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Old     (Bakes)      Join Date: Mar 2010       03-31-2015, 3:21 PM Reply   
Anybody know what the lake situation in Germany is like? We may be moving out there at some point and am wondering if I should think about bringing the boat.
Old     (Michael)      Join Date: Mar 2010       03-31-2015, 4:07 PM Reply   
What part of Germany? Tons of places to cable
Old     (Bakes)      Join Date: Mar 2010       03-31-2015, 6:14 PM Reply   
Not interested in cable......at all. My guess is landstuhl but nothing for sure. I have visions of driving to Switzerland and other sweet places and boating in MTN lakes. I already have that here in Colorado but it would be fun to do in Europe.
Old     (Kane)      Join Date: Mar 2010       03-31-2015, 11:35 PM Reply   
Europe can be quiet difficult, local by laws may prevent boats in a lot of lakes.
I have to drive past 3 lakes just to get to one that allow me to put a seadoo in to get towed behind!
Expect fuel to be 3 to 4 times the price you pay in the US.
Cable is massive in Europe (particularly Germany).

It's personal choice but I've moved from boat to cable and I really enjoy it. I miss the social side of a day on the boat but my riding has improved massively (albeit from a very low base .
Old     (stanfield)      Join Date: Mar 2004       04-01-2015, 2:54 AM Reply   
Have you spent much time in Europe? There is a reason cable is huge and boat is all but nonexistent. If you looked at some real world numbers, I think you would find it to be cost prohibitive with a quickness. I'm not sure what import taxes would be on a boat, but it wouldn't be cheap, nor would shipping it there either. A capable tow vehicle will also be a problem as there aren't big trucks sitting on every car lot. Expect to pay big money not only for the vehicle, but to fuel and park it as well. Driving any sort of big vehicle around Europe is a flat out nightmare as well. Finding parking on a daily basis would drive someone insane. Lastly, gas would be the killer. Last time I was there (2 years) gas here was 2.75ish per gallon. There it was 2,75ish Euro per liter. Obviously it takes 3.785 liters per gallon so you're looking at 10,41 Euros per gallon which I'm sure it has gone up since then. I've never looked into it, but I would also imagine that storing a boat would be a hassle and expensive.

Can it be done? Sure, but unless you wipe with hundreds I just can't see how it could ever be worth it. So much to see and do over there anyways, if it were me I'd rather spend my money traveling around in my free time. Wakeboard when you get back and use the cable to scratch the itch if necessary. JMHO
Old     (brettw)      Join Date: Jul 2007       04-02-2015, 7:54 PM Reply   
I ride every week with a friend who's here temporarily from Germany. Like others said, it's cable park riding there. Even if you can afford the tow vehicle, the boat, gas, and find a lake, you need a boat license in Germany which costs upwards of $3000, and that's for you to drive, so you'd still need to get or find someone else with that license to pull you when you ride. It's just not the same as here. That said, I know of someone on another forum that rides in Switzerland. They've got beautiful lakes, and I'd love to ride there, but I don't know the licensing laws, and I'm sure it still costs more than the fortune here to ride there.
Old     (Markonline)      Join Date: Mar 2012       04-03-2015, 5:13 AM Reply   
Not from Germany, but continental Europe, so i'll give this a shot.

I think the biggest difference between Europe and the US is that in Europe nearly all boats are stored in a slip at a marina where they stay in the water summer long. Storing your boat in the garage and occasionally towing it to a lake is nearly unheard of. For this reason trailer access to lakes is limited and the boat ramps that do exist you'll be paying out of your nose or are subpar.

In addition, as some else already pointed out, most lakes either all out ban boats with internal combustion engines are have a 6-12 mph speed limit. planing out your boat is often only possible on marked areas or waterways with commercial shipping. I was unable to find any maps with speed limits for Germany, but i do have one for the Netherlands, and it's abysmal. You'll want to see what is possible here.

Boating license should only be around €50 but the test is relatively hard and requires study.

Import duties are negligible, but you do have to pay 19% VAT. You can't just import any American boat as Europe requires CE compliance.

Towing your boat to Switzerland/Italy is possible. I know people who've done this, and they had a great time. Do keep in mind that these glacial lakes can be COLD.
Old     (wakemitch)      Join Date: Jun 2005       04-03-2015, 2:57 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakes View Post
Not interested in cable......at all.
why are you so against cable riding? Have you tried it?
Old     (kmehrkens)      Join Date: Sep 2010       04-23-2015, 8:00 PM Reply   
Check out Mr. Goodfun in Zug, Switzerland. Prepare to pay a lot for a ride, but the water and backdrop is awesome. Just being on a boat there is awesome. I think most of them are like yacht clubs and it is a longer process and more money to be a river/lake rat over there. Cable is where it's at over there anyway. Great parks.
Old     (mburn)      Join Date: Aug 2013       04-29-2015, 11:38 PM Reply   
Hi Guy,

I'm from germany and I know a lot of cable parks in Germany, and other european countries. Are you interested in Lakes to wake by boat or do you want to find a cable park? I can say, that nearly for every bigger city in germany, there is a cable park near by the city.

Here you'll find a great overview of all germany cable parks: Wakeboard in Germany. This site is german, so if you've any question you can ask me and I'll translate if needed. If you're interested in nearby cables in any other european country (eg Austria is next to Germany) then you'll find a complete list here: Wakeboard Spots

Have fun

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