the beach wasn't too clean and was a bit worried about the water. We stuck around for a couple hours and were asked to leave from the Federales (Federal Park). There were plenty of other boats that were still anchored there enjoying the area.

There were some big boats, and ferries cruising around so it actually made our 25' seem a little small. Was very manageable though if you are confident enough.

Next time I'm going to consider using a ramp in Keansburg, Atlantic Highlands or somewhere in the Navasink and try that.

I'm planning on going Sunday unless weather or other plans change. If anyone will be around, let us know. Would like to find another beach, anchor for a bit, let the kids play in the water and relax.

Pics from last Sunday at the Hook. Didn't get any more but had inflatables in the water, umbrellas and chairs in the sand etc.

 

[Skyhawk223]

Why were you asked to leave?

 

[Emptytemples]

I believe he told me because it was part of the national parl or federal land or something all the way at the point. If you go toward Horseshoe Cove or further South, there are other areas. I just didn't make it that far. I'll be back out there Sunday near Horseshoe cove and exploring the Navasink River a bit with the family.