According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is down 7 inches from this time last year. Good news for our cabins chances of surviving the Gales of November.😉

Good luck with the fishing. I hope to get back up there next week.

Two Thompson brothers started the company in 1904. In 1953 their sons started Cruisers. Very similar designs and construction. Cruisers is now Cruisers Yachts, still in Oconto. They make high end fiberglass boats but now I think the smallest they make is 29 feet. In my life I have seen two boats like yours, one was for sale in Oshkosh 30 years ago and the second was at one of the Thompson-Cruiser boat shows in Marinette. The second one had two sterndrives, I think they were Volvo-Penta. Beautiful sea worthy boats.

We'll have to get you up there this summer Pear😉

Thanks!

The book "Isle Royale, a Photographic History," by Thomas and Kendra Gale, has photos pgs 128-130 of the Belle Isle Resort and the golf course from 1910-1925. The book has amazing vintage photos of Isle Royale.

Me too! I didn't get up there over the winter. I plan to go up as soon as the ice is out of the slough and I'll check the cabins.

I'm aiming for the last weekend in April. I can't tolerate nights lower than 35 degrees as we have zero insulation! I do have a Mr Buddy heater for inside. Keep the videos coming!

Mine originally had a 40 Evinrude too. I bought the boat without the motor. I had a 90's Merc 50 on it for about 15 years, then got the Suzuki 4 stroke 30HP. At a Thompson Boat Rally in Marinette, Wi. a few years back I met Pete Thompson, the guy who designed the Sea Mate.

@@authormikemontie250 Your boat is beautiful! How did the 50 Merc do? My Lark has the original electric shift lower unit in it which works well, but I do know that they are prone to failing, and are extremely difficult to get parts for. I have a spare Fast Twin in my garage that runs well, but I'm always exploring options for the future. Do you like the 30 hp 4 stroke? Does it move her well? That is awesome that you were able to meet Pete Thompson. They are very well designed boats for sure!

I had a 1993-ish three cylinder Merc 50 two stroke that weighted 210 lbs or so. It had been on a pontoon boat, so the prop was a lower pitch. If I'd put on a higher pitch prop I'm sure it would have been faster but for my purposes it worked fine. The 50 was getting a little old so I replaced it with the 30 Suzuki because I take the boat out on Green Bay and Lake Superior and wanted the reliability of a new motor. If it's just me in the boat, it goes just as fast top end, (mid 30s) as the fifty with the low pitch prop but has a slower hole shot. If you plan to take people along I would go with the lightest 4 stroke 40 HP, (Merc is 204 lbs, I think that's the lightest), or a two stroke 40. I love my little 30 Suzuki, it weighs 158 Lbs, and it is the quietest and most fuel efficient motor I've ever had. Since the boat is 60 years old I prefer the lower weight and horsepower because it's gentler on the old girl. @@thomaslarussa6814

Hi Brenton. I'm following you and Wavy in the great loop adventure. Many years ago I boated the Mississippi from Redwing Mn to La Cross Wi. Upon further review, my Honda generator is actually a 1982 model. I also should have pointed out my Old Town solo canoe is 31 years old. The canoe is one of my all tie favorites. Stay safe!

Correct, Thompsons were made in Peshtigo Wi and Cruisers are still made in Oconto Wi, 15 miles away. My Dad had a 1963 Thompson Sea Coaster, the next bigger model. I was 7 when he got it. That's how I got interested it them. Thompson was originally Thompson brothers. One of the brothers spun off and build Cruisers.

My Dad did this twice before. I wasn't there but I don't think it was blocked as bad as this time. I figured it would work, just wasn't sure how long it would take. Pretty amazing the water flow can move that much sand that fast!

Gopro Black 11 and Sony z1

Mine is a 2005 with the 5L, 265 HP Mercruiser with an aluminum 14.25x19 four blade prop. I have had it up to 49 MPH, by GPS, and it was not wide open. Just me in the boat, don't recall the RPM. I am confident it will easily go over 50. With a three blade stainless steel prop I think it would do 55+. I use it on Lake Superior and Green Bay where it is rarely calm enough to go that fast. It also has the selectable exhaust, but I always use it in the quiet mode. I added hydraulic trim tabs that likely don't effect top speed but they improve the boat handling especially at lower speeds so well that I can't believe ChrisCraft didn't make them standard equipment. I usually cruise at 25-28 MPH depending on how choppy it is.

@@authormikemontie250 Thanks Mike. From your videos it certainly handles the waves well on your lake/sea!

Every time I've been to the caves in the last 15 years there have been at least that many kayaks. This was the first time I'd seen stand up paddle boards. The beach has actually built up this summer at the cabin, but has not yet made up for the tons of sand washed over. The water is still above the mean but it's down about a foot from a couple years ago.

Wind wise, the forecast was good. We launched at 7:45 AM. It was windier and cloudier, than the forecast. So we didn't go out as far as we planned. Still, a good ride. A video of the whole ride is coming. I think we made 50-60 miles.

@@authormikemontie250 Thank you from Pear the Bear. Hope your Dad is doing well.

@@theoriginalkeepercreek 😉👍

Not too bad, maybe 40-45 degrees.

If I knew they were going to run I would have seen if you wanted to come up and work the other side of the net. Maybe next year!

It's been quite a few years since we had a bonfire on the beach. I was hoping to get up there this winter but the weather has not cooperated.

This boat originally had a 40 Evinrude that I did not purchase with the boat(30 years ago). I had a 1992 Merc 50 on it that worked good but got old and I wanted a 4 stroke. The Suzuki is a 30 HP 4 stroke that is 50 lbs lighter than the Merc 50. The 30 works well if it's just me or me and light person. If you haul a lot of people the 30 will be underpowered. The Suzuki is the quietest and most fuel efficient motor I have ever owned. Got it new 4 years ago. I like that it has trim and tilt, and you can rope start it without taking the cowl off.

I don't think there is a tide chart for Lake Superior, although there is a small tide. When the lake was higher, 2017-2019, it was deep enough to run through the mouth on plane. This year, I think it was 6 inches above the chart datum, it was more normal. You had to push through with a paddle or get wet and walk it through. By experience, around 1 PM local time there is a tide causing the water at the mouth to flow into the slough, against the Bark river current. If you time your boat ride right you can go out with the current and then come back with the current.

The salmon don't eat when they are spawning. The steelhead are eating the salmon eggs, instead of my spinner.😉

Now if I could just catch one! 😉

@@authormikemontie250 I have faith in you.

We got lucky with the weather. The lake was pretty calm the whole trip.

Very cool! When I took this flight, one of the passengers was a WWII veteran who's previous ride in a B-17 ended with him bailing out over Germany.

Yes, it was very cool! I wish I had taken more video but I didn't have much of a camera along.