SEWI Tie-Ups, sandbars, etc??!!

[Blackhawk309]

Hello all,

New poster here and new to the boating family.

We recently purchased a pontoon and live in SEWI (near the Milwaukee area)

We are a younger 30’s couple looking to experience the more lively things surrounding boating.

Tie-Ups, sand bars, just overall good times with groups of people.

Would love some recommendations regarding which lakes to hit during the summer, how the boat launches are at that location, if they have a sandbar, etc.

Thanks again!
J

 

[WiskyDan]

Welcome to the forum.

I created this thread but it’s more east central - the Oshkosh area:

Thread 'Lake Winnebago (WI) chain - Coves/Sandbars/Restaurants/Bars'

Mar 28, 2021

** ORIGINAL LIST OF SANDBARS/COVES WAS OUTDATED - SCROLL DOWN TO REPLY #17 FOR AN UPDATED LIST **​

• WiskyDan
• Replies: 54
• Forum: Wisconsin & Minnesota Region

• 

The only lake I’ve spent time on locally (I live in Jackson) is Big Cedar in West Bend - water is fairly clear but it’s small compared to the Lake Winnebago chain. There’s one bar/restaurant that you can reach by boat in the southwest corner (can’t remember the name) and the sandbar in the east central part of the lake is pretty festive. The trailer parking at the main boat ramp (west central part of lake) fills up fast on nice days so you need to get their early.

We did rent a slip at McKinley Marina in Milwaukee over the Labor Day weekend a couple of seasons and cruised the inner harbor and visited many of the bars/restaurants on the Milwaukee river.

 

[Van_in_wisco]

Welcome!

I agree w/Dan that Milwaukee inside the breakwater and up the river, especially around holidays. Lots of people and likely fireworks too! I'll also plug our home lake @ Okauchee. 4 different restaurants on the water w/public docking, two coves where people will be anchored all weekend, and an awesome atmosphere around the holidays. Boat launch options are tough with a small public launch that fills up fast or higher prices and very tight quarters at the Golden Mast launch.

 

[Blackhawk309]

Welcome!

I agree w/Dan that Milwaukee inside the breakwater and up the river, especially around holidays. Lots of people and likely fireworks too! I'll also plug our home lake @ Okauchee. 4 different restaurants on the water w/public docking, two coves where people will be anchored all weekend, and an awesome atmosphere around the holidays. Boat launch options are tough with a small public launch that fills up fast or higher prices and very tight quarters at the Golden Mast launch.

Thank you for the reply I appreciate it!! Few follow up questions if you don’t mind:

-For Okauchee, let’s assume the busiest weekend of the year, how early do you have to get to the public launch to essentially guarantee yourself a spot? If you show up and there are no spots left, can you still launch and say park elsewhere and have another car pick you up?
-How about Pewaukee? Lac La Belle, Little Muskego? I haven’t heard too much about them regarding my intended environments.

 

[Blackhawk309]

Welcome to the forum.

I created this thread but it’s more east central - the Oshkosh area:

Thread 'Lake Winnebago (WI) chain - Coves/Sandbars/Restaurants/Bars'

Mar 28, 2021

** ORIGINAL LIST OF SANDBARS/COVES WAS OUTDATED - SCROLL DOWN TO REPLY #17 FOR AN UPDATED LIST **​

• WiskyDan
• Replies: 54
• Forum: Wisconsin & Minnesota Region

• 

The only lake I’ve spent time on locally (I live in Jackson) is Big Cedar in West Bend - water is fairly clear but it’s small compared to the Lake Winnebago chain. There’s one bar/restaurant that you can reach by boat in the southwest corner (can’t remember the name) and the sandbar in the east central part of the lake is pretty festive. The trailer parking at the main boat ramp (west central part of lake) fills up fast on nice days so you need to get their early.

We did rent a slip at McKinley Marina in Milwaukee over the Labor Day weekend a couple of seasons and cruised the inner harbor and visited many of the bars/restaurants on the Milwaukee river.

Thank you for your comments! I responded below to another comment, if you have anything to add regarding my questions I’d appreciate your feedback!

 

[Van_in_wisco]

Thank you for the reply I appreciate it!! Few follow up questions if you don’t mind:

-For Okauchee, let’s assume the busiest weekend of the year, how early do you have to get to the public launch to essentially guarantee yourself a spot? If you show up and there are no spots left, can you still launch and say park elsewhere and have another car pick you up?
-How about Pewaukee? Lac La Belle, Little Muskego? I haven’t heard too much about them regarding my intended environments.

I have a slip at Okauchee so we don't deal with the launch very often, but I'd say from friends experience it'll need to be 9/10am or earlier on a busy weekend for public launch. Small amount of trailer parking and once it fills up they will often times have a security guard that won't allow anyone else to launch. You can come later but will probably need to launch at Golden Mast. More parking there but as I mentioned more expensive and it's a very tight launch to get in/out.

Pewaukee has a large launch on the west end. Some good spots but I tend to stay away as it gets very busy and for us jet boaters it's quite weedy. Little Muskego has an awesome sandbar right out in the middle you'll see everyone at during weekends. Smaller launch there so go earlier.

 

[SamClay]

Welcome!

I agree w/Dan that Milwaukee inside the breakwater and up the river, especially around holidays. Lots of people and likely fireworks too! I'll also plug our home lake @ Okauchee. 4 different restaurants on the water w/public docking, two coves where people will be anchored all weekend, and an awesome atmosphere around the holidays. Boat launch options are tough with a small public launch that fills up fast or higher prices and very tight quarters at the Golden Mast launch.

 

[SamClay]

Hello! We’re taking order of a Yamaha AR190 this weekend. Mostly plan to ski and tube on the local lakes but would also like to spend time on Lake Michigan but have questions. When I was a kid, we’d take our deep V Rinker from South Shore Marina to the Milwaukee River for some dock stopping and dinner. I’d love to do the same thing but heard that the small 190 may painful in rough water. Any ideas on if this trip will be a struggle in the small boat? Is it more about the ride quality (bumpy) than anything else? Also thought cruising around the summerfest/art museum grounds would be nice and maybe even just anchoring along the south shore shoreline inside the breakwater. Anyone have thoughts on this?
Thanks!!

 

[WiskyDan]

I grew up in Bay View and my buddies grand parents had a sail boat at the South Shore Yacht Club - those were good times.

If I’m not mistaken, isn’t the route from South Shore park to the mouth of the river beneath the Hoan bridge all inside of break walls? I was just looking at the satellite view from Apple Maps and it sure looks that way.

We have boated by the Summerfest grounds and the Art Museum area from the Hoan bridge up to McKinley Marina. It was fun but we enjoyed our time on the Milwaukee river more - even if it was no-wake the whole time.

I think your best bet if you want to anchor inside the break wall would be the beach at Bay View Park.

 

[drewkaree]

Hello! We’re taking order of a Yamaha AR190 this weekend. Mostly plan to ski and tube on the local lakes but would also like to spend time on Lake Michigan but have questions. When I was a kid, we’d take our deep V Rinker from South Shore Marina to the Milwaukee River for some dock stopping and dinner. I’d love to do the same thing but heard that the small 190 may painful in rough water. Any ideas on if this trip will be a struggle in the small boat? Is it more about the ride quality (bumpy) than anything else? Also thought cruising around the summerfest/art museum grounds would be nice and maybe even just anchoring along the south shore shoreline inside the breakwater. Anyone have thoughts on this?
Thanks!!

My father-in-law used to make the trek up the Milwaukee river often, in a 16' Sea Ray. I think your question is going to depend on how you like to ride, and you need to realize that the people telling you this ALSO base their opinions on how they like to ride. No reason you shouldn't be able to make it if a guy in a 16' boat can do it, so the expectations you set for what you're wanting to do will require you to do some planning so that you're NOT going out in weather that will create a crappy ride.

All of those things you're wanting to do can be done in a 190 just fine. If you find yourself experiencing a crappy ride, download one of several weather apps and ask @WiskyDan if he knows what the weather will be like in 38 days

Bad weather - wind/rain/snow/etc - will affect ANY boat. National Weather Service will give you wave action and future weather report so you can figure this out. Once you get the hang of how to operate your boat, as long as seasickness isn't an issue, you should be able to manage just fine, even in crap weather.

 

[WiskyDan]

All of those things you're wanting to do can be done in a 190 just fine. If you find yourself experiencing a crappy ride, download one of several weather apps and ask @WiskyDan if he knows what the weather will be like in 38 days

I’ve turned into Farmers Almanac when it comes to weather/wind…….and not in a good way.

@Cleveland Steamer is our Lake Michigan expert but I’m not sure if he boats south of the Hoan bridge down towards Bay View?

 

[SamClay]

Haha! Great feedback, thanks!

 

[Van_in_wisco]

Hello! We’re taking order of a Yamaha AR190 this weekend. Mostly plan to ski and tube on the local lakes but would also like to spend time on Lake Michigan but have questions. When I was a kid, we’d take our deep V Rinker from South Shore Marina to the Milwaukee River for some dock stopping and dinner. I’d love to do the same thing but heard that the small 190 may painful in rough water. Any ideas on if this trip will be a struggle in the small boat? Is it more about the ride quality (bumpy) than anything else? Also thought cruising around the summerfest/art museum grounds would be nice and maybe even just anchoring along the south shore shoreline inside the breakwater. Anyone have thoughts on this?
Thanks!!

You can go everywhere you'd like inside the breakwater, it runs up to McKinley Marina. When I had a pontoon years ago I slipped it down there. The days where the water was too choppy to go out the weather was crappy enough for it not to be a problem anyways. Sunny days and clear nights will have the water calm enough for the 19ft. If the wind isn't bad try launching at the River Front Launch Site on Water St. It'll put your right into the river almost under the Hoan bridge. McKinley is a good launch spot as well, lots of ramps.