Class A with Boat - South Lake Tahoe

Just got back from our RV / Boat Tahoe trip. Here is the report.

The boat inspection required for Lake Tahoe went well with no issues. They check every part of your boat for standing water and signs of invasive species. If they find anything, they will decon your boat. This was the first time we had the boat out this year and it was dry and clean no issues. Cost = $66.00

We headed to Cave Rock to launch as Zephyr Cove has no launch ramp. The launch went well. I take it slow as I back down the ramp and the wife motors right off the trailer. I noticed a class A right behind me getting ready to launch as well. Cost = $15.00

We rented a mooring buoy at Zephyr Cove for all five days. Really cool. In the morning you walk across the street to the dock and they have a zodiac that taxis you out to your boat. Upon your return at the end of the day, just get their attention and they pick you up at the buoy. The kids loved it. Cost = $175.00

We stayed at Zephyr Cove, sight #108 and enjoyed our stay. The sight is deemed universal access and accomadated our RV, boat trailer and plenty of room for the table and fire ring. The wifi worked very well and the cable TV has allot of channels. One area of slight concern is the bears. We have stayed at Zephyr Cove twice this summer and both times saw bears. The first trip our kids were exploring up on the rocks and saw a bear. The sighting was confirmed by an adult. On this trip,it was about 10pm when my wife went to hang a towel at the rear of our RV when a black bear was right there! It climbed over the fence and walked off. Kinda scary. Cost of RV Park = $325.00

The boating on Tahoe was nothing short of fantastic. Most blue and clear water I have ever seen. You can see the bottom at 50 feet and more. We boated all over the lake. Emerald Bay is awesome. We anchored at the island, jumped in - swam over to and hiked up to the tea house. The water is cold, but we tubed, wake boarded and swam. The end of day motoring back to Zephyr Cove was very rough each day. We put up with it, because we were enjoying the lake so much, we did not want to stop. Next time we will get off the water sooner.

Good campground, good marina, fantastic scenery. Excellent trip.

I have boated on Tahoe with three different boats, two with a carburetors and one with electronic fuel injection. The carbureted boats were a pain in the a** to start and keep running, the fuel injected boat started and ran fine but both had way less horsepower from the elevation. Depending on your boat and horsepower you may need a "smaller" prop just to get on plane. What a great lake to boat on!

I have launched at Cave Rock with a Jeep GC. The launch ramp part is good.

You have far more experience launching with an RV than I do.

If you are launching during the week at Cave Rock, you may have enough room to maneuver your rig. Parking could be an issue. Take a look on Google Earth.

Friday through Sunday it is very crowded and parking is limited to none after 10:00 am in my experience.

The folks at Zephyr Cove told me they would do a launch at Cave Rock and buoy tie up for me but I did not ask the price of launch.

I did use one of their buoy tie downs for three days. That works well except that getting a ride in from your boat is sometimes difficult if they are busy at the pier. (I am old and try not to swim in Tahoe).

I would launch once during the visit and store the trailer at Zephyr Cove if towing with the RV.

Boating on Tahoe is a bit different from boating on the reservoir. The calm part of the day is usually in the AM. The lake gets rougher in the PM and some days is just not fun to be out there. The water is cold so that might affect extended water skiing etc. Emerald Bay is a great destination to anchor or beach and hang out from Zephyr Cove.

Cant you launch at Zephyr ?