2008 Rendezvous TN River?

Morpheus,
Hate to hear it, but like you said a lot can happen between now and July. Hope it works out that you can make it.
 
Okay I've finally read the whole thread *whew* ... I just emailed Euchee Resort for info on room/slip rates/options and will take care of reservations as soon as they reply.

I just Mapquested the trip to see how much longer it would take to go via Atlanta and stay on level roads. That will add a hundred miles to my trip, so it looks like "Mr Towinator" may be pulling through the Asheville/Knoxville mountain route. You guys can save all the towing jokes from a few pages back in this thread for me now, LOL. I'd better leave a day early if I want to get there in time
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Gerald,
Glad you are getting your room. I hate to say it but you may want to call Euchee for the Reservations. Talked with Mike from CSR Charleston trip and he is going to try and make it if he is not in the Bahamas. I'll try and keep the towing jokes down, but you know how this group is.:lol:
 
I can forsee the possibility of chugging up a couple of those passes between Asheville and Knoxville at about 40 mph and getting run over by one of you yahoos with 1 ton diesels pulling three tons at speeds way over the speed limit..... I may go ahead and drive the extra hundred miles and go via Atlanta; there's plenty of time between now and then to sort it out and make a decision.

I truly hope Mike can make it and join us. I did notice that he hasn't joined in on the thread about small boats going to the Bahamas LOL.
 
GJarrett said:
I truly hope Mike can make it and join us. .... I did notice that he hasn't joined in on the thread about small boats going to the Bahamas LOL.....
Click to expand...

I think he was just trying to be nice:lol:
 
Gerald with all of the improvements you have made to your Towinator the Saluda grade should be nothing for you. You did put a larger transmission cooler on the Towinator?
 
Gerald, put a dash cam on the Towinator and one on the Offroad dancer for the trip across the mountain. Might make for interesting viewing on Youtube! :thumbsup: Please be sure to pre-screen for expletive's :)smt013) before posting. :smt043
 
Oh brother.... you guys are going to have too much fun with me already and it's still a half year until we actually go on this adventure. :lol:

Paul, I've had a top-notch tranny cooler on this thing ever since I took a trip to Moab Utah in July one year and found myself rockcrawling vertical walls on extreme trails in 4x4 low in 116 degree weather. I've got a custom tranny cooler, oversize pan that holds extra fluid, and run Amsoil synthetic ATF which typically runs another 20 degrees or so cooler when the heat's on. I should be good to go for this one :smt001 It's that little 210hp gas engine with 200k miles on it that's gonna be strugglin' while huffin' and puffin' up that hill.

Richard I'll put some dash cams on my Christmas list but don't hold your breath LOL
 
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chuck1 said:
It is right at 78 miles and yes we pass through 2 locks. I'm figuring 3 +- hours each way, if we don't have long waits at the locks.
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I'm really excited about Thursday, but I think it may be a lot longer day than that. Over a dozen boats + a few fuel and/or cooling off/jumping in breaks + 2 locks has to equal at least 4 hours each way and probably longer than that. Add in the time we spend at Chattanooga and we're talking about a very long day. We'd better get an early start! :smt001

I also noted the suggestion for tshirts and I'm all for that idea again too. :thumbsup:
 
Yep Thursday is going to be great and long. I figure we should leave as close to 6:30/7:00AM as possible. Have everybody top off the fuel tanks the night before. Plan on running hard on the way down. Not sure how many of the boats will go. I'm sure some of the bigger and smaller boats will not go, but hitch a ride with some of the others. I know the 240s will not have a problem running at 35MPH so we should have a 2 to 2-1/2 hour run figure an hour for the locks. We are looking at 3 to 3-1/2+- hours. Should not have to fuel up on the way down. MM has a fuel dock at downtown Chattanooga. Not sure about the swimming on the way down. I figured we could do it on the way back. What do you all think??? Still waiting to hear what everybody wants to do in Chattanooga. I know the kids will like the Aquarium and 3d Movie. Heck the adults like it too. I've thrown out a couple ideas plus the links in the 1st message has some ideas too.
 
... + 2 locks .. each way ....
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How many of you have locked through before? The TN locks are pretty easy as locks go. No floating dock like the Charleston run and much bigger..
 
All locks on the Tennessee River operate 24 hours a day except the lock
at Fort Loudoun Dam that operates from 6AM to 10PM. All monitor VHF
channel 16.
Although lockmasters on the Tennessee are known for their friendliness, they
do enforce the rules. Cooperating with them will result in faster and easier
lockages.
The Secretary of the Army has established a priority for passing boats
through locks. U.S. Government vessels are at the top of the list followed
by commercial passenger vessels, commercial tows or vessels and pleasure
boats, in that order. Normally, locking through will take less than an hour.
But you might be delayed either by other boats with a higher priority being
locked through or by a large number of boats trying to lock through at the
same time. Be patient!
Stay in the navigation channel when you approach a lock. You can signal the
lockmaster by giving one long blast and one short blast with your horn, by
pulling the signal cord in the ladder recess near the end of the approach wall
or by calling on channel 16 that’s monitored by every lockmaster.
Obey the traffic signals. Flashing red means the lock can’t be made ready
immediately; stand clear and don’t attempt to enter the lock. Flashing amber
means the lock is being prepared; you may approach the lock guide wall but
don’t enter the lock. Flashing green means the lock is ready; you can enter
the lock. Also, the lockmaster will signal you to enter with a horn blast.
Remember that the lockmaster has full authority over the movement of boats
in and near the lock. If you willfully disobey orders, you could be cited or
even jailed for violating Federal regulations. That doesn’t happen often. But
when it does, liquor is most often the cause.
Be prepared. Make sure fenders are in place to prevent your boat from hitting
the lock wall. The person tending the lines must wear a lifejacket. Keep
everybody well inside your boat while locking through. For example, no one
should be sitting on the bow or swim platform.
Enter a lock at idle speed. If you don’t, your wake will cause rough water
inside the lock that will make it difficult not only for other boaters but also
for you.​
 
Once inside, you will be tying your boat to a floating mooring post also
called a bollard, recessed in the lock wall. There’s one way to tie up a boat in
a lock that works perfectly almost every time. Here’s how you do it:
Place two or three fenders so your boat won’t touch the wall even if it turns
at a slight angle. That means a fender a short distance from the bow, another
about a third of the way from the bow and the last one a short distance from
the stern. Then tie a line to a mid-ship cleat. Maneuver your boat until it’s
close to the wall and the floating mooring post is even with the cleat. Then
make two counterclockwise turns around the post with your line before tying
it off to the cleat.
Your boat is now free to pivot. As it does, the fenders will prevent it from
touching the wall. By taking two turns around the post instead of just one,
you will prevent excessive forward or backward movement of your boat.
Your line will stay cleaner because by being wrapped counterclockwise
around the post, it will come off the front of the post and hardly ever touch
the dirty lock walls.
If you have a smaller boat with no center cleat or if your boat has only a narrow
ledge along the side, tie a line to the bow cleat, run it the length of your
boat and tie it temporarily to the stern cleat. Do this before you enter the
lock. When you’re ready to tie up to the mooring post, untie the line from the
stern cleat, take the two counterclockwise turns around the post and tie off
the line to the cleat. You can do this from the cockpit.
Don’t panic and don’t get in a hurry if you have a problem getting your boat
properly positioned and tied up. Take your time and do it right.
You may be tempted to push against the grimy lock walls with your hands.
Don’t do it, even if you are wearing gloves. It’s much safer and cleaner to
use a boat hook.
Expect your boat to move around more when you’re locking upstream.
That’s because as the lock fills, water flows up, under and past your boat.
Generally, there is greater turbulence toward the center of the lock. When
you’re locking downstream, that won’t happen because water will be draining
from the lock.​

Important!
Locking is a relatively slow procedure but resist the temptation
to do something else while it’s happening. Keep close and constant watch on
fenders, boat position and the line extending from your boat to the floating
bollard.
There are no regulations requiring your engines and generators to be shut off
during lockage. But because locks, especially the smaller and deeper ones,
are relatively closed spaces, you may want to turn your engines off to prevent
buildup of exhaust fumes. Also, it’s best to avoid all open flames.
Keep your boat tied until the lockmaster gives the horn signal. Boats nearest
the exit should leave first. Use idle speed until you are well clear of the lock.
Here’s a list of the locks on the Tennessee River including the Melton Hill
Lock on the Clinch River. Refer to the Cruise Section for more information
regarding approaches to these locks. All locks operate 24 hours except as
noted.
LOCK CHAMBER NORMAL
DAM DIMENSIONS LIFT TELEPHONE
Kentucky 600’ X 110’ 57’ 270-362-4226
Pickwick Main 1000’ X 110’ 55’ 731-925-2334
Pickwick Auxiliary 600’ X 110’
Wilson* 600’ X 110’ 93’ 256-764-5226
Wheeler Main 600’ X 110’ 48’ 256-247-3311
Wheeler Auxiliary 400’ X 60’
Guntersville Main 600’ X 110’ 39’ 256-582-3263
Guntersville Auxiliary 360’ X 60’
Nickajack 600’ X 110’ 39’ 423-942-3985

The two we will go through on the Chattanooga run
Chickamauga 360’ X 60’ 48’ 423-875-6230
Watts Bar 360’ X 60’ 59’ 423-334-3522​

Fort Loudoun** 360’ X 60’ 72’ 865-986-2762
Melton Hill*** 400’ X 75’ 60’ 865-986-2610​
* Auxiliary lock used only in emergency
** Operates only 6AM to 10PM.
*** Lockage must be arranged through the
lockmaster at Ft. Loudon Lock & Dam.​


As you can see we are going to be going through 2 of the small one.
Hope this helps.​


​
 
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Hey Pirate,
Just wanted to make sure you are going to bring your clothe line with you since we are going to need a place to dry the towels. :lol:Gary will not bring his.:smt043
 
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SeaRide said:
Chuck,

Do you have a rough idea of the distance between bollards?
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I'm thinking somewhere between 50' and 100' between them. The easy way to lock with a large group is let a bigger boat go in first to the front bollard after they are tied off to it let a couple smaller boat go and raft off it. Then do the next bollard back the same way. The TVA/CORE does not like to have boats pass in the lock. If I remember correctly we had 4 wide on some bollards last time I locked though with a big group.
No floating dock like the Charleston run (Boy that sure could spoil a person)
 
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Generally, the lock master will assign you a bollard # just before you enter the lock. It is easiest to find the poor guy with the largest boat and make him tie to the bollard and then raft off of him. Polite 'rafters' offer to help with boat hooks, etc. against the lock wall. :thumbsup:
 
Chuck,

The floating dock is pretty slick and makes a lot of sense for pleasure boaters, may not work so well for commercial traffic.
 
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