Navigable North Sound Rivers for a c-Dory

R

rogerbum

New member
Was interested to see that there was a recent cruise on the Snohomish. Have had my boat for a little over 2 years but haven't been on any of the rivers (with the exception of going a few miles up the Sno from the Everett salt launch). Frankly, I just don't know enough about the rivers to know what sections are navigable with a 22' C-Dory and under what conditions (flows). Also, haven't looked closely at any of the launches with the exception of the launch on the Skagit in Mt. Vernon (just downstream of the I-5 bridge). So, could someone give me the quick story on what sections of what local rivers are navigable and reasonably ramp accessible for my boat?

I went out on the Skagit from the Mt. Vernon ramp in a 14 ft aluminum boat a couple of weeks ago. There's no protection from the current and it was pretty difficult to keep the back end of the boat aligned with the trailer (especially since I was too stupid to bring my waders with and tried to manhandle the boat from the bow). We ended up backing the trailer in a 45 degrees down current to make it easier. However, that limited experience made me think that even with better preparation it would be hard to get the 22' C-Dory on a trailer in the same stretch.

Roger
(SeaDNA)
 
Hi Kenmore Roger,
Shortly after our Snohomish River Cruise another member e-mailed me about cruising the Skagit River. I've always been interested in giving the Skagit a try, but I certainly don't know anything about it. I know there is a fish camp down near the mouth of the river that has a boat launch. If someone had good knowledge of the Skagit and was willing to lead a flotilla of C-Dorys, I'd be willing to go fot it.
The nice thing about the Snohomish River is that you can launch in Everett where you are essentially out of the river current. (When I had my 16' C-Dory I launched above Dagmar's Landing at the Langus Park Boat Launch, but have never tried it with the 22'). With the Everett launch so close, I'll stay with it. There are quite a few navigable sloughs off the Snohomish River and if you have any concerns about it, you can work the high tides to your advantage.
 
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