# 2wd on cb or @ fort fisher



## dstanley66 (May 6, 2009)

has anyone ever tried a 2wd truck on the beaches @ carolina's north end or @fort fisher, i'm going down this wk. to get my line wet. :fishing:


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

People Try it all the time. Forget it though. People block up the ramps all day on the north end of CB getting stuck even in 4X4's. Both ends have very soft sand. Moreso then hatteras.


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## dstanley66 (May 6, 2009)

tks. for the info. we may switch an take the 4wd instead.


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## dstanley66 (May 6, 2009)

well do they allow atv,s


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

Nope, not at all on fort fisher. The north end of CB...Vehicle must be licensed and inspected in North Carolina.


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## GreenFord (Apr 11, 2009)

Yep it ends up way to soft and deep for 2 wheel drive.


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## dstanley66 (May 6, 2009)

thanks 4 all the info. maybe we will still have a good time catching some blues,mackeral, ect. @the pier an the near by surf.


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

I pass 4x4 stuck all the time And I know the time is coming but as of now 
I have never been delayed on the beach . . You have to air down and use
your head.. I have had 4x4 but right now all I have is a 2 wd and don't plan 
on quitting surf fishing.. But if you don't know how to drive in the sand even 
the biggest 4x4 isn't enough..


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

I've experimented and made it down the first stretch at FF before crossover 1 in 2wd many times, but normally need to engage 4wd at the turn. Only made it over to the beach once or twice without it. Then again, most of those times have either been in the winter and early spring or after a hard rain before a bunch of idiots get in there without airing down and begin to tear up the beach. But yeah, it wouldn't be very wise to drive on the beach down there without 4wd. Regardless, AIR DOWN!


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## dstanley66 (May 6, 2009)

i noticed in the pic the sun was coming up, can you camp or stay the night on the beach @ fort fisher?


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## Tacpayne (Dec 20, 2008)

dstanley66 said:


> i noticed in the pic the sun was coming up, can you camp or stay the night on the beach @ fort fisher?[/QUOTE
> 
> Not this time of year, closes at 7:30


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

Way back in the late 70's early 80's before FF got so popular my brother and I would take his beat up Buick Electra 225 out there without any problems. Last time I went down to the fort 5 years ago I nearly buried my Isuzu Trooper in 4 wheel low in the cut over.


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

*back then*



Too Busy said:


> Way back in the late 70's early 80's before FF got so popular my brother and I would take his beat up Buick Electra 225 out there without any problems. Last time I went down to the fort 5 years ago I nearly buried my Isuzu Trooper in 4 wheel low in the cut over.


Up until Hurricane Floyd, You could drive a car on the back sides near the water/marsh areas as they were hard at low tide. You can no longer drive through there. Once you get on the beach and cross over at number 1, its pretty much all beach drving until near the end.


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

I guess things change at the beach due to the whims of nature (and the transgressions of idiots). 

Good times back then though. We'd drive down, set up camp, do a bit of fishing on the beach for food and clamming in the bay for money. I think clams brought a whopping 6 cents each back then. Paid better than working on the boardwalk and not as likely to get killed as shrimping.

Sorry about the highjack, just fond memories from my teen years.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

At the Fort, I have seen many a fool try it and many a fool fail. I even saw someone in a VW Beatle and a VW done buggy and they did not get pass the entrance.

I hate to sound calous but if your not in a 4x4 and you get stuck, don't expect me to spend the little precious time I have digging you out. I will call a tow truck for you(done that) and I have given away my tire gauge and a shovel, but that is the extent of it. Even the rangers will not help you.

The sign says "4X4 Vehicles ONLY. Rangers will not assist" within the first 20 yards after the gate and they mean it. You ignore it,,your on your own


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## GreenFord (Apr 11, 2009)

20+ years ago there used to be a guy running around the Cape in a 2wd van with big wide tires on the rear. I wouldn't attempt it.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Back in the 80's I used to see a guy down there (FF) all the time in a mid 70's ford squire stationwagon, complete with wood panel sides... 

He would drive right down on the sugar sand. i stopped and took a look once just to make sure he didn't have a front differential tucked under there. Nope, just overwide tires and rims on the back with low air pressure and great skill at beach driving.

Tommy


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

SpinMeister99 said:


> At the Fort, I have seen many a fool try it and many a fool fail. I even saw someone in a VW Beatle and a VW done buggy and they did not get pass the entrance.
> 
> I hate to sound calous but if your not in a 4x4 and you get stuck, don't expect me to spend the little precious time I have digging you out. I will call a tow truck for you(done that) and I have given away my tire gauge and a shovel, but that is the extent of it. Even the rangers will not help you.
> 
> The sign says "4X4 Vehicles ONLY. Rangers will not assist" within the first 20 yards after the gate and they mean it. You ignore it,,your on your own


Really wouldn't expect you to I cary my own shovel ,boards ,jack,and 
tow strap just incase somebody NICE happens to ride by but if not
I wil dig jack and on drive boards with 12 psi in my tires mybe less if need 
be . JUST because I'm A Unemployed Trim carpenter at the moment 
And lost my 4x4 Does this mean I should quit surf fishing?? Don't get me 
wrong if it's reel chitty out there I don't go .. Or maybe after I do get stuck
I won't go anymore until then it's about 12 trips on different beaches and still
truckin on in my 2wd...


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

fishnuttz said:


> Really wouldn't expect you to I cary my own shovel ,boards ,jack,and
> tow strap just incase somebody NICE happens to ride by but if not
> I wil dig jack and on drive boards with 12 psi in my tires mybe less if need
> be . JUST because I'm A Unemployed Trim carpenter at the moment
> ...


You missed the point,,,

*it is against the law and the rules to drive a 2wd on Ft Fisher*, not so much that it is unwise and foolish. You break the rules/law you're on your own. 


But if you do and *WHEN you get stuck*, here is the name of a Towing Service that will come get you:
AUSTINS TOWING‎ 
502 GREEN CT., CAROLINA BEACH, NC‎ - (910) 540-7699‎

If you don't have a cell phone with you, it is a short walk back to the rangers station and they have a phone.

By the way, you don't have to give up surf fishing, you just can't drive on the beach with a 2wd to do it. Park in the public beach access areas and buy or make a surf cart and walk in.


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

SpinMeister99 said:


> You missed the point,,,
> 
> *it is against the law and the rules to drive a 2wd on Ft Fisher*, not so much that it is unwise and foolish. You break the rules/law you're on your own.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the number just might need that one day...


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

Tommy said:


> Back in the 80's I used to see a guy down there (FF) all the time in a mid 70's ford squire stationwagon, complete with wood panel sides...
> 
> He would drive right down on the sugar sand. i stopped and took a look once just to make sure he didn't have a front differential tucked under there. Nope, just overwide tires and rims on the back with low air pressure and great skill at beach driving.
> 
> Tommy


That sounds like Charlie. Charlie was a great guy and looked like Grizzly Adams. Lived at Kure and had a Pepsi machine on his porch that he kept stocked with beer. Died of a heart attack in his 40's.


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

The manager at the desk where you pay is not supposed to sell you a pass if you dont have Four Wheel Drive. They can also ticket you. Something everyone thought was quite funny during the study six or so years ago.


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

I never new it was illegal. I'll leave that beach to ya'll...


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## Mullet Breath (Nov 15, 2006)

No dog in the fight, but didn't think it was "illegal" or "agains the rules" to not be 4X4 on Ft. Fisher. Couldn't find it on the permit either

http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/fofi/docs/4x4_prmt.pdf

I say everybody is on their own and I've seen the dude in the black and white impala on the N end of CB and several old fairlanes on the N beaches of Hatteras that did fine. I'd rather have a 2wd driver with common sense than half of the DAs with huge setups bumping up the beach and showing off their rigs.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

Mullet Breath said:


> No dog in the fight, but didn't think it was "illegal" or "agains the rules" to not be 4X4 on Ft. Fisher. Couldn't find it on the permit either
> 
> http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/fofi/docs/4x4_prmt.pdf
> 
> I say everybody is on their own and I've seen the dude in the black and white impala on the N end of CB and several old fairlanes on the N beaches of Hatteras that did fine. I'd rather have a 2wd driver with common sense than half of the DAs with huge setups bumping up the beach and showing off their rigs.


I have fished the Fort over 100 times and I only saw one 4x4 stuck and he had not aired down. But you know, I have never seen a 2wd stuck on the beach.

Reason why is they never make it to the beach and are stuck within 100 yards of the gate. 

Now that I have seen numerous times.


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

Some people here don't realize there once was a day when there was no 4x4
and people still came up with surf fishing.Driving up and down the beach in
2wd . I am no where near old enough to remember and odviously neither are
they... Like I stated before EVERY TIME I go a beach I pass a 4x4 stuck and 
I've helped several out . Telling them to air down helping them dig out
even giving a push.. I might get a thank you . Maybe I should be mad at them people too Not because they don't have a 4x4. Just because they don't
KNOW how to use there 4x4. If everybody was as nice as the SpinMeister I 
think I would have quit fishing long ago ..


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## Mullet Breath (Nov 15, 2006)

It's all about common sense and how you apply it.

Still don't think it's against the rules, but I never read the fine print when I buy my permit. The Fort and N. end along with the people that visit them have changed quite a bit over the last decade.

I choose who I'll help on a case by case basis.


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## GreenFord (Apr 11, 2009)

2wd can be used with care but a lot of people don't. Same with 4wd! I know I've burried a vechile or two in my day. We always try to help people. A big part of it is know the vechile limits and how to read the sand.

PS The first American 4wd drive production started in 1911. Porsche made one in 1900!


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

Do as you wish, but here are the rules pertaining to Beach Driving that I cut and pasted from the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area Web Site
http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/fofi/activities.php


Off-Road Vehicles: 
For visitors wishing to fish, sunbathe or view nature in the southern portions of the park,* four-wheel-drive vehicles are allowed to operate within a limited corridor along the beach*, at certain times of the day and with a valid permit ($10 per day or $40 for annual permit allowing unlimited visits). Drivers must follow designated routes, avoiding dunes, vegetation and marked nesting areas. *Only registered motor vehicles are allowed in the four-wheel-drive access area (no ATV's). **Exercise caution, portions of the access may flood at high tides; soft sand and sharp drop-offs are common.*

*Four miles of beachfront at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area is open to visitors in four-wheel-drive vehicles,* though restrictions apply regarding times of use and areas open to traffic. There are two principal reasons for the restrictions. The park is somewhat remote and emergency services can be limited during hours when rangers are not on duty. Also, Fort Fisher is home to 16 rare species including the loggerhead sea turtles. In late summer and early fall, the turtles often use areas near the dune line for nesting. Colonial shore birds favor the sparsely vegetated flats between the dune line and marshes for nesting sites in summer months. Restricted areas are clearly marked by rope fences and signs.


A word of extreme caution: Steep drop-offs and soft sand can cause drivers and their vehicles to become stranded, and vehicles can be further threatened by incoming tides or engine overheating. *Park staff is not equipped to recover stranded vehicles.*

*Only registered vehicles with valid park-issued permits are allowed in the four-wheel-drive access area*. Beach vehicle access permits are available for sale at the park's visitor center daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with cash, money orders or personal checks accepted with proper identification.

I believe this should totally clear up any questions or comments concerning beach driving at Fort Fisher.

PS:

Just a funny antidote that goes to another thread on the NC Forum about what a "Whiting " is,,,when you go to the above website, check out the "Fishing link where it states: "Fishing: Common ocean catches include bluefish, puppy drum and *Virginia mullet*. Spot and flounder share the estuary with numerous shellfish.

Seems that that pretty much calls a Whiting a Virginia Mullet. Being from SC, we always thought that a Virginia Mullet was a red neck hair style


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## LostLures (Jan 28, 2008)

Fishnuttz - great pic. Makes me want to come that way soon.


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## Carolina Rebel (Aug 25, 2005)

Seen plenty of people bog down as soon as the sand got soft.......especially at FF, and up at New River Inlet at Topsail. I have seen a ton of people destroy vehicles up at New River Inlet trying to drive back in the marsh. Have to chuckle a little when you see a 4x4 sitting on 2 wheels back in the marsh due to idiocy! 
For the heck of it I drove my 4Runner off the beach at Freeman Park from the north end in 2wd the other day. It was alright, slipped a little but I made it out. All 4 were dropped down to 15psi, but this was on back around the early part of April, beach wasn't too rough then. Any time spent driving in 2nd gear on that trip put a lot of heat on the transmission, so most of the time I was in 1st. I wouldn't advise doing that if you don't have to, as the fishing is great on the public accesses mid-island, on the rocks at the Fort, and especially on the piers. JMO.


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