Advise on moving boat from Brick, NJ

[Rich122]

Need some suggestions from you guys that boat the Barnaget area. Looks like the deal my friend made for an 04 380DA is going through. The boat is in Brick at the head of the Metedeconk River and we need to get it up to our marina (Haverstraw). I checked my charts and looks to be only 2 ways out. North through the Point Pleasant Canal and out the Manasquan Inlet (shortest route but unfamiliar with that water conditions) or down south to Baraget Inlet and back up the shoreline.

I've heard that bridge clearance and currents on the canal can be tricky?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

oh yeah...once out I do know the way home lol

Thx
Rich

 

[ImpulseIII]

Manasquan inlet is really the only reasonable choice. The PP canal is really not a problem for the 380. The water does get "confused" with all the wakes reverberating off the bulkheads but you have ample power and steerage way to overcome any problems. If you plan your trip on a week day, it becomes quite easy as there is limited traffic. You should have no problems.

 

[osd9]

Rich....go north.

The bridge clearances (there are two) in the PT. Pleasant Canal are a non-issue.

The only bridge that you will have to be concerned with is the RR bridge at the mouth of the Manasquan Inlet. Depending on the time of year and day of the week, that bridge is a royal PITA....it's only wide enough for one vessel at a time and EVERYBODY thinks it's their turn.

The currents in the PT. Pleasant Canal can get a a little tricky, but ever since the two bridges were replaced back in the '90s, the canal itself shouldn't pose a concern. The best is to plan the trip close to a slack tide....if not, go for an incoming tide (current against you). Having the current at your stern is the worst.

Going south to get out the Barnegat Inlet is WAY out your way....

 

[Alex F]

Rich,

I concur with statements above. I’ve done the canal many times on my 240DA during traffic hours and trust me it’s not an issue for 380 as it was a no issue for my 240. There’s enough room for two boats to get by from each direction. If the current get a little stronger kicking up the throttle just a little will keep you on course. As for the railroad bridge, I’m not an expert there, so what I do in this case I just go alone with the boat traffic. I wait in line with everyone and when the line I’m in starts crossing I simply follow. I think the only time there could be an issue if you’re the first boat and there’s a boat on the other side, which wants to bit you and be first. As one master instructor and CG chief said during safety course “If you’re not comfortable, don’t go and simply wait for the boat traffic clear up. Then take your time and cross that bridge at the pace that’s comfortable for you”. As Frank H. said, it’s best during weekdays to avoid congestion. I’m pretty sure this trip should be like a walk in the park for you (I’m assuming you’ll be coming along to help your friend).

Good luck,
Alex.

 

[osd9]

A few more points came to mind and I thought that I should bring them to your attention.....

I'm pretty sure you are talking about the '04 at Brennan's. If so, make sure you get good advise from the local guys there on how to get out into the Metedeconk from the marina. There will probably be some day markers missing from the winter to get you out of the 'marshes'. I haven't been back there since last year, but I know that if you go out of the channel, even a little bit, that you will be polishing the props. When you go for the sea trial (if you haven't already) pay close attention to how the captain went.

The next 'issue' is going to be once you get to the mouth of the river. There is a channel that loops around the west side of the Bay there and then goes up the north shore till it joins the ICW markers. That loop is marked with floating cans/nuns. I'm not sure if those markers are seasonal or not, and if so, they also may not be in yet.

Others who live/boat up in those parts may be able to shine some extra light.

When do you plan the trip?

 

[Rich122]

Thx guys, just what I was looking for.

Alex, correct I'll be going to give my friend a hand and most likely take her through the diffecult areas, but I always err on the side of caution and ask for local knowledge.

Dom, it is the blue hulled 380 at Brennans. Tom has been looking ever since he went out for a weekend last season on my 390DA (the bug! wants to get back into it.) and found this after a search up here failed to produce anything. He saw this (clean, spotless boat-105hrs on 8.1s) and after the prelim offer was accepted, the survey/oil analyses/seatrial is next. We took a ride this past weekend to show me the boat, and when I saw the name, I realized I knew the boat from Haverstraw, and the PO. I know this boat was dealer maintained by SS3 on the Hudson (dealer I use and buy from) and the PO took great care it her. Everthing should be settled by 1 or 2nd week in April. Looks like I might have to go on the seatrial and get the navagation info. Thx for the heads up on the markers.

ps: as for me. 10days 17hrs 4minutes to launch!!! I CANT WAIT

Rich

 

[rondds]

hi rich:
we're not a brennans but have been at green cove marina for 6 years, which is about 1/2 mile east of brennans way up the metedeconk. we always joke that if you can boat on barnegat bay, you can boat ANYWHERE and that which does not run you aground makes you stronger. you will see why. here's all the local knowledge i can provide you with. hope it helps!

first of all, as others have said, take the canal and manasquan inlet. barnegat inlet will add about 30 miles to your trip and that inlet is obscenely trecherous as well as insanely confusing, especially on a weekend. the canal is actually a very nice ride if you can do it on a weekday. my boat makes it under both bridges with 15' to spare and i dont drop any antennae. if possible, avoid the canal on a weekend, unless it is VERY early in the morning.

from brennans to where the river opens up is about a mile's ride through what we affectionately call "the sticks." if you havent seen these excuses for navigational aids, they are shaved tree branches with crappy wooden green squares and red triangles nailed to the top. like something out of the flintstones. by the early spring, most of them have been pulled out (by ice) or knocked down/broken off by careless boaters. they are replaced every spring, usually by june 1, and sometimes good samaritan boaters will drop a clorox bottle tied to a rock to help those of us who dont remember where the sticks were. the channel is curvey and the deep water (deep means 3ft or more) is NOT NECESSARILY in the center of the waterway so you'll need a navigator with a pair of binoculars.

often you'll come upon a solitary stick with the wooden colored shape part broken off. this is where the fun begins. all i can say is idle speed, and BACK OUT if you get stuck. depth sounders dont do much good when you are going from 3' to less than 2' in a matter of 10 yards. try and plan your trip to catch high water at TALL PINES CAMP - an east wind helps too, but you cant really plan for that. tide swing here is only about 6-9 inches, but with the right wind and a high tide you can net an extra foot! if it makes you feel any better, all the folks with SRs and wonderful prop pockets seem to fare well in these channels. people with bigger carvers/silvertons/etc. and outdrives have more trouble due to their increased draft.

once you're into the river proper, you can get up to cruise speed and make the 3 mile run east to the end of the river. expect depths from 5-9 feet. there are white no wake markers to your left as you exit "the sticks" and you pass the marina to your left (Wehrlen Bros) so give them a wide berth and mind your wake as you pass (many a boater has been "pulled over" for tossing the people at Wehrlens). there's a red marker a bit past the white ones (some years it isnt there for some reason) - keep it to your left. then a green a bit further east, then another gren. at the end of the river are wide-spread red and white floating buoys. head for the red, keeping it to your left and turn left (North) into another channel marked by floating buoys (red/green). do NOT stray - there is little to no water outside this channel. you'll hit a a sharp right turn which then takes you up to the ICW. once on the icw, it's no wake up to the canal. remember to keep ICW markers (big rusty poles with daymarks) where they belong. you are heading north so keep GREENS ON YOUR RIGHT, REDS ON YOUR LEFT. ICW is a bit funny - i guess they ran out of money b/c often there is only one pole. so keep if it is red, keep it on your left and hug it. the icw takes you right up the the canal entrance.

canal current can be a bit annoying when you are bucking it. it'll routinely reach about 6 knots so making headway requires a bit of throttle. it's nice to have slack tide of a following current, but i wouldnt plan the trip around the canal current. it is also a no wake zone and you may be surprised at how narrow a canal it is.

when you emerge into the manasquan river and start heading east (make a right), things are pretty well marked. remember you are still on the ICW so same red/green rules apply. watch along this river for no wake zones as well. and DO NOT MISS A MARKER. if you've looked at the chart, you know that outside the channel there is maybe a foot or two of water. be extremely careful and you will be fine.

when you get to the Brielle railroad bridge use caution. it is normally open but will close when a train needs it closed. it's almost too narrow for two boats to pass at one time and there is a point when you lose sight of oncoming traffic b/c of the way the channel approaches, so look beyond the bridge way in advance to spot any westbound boats and then go for it! FUN FUN!

when you get out the inlet, turn LEFT and from there on, you're on your own!

 

[fc3]

I launch my PWC from Forge Pond just a bit further inland from Brennans. Even in the channel, it's get out and walk deep. Or is that shallow? The markers are seasonal and locally maintained. Most are missing until some time in May. There's also some junk in the water. The lore is that there's an old refrigerator or something like that just off the channel. Probably had Jimmy Hoffa in it. This is New Jersey.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[rondds]

frank
that's NO legend! and it's IN the channel. my neighbor (owns a '03 320DA) hit it twice last summer and i was on my friends maxum 3300 SCR when he hit it. we were travelling at idle speed and the boat literally lifted up an inch or two when the drives hit it. no damage. we think it's a sofa since it seems to be soft. i've been over that spot probably 40 times last year and never encountered it. it wasnt worth mentioning in my "cruising guide" b/c there's no way to know when/where it is.

 

[fc3]

Maybe Jimmy pushed the boat out of his way when he was going from the sofa to the refrigerator. They just happened to catch him on a beer run and you didn't.

 

[rondds]

btw, the brielle bascule bridge has a 48ft horizontal clearance (3' vertical!). that means if you go through along with another 380da, you'll have 7' on either side of you! :wow:

 

[Rich122]

Rondds

Thanks, your response was very detailed. I haven't boated on Barnaget Bay in 20 years when I had my first boat (20' cuddy) in Baywood Marina. Grounded it once and after that never stayed from the channel again, but I always went south.

I will talk to Tom tonight, check my charts and as the time gets closer I'll post again. To me it seems the prudent choice would be to get a local captain, maybe only to the inlet, where he can catch a ride home, and we'll take it from there. Grounding my own boat would be bad enough, grounding someone elses is quite another. And embarrassing to boot! (or is it boat)

Thanks for all the great advise from all.

Hmmm.Anybody want to take a short ride in the spring?

ps:I hand it to all you Barnaget boaters. You just reminded me why, when I got #2 I moved up closer to home and started boating on the Sound.............DEEP WATER lol.

 

[ImpulseIII]

Boating on Barnegat Bay builds character and the boats bottom and props are always well polished!

I would think that Brennan's would offer help you get out into the river without you having to go through the expense of hiring a captain. Once you clear the "sticks" it is not at all difficult to get to the inlet as long as you pay attention to your basic navigation rules. It may sound like its a arduous trip, but in reality, LOTS of inexperienced and dangerous boaters make that trip safely every weekend!
Just my $.02.

 

[osd9]

...............and turn left (North) into another channel marked by floating buoys (red/green). do NOT stray - there is little to no water outside this channel. you'll hit a a sharp right turn which then takes you up to the ICW. once on the icw,..........

Ron:

There was a time that these buoys would be pulled in the winter. Is that still the case or are they now left in year round?

 

[fc3]

I haven't boated on Barnaget Bay in 20 years when I had my first boat (20' cuddy) in Baywood Marina.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. No wonder you left the area! I know Baywood and have nothing good to say about Ed and Chippy. (or Skippy or whatever that @#$@'s name is.)

Someone probably can ride down the river with you. Let the forum know when you're going and we'll find someone to go with you and someone to run your "pilot" back to his dock.


The railroad bridge in Brielle isn't that bad. I've run Just Ducky though with another boat going the other way. There's only two types you need to watch. The party boats just fit though there and they don't yield to anyone, rules of the road not withstanding. Carry a .45 if you want to be taken seriously by those guys. Be prepared to use it, if you show it. There's a shoot-out every few years between the commercial fish nutscases in Pt Pleasant.

Some of the big sportfisher owners can barely operate their boats at less than planing speeds. They will not maneuver at all and again, they don't pay attention to the rules of the road. Don't look for help from the NJ State Police -- they don't know the rules either. They only know "no wake" and "BWI" and the second is iffy.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[rondds]

dom
i've never NOT seen the floating buoys. BUT i usually dont get out onto the river til late april, early may. so i suppose it's possible they do pull them. maybe someone else would know better.

and yes, the sticks is the trickiest part by far. the problem posed by the sticks being down is that, from one year to the next, the channel doesnt always take the same path. and it is so narrow that using gps waypoints and their 3 meter margin of error is just not accurate enough. you kind of have to go by memory. it is entirely possible that all the sticks are in place and it'll be no problem. either that or follow someone else out and do what they do. that got me out of little egg inlet last summer unscathed! maybe someone at brennans can take you out on a recon mission. if the channel is still adequately marked, you'll have no problem at all. i'd still look for high tide. look for TALL PINES CAMP here...
http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/newjerseysites.html#sandy

 

[Bridog]

Not much to add to this thread that hasn't been explained already except that going this time of year has alway's been some of the most relaxing boating times in this area. Not too many of the weekend warriors out yet. Some of my best boating is early April till the end of May. You'll be fine. Enjoy the trip.

 

[Rich122]

Just wanted to give all a big THANKS. We ran my friends "new to him" 04' 380DA from Brick Saturday. What a great day to be out, and she ran perfectly. A special thanks to Rondds. Ron, I printed your response and had it with me. You were dead on, and the "sticks" were just that, and many didn't even have broken markers on them. It got a little confusing at the bottom of the river where it opens up, but the PO left his c-map chips in and although there were no routes, it did show his Inbound track from the fall and it was dead on. The run north was ideal with flat seas, and a SE breeze help the fuel flow. I timed it with an inbound tide for the ride up the Hudson.

Thanks again!

Rich

ps: I have to tell you---it feels great running someone else's fuel, I highly recomend you try it! :smt043 :smt043

 

[Turtlesboat]

hey, I saw you guys heading up the river.

 

[rondds]

oh man, i was at the boat on saturday from about 8:20am to 3pm. wish i knew you were passing by. mine is the first marina you pass on your left as you head through the sticks! i would've waved - could have led you out but i'm still on the hard!

you picked a gorgeous day for the trip. glad you made it OK. best of luck to your buddy!
ron