Are Great Lakes Really Rougher Than Oceans?
#14
Registered
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The thing about the Great Lakes is not the wave size, but the frequency/distance trough to trough. Add in rapid weather changes, tremendous susceptibility to weather's influence due to shallow waters, and irregular waves, where it isn't just troughs and peaks but more washing machine slop, and it is no joke. There are even places where waves collide (end of Long Point on Erie).
The harsher weather often tends to miss the northern coast (of Erie), so the apparent weather and/or forecast on shore can be a totally different animal than what happens out on the lake, so best to check the NOAA forecast. You can go out on a beautiful sunny morning running 60+mph nice and smooth in a 30 ft boat, and come home in fog and rain with everyone either wondering if their teeth are going to rattle out, or worse still no hope of being on plane and everyone miserable just wondering when the hell the marina is going to come into view. Binderr dundat.
The harsher weather often tends to miss the northern coast (of Erie), so the apparent weather and/or forecast on shore can be a totally different animal than what happens out on the lake, so best to check the NOAA forecast. You can go out on a beautiful sunny morning running 60+mph nice and smooth in a 30 ft boat, and come home in fog and rain with everyone either wondering if their teeth are going to rattle out, or worse still no hope of being on plane and everyone miserable just wondering when the hell the marina is going to come into view. Binderr dundat.
Last edited by DFC; 07-28-2016 at 11:25 PM.
#15
#16
Registered
The thing about the Great Lakes is not the wave size, but the frequency/distance trough to trough. Add in rapid weather changes, tremendous susceptibility to weather's influence due to shallow waters, and irregular waves, where it isn't just troughs and peaks but more washing machine slop, and it is no joke. There are even places where waves collide (end of Long Point on Erie).
The harsher weather often tends to miss the northern coast (of Erie), so the apparent weather and/or forecast on shore can be a totally different animal than what happens out on the lake, so best to check the NOAA forecast. You can go out on a beautiful sunny morning running 60+mph nice and smooth in a 30 ft boat, and come home in fog and rain with everyone either wondering if their teeth are going to rattle out, or worse still no hope of being on plane and everyone miserable just wondering when the hell the marina is going to come into view. Binderr dundat.
The harsher weather often tends to miss the northern coast (of Erie), so the apparent weather and/or forecast on shore can be a totally different animal than what happens out on the lake, so best to check the NOAA forecast. You can go out on a beautiful sunny morning running 60+mph nice and smooth in a 30 ft boat, and come home in fog and rain with everyone either wondering if their teeth are going to rattle out, or worse still no hope of being on plane and everyone miserable just wondering when the hell the marina is going to come into view. Binderr dundat.
What is an average depth of the lakes? How deep are the holes?
We have a lake nearby, very small comparatively, mile wide and 55 miles long and it can turn to chit in a hurry! It is very deep in places.
#17
Registered
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Edit: If you're interested - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ymetry_map.png
1m = 3.3 ft
Last edited by DFC; 07-29-2016 at 02:42 AM.
#19
Registered
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
OK, so it's just a different type of water. I've seen it all except the major storms on the Great Lakes. Western Erie gets the worst as there is no sense or pattern to the water; Just giant waves and holes from every direction. Like being in the bathtub that sunk all of Phragle's boats. Had to idle home over 6-8s from PIB once. Water breaking over the bow over every wave. After 20 miles of that I planed out in 4s and it was a wet, wild and not fun ride to the Detroit River. Planed very briefly in 6s on Lake Michigan. Hopping from wave to wave. Saginaw Bay had some very close spaced 3-4s once and I was able to skip across the tops, which was fun, but slammed into about every 15th wave. So, yes, it gets bad out there but then I watch Alaska's Deadliest Catch and I just can't picture water that big. It sends the big fishing ships to harbor and sinks some. One just sunk a few days ago there in the Pacific and the Coast Guard rescued the crew. Kind of cool to know that I'm boating in the World's roughest water in a 22' boat