Lake Travis Boating Question (Austin: maintenance, moving, suite)

[Eastcoasting]

Question for all you boating types...

How would a 16' Chris Craft runabout fare on Lake Travis?

Will it be plowed under or otherwise founder from the wake of giant party boats or hyper speed water craft? I just don't want to wind up in a miserable situation where I'm poking around in a classic boat with an engine from the Eisenhower administration and getting tossed all over.

I know nothing of boating round these parts so please forgive my ignorance. I have a client in Michigan who has fallen on some difficult times and is offering a boat in lieu of payment, otherwise I wouldn't even be considering a boat right now.

Thanks

[EzPeterson]

Regardless of the other boats on the water, the wind chop alone will kick the heck out of that 16 footer.

Awesome, awesome, boats - but poorly suited for Lake Travis.

[CptnRn]

If you steer a course close to some of the larger boats that are moving fast, you will get a bumpy ride, bit the lake is plenty large and wide enough, even with the water low, there is little reason to think you won't be fine. I often used an 8' dinghy with a little 2.5 hp outboard to explore when we anchored out on our sailboat for the weekend and had no problems. You should have plenty of fun.

Some powerboaters are rude and steer too close to smaller boats as they haul-ass by, we experienced that even on our 28' sailboat, but it does not happen so often you will be miserable. Especially if you mostly hang close to shore in shallower water.

Unless we get a lot more rain, with the water level low this spring you are going to find few ramps where you can put your boat in the water, unless you pay to keep it at one of the marinas that can do this for you. You call ahead and they put it in the water for you to use. Those places can be fairly expensive.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Regardless of the other boats on the water, the wind chop alone will kick the heck out of that 16 footer.

Awesome, awesome, boats - but poorly suited for Lake Travis.

Wind chop rarely gets that bad on Lake Travis, most of it is surrounded by high cliffs which block the wind. In 33 years of sailing on Lake Travis, it was rare to see white caps much less 2' waves.

[CptnRn]

Is the 16' Chris Craft Runabout a woodie like these?

https://www.google.com/search?q=16%2...w=1406&bih=759

Those are beautiful boats, BUT That much wood and varnish will require huge amounts of maintenance several times a year to keep it looking decent.

[355spider]

Well I have owned a 16ft that I once took out on Travis and it was scary. Lake Austin is your lake. It's for smaller boats. I've had a 30ft SeaRay on Travis for years now and that's a good size because the lake is narrow and there are lots of big boats making waves which bounce off the shore quickly making big waves on the weekend. You could sink a 16 ft boat during a weekend with some decent wind. Storms can blow in fast making everyone rush for the docks. I have literally had waves crash over the bow of my 30ft SeaRay during a couple of those. I saw 20ft ski boats barely make it back to the docks. Sure there are people that do it but I wouldn't trust it. You'll be miserable anyway. The corridor near the cove across from Carlos and Charlies is the worst area. You'd be fine during the week or in the morning on weekends.

[Eastcoasting]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Is the 16' Chris Craft Runabout a woodie like these?

https://www.google.com/search?q=16%2...w=1406&bih=759

Those are beautiful boats, BUT That much wood and varnish will require huge amounts of maintenance several times a year to keep it looking decent.

Yup, that's the type...and yeah it'll be a maintenance nightmare.

[Eastcoasting]

Thanks for all the quick replies...I'm going to have to give this a little more thought and research.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Eastcoasting

Yup, that's the type...and yeah it'll be a maintenance nightmare.

I had very little varnished teak on my sailboats, mostly the handrails and main companionway boards, still it took a lot of work and regular touch up to maintain those. I eventually converted to Cetol, not as pretty as varnish, it is a pigmented wood coating, but it held up far better and required less work. I can't imagine trying to keep up with an entire varnished wood boat as brutal as the hot Texas sun is on varnish.

If it is in good condition and you accept it as payment, I would do so with a mind to sell it soon after acquiring it. Turn it over to a marina up north and sell it there, the long winters covered and in dry dock make them more practical and require less maintenance up there.

[hoffdano]

That 16 ft. boat would be fine on Lake Travis on a weekday. On a summer weekend I think it would be unpleasant. The source of the unpleasantness could be 30 ft. cruisers, who throw a big wake at 25 MPH, a wakeboard boat throwing big rollers at 18 MPH, or just an accumulation of activity.