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Old 03-20-2017, 05:51 PM   #21
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Has anyone done this recently? I heard that the Corps no longer dredges it and has many shallow spots. I draw 5'
Where did you hear that? I've heard nothing similar.
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Old 03-20-2017, 06:33 PM   #22
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Personally I don't know why anyone would take the rim route. Tried it once in a 4.5 ft draft and touched bottom a few times. Across the lake is safe and a beautiful ride without bugs. You can travel fast without worry.


Bingo!
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Old 03-20-2017, 07:59 PM   #23
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Old 03-20-2017, 08:05 PM   #24
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Wifey B: Most recent, all I get is Erica asking Michael "Do you have time to 508?" Wonder what 508 is?

Here is the needed stuff.

http://w3.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/currentLL.shtml

Route 2 at 4.99'.
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Old 03-20-2017, 08:38 PM   #25
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So from my reading the rim canal is not passable if you need 11 feet air clearance due to bridge repair.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:03 AM   #26
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Personally I don't know why anyone would take the rim route. [/QUOTE]

We are all entitled to our personal choices. Some folks cruise to get to a certain destination, others like to stop and smell the roses along the way. For us, the cruise is the destination. We enjoy cruising the AICW, even the parts where many people suggest "going outside". Several hours of looking at nothing but water is pretty boring.

So, if it's passable by the time we get there, we will take the rim route. If it disappoints us, we'll take the direct route on the way back.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:04 AM   #27
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So from my reading the rim canal is not passable if you need 11 feet air clearance due to bridge repair.
Yes, if you are planning on going today. In a couple weeks, you should be fine. Check before you start.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:11 AM   #28
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I agree if you have never taken the rim before it might be fun, I much prefer the more direct and safer route. To each his own!
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:23 AM   #29
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Why would you think the direct route is safer?

I checked here: http://w3.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/currentLL.shtml and they list the water depth at just under five feet (today). My draft is 3.5 feet and I have a keel and skeg on my boat. Yes, I'll have to pay attention, but I try to do that anyway.

It's going to be six weeks or more by the time I get there so I have that long to decide and I'll have the latest information when I make my decision.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:12 AM   #30
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Because there are less obstructions in the water. Many times trees fall in the rim and are not removed but just cut. Every time I have taken the rim I have hit something under water. The main channel is traveled by yachts, tugs, ect so if it shoals they dredge it out. No trees to fall across your path. Having a keel is good.

Most of the traffic on the rim is fast bass boats that draw very little at high speeds.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:12 AM   #31
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Why would you think the direct route is safer?
Because in almost all circumstances it is.

It's not just about the controlling depth of the water through the two routes. It's also about the crap that maybe sticking up off the bottom and off the sides of the rim.

Plus if you meet traffic heading the opposite direction you have to move over closer to the banks. There by increasing the chances of clipping something.

Taking route 1 across the lake minimizes many of those issues.
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Old 03-21-2017, 10:09 AM   #32
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Is Route 2 any different than the ~12 mile section of the rim that you must take between Clewiston and Moore Haven? Never had any trouble at all with that part. We came thru Route 1 on Weds with no issues other that 15-20 from the North.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:28 PM   #33
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There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about the two routes across Lake Okeechobee.
We have done the rim route three times, and the lake route about twice that often. We never hit anything in either route. I have heard a lot of stories about old cars, fridges, and other junk in the rim canal, but we haven't seen any of it. This is not like the dismal swamp canal. There are no big trees close to the canal. The rim route canal is the same dimensions as the canal from Clewiston to Moorehaven.

If you follow my advise (see post #7), the rim route is slightly deeper than the lake route. The shallow spot on the rim route is just south of Port Mayaca and can be avoided. The shallow spot on the lake route is a dome of rock in the dredged channel about 4 1/2 miles north of Clewiston, and there is no way around it.

On the rim route, there is a marina at Pahokee (two stars ActiveCaptain rating), and a good anchorage at mile 63. On the lake route there is no place to stop between Port Mayaca and Clewiston.

Because it hugs the eastern shore, the rim route is sheltered in strong east winds. With strong west winds, the north half of the rim route is just as rough as the lake route.

The rim route is 11 miles longer. And then there is the Torry Island bridge, the one that is temporarily closed. It is manually operated. The bridge tender doesn't come out of his house until he sees a boat waiting. Then he sticks a long crank in a hole in the floor and walks in circles to open the bridge. Reminds me of a donkey powering a sugar cane press in some third world country. The process is very slow.

If you are in a hurry, the lake route is the choice. If you like to go slow and "smell the roses", or if there is a strong east wind, then the rim route is preferred.
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Old 03-21-2017, 07:57 PM   #34
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What do you draw?

I ask because on approx 6 trips on the rim I have hit something every time and sometimes a few times. On that boat I needed 4.5 feet.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:01 PM   #35
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Rossland, please tell me about Pahokee. I have a waterway guide and to Claiborne Young cruising guides. The guides are ten and fifteen years old. The waterway Guide is just a few years old. They all mention Pahokee and say it's decent and the town is decent.


Current Active Captain reviewers are not so nice. What is your experience with Pahokee, both the marina and the town?


We like to stop and visit different towns.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:18 PM   #36
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I'm not Rossland but I would not visit Pahokee. It is a very poor town with high crime mostly from drugs. Football is king there and it produces many good college football players. It had a dock that I remember but it certainly isn't a quality dock. Clewiston further west has a nice dock, Roland Martins that also has a bar and restaurant.

YMMV
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:33 PM   #37
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Rossland

What do you draw?

I ask because on approx 6 trips on the rim I have hit something every time and sometimes a few times. On that boat I needed 4.5 feet.
Did the trips with our previous trawler---drew 4.5 ft. Haven't been there with our KK yet.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:38 PM   #38
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Rossland, please tell me about Pahokee. I have a waterway guide and to Claiborne Young cruising guides. The guides are ten and fifteen years old. The waterway Guide is just a few years old. They all mention Pahokee and say it's decent and the town is decent.


Current Active Captain reviewers are not so nice. What is your experience with Pahokee, both the marina and the town?


We like to stop and visit different towns.
We never stopped at Pahokee, but I mentioned it because it could be a refuge in bad weather or mechanical breakdown.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:56 PM   #39
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I would say you are very lucky.
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Old 03-22-2017, 05:44 AM   #40
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"What is your experience with Pahokee, both the marina and the town?"

A dump, but they did sell ice cream.
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