Best places to board in NC, TN, SC, GA area?

magilla · Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 22 City: Canton

What are some of the best places to board in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains including western NC, northwest SC, north GA and eastern TN? A boarder friend told me that eastern TN has some of the most consistent flat water in the country.

Looking to take a week long trip in June to that area from Ohio with a bunch of stops for boarding.

Yes, I'm aware of Lake Norman near Charlotte, and have been to Lake Lanier north of Atlanta, but wasnt very impressed with the water at either. Looking for perhaps some less crowded places with consistent flat water. Yeah, I realize that rules out weekends at most places, lol.

Need something to look forward to!! Very Happy

Thanks for your input. Cool

magilla · Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 22 City: Canton

oh, and one more comment on these areas... I read that NC, SC, TN and GA all have similar spotter rules: either a real live person at least age 12 or 16 OR a large convex mirror. This trip will be just me and the wife, and I dont want to be fooling around trying to find a spotter.

Can anyone confirm or deny whether or not a large convex mirror with no 3rd person spotter is legal in these 4 states?

Thanks. Cool

LoudonTN · Posted: Jan 11, 2012 6:26 am Post subject:

I can only speak for Tennessee but in Tennessee you can have a single person in the boat as long as you have a mirror. I used to pull my brother on a jetski without a spotter because it had mirrors.

Regarding Tennessee, Norris Lake, Ft. Loudon/Lake Tellico, Melton Hill and Watts Bar are the best bodies of water for boarding. Ft. Loudon/Lake Tellico are the hardest to find good water on, IMO, but they're the closest to suburbanized Knoxville so that's where I go a lot. Norris is kind of the favorite lake of the state, and most of the region, people travel from all over to go to Norris. Blue water and tons of coves. Melton Hill is a pretty great, unpopulated lake. It always has butter but always seems to have a lot of debris floating around. Watts Bar I don't go to regularly enough to speak intelligently on.

magilla · Newbie Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 22 City: Canton

is the Tennessee River navigable from the Knoxville area all the way down thru 'Nooga?

LoudonTN · Posted: Jan 11, 2012 8:38 am Post subject:

Yup, few lock's along the way but yea.

jbcs16 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Aug 2010 Posts: 100

You can have only a driver in the boat with a mirror in SC too. It's usually just my husband and me and one drives while the other boards.

ILIVETOWAKE · Criminal Joined: 04 Jun 2009 Posts: 59 City: Asheville,NC

Lake Keowee for us man only about a 45min ride from Asheville, I've been to lake James a couple time down near Marion wasn't really impressed.

mseller · Outlaw Joined: 05 May 2010 Posts: 220 City: Charleston

I've ridden on Lake Keowee, Hartwell, and Murray in SC. Keowee is nicer then Hartwell. Got a house on Murray and love it there.

jbcs16 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Aug 2010 Posts: 100

Never ridden on either of them, but I hear that Keowee and Jocassee are really nice. Jocassee is near the mountians and has several waterfalls into the lake. Hear the water is very clear and scenery is beautiful.

87advance · Newbie Joined: 22 Aug 2012 Posts: 38

ga. is the same way with one person in boat. we go to the swannee river,
in north fl. 250miles of flat water.

CPGrandelli · Criminal Joined: 24 Oct 2012 Posts: 90

Hey,

I can vouch for NC. Either a capable adult spotting or a mirror. My wife and I usually just use the mirror never had any problems.

mgs917 · Addict Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 532 City: Spartanburg

Lake Keowee is really nice in upstate SC. We went at the end of the season and we had flat water both times. The lake is really nice as well. The south carolina department of natural resources says you only need a mirror, no spotter.

jamespjackson95 · Outlaw Joined: 17 May 2012 Posts: 113

Hartwell was down all summer so we went to Keowee a lot. Very nice lake, but pretty crowded on the weekends.