Boating on the Delaware River (PA/NJ)
Charles W. Stewart Jr.
My wife and I are interested in doing some low budget boating on
the Delaware River (near Yardley, PA and Trenton, NJ). Does anyone
on the net know how fast the Delaware runs (Spring, Summer, Fall)?
Would a 14 foot rowboat with a 9.9 hp shortshaft outboard be
acceptable? How about a canoe with a transom and a 5 hp shortshaft
outboard? Does anyone have experience with the Honda four-stroke
outboards (pros/cons)?
If we like boating, we're thinking of moving up to a larger boat in a
year or two. We're told that the Delaware River at Yardley (where
we live) is 3 to 6 feet deep. What would be the maximum draft we
could use in water this deep? Would a Boston Whaler be acceptable?
Thanks for any information.
Chip Stewart
stew...@pt.cyanamid.com
-D.C.MCKIBBEN(MT4084)NOBIN
Charles W. Stewart Jr. <stew...@pt.cyanamid.com> wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>My wife and I are interested in doing some low budget boating on
>the Delaware River (near Yardley, PA and Trenton, NJ). Does anyone
>on the net know how fast the Delaware runs (Spring, Summer, Fall)?
>Would a 14 foot rowboat with a 9.9 hp shortshaft outboard be
>acceptable? How about a canoe with a transom and a 5 hp shortshaft
>outboard? Does anyone have experience with the Honda four-stroke
>outboards (pros/cons)?
>
I'm also interested in finding anyone with Delaware River experience, but
in larger boats. I'm considering where to sail this summer, and was
thinking about exploring New Jersey's other coast. I've sailed from the
C&D canal to Cape May and know that it can be rough, but has some nice
anchorages (if you like nuclear cooling tower scenery!).
Anyone know what the cruising is like north of the C&D canal? Is
Philadelphia friendly to cruisers? I imagine that a sailboat
couldn't go much past Philadelphia, but does anyone know where the
barrier (depth or height) is?
happy sails,
Dan McKibben
Terry Lisansky
>Philadelphia friendly to cruisers? I imagine that a sailboat
>couldn't go much past Philadelphia, but does anyone know where the
>barrier (depth or height) is?
>happy sails,
>Dan McKibben
mostly see people fishing and transiting to other places there.
A better place to sail would be on the Chesapeake. I'm on the
Sassafras, a tributary, and from Wilmington it's less than an hours drive.
There is tons more to see and lots to explore. A little more drive maybe,
but it's well worth it.
Terry
--
Terry Lisansky
Give me a fast ship........
For I intend to go in harms way.
Bryan Rider
: There isn't much to see north of the C&D canal.
<snip>
: --
: Give me a fast ship........
: For I intend to go in harms way.
...unless you consider Willmington, Philadelphia, Camden, Trenton, and
all of the smaller towns nothing. Not to mention the Rancokas (sp?) creek,
Bristol Island, and all of the other small creeks and tributaries. I spent
three years exploring the Delaware between the Trenton wing dam and the
airport and saw something new and different every time I went out.
Enjoy,
Bryan Rider
The information contained is purely of a personal nature and does not reflect
the views of Hewlett Packard or any of its subsidiaries.
Charles W. Stewart Jr.
Delaware River. Above Trenton are some class I rapids and the
water depth is 2 feet in certain places. I can not remember
offhand the barrier (height), but most bridges listed on the NOAA
Chart have a height of approximately 80 feet or open/raise in some
manner. I believe a sailboat with a 64 foot (total height) mast
would be able to to go all the way to Trenton, but check the chart
to be sure.
Chip
Karina Haavik
>Delaware River.
>I believe a sailboat with a 64 foot (total height) mast
>would be able to to go all the way to Trenton, but check the chart
>to be sure.
I see a lot of large cargo ships going upriver from Philadelphia. I have
always assumed that they were going to Trenton, and that there was height and
depth for them all the way.
As far as Philadelphia goes, it's a city - if you want to do the city you
should probably check a guidebook. The Liberty Bell, Carpenters' Hall, etc.
is fun, but very crowded. Along the waterfront is Penn's Landing, site of
outdoor concerts and festivals. Just south of it is a maritime history museum
which I hear is pretty good. South of that are a (WWII?) submarine and
battleship open for tour$. Again, I haven't done it but my friend said it was
fun. This whole strip turns into a mating ground at night, and is not a place
to be alone after dark, but couples seem fine. It's pretty well patrolled.
Heading further south you pass another expensive restaurant, then go through
a few blocks of urban wasteland to get to a strip mall inland, across from the
coast guard station. There you will find the nautical bookshop, the dive
shop, and 2 fairly decent delis were you can eat affordably while looking
across 6 lanes of traffic, railroad tracks, and dead waterfront to see the
cargo ships come and go. Another block south is the 8-theatre cinema and
and OK young-people-on-dates-type restaurant which serves Whitbread beer.
This whole strip is rather removed from the rest of the city by residential
neighborhoods.
It's not a great waterfront, but it's the one we've got and might be fun to
wander through after a day or two of sailing. It works for me. ;-)
Karina
--
-----------=-----------=-------------=-----------=----------=-----------
It looks like a boat. * It leaks like a boat. * It must be a boat.
* Karina Haavik * kar...@seas.upenn.edu * Philadelphia, PA, USA
-----------=-----------= Comet #2970 "Vanity" =----------=-----------
George Jefferson
:>Delaware River.
:I see a lot of large cargo ships going upriver from Philadelphia. I have
:always assumed that they were going to Trenton, and that there was height and
:depth for them all the way.
The story I've heard is that some years ago ( 50's? ) the river was
dreged a good ways up to support some industry (coal or steel I guess)
but whatever that industry was has declined to the point where the
channel north of the city isn't really used much. Judging by how
rarlely bridge openings at tacony and bristol make the traffic
reports, this is probably true..
:South of that are a (WWII?) submarine and
:battleship open for tour$.
the battleship (olympia) is spanish american war vintage.
--
george
geo...@mech.seas.upenn.edu
Alan Cooper
my Dad in a 14' Glaspar G3 with 25 hp o/b. We'd put in at the
Bristol ramp and head to Phila. IMHO viewing the city
from the water was facinating. Some things I remember incl.
seeing Navy ships (with HUGE screws!) tied up at dock; bouncing
over tug wakes (a little scary); grounding in Rankokas (sp?)
tributary silt (sure looked like plenty of water); watching
one of those amphibious cars drive down the ramp into the river
and later, back out onto the road (these cars were ugly and
slow).
I still like the idea of seeing cities from their rivers (and
rivers from the cities for that matter). I'd like to try
Portland and Seattle from the Willamette/Columbia and Puget
Sound respectively - maybe even a night cruise!
Alan Cooper
coo...@ucs.orst.edu
On 30 Jan 1995, Bryan Rider wrote:
> Terry Lisansky (lisa...@strauss.udel.edu) wrote:
> : There isn't much to see north of the C&D canal.
> <snip>
> : --