Taxi is on the trailer.

Last Tuesday I pulled out the boat taxi. The weather was getting cold so I didn't want to chance freezing the boat in. Since then the weather has warmed up. Today is a beautiful day,sunshine and calm lake. The 14 day weather forecast is calling for daytime temps above the freezing mark so the lake may not freeze for a while. I will blog later when the lake freezes over. 

Al. 

Facebook.

Check out the Rainy Lake Boat Taxi Facebook page. Looking for likes,likes,likes!!!

Winter is near.

Well another season is drawing too a close. The boat taxi is still in the water for at least another 10 days. The barge was pulled a couple of weeks ago. All the summer residence have left and the only ones remaining are a few locals and some hunters. The summer was another great one for the RLBT crew. The new barge worked great. Some improvements will be done to the barge over the winter. We have aleady booked several jobs and Carol is pumped as she will do most of the driving.

Some new services are in the works for next season. One being a dumpster in my yard. This means the boat taxi can dispose of your trash and we will even try a weekly garbage pickup at your property. Fees per bag will apply. Prices to be determined. Also will be purchasing a chipper/shredder. This means I can come to your property and chip debris on site. 

Stay tuned for more exciting news in the new year along with winter snow and ice reports up here on Rainy. As well as ice out predictions. 

Thanks everyone for your continued support. 

Al and Carol.  

Fall is near.

Another great summer has past. The weather in general was fabulous. The boat taxi was very busy and with the addition of the barge we were able to serve our customers better. Next year I will have a dumpster in my yard and will be taking out the trash for our taxi customers. We may even do a weekly garbage pickup for those summer residence who want the garbage off there property. 

Also we aleady have several runs with barge cleaning up property's. Old fridges ,hot water heaters,derelict boats and lots of other junk. Call or email for a pickup. 

Lawn mowing is getting busy. If your lawn needs mowing this fall while you are at home let me know. Also I can keep things looking nice for your arrival next summer. We have all our own equipment for lawn care. Carol can even plant flowers so they are in full bloom when you arrive. 

Well that's it for now. I will blog in a month or so with some fall news. 

Al & Carol. 

Barge is up and running!

Well after 3 1/2 months of hard work Carol and I have converted a old not loved houseboat into a amazing looking barge. This bad boy is outfitted will all the bells and whistles. And one of the loudest horns you will hear !!  Powered by a brand new 60 Merc four stroke. This motor is super efficient and gets the same mileage as a regular boat. That means the RLBT barge will be the cheapest on the lake. We made the maiden voyage on Sunday and it worked great. I will still need to build the ramps and should be able to haul a small bobcat or mini excavator. Call or email for a estimate for the barge to haul a heavy load to your cabin. 

Al & Carol. 

Lake level rising.

Well it's been almost a month since the ice left the lake. The level has raised about a foot maybe more. It still has about a foot to go till it's a normal level. The dam on Rainy River opened some gates last week and the lower river is beginning to fill up also. The Boat Taxi crew has been busy opening cabins and doing yard maintainance. The summer residence are beginning to show up and soon will all be here. The barge build is on schedule. Carol will have completed the painting on the weekend and I will start on the wheelhouse and rigging the motor. There has been several inquiry's about the barge. We are very excited about the future. Well so long for now. 

Al & Carol. 

Chicken and eggs. No No No!!!

Just some heads up to my American friends coming up to the lake. The Canadian Customs are not allowing raw chicken,turkey or eggs across the border because of that bird flue issue. Lots of good chicken and eggs at Safeway. Other news is the RLBT barge project is coming along nice. The pontoons are all done and the deck is near completion. Splashdown should be around end of June. Call or email for a estimate to have the cheapest barge on the lake come to your place with a heavy load. 

Al & Carol Boivin

Ice is out!

Well yesterday Dick made it official and declared ice out. However as I look out my window I still see lots of ice starting at Reef Point and clogging Hopkins Bay. The wind has been blowing out of the west north west for days pinning the last of the ice there. Donna reports that there is no ice near Birch Island and Val over at McDonalds Inlet says it's all clear over there. The big yellow taxi is going in on the weekend and will be ready to roll. Carol and I are working hard getting the barge ready. RLBT has already booked several trips and some cabin openings. The lake is very low. You can monitor lake levels by going to my link page and click on lake levels. Well that's enough for now. I will blog in a couple of weeks with updates and lake conditions. 

Al. 

New service at Rainy Lake Boat Taxi.

RLBT is now in the barge business. I have recently acquired a set of pontoons that was once a houseboat. I have them on blocks in my yard and am working to build them into a 30 x 12 foot barge. This is not a huge industrial barge but a medium size vessel that will be economical to run. The barge will be powered by a new 60 four stroke Merc. Our mission a RLBT has always been to provide a service at a reasonable rate and the barge will be no exception. So if you need building supplies,furniture ,appliances or small machinery like mini excavators or a bobcat moved I can do this. I am hoping to have it in the water by the end of June. Call or email for a estimate on barge service to you cabin. 

Thank you for your business and will see everyone soon. 

Al and Carol Boivin. 

Ice is melting fast.

Well I still seen atv's heading north of the Causeway last Saturday but since then the ice has been melting fast. All of Sand Bay is out and the 5- Mile area is out. The temps have been warm reaching 70  today. I am sticking too my earlier prediction of the 25th. I will blog in one week and hope to have good news for everyone. 

Al. 

Ice out prediction.

Well, you can tell spring is near and the ice is getting bad when someone puts a truck through the ice under the Causeway, that's what happened last Sunday. A couple of young guys were out fishing on Saturday and caught some nice walleyes, so decided to try again the next day and dropped their truck through under the bridge. They both crawled out the passenger window, they were lucky, but the truck not so. It's still on the bottom. The temps climbed today to 17c or 62fahrenheit. 

My prediction for ice out is April 25. The Taxi will be in the water even earlier, I can launch at the Sorting Gap Marina and get to my dock before the North Arm opens. I will blog again in 2 weeks with more updates. Thank you for your business. 

Al & Carol Boivin. 

Earthquake Rocks The North Arm!!

According to earthquakes Canada, on Saturday the 28th, a 1.5 magnitude earthquake happened about 29 km's north of Fort. According to my calculations, this event happened on the mainland on the south east shore of Alexandria Bay. Not far from Super Dave's and Andy's place. For more info and all the specs go to  www.earthquakescanada.nrcangc.ca   Click on Recent earthquakes, then on Eastern Canada. 

Ice out predictions to follow later this evening. 

Al. 

Spring is near.

Well it's been a long winter. I don't think any records for cold or snowfall were broken but it seemed long. Lake travel this winter was ideal as the ice was thick and no slush. Many cabin owners went to their cabins by truck over ice roads and snowmobile. For the past 10 days the temps have been mild. As high as 50 farenhight. Most of the snow is gone but still lots in the bush and shaded areas. All the snow on the lake is gone but the ice has not yet lifted. My son Curtis said he seen a truck drive under the Causeway and heading north today. The ice is very thick. The norm for ice out is around the end of April. It's too early to make an accurate prediction. I will post again in a couple of weeks with more updates. 

Al.