Biggest boat you've seen on a lake or river?

Last summer I had a friend of mine tow my boat up to Three Lakes, WI. My boat is a 25' Baja 25 Outlaw. I was the biggest boat on the     Three Lakes Chain. It handled it very well. Most of the time I was doing 50 to 60 mph. People thought my boat was huge. A couple of times I was able to get my top speed of 70 mph. Going through the thoroughfares was not a problem at all. The same goes for turning. I would like to get a boat lift and keep my boat at my parents place. I like the Three Lakes Chain more than I do the Illinois Chain. Let's just say less no wake zones, cleaner water, less crowded, and don't have to deal with the floods. I'm stuck with the Illinois Chain for right now.   

davidg wrote: I saw a big old WWII PT boat of some some sort up on Green Lake. It had one, possibly twin Detroit Diesels....and a tube on the back too I would guess it was 45' long. It certainly gets attention as it pulls into the harbor up there. Lake Geneva has some pretty big tour boats, but, I will assume those don't count.

Here's the boat Dave's talking about.



We passed a few big boats at last year's SJRR. Not much fun passing them on the alligator infested water with skiers in tow!

That camouflaged boat used to be up on lake Winnipesaukee in NH. Its some kind of river patrol boat, possibly a swift boat, not a PT boat. Smalles PT was 70 feet longest was 80, and most were 78 feet long. vast majority were by Higgins in New Orleans, or ELCO. Higgins also made the landing crafts used during D-day in 1944.

I have seen over 100 foot house boats but an actual planning hull was about a 50 foot Outterlimits race boat. It was a triple 1075 Merc rig that sounded like the most amazing thing on the water ever. Yes, that's 3225 HP. He came out of the water a little bit right in front of where we were watching so we got to hear him come out of the throttle then bring all 3 of those monsters back to WOT. It was an impressive noise.

From what I can tell from some brief internet investigation, that boat at Green Lake is not any type of military craft. My guess is that it is some relatively normal civilian craft modded to look like one. I could be wrong, I will keep looking...

I have a friend in Estonia who has a small Soviet Navy boat that was used to shuttle high ranking officers from ships to shore. I can maybe ask him for a photo, it is a unique vessel.

This same friend also works on a large lake in Estonia that has an old ex-Soviet research vessel operating on it. He told me that it was powered by a Soviet tank engine and was extremely loud. Even though the lake (called Võrtsjärv) this boat operates on is large on a map (104 square miles), it is very very shallow (4-8 ft).



This lake also has a giant pontoon boat on it that must belong to Quinner because it's name is "Orgia" (I think you can guess what that means in Estonian).

I did see one really cool pontoon/BBQ party barge in Estonia as well. Looked to be a custom job perhaps.

I have to stop reading threads over lunch. You put me off my feed.

Gary S wrote: We have that CCF fan who lives in Lake Villa When he wants to surf,he moves the ladies to the back

Gary you deserve a beating for that, some things can't be unseen!

Jeff, I saw that too. I just wasn't so convinced it was the same hull. There are a few things that don't exactly match up, but I think you are probably correct.

I'd like to know the story behind that thing. Should have asked around at the Goose.

Haha, our problem is that there are too few photos of the one at GL. It is really hard to say. It could easily be that hull with lots of changes. Time for a field trip.

What I'd like to ride on is a Mark V SOC. Wow, these things are fast at 65+ knots!

Sometimes the best option might be "it didn't happen".

Nick,
If you bring that boat up north to the "rot'n gun club", I'll mention to the CCfan members what your nick name is!!! We have enough obnoxious boats on the chain already! BTW, why do own that boat anyway? Get a decent CC!!!    

Captain Nick wrote: So yes I would like to own 2 boats if that's possible.

The only limits I have found to boat ownership are the size of your bank account and tolerance of your significant other.

Captain Nick wrote: I didn't get hasseled one single bit by anyone at the Rod and Gun Club about my boat.

Anyone???

Grant,

Wow! That is so cool!

Nothing like catching the old "sea fever."