2018 wave Rave
- Thread starter SteveC
- Start date
Jobu
Schrickter
- Location
- West Michigan
ya, 2nd weekend of August
air blair
you are the reason
- Location
- thumb, mich again
Will there be a pig 
? That was yummy
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? That was yummy Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Jobu
Schrickter
- Location
- West Michigan
Looks like the campground is almost booked up. Hopefully it's all jetskiiers and not soccer players!!
- Location
- commerce mi
We booked two months ago! Ready!
- Location
- Hermosa Beach, CA
Booked my flight from SoCal yesterday. Can’t wait to be back at Claybanks
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- Location
- SW Michigan
First timer here, just wondering for those sleeping in a tent (you know, actually camping in a camp site) but towing a double ski trailer, what type of site designation do you choose to book to make sure I have room to park the trailer? I would prefer the trailer to be parked in my site for security and just general accessibility. I looked at “travel trailer” and it said separate vehicle parking only and don’t know how strict they are on it since there are many designation options.
Thanks!
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Thanks!
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- Location
- Hermosa Beach, CA
air blair
you are the reason
- Location
- thumb, mich again
Wave.......
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If you look at the site info when choosing one, you will see the dimensions. All the sites at Claybanks are big enough to park an RV type thing on (though they do vary in size). They just let you reserve them for tent camping, too. The system they use is a generic camp site reservation system that supports having sites with different capabilities. The only sites left are on the east side, near the entrance. There is no shade there, to speak of, but the sites are something like 38’ x 65’. Plenty for a tent, truck, trailer. Each site has electric hook up, too, despite some information on the reservation info that says otherwise (I’ve seen conflicting info on that). Each site also has a firepit (half a truck wheel in some cases) that somewhat limits where you park or setup tent, but still: plenty of space.
The bigger trick is launching skis. The public launch is 2.x miles up the road and the parking lot is not huge. It’ll be best to launch and drive back, but you can see how that is not a one person task. There isn’t really a good spot to just cart a ski down to the beach at the camp ground. You could do it, probably, but it would be very sketchy. The public launch has a day pass fee, which is not directly enforced, but there’s a pretty flat beach to cart skis to the water, if someone has a cart there. More tasks best suited for multiple people.
- Location
- SW Michigan
- Location
- Waterford, Michigan
.........Rave!
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air blair
you are the reason
- Location
- thumb, mich again
#waverave2018
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- Location
- SW Michigan
Pulled the fun skis out of the water yesterday to prep. Wasn’t able to commit to a campsite due to work, but planning to make a day trip on Saturday with a few buddies though!
Problem is, I’ve been having back issues for the last month and went for a short ride yesterday and blew my lower back out so bad I can barely walk... hoping for a miracle at the chiropractor on Monday, though it’s doubtful... might just have to bring the Super Chicken instead ♂️
Looking forward to hanging out and meeting people regardless of if I’m physically able to ride or not!
Can anyone that has been there before provide a google map link and drop a pin on the launch site? I was looking on the satellite view trying to spot it within a few miles of the campsite but no luck. Thanks in advance!
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- Location
- Hermosa Beach, CA
Little dot is the campsite in the second pic.
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Brent22 looking at your trailer, I have a similar aluminum trailer, did you raise the bunk supports to those cross beams ? If so, was the weight on the curved cross beams before — pulling the welds out.
Pulled the fun skis out of the water yesterday to prep. Wasn’t able to commit to a campsite due to work, but planning to make a day trip on Saturday with a few buddies though!
Problem is, I’ve been having back issues for the last month and went for a short ride yesterday and blew my lower back out so bad I can barely walk... hoping for a miracle at the chiropractor on Monday, though it’s doubtful... might just have to bring the Super Chicken instead ♂️
Looking forward to hanging out and meeting people regardless of if I’m physically able to ride or not!
Can anyone that has been there before provide a google map link and drop a pin on the launch site? I was looking on the satellite view trying to spot it within a few miles of the campsite but no luck. Thanks in advance!
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- Location
- SW Michigan
Didn’t have any issues with strength of the lower, original cross beams which are curved, but the width and subsequent bunk height of moving the bunk brackets wider caused them to be unequal height and would have required goofy bunk brackets (tall in the middle of the dip and almost nothing on the edge of the dip).
I opted to have the framework welded on top rather than modifying (chopping the curve out and welding in straight beams in their place) since it would add strength and give more mounting options. I got really lucky actually since I basically guessed at where I wanted everything welded and it turned out nearly perfect size/ spacing. I did 4 side to side beams to give more bunk mounting options and then some front to back support bars in the rear middle which are perfect for crossing individual straps over each ski rear, which also added strength between the side to side bars back there.
This gave me enough elevation to sneak the bunk brackets out wider at the same height and allowed me to sneak up and over the wheels/ fenders so it wasn’t limited to squeezing between them. I added the different style winch post in the center and made those bunks in the center higher, which allows the skis to overlap some without smashing bond rails or touching the other skis, and allows my straps to sneak down below. Again, super lucky on spacing.
I got this trailer basically for free via a package deal, so basically all I paid for was new tires ~$140, the front center winch and post ~$150 and has about $300 into material and labor for the welding. The center bunks and brackets I already had, so it was a relatively cheap experiment, under $600 not counting my time and scrap materials I already had.
My only regret is not starting with a heavier duty trailer, like a midsize ~4k# aluminum boat trailer, like for a Boston Whaler, but they are very difficult to find in aluminum, at least for a reasonable price. Having the little bit of extra length in front would be ideal, to add a 4th set of bunks sideways and put a little more weight on the tongue. I plan to have one custom built from the ground up this winter if my funds allow for it, unless I find the ideal starting candidate to modify like this one.
You (or anyone) are welcome to bring your trailer and see mine whenever and take some measurements and pictures if you want.
Here’s some more pics of it that I had on my phone already.
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