Help With Local Transportation in OHIO and KENTUCKY

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VESHAY

New member
I am considering hauling Halcyon to OHIO from NEBRASKA for summer cruising. Ohio River and tribs (Allegheny, Monongahela, Kanawah, Muskingum. Maybe up to Lake Erie and down to Kentucky/Barkley Lakes.

In order to avoid 1500 mile round trip drive to Dayton from Omaha, I would fly. I am curious if/how others have overcome this problem of boat and no haul vehicle. I would love to get your insights and advice.

I also offer this. If you need similar assistance in eastern Nebraska (Missouri River) or Iowa (Mississippi River) I would be glad to assist if at all possible.
 
VESHAY":3f5mv7h2 said:
I am considering hauling Halcyon to OHIO from NEBRASKA for summer cruising. Ohio River and tribs (Allegheny, Monongahela, Kanawah, Muskingum. Maybe up to Lake Erie and down to Kentucky/Barkley Lakes.
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Sounds like some good cruising :thup

VESHAY":3f5mv7h2 said:
In order to avoid 1500 mile round trip drive to Dayton from Omaha, I would fly. I am curious if/how others have overcome this problem of boat and no haul vehicle. I would love to get your insights and advice.
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Just to clarify, you have a tow vehicle and will use that to bring Halcyon up to Iowa, but what you are asking about is how people work it who subsequently commute to their boat via public transportation and thus have no vehicle while they are aboard/cruising?

I haven't done it by C-Dory, so I don't have a lot of boat-specific input, but I have cruised with no local transportation (sailboat). So I was always aboard and didn't have the problem of how to get to the boat from the airport (or other station), but I did have to get around consistently in new towns. Best was when I had a folding bicycle along; other than that it was shanks' mare - but that had its own charms, and there were many helpful people who offered rides, use of cars, etc. Some groceries will give you a ride back to the boat, and or you can walk to the store and take a taxi back (with your bags of groceries to haul). A couple of times I rented a car for something specific.

One thing I discovered: To the typical car-driving person of whom you might ask directions, a "short walk" to the nearest grocery or post office could often turn out to be many miles! I guess people (myself included when I have a car) just don't register how far stuff is when traveling at speed. 'Course, now with Internet access and mapping, a person probably hardly needs to ask anymore, and can asses mileages themselves.

This should be a fun thread to read. Should get some new ideas and plus it's always fun to talk about cruise planning in winter :)

Sunbeam :hot
 
I will haul Halcyon to Ohio and leave there for summer. If I make several trips back to Ohio via air I find myself with a boat and no ready haul/launch vehicle. I am curious how people have solved this dilemna.
 
Hmmmm...you may still have to get more specific. Seems to me that you will be car-less but have the boat in the water...or on a trailer. If it is kept on a trailer while you are away, then you should be able to get any decent boat shop to launch and retrieve for you. If you are keeping it in the water and want to get to it from the airport, taxi's or buses are the obvious answer. In any case, public transportation does work in most mid size towns and bigger cities. It is just inconvenient and take more time. Taxis are expensive, but you can rely on buses, commuter rail and so on. I don't think there is a formula answer for what you are asking. We get around fine with taxis, buses, commuter rail and so on (when there is no alternative). We do love our cars and trucks, don't we. If you are hauling food or tools or parts or groceries etc. then taxis are about it.

Tell us more.
 
I will keep trying. I launch boat on Ohio River and haul it out in Marietta, Ohio. I leave it in Marietta, drive home to Omaha. Next time I fly. I know I could launch there again, but I want to be at Kentucky Lake. I am looking on breakthrough ideas on how to move boat from site to site without a PERSONAL tow vehicle. Are there good TRUCK rental companies?
 
How are you getting the boat to Ohio? If you don't have a tow vehicle and a trailer, buy one. If you are paying someone to haul it better make stops at marinas that can pull and block you boat on the hard and have a forklift to launch you when you return. If you are wondering how to get back to your vehicle after cruising somewhere, we have been pretty happy with Enterprise rental car. You call they pick you up. Public transporation such trains,buses etc. although they usually don't do it for us as there is usually no good way to get from the boat to the bus/train station at either end making the rental car a good option if all things are considered. How are you getting the boat back home? :?
D.D.
 
VESHAY":1b0gnaxu said:
I am looking on breakthrough ideas on how to move boat from site to site without a PERSONAL tow vehicle. Are there good TRUCK rental companies?
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I have rented a tow vehicle through Hertz Equipment rental - it was a Ford F-250 if I remember correctly. I rented it for a day. One potential issue is that I don't think they have one-way rentals, but I didn't check as I was bringing it back to the same location. Note that this is not the regular "car" Hertz but is instead an equipment division that typically rents to contractors, etc.

Another idea: If you are planning to move the boat/trailer from place to place over the summer, what about towing up there, then leaving both the boat and your tow rig up where you are cruising. That way you always have your tow vehicle and trailer at or near the boat, and can use them to "leapfrog" to your next destination, before flying home (or upon your return to the boat). This presumes you have some other transportation for general use once you get back home though. You could then use public transportation, or even a simple rental car to get from take-out back to put-in (when necessary). Sometimes you might be able to do loops.

Sunbeam
 
The easiest was to keep the boat in a marina. The marina would often times come and pick us up at the airport, sometimes for a fee and sometimes no fee.

The second was in a storage yard and hire a auto tow company to tow the trailer. They do local trailer towing as part of their business and the rates are reasonable.

Good Luck.
 
Typically the best truck rental rates are with U-haul, they are just about everywhere and you can rent their mid size moving trucks one way. All their trucks are set-up for towing. Most pick-up truck rentals are local only. I am assuming you will have a trailer. Sounds like great fun. Have a good trip.

Kev
 
You want to check the policy about towing boats. Also issues with types of brakes etc. I have heard of Budget having rental trucks--which have allowed towing boats. Also /budget has done one ways...

This is a good question, especially for one who wants to do the loop in segments.
 
All good insights, and very much appreciated. I like the idea of leaving tow vehicle with boat, just dont know if I can really get by without having my personal vehicle with me in Omaha. :)
 
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