Outdoor Rowing - Los Angeles

[[old] hoodedclaw2000]

Looking to take my rowing outdoors for the summer, but the only lakes I can find near me (Toluca Lake) are private or closed off reservoirs!<br /><br />Anyone know of a lake in/near LA, where I can go boating?<br /><br />thx<br />

[[old] Mary P.]

Yikes! You're in the No. Hollywood/Sherman Oaks area (sort of inland & definitely near the really clogged freeways). Your best bet would be one of the several rowing clubs in Marina del Rey. Lions Rowing Club (<a href='http://www.lionsrc.com/' target='_blank'>Lions RC homepage</a>). The club gives lessons, has equipment members can use, etc. I row for Long Beach Rowing Association (GREAT CLUB!!!), but that would be quite a drive for you.<br />Hope you find the water,<br />Mary P.

[[old] rspenger]

<!--QuoteBegin-hoodedclaw2000+Jan 23 2006, 03:35 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(hoodedclaw2000 @ Jan 23 2006, 03:35 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Looking to take my rowing outdoors for the summer, but the only lakes I can find near me (Toluca Lake) are private or closed off reservoirs!<br /><br />Anyone know of a lake in/near LA, where I can go boating?<br /><br />thx <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Why a lake? There are several rowing venues on the bays and inlets of the SoCal area, including L.A. They are all salt water, to be sure, so you have to have an adequate washing facility nearby to hose off the boat after a row. Until I joined a couple of the many clubs, I used to launch at Dana Point and at a sheltered beach across from Naples Island in Long Beach. Both of them had fresh water outlets available for washing off the boats. I think that it can also probably be done in the Marina del Rey area. I also launched a few times at the Newport Aquatic center before I joined and started using their boats. At the time I was allowed to use the water outlets even though I wasn't a member yet.<br /><br />Bob S.<br /><br />

[[old] Xeno]

Wait! Bypass flat water and row on the ocean. There are several ocean rowing shells that are safe and more stable. Wintech, Hudson, Adlen, and a French manufacturer whose name escapes me currently.<br />XENO

[[old] ancho]

<a href='http://www.mpscomposites.com/pageLibre0001003a.html' target='_blank'>mps composites</a>, <a href='http://www.eurodiffusions.com/' target='_blank'>eurodiffusion</a>, <a href='http://www.virusboats.com/virus.php?langue=fr' target='_blank'>virus</a>, and others...<br /><img src='http://www.avironfrance.asso.fr/images/ ... g/R587.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.avironfrance.asso.fr/images/ ... g/R645.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

[[old] Roland Baltutis]

<!--QuoteBegin-Mary P.+Jan 23 2006, 05:55 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Mary P. @ Jan 23 2006, 05:55 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Yikes! You're in the No. Hollywood/Sherman Oaks area (sort of inland & definitely near the really clogged freeways). Your best bet would be one of the several rowing clubs in Marina del Rey. Lions Rowing Club (<a href='http://www.lionsrc.com/' target='_blank'>Lions RC homepage</a>). The club gives lessons, has equipment members can use, etc.  I row for Long Beach Rowing Association (GREAT CLUB!!!), but that would be quite a drive for you.<br />Hope you find the water,<br />Mary P. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Did anyone look at the membership fees for Lions Rowing Club? It seems to be biased against over 30s rowers. $125 per month. Ouch!<br />Yet only $150 for the summer for Collegiate rowers.<br />Is that typical of clubs in the USA?<br /><br />I only pay $260 for the year at my club and that includes storage space for my private rowing scull.<br /><br />Xeno should try setting up a sculling school like Craftsbury Rowing Centre. I'd part with my hard earned cash to be coached by Xeno in the scull and I'm sure others would too.<br /><br />Rockin Roland<br />

[[old] rspenger]

<!--QuoteBegin-Roland Baltutis+Jan 25 2006, 10:22 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Roland Baltutis @ Jan 25 2006, 10:22 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Did anyone look at the membership fees for Lions Rowing Club? It seems to be biased against over 30s rowers. $125 per month. Ouch!<br />Yet only $150 for the summer for Collegiate rowers.<br />Is that typical of clubs in the USA?<br />I only pay $260 for the year at my club and that includes storage space for my private rowing scull.<br />Xeno should try setting up a sculling school like Craftsbury Rowing Centre. I'd  part with my hard earned cash to be coached by Xeno in the scull and I'm sure others would too.<br />Rockin Roland <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I lived in the area for almost forty years and rowed there for about 12 and I had never heard of it until Mary mentioned it in her message. I don't think that its dues are typical. The last I heard was that LBRA in Long Beach was 420 per year. The Newport Aquatic Center was reported to be somewhat higher, but nowhere near as much as 1500. Both of those clubs are in areas where the property values have gone out of sight. I would guess that it would be considerable cheaper in those parts of the country where the real estate market hasn't gone so crazy. Our old house in the Southern California area (but much further inland) has almost doubled in price since we sold it less than three years ago - at over 40 times its initial cost. Waterfront property is much more volatile.<br /><br />regards,<br /><br />Bob S.

[[old] ljwagner]

Depending on how badly you want to row, and the drive to involve:<br /><br /> Balboa Lake is very small, but they allow a scull. Launching there is poor for sculls. Use the boat ramp, but covered in lake scum and dusk poop, very slippery. I sculled there a few times mid 80's. Too much turning, can't can't get a workout, but can work on technique. But you'll really want to wash the boat afterwards. I lived about a mile away at the time, so I had to see if it was tolerable. Barely.<br /><br /> Either Lake Castaic or the Castaic forebay. I sculled there in the 80's a a couple dozen times. Weekend mornings or very late afternoons SPring through Fall. I only sculled on the forebay. When not windy, few trawling fisherman and windurfers/boaters, a nice row, nearly a mile long I think.<br /><br /> Marina Del Rey. Launch near Mother's Beach, and pay for parking in the lot. They will ticket. There is/was a free rack and hose at the boat racks. I sculled out of there for a few years. My Dad rowed an Alden single and double out of there for 15 years, which he kept at his condo. Then row in the marina, or venture out past the breakwater to the ocean or into Ballona Creek. Early morning or late afternoons. I lived a year or two in Playa del Rey and WLA, so when the wind was down, I sculled there. There was an LA Rowing Club that rowed out of the marina, I rowed as a spare with them, since I lived close,and they could call me any time. You might try to look them up.