Caches you need a boat for...

[z0mbieCache]

Without linking to them or mentioning them by cache name, please tell me about your caching adventures that required a boat

 

Things like how they were set up and what it was like to get to a cache that required you have a boat

 

I was thinking of making one and would like to make it worthwhile for the cacher's involved

[+Max and 99]

I don't know why we need to be cryptic for this discussion, but I'll do my best! We got an email from cachers in another city near us, asking if we might be willing to join up with them for an "island cache" since we had kayaks. No one had gone after it yet, and we didn't even know about it (and had never met these cachers). We made arrangements to meet up with them the next day, hauled the kayaks to the lake, and had a blast! You can't get to the cache except by boat, and our kayaks were perfect. We took turns, going two or three at a time to paddle out, sign the log and paddle back. It was time consuming! Someone tried to get there in an inflatable boat but the wind just would not let him get anywhere near the island! I don't know if they were kidding or not, but someone did log that in the winter when we had a terrible ice storm they walked across the water to get to the cache. This was a memorable caching experience for us!

[+HomeStyle]

The most important thing is to list it properly. Let them know ahead of time that you will need a boat. In finding one, we found them with ski boats and kayaks. Be sure to mention water traffic. Is it too shallow for a power boat? Too dangerous for a canoe or kayak because of motor boat traffic? And then the fun is in finding the unloading spot and heading out. I love, love water caches! They are super fun! There is no kind of stress that a good paddle can't cure!

[z0mbieCache]

I don't know why we need to be cryptic for this discussion, but I'll do my best!

 

I just didn't want anyone to post a "spoiler" for any particular cache, that's all

 

Thanks for your stories / tips

[+skisidedown]

I have two that are on islands in ponds. They are dual season - summer AND winter - with more finds after the ponds freeze up.

I also placed them in the winter. That way I could be sure that they would be able to be found in the winter.

 

There are a couple of finds on them by boat - one was canoe. The other was a rubber dingy - I bet that was an experience!

 

You need to be sure of your coordinates and your hiding location. The hint will need to be very specific - think "the cache is here". Unless this is a spot you are going as part of your regular routine, it is remote and will be a little more difficult to deal with any problems quickly, so preparation is key. A secure location where seasonal flooding or normal weather won't get it is a must.

 

And your coordinates must be good - nothing worse than having cachers not find your cache because your coordinates were bad unless it is on a cache that is a long paddle away from anything else.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

There was a boat only accessible puzzle cache posted a few years ago only a couple of months after I started geocaching. I spent a few hours during the day solving the puzzle (which was actually a lot of fun) then came home, put my kayak on my car and drove the 30 miles or so to a spot on the lake where I could launch my boat. It was about a 1/2 mile paddle out to an island, searched for about 15 minutes and found the cache with a blank log. Nobody else found it for about three weeks.

 

There's a five stage multi boat only cache about two hours from me but it's very seasonal and is frequently disabled so I have yet to find it.

 

Last year a local cacher placed a series of 8-10 caches along three different creeks that are labled as boat only. I have yet to do any of these simply because they all require a shuttle and I just haven't found the time to coordinate with someone else that A) has a kayak, hasn't found them, and C) has a desire to find them.

[+HomeStyle]

Oh! And be sure to use an excellent container and place it high enough that flooding won't cause it harm. Then tie it to something. Just think of the challenge you are setting up, because you will have to do that same trip frequently for cache maintenance if needed.

[+terrkan78]

I did one that was attached to the branch of an old oak tree - the branch was hanging low way out over a creek. I don't own a boat, so I bushwhacked there. What I didn't anticipate was that I would either have to crawl out 15 feet along a big oak branch (will it even hold?) or swim. It was hot so I jumped in the water. Didn't anticipate that the little creek would be so deep. I got over to the branch and found that it was just barely too high for me to reach from where I was floating. A canoe came by (who fortunately had heard of geocaching) and got the cache down for me to sign.

 

I think a big plus on this cache was that it was placed in such a way that people like me who try to circumvent the 5-star terrain are foiled. It'd been much easier with a boat. I ended up having to exit the creek in a different spot (couldn't pull myself out where I went in--too deep, concave bank and nothing to hook my feet into) and I had to bushwhack barefoot through poison oak and stickers to get back to my shoes. I earned that 5-star terrain.

[z0mbieCache]

These are very helpful, thanks to all who posted!

 

There's a few places i fish at often nearby and I have a fishing boat so this may be something I'll do in the future!

 

Keep the stories coming, they are great

[+Mushroom finder]

When I first started I wanted to do boat in hides because I love boating and there weren't any in my area. My caching philosophy has been to place caches that I myself would enjoy looking for. The first cache I placed GC1CWBY is a multi along the harbor where I moor my sailboat. Stage 1 is at the boat ramp and gives coords, info and a map to the cache. The easiest approach is by boat and it was my hope that many people would get there by boat. It is also accessible by land but requires a significant hike either with a tough bushwack, or a pretty easy trail whose trailhead is in an area that requires admission. So, several options to choose from. It has only been found 25 times in three years but people seem to have enjoyed it. I think only one group has used a boat to get there though. Never had any maintenance issues with the cache itself (some of the original swag is still there in fact) but stage 1 has gone missing a couple of times. The thing I learned from this cache is that a lot of people skip over multi caches and when people do cache runs to hit all of the caches on this side of the park they often skip mine because of the time involved.

 

My second boat cache is a 5/5 GC1D7G0 it's all about rock climbing, rappelling and caving, but boating is part of it. It is possible to reach by land but due to access issues, boating is required to reach it without trespassing. Never had a maintenance issue with this one and it gets fantastic logs. The thing I learned from this cache is that there are indeed people besides myself who want to do caches that are a serious challenge and require a lot of planning. A cache like this won't get found often but when it does will be very rewarding for both the hider and the seeker.

 

My third boat cache is pretty easy actually. GC2YM68 This one is on an island in an urban lake. It is just a few hundred yards from a kayak launching pad and is in a sheltered part of the lake. I figured that this one would get found more often because of the ease of access, how quickly it can be done, and being right in the middle of suburbia. It's only been out for a couple of months but has only been found by two groups. Time will tell if it becomes more popular or not but I suspect it will get a few finds over the winter when it can be reached over the ice.

 

I think the main thing I've learned from boating caches is that no matter how easy or how difficult they are, they only appeal to a certain type of cacher. They aren't something that the average cacher is going to just stop on their way home from work to do. Those who go after them are going to have to do a little bit or maybe even a lot of advanced planning and put in more effort than the average cache. If I'm going to expect that from finders then I owe it to them to reward them well for their effort. Ideally, the journey, destination and the cache should all tie together to make a good overall experience. Try to choose an awesome location for the final, but if there is nothing spectacular about the final location, make up for it with an awesome cache. Obviously the location will dictate what you can successfully hide, but if the location will support it, a creative container with cool swag is a big plus when asking seekers to put in extra effort.

[+BigAl437]

Our family did one in Ohio on a large lake. My nephew had a pontoon boat and he had taken us tubbing so after we had eaten dinner we went after the cache. We boated over to the island and almost could not dock it. He got as close as he could and then I jumped onto the bank and tied the anchor around a picnic table. The rest of them then jumped too and my sister stayed on the boat to make sure it did not come loose and float away. We began our search and were led along the shores, which were quite rocky. We all looked and looked and were about to give up when my son spotted it and made the find. This was an awesome time and it was my nephews first cache ever. He was hooked. The scenery was beautiful and it made for a fantastic end to our day. You can read my whole story at Cachecrazy.com under Indian Lake Tour. I love reading the stories of others and their boating trips. Keep them coming.

[+Student Camper]

Later this month I'm going to launch an expedition to find five boat caches,all FTF and of which two have been out there for 5 and 6 years.

I expect to travel 100 or more miles and use 30/40 gallons of gas, some of these caches are in very remote areas, all them are within 32 miles of my home as the crow flies, but unfortunately, the boat doesn't fly and there are no roads.

[+WarNinjas]

There is a cool kayak one on treasure island in SF! I am looking forward to the day I get a chance to go kayak there for it. I want to get a kayak for my daughter to go with me. I hope to do a little fishing on the way. I just have to get a kayak and make sure my daughter is up to handling the bay before we go.

-WarNinjas

[+The_Incredibles_]

We've done 3 caches by boat. All 3 were on an island in them middle of a lake. Lots of fun. 2 of them actually could be reached by swimming too, which some people have done.

[+Andromeda321]

I did a few island caches during the past few summers as my family goes to a huge lake in New Hampshire, so island caches are delightfully common around there (easy to get too tho as everyone has a boat!). I think my favorite was hidden in the foundation of an old hotel and you had to dock at a miniature post office on the water- definitely an adventure!

 

I just moved to Amsterdam and there's a famous one here I want to get that's nearby, Amsterdam Urban 2: Under the Bridge http://coord.info/GC921. Basically one needs to rent a little paddleboat and grab the cache from the water, and there's the additional benefit of it being a very old cache placed in May 2001. I just think that one would be more fun to snag with others than on my own, so I'm hoping to find someone who wants to go at an event next week.

[+hukilaulau]

When I was getting ready for a trip to North Carolina I noticed some caches on islands in a bay. I asked in the local forums if anyone knew of a place to rent kayaks. The cache owner responded and not only lent me one of her kayaks, but went with me and served as my personal guide! (She didn't tell me about the recent aligator spottings until we got back.)

The caches were pretty easy ammo boxes once you got on the islands. OK... one of them wasn't but I won't give it away here. One of my most memorable caching trips.

[Tahosa and Sons]

Nice Cacheand the comments about the log are at the tail end of this documentary

[grdhogeve]

Without linking to them or mentioning them by cache name, please tell me about your caching adventures that required a boat

 

Things like how they were set up and what it was like to get to a cache that required you have a boat

 

I was thinking of making one and would like to make it worthwhile for the cacher's involved

[grdhogeve]

I like kayaking and water, and in the past year or so got into caching. This summer I went after 2 caches on Seneca Lake in the Finger lakes. I was FTF with Peaceful Swim. The other, Walk of Grace, I got stumped. Read the logs to learn about these watery caches. Both caches were placed in August of this year. I mentioned them by name so you can read the logs and learn from the misfortunes of others. Paddle on.

[+niraD]

The ones I've done were placed in and around the Port of Redwood City by a geocacher who is an avid kayaker. Most of them used 6-inch PVC as an outer container, which was chained to a structure of some kind (e.g., an abandoned pier). Inside this outer container was a smaller waterproof bottle.

 

I found them on one of REI's Geo-Kayak Tours (essentially a beginning kayaking class that visits kayak caches). It was a lot of fun spending a few hours on the water with other geocachers (some I already knew, others I met for the first time that morning), paddling kayaks around the sloughs and finding geocaches. Until REI offered their Geo-Kayak Tours, I assumed that I wouldn't find any of those 5-star terrain caches.

[+cmar22]

Since there are no boating caches in my area I have been contemplating placing one in the Trinity river which is the main river in our county. But then this story popped up http://www.petersenshunting.com/2011/06/24/texas-sized-gator-killed-by-dallas-attorney/

 

Since this happened on the Trinity river real close to where i would be placing a boat cache I decided against it. No need to feed the gators w/ geocachers. I guess it would warrant maybe a higher terrain/difficulty rating. .

[z0mbieCache]

WOW... yeah, if you got nearly 14 foot gators around, I would say you're gonna need to give that a 5/5

 

lol

[+briansnat]

I found a fun series on the Moonda Marsh which is adjacent to the Hudson River. I think it was a total of 5 or 6 caches on islands in the marsh. There was also one on a sand bar on the Hudson that was only 1/4 mile away but once we got the canoe out on the river and got a load of the whitecaps and considered the early November water temps, we decided against trying for it and immediately turned around. Decisions such as that one are why I'm still alive today.

[+Union41Proud]

My favorite paddle cache is a 10-12 mile paddle, depending your take out, down a blackwater river to the the Intercostal waterway. One must find two caches along the way to obtain the coords for the final. The final is on an island about 40-45 feet up in a pine. The cache sat unfound for over two years before I found it. The paddle along the river was great saw tons of wildlife. My favorite moment was seeing an osprey snag a fish about 300 feet in front of me. I also liked seeing all the Spanish moss hanging from the trees. I love paddle caches!!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I like kayaking and water, and in the past year or so got into caching. This summer I went after 2 caches on Seneca Lake in the Finger lakes. I was FTF with Peaceful Swim. The other, Walk of Grace, I got stumped. Read the logs to learn about these watery caches. Both caches were placed in August of this year. I mentioned them by name so you can read the logs and learn from the misfortunes of others. Paddle on.

 

I was FTF for the first island cache in Cayuga Lake. I wasn't aware of the new island caches on Seneca and will be driving by there next weekend on the way to Buffalo.

 

There used to be a boat only accessible cache along the eastern shore of Seneca near the town of Valois. It was on the shore but surrounded by private property so the only way to get to it was by boat. I almost went for it one day when I was looking for the nearest place to launch my kayak. That turned out to be about 3 miles away and I figured with an average of 3mph (fairly typical for a touring kayak paddling at a normal pace), and spending a maximum of 15 minutes looking for it that would have had me back at the launch point right around sunset. I made plans to go for it a couple of weekends later for my 900th find.

 

This particular cache was on my watchlist for quite a while. It had been placed in 2004 and found 4-5 times in the first year or so. Then a couple DNFs were posted and the CO replaced the container in a better spot and just posted the new coordinates in a log. Then in June 2009, a few days before I planned on going for it someone took a powerboat from Watkins Glen, couldn't find the cache, and threw down a replacement container (and called it a find). I wasn't interested in going after the replacement cache so went and found "The Spot" instead for my 900th. The reviewer archived the cache a couple of weeks later because the CO had stopped participating in the game.

[+John in Valley Forge]

The most important thing is to list it properly. Let them know ahead of time that you will need a boat. In finding one, we found them with ski boats and kayaks. Be sure to mention water traffic. Is it too shallow for a power boat? Too dangerous for a canoe or kayak because of motor boat traffic?

 

I think this is hugely important. Not all boats are the same. Kayaks and canoes can get closer to rocky bottoms than many powerboats. An aluminum jonboat can get closer than a big fiberglass runabout.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The most important thing is to list it properly. Let them know ahead of time that you will need a boat. In finding one, we found them with ski boats and kayaks. Be sure to mention water traffic. Is it too shallow for a power boat? Too dangerous for a canoe or kayak because of motor boat traffic?

 

I think this is hugely important. Not all boats are the same. Kayaks and canoes can get closer to rocky bottoms than many powerboats. An aluminum jonboat can get closer than a big fiberglass runabout.

 

Also a cache on an island 200 feet from shore in a small pond requires a lot less skill than a cache on an island a mile off the coast in Newfoundland. Unfortunately, because both "require special equipment" they'll both be listed with a terrain rating of 5. Then, it's important that the CO includes text in the description which accurately describes the risks.