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Next time I do it ill snap a pitc. I welded a reciever hitch on under the bumper. The low range 4x4 has a lot of grunt, but dont try pulling it out at low tide with a full water tank. It may be able to do it but its pretty hard on the transfer case I would guess.

My sammy once pulled my motor home out of trouble when it got stuck in a ditch. I use the sammy as a land dingy, hunt veh. Its a neat little work horse. Its not a jeep or big monster 4x4 but its like a atv you can drive on the street.

I might have gave the wrong impression, I use my ford truck for the most part. but I have used the sammy.

I like the tem "land dingy"... that's a pretty good description. Thanks for the fun post. It brought back a memory from when we lived on the Texas coast -- and I used my little Samurai to pull a big full size van off a sand dune.... impressing numerous onlookers. That was truly a splendid day at the beach.

There is dry storage at Sunset Aquatic Marina in Huntington Beach. There is a waiting list. You do have to lower the mast some to go under the PCH bridge when exiting and entering the marina. I moved my sailboat there July 1st. Mac 26D rent is $125 per month. Storing it there eliminates having to pay $10 every time I launch and I can keep the mast up and the motor on. Electricity and water available within 3 feet of the boat. Bathrooms with showers and washing machines are accessible with an electronic key with a $35 deposit, refundable when turned in. And no more trailering it down the freeway. Launch Ramp is inside the storage area.

Welcome to the Board Isabelle

Do you have to put it in the water yourself at the Sunset Aquatic Marina? or does the facility do it for you? If they don't do it for you, then you still have to bring your tow vehicle down to the boat.

Rich

Isnt this the place BK was trying to get out of? IIRC the Navy controlled the times of transit thru the channel. Had to be out before a time and back in before a time, otherwise you were SOL. BK is that correct?

Yep. To reach Sunset Marina in Huntington Harbor, you have to go through the channel for the Seal Beach Naval Weapons station in Anaheim Bay. After 9/11 it was completely locked down, no traffic in or out, then restricted hours between 8:00am to 8:oopm. I think it has loosened up now, however rumors from fishing pages indicate that the Navy is very vigilant and you can expected to be hassled if you stray from the channel or do anything stupid. Also passage through the channel must be under engine power. No sailing or paddling.

The launch ramp is also not for the faint of heart. There is a narrow channel in that is usually crowded and the ramp is exposed to side winds gusting over 25mph in the spring. If you miss the dock you are in the mud. You must also lower your mast to pass under the PCH bridge then raise it again in the channel before you end up in open and often choppy pacific.

I live a whoping ten minutes from Sunset Marina but usually launch out of Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, 30 minutes away.

I believe there is mast up dry storage at the Dunes in Newport Beach but have heard the prices there are astronomical. I would be interested in any info on dry storage in Dana Point though. There might be some in the San Pedro area. Does anyone know?

Theo

From what I have gathered so far, the city of long beach controls all the marinas and there is no dry storage for boats over 25 feet, including the trailer. That said, there are private companies that have space on some of the huge loading docks. However, the only one I found costs about $225 a month. That is in Wilmington at:

COLONIAL YACHT & ANCHORAGE

Berth 204, Anchorage Rd., Wilmington, CA. 90744
Tel: 310 830-1161

$8 per foot

Dana Point has dry storage at Embarcadero Marina. It is also about $225 if you want them to put it in and take it out. It is about $150 if you have your own rig.

Hey Steve, are you going to Catalina on Sept 16th with Dave, Tim amd myself?
I was in HH Sunset marina for over a year and I would pass if you own a mac. The dropping of the mast at the bridge to get in and out is too big of a hassle. Hunt. Harbor is not for any sail boat and I do not know why I stayed so long.

Rick,
So when do I call you neighbor at Channel Islands Harbor? I didn't realize finding a mast-up storage where they splash the boat would be soooo much of a PITA.

Rich

BK, nice to hea from you...as it stands now...we wont make it. I failed retirement and have gone back to work full time. there is a statewide disaster drill scheduled for that friday which means I cant take off. Will be thinking about you though...any plans for next summer?

This has been an interesting topic and am thinking about taking my boat to these different harbors for a season since dry storage is available.

Steve, retirement is different. You think about the money a lot. My wife is still looking at going back to work but her computor industry is down right now. With these high gas prices people might not be going anywhere and might as well work.
Next summer; we just got back from seeing the Campbell River City area in BC and think this would be a good jumping off place to cruise the Desolution Sound. This city was alot bigger than I thought. Nice harbor. The ferry fron Victoria to Vancouver Island is 2/3rds less than the Washington State ferry. It would cost appox $80-100 each way on the ferry to Vancouver Island and then drive up to Campbell River City to launch. Campbell River City is right in the Desolution Sound area.
The Inside Passage is as calm as Puget Sound and think this would be another good trip in the future, I meet a Mac sailor up there who just finished 2 months doing the Inside Passage and he said the Mac did the trip with no problems. He also did 2 months in the Bahamas last year. I would like to get up in that area around August next year. What do you think about that date?

Rich,

Probably one of the next couple of weekends will be the day!! I am still bouncing back and forth between Marina Del Rey and Oxnard. I like the location of MDR better, but it does mean I need my vehicle. That is not so easy in the winter though since my van is often buried under 3 or 4 feet of snow. That makes Oxnard the better option... Should have purchased the 4X4 option pack, but nooooo...I am moving to Southern California, who needs 4 wheel drive....DOH! Good thing we have the Subaru.

Rick

Rick,

You mentioned that you live in the Big Bear area. We were up there a couple times last winter, yup needed every shred of traction our little 4X4 Exploder with chains could give us. But the lake up there looked intriguing for a Mac. Have you had your Mac in the lake up there? I am also a bit leary of lugging my Mac up there behind my little Exploder! I can see it literally blowing a gasket. Do you have your boat up there and how was it getting it up?

Theo

Theo,

I live pretty close to Big Bear in a town called Forest Falls, about 6500' elevation. I have not had the boat on Big Bear. There are several lakes up on the 'Rim of the world' road. A couple are bigger than Big Bear and might be a better candidate. There are always sailboats on the lake though and it looks pretty fun. I just have a hard time thinking about sailing on a lake. I like the ocean where you always know in the back of your mind that if you decided to say screw it all, you could just keep going... On a lake that would cause a bit of damage in a short period of time...

I have been hauling the boat back and forth from the ocean to my house though. I have a PleasureWay motorhome, which is just an e-350 Ford Van with a V-8 in it. I can only go up the hill to my house at 45 to 50 MPH, but it makes it just fine. If your explorer has a V-8 you shouldn't have a problem, but I wouldn't try it with a V-6 I don't think.

Rick

Rick,

It seems you and I are somewhat juxtaposed. I live by the Ocean and surf and sail in it weekly. I am very interested in getting my boat into some freshwater as a change of pace. Definitely one of the reasons I got a Mac.

Unfortunately, our little Exploder is just a 4.0litre V-6. It qualifies as a certified gutless wonder. It is a suprisingly capable stuff hauler and 4X4, but it is also a manual transmission with a much lower tow rating. I don,t think my first inland foray will involve an elevation gain of 6000' to 7000' on twisty mountain roads.

I am fairly familiar with the San Bernadino mountains and am pretty sure Big Bear Lake is the largest in the region. Lake Arrowhead is similar but all private boating is restricted to local homeowners. Most of the other lakes are just puddles. Lake Gregory is also private. The only other navigable lake is Silverwood at the bottom of the hill. Crawling with PWCs though.

An altrernative to mast up storage on the water might be an RV boat storage yard a short distance from a launch ramp. I believe fees would be much lower and give the flexibility of several launch points from Dana Point to MDR. Long beach also has a launch ramp near the Queen Mary where you do not need to pass under a bridge to reach the open ocean. Most of the other ramps in the area do; Newport Beach, both Huntington Harbor ramps, and Davies ramp in Alamitos Bay.

Theo