Toronto,Canada to New England

[hcalmar]

Can you transit in a 42C down the NY canal system with a half tower (not tuna)? Power Boat Guide says the clearence is 13'3" but I assume that is without anything on top and what little I could find so far indicates clearence is as low as 15' in some places 20' everywhere else. Thanks Hal

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I think you can make it, but I'm not positive, as the last boat we took through was only about 17' in height. The low bridges are to the west of the Otswego canal and you won't be on any of that stretch. I'd check the web site for the Canal and it should give you the clearances.

 

[hcalmar]

Does anyone know the clearence of a 42c or 37c with a 1/2 tower and open array radar on top?

 

[Scott Mather]

We ran our 37' conv. through the canal system 5 years ago from Miami to lake Erie. Was able to get into lake ontario and then through the welland. with no problem but west end into Erie was to low.

1978 37' Hat convertable with half tower and standing platform/tower on top of that. I think we needed around 18' of clearance and bridges were 20' at that time.

 

[saltshaker]

I grew up boating on the St. Lawrence river and my parents have a summer home on Oneida lake. You'll see 100'+ mega yachts run from Albany to Lake Ontario all the time. I've made the trip from NYC to The St. Lawrence a couple of times. Clearance is over 20 EXCEPT if you go North from Troy to Lake Champlain or West of Oswego on the west end of the Erie Canal. You will have no problem from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario. A friend of mine went a few years ago with a 53 Viking SF w/hard top and all he had to do was drop the outriggers for the trip.

Jack Sardina

 

[MicroKap]

Jack,
How far do you think I would make it in the canal going West if I lowered my antennas? My outriggers and tower stand at around 29 feet.

Larry K.
1980 60' Sportfish
Monmouth Beach, NJ

 

[hcalmar]

This is the information I found on the NY State Canal system web site. Are we saying the big vikings and the 42C are less than 20' or you don't have to be concerned about these restrictions. The 42 is 13' without any tower!





The clearances for navigating under bridges over the Canal System are:

Erie Canal
Waterford to Three Rivers Junction 20.0 feet
Three Rivers Junction to Tonawanda 15.5 feet
Oswego Canal 20.0 feet
Champlain Canal 17.0 feet
Cayuga-Seneca Canal 15.5 feet

 

[ADaily3224]

I do my boating half the time on Lake Erie and half on Ontario. I brought a 37 Hatt from Boston to Buffalo using the Lake Ontario-Oswego route. If you choose to try the barge from Buffalo you will have to go through the Welland first, this lengthens the trip by at least two days and if you can't get under the first bridge in Tonawanda where the NY State Barge Canal starts you will have to turn around and head back to the Welland and Lake Ontario. I was able to get under that first bridge with my 37 that I estimate was close to 17 feet high. The canal is low right now, September has the lowest lake levels of the year so that could help. Unless you really want to see the canal from start to finish I would head for Oswego, shorter trip, and 20 foot clearance. You won't have any problems, and you won't have to deal with the dreaded Welland. By the way the toll is $160 for the Welland, no small piece of change. Good Luck, either way is a beautiful trip.

Tony D

 

[saltshaker]

Larry,
you won't get far. Most of the bridges are 25', some higher and a couple lower. The 20ft restriction is in the early spring when the water level is 4-5ft higher than normal. A friend of my sisters has a late 80's 65 Hatt MY that they keep on the St lawrence for the summer and Fl for the winters. I don't know what the clearance is but I'm sure ithas to be greater than 20'. As I said, in the fall you see all the 100'+ mega yachts heading down south from the great lakes and there is no other way to go by water. There is a cruise that runs from Canada (Toronto I think) to New England (I believe RI). It is a small ship but certainly taller than 20'. I'll see if I can get anymore detailed info.

Jack Sardina

 

[Passages]

http://www.accl-smallships.com/Photo_Gallery.cfm

Wow, that takes me back. My first job ever was working for American-Canadian Cruise Lines out of Warren, RI. I was 15 (lied about my age to get in) and performed most deck swab duties.

These ships, 150-200' did indeed cruise the NY canal system to Canada. BUT, they were specially designed with retractable pilot houses to squeeze under bridges. (See photo #5) Do not assume that simply because a cruise ship can make it, you can too.

 

[ADaily3224]

FYI-

There are several other ways to get down south from Toronto:

Ontario out the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic, not easy, it's the path the freighters take.

Ontario, through the Welland, Lake Erie, Huron, Michigan, Superior, to the St Croix, down the Mississipi, long and tough.

You will be fine going through Oswego, I have done it three times, great trip.

Tony D

 

[hcalmar]

Thank you for all the replies, but to sum up are we saying a 37C has less than 20' clearence with a half tower?

 

[saltshaker]

I guess what I should have said was there isn't any other practicle route.

As far as the boats clearence, my 46C with a hard top is 19.5ft. Headroom under the hard top is about 7ft. I would expect the 42C & 37C to be about the same or at least within 1ft.

Jack Sardina

 

[ADaily3224]

My 37 had a half tower. Not only did it fit under all the bridges between Troy and Oswego, it also fit under all the bridges from Buffalo to Lockport, to Gas Port, going East. There will be plenty of room. I'm curious, are you thinking of purchasing the 37 listed for sale that sits at the Boulavard Club in Toronto just off Lake Shore Blvd?

Tony D

 

[hcalmar]

Tony
I am not sure if that is the same one. The 37C I am exploring is on Yachtworld in Mississauga ON, a '78 with naturals. If you know of another I would appreciate any contact information you have. All the rest seem to be in FL or have big towers. By the way did you have the naturals or TIs
Hal
hcalmar@aol.com

 

[spartonboat1]

So if Capt. Kirk was running one of those retractable bridge cruise ships and he called a red alert and commanded "clear the bridge", he'd really mean it! You better get off the bridge.

 

[ADaily3224]

Hal.

I took a look on Yachtworld and that is the boat I have seen. If you want me to inspect if for you I can. I keep my boat in Canada for the summer, but live in Buffalo NY. I have seen that particular 37c on and off for a couple years while in Toronto, it's an eye catcher. From memory it looks like a very nice one. There are many fine craftsmen working in the Toronto area who really know how to recondition a boat and this one looks like it's been in good hands. I think it has been in fresh water for some time, the broker should be able to give you an idea of how long. The yacht club where it's docked is one of the finest, the owner has to have good resources to be a member, that bodes well for the upkeep.
The 37 I owned was a 79 with JT671N's 310 HP. I really liked the boat although it was no racehorse. You will need to make sure your broker knows how to sell into the US, not usually an issue. I don't remember if you need a registered importer, if so I know one. From where that boat is located and with good weather it will take you about 6 days to get it to NYC. Let me know if I can help.

Tony D

 

[hcalmar]

Tony.

That is the one, although I just received the engine room pics and they are disappointing. Someone just took spray paint and hit everthing. I would rather see "origional" rust. How far are you from the marina?
Hal

 

[ADaily3224]

Hal,

I'm 90 miles away, usually I'm in Toronto every weekend but this weekend I'm taking my boat back through the Welland to Buffalo, as the season is almost over. I could possibly look at it Sunday 25th, I don't know about this Sunday, If I get stuck in the canal on Sat. I wouldn't be able to get there Sunday. I wouldn't worry about paint in the engine room, as long as the engines survey OK. I also checked and there are no issues bringing a boat from Canada into the US, going from the US to Canada is a different story. By the way, my boat has factory new, not rebuilt Cat's and there is paint on everything, hoses, wires, just a sloppy job. I can't remember if my Detroit's had paint on hoses and wires?
One other option, I have a friend who lives in downtown Toronto who could possibly check it out. He's no more than 5 miles from the Boulevard Club.
Tony D

 

[Docs Holiday]

What is the difficulty bringing a boat from US to Canada? Thinking about bringing mine back in a couple of years--?taxes?