Thinking about moving from Table Rock to Lake of the Ozarks

[highslice]

We will be looking at the Niangua (sp?) branch. I am sure it is busier than TR. I have been to LOTO a bunch of times but always between MM 3 and 21. Anybody spent much time at Table Rock around the dam and can compare that with MM 30+ at LOTO?

 

[Bottom Line]

Tim....did you sell your condo on TR? I have been to LOTO a few times, but am not familiar enough to offer any advice. Are you looking to something closer to home? We have 2 or 3 boats on our dock that have St.Louis are owners....and they are adamant(sp?) about it being worth the extra drive time to come to TR. One of the guys has been on our dock since it was brand new, which is about 20 years.

One thing I do like about LOTO is all of the places to eat that are available by water.

 

[Jonathan]

the water is very different, even as far up as your talking about tim...its a fun lake, dont get me wrong, but if you have a trailer and a vechicle to pull your boat, i would advise that you try it 2 or 3 times this year before buying anything up there....

had a great time at Loz during college though, not gonna lie lol!!!

 

[highslice]

Tim....did you sell your condo on TR? I have been to LOTO a few times, but am not familiar enough to offer any advice. Are you looking to something closer to home? We have 2 or 3 boats on our dock that have St.Louis are owners....and they are adamant(sp?) about it being worth the extra drive time to come to TR. One of the guys has been on our dock since it was brand new, which is about 20 years.

One thing I do like about LOTO is all of the places to eat that are available by water.

No, we haven't sold yet. I actually don't mind the drive, but a lot of our friends think it's too long to come down for a weekend. Those same people have no problem driving to LOTO for a weekend. Plus, condo prices can be much lower at LOTO. Plus, our end of the lake is getting very crowded, much worse than 2004 when we first started coming down.

the water is very different, even as far up as your talking about tim...its a fun lake, dont get me wrong, but if you have a trailer and a vechicle to pull your boat, i would advise that you try it 2 or 3 times this year before buying anything up there....

had a great time at Loz during college though, not gonna lie lol!!!

Thanks Jonathan. We test drove our 240 at LOTO over Labor Day weekend, so I have seen the lake at its worst. And the water is muddy. We have some friends there with boats, so we are going to take a weekend or two to go check it out before we do anything rash.

How's business, by the way? Are you guys selling any boats? Do you sell jet skis?

 

[Jonathan]

Thanks Jonathan. We test drove our 240 at LOTO over Labor Day weekend, so I have seen the lake at its worst. And the water is muddy. We have some friends there with boats, so we are going to take a weekend or two to go check it out before we do anything rash.

How's business, by the way? Are you guys selling any boats? Do you sell jet skis?

Business isnt horrible, but its definately not back to what it once was. We are still selling a lot of fishing and pontoon boats, but just like everyone else we have seen the Sport Boat market slide quite a bit. There was some recovery late in 2009 in fact i think we ended the year 30% up, but thats in comparison to 2008 when we were 50% down. There were several boats sold at the Show a couple weeks ago, so we considered that a postive sign of some life in the market.

I don't sell jet ski's, and i think that Branson West Powersports is the only place on Tablerock left that carries them. However, up at LOTO i know there are several places still carrying them so i would just tell you to shop around a little bit. In my opinon, Yamaha is making the best ski on the market right now, but kawasaki and seadoo are still very competitive. Hope that helps a little bit! Good luck in your search, its nice to hear of people shopping for marine products, even if its not one that i carry!

 

[highslice]

Business isnt horrible, but its definately not back to what it once was. We are still selling a lot of fishing and pontoon boats, but just like everyone else we have seen the Sport Boat market slide quite a bit. There was some recovery late in 2009 in fact i think we ended the year 30% up, but thats in comparison to 2008 when we were 50% down. There were several boats sold at the Show a couple weeks ago, so we considered that a postive sign of some life in the market.

I don't sell jet ski's, and i think that Branson West Powersports is the only place on Tablerock left that carries them. However, up at LOTO i know there are several places still carrying them so i would just tell you to shop around a little bit. In my opinon, Yamaha is making the best ski on the market right now, but kawasaki and seadoo are still very competitive. Hope that helps a little bit! Good luck in your search, its nice to hear of people shopping for marine products, even if its not one that i carry!

Well at least something is selling. I am leaning towards Yamaha, if we do something. I need to figure out where our boat will be living first.

I just heard the The Harbor is now a Chaparral dealer, guess that means the Ski Shack is out at the lake? And State park switched from Crownline to Chaps for their rental fleet.

 

[Bottom Line]

Well at least something is selling. I am leaning towards Yamaha, if we do something. I need to figure out where our boat will be living first.

I just heard the The Harbor is now a Chaparral dealer, guess that means the Ski Shack is out at the lake? And State park switched from Crownline to Chaps for their rental fleet.

Tim...yes the Harbor is the new Chaparral dealer. They are also picking up a line of pontoon boats. The Ski Shack is still selling their line of ski boats (Malibu I think) and pontoons and also still have their stores at Kimberling City and Indian Point. The Cox brothers that own the Harbor, also own State Park, so it would make sense that they started using Chaparral in their rental fleet. Also, Cope Marine picked up the Crownlines. Remember Sea Ray Ray....well he is now Regal Ray....Port of Kimberling has picked up the Regal Line. Things are definetly changing on Table Rock.

You are absolutely correct on condo prices at LOTO...and there is a lot more supply. One thing nice about LOTO is, it is much easier to own your own slip. I have an Aunt and Uncle that used to live in St. Peters and went to LOTO alot. They are now retired and live there full time.

 

[highslice]

Tim...yes the Harbor is the new Chaparral dealer. They are also picking up a line of pontoon boats. The Ski Shack is still selling their line of ski boats (Malibu I think) and pontoons and also still have their stores at Kimberling City and Indian Point. The Cox brothers that own the Harbor, also own State Park, so it would make sense that they started using Chaparral in their rental fleet. Also, Cope Marine picked up the Crownlines. Remember Sea Ray Ray....well he is now Regal Ray....Port of Kimberling has picked up the Regal Line. Things are definetly changing on Table Rock.

You are absolutely correct on condo prices at LOTO...and there is a lot more supply. One thing nice about LOTO is, it is much easier to own your own slip. I have an Aunt and Uncle that used to live in St. Peters and went to LOTO alot. They are now retired and live there full time.

You are definately right about the slips. At our place, a 10 x 24 slip goes for $30,000. At the place I have been looking at LOTO a four bedroom condo that costs the same as our two bedroom includes a 12 x 30 slip at no extra cost. With an 8,000# lift none the less.

That's interesting about Ray. I am glad he is back to selling boats though, it was obvious that's where his passion was. We looked at Regal before we bought our 270, they're nice boats. But there wasn't a dealer anywhere near the lake, and warranty work was a question. I'll have to make a run up to POK this spring and say hi.

 

[Just Ducky]

:smt115Tim-maybe a big longer reply than you hoped, but here goes...

Our family is starting our 8th boating season at LOTO. We have a condo at the 24 mm. We live in So. St. Louis County, take 1-44, and door to door (without speeding) is 2 hrs 50 mins. We are close everything we need (groceries, mall, etc) and close enough to St. Louis that we have frequent visitors.

The previously-enjoyed condo market is good now. You should be able to get a turn-key unit (furniture, etc) with a boat slip, at prices seen 5 yrs ago. Because the water can be rough during "the season", main channel view condos have seawalls (breakwaters) to protect their docks. I would make sure that your complex has a seawall to make docking and launching easier. Even some of the bigger coves can be rough at times. I would say all condos have community docs with boat slips of all sizes.

Our former real estate agents says there are close to 2,000 condos on the market. I wouldn't buy right away, check out the area you like, and rent one for a while. There are literally hundreds for rent. You should be able to negotiate a very good deal should you decide to take the plunge and buy, although she said for obvious reasons, no one is selling at "fire sale" prices.

I have never boated on TR, so I cannot compare the experiences. Weekends at LOTO can be crazy, and my guess is that the average boat size on weekends is 30 ft plus. The main channel is very rough on weekends, but week days are still pleasant. Your area of consideration, 30 mm is definitely a lot calmer, and we often head down your way with our 240 Sundeck. Coves are plentiful for skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, and "coving out". There are lots of eat-on-the-water restaurants, and full-service marinas, although it starts to space out more down your way.

We look at our LOTO getaway in its entirity, we are not "pure-boaters". We golf, shop, swim in the pool too. If you are into pure-boating, and are out all day long, I would invest the procedes from your sale at TR into a bigger boat for LOTO. Otherwise, keep your money in the bank, and if you are a reasonable size like our 240 (I cannot keep up with the Jones down there), you can find smooth water, and quiet coves around the 30 mm.

Hope this helps? Best wishes for a good decision. Don't hesitate if I can supply more info. Another "Tim"

 

[highslice]

Thanks, Tim. We test drove our 240 at LOTO in 2004 over Labor Day weekend. It handled lake pretty well. Our 270 has no problems with big water. There's some parts of Table Rock that rival LOTO on some weekends because there are bluffs on both sides of the lake. 4'+ rollers, not a problem in the 270 at cruise (25 - 30 MPH). So the bigger concern is drunk idiots. We have our share on TR, but there are way more at LOTO.

We are going to take a weekend in the summer and rent a condo in the area. We'll rent a boat and see what it's like. Thanks again for the info.

 

[DaNinja]

Thanks, Tim. We test drove our 240 at LOTO in 2004 over Labor Day weekend. It handled lake pretty well. Our 270 has no problems with big water. There's some parts of Table Rock that rival LOTO on some weekends because there are bluffs on both sides of the lake. 4'+ rollers, not a problem in the 270 at cruise (25 - 30 MPH). So the bigger concern is drunk idiots. We have our share on TR, but there are way more at LOTO.

We are going to take a weekend in the summer and rent a condo in the area. We'll rent a boat and see what it's like. Thanks again for the info.

We've had a place at LOTO for about five years now. We're in a quiet cove near 2mm on the Niangua. We love it there!

I agree that your 270 won't have a problem with the waters there. The limiting factor for me is usually who is onboard with me. There have been times that I've abandoned trips towards Osage Beach when I could see my passengers (and wife) were uncomfortable. When the main channel gets too rough, we retreat to the calmer waters of the Niangua and Little Niangua.

We generally avoid the party spots on the weekends and especially holiday weekends. The spots can be a lot of fun, but aggravating for me or the wife. My guests are generally oblivious to how much the wife are working to negotiate traffic.

It's been a fun place, though. Good luck and Welcome to the LOTO community!