I'm pretty sure the only people that would question great lakes being offshore have never been here.
Here is a question, which of the great lakes do you guys think is the roughest?

While Lake Michigan is a monster,Lake Erie may be rougher..because it's shallower.Not sure,though..just my .02

It's not just the wave heights possible on the great lakes, it's the steepness of the waves and the short intervals.

When you are used to swells, short steep waves will kick your azz.

Then... add the shallowness of the western end of Lake Erie and big waves pile up and become huge and unpredictable.

The best part is how quickly they change.
I have seen 2 footers become 8 footers in 15 minutes.

Lake michigan acts a little differently, because the prevailing winds don't run the entire long length of the lake. And Ontario people always have one half the lake sloppy depending on wind direction.

So... what's a term that implies rougher and harder than "offshore?"
If there is one.... than the Chicago folks have a right to use it.

They can be equally nasty.... but Erie changes more quickly.
Especially with a shift to a strong Northeaster or a gale.

There are over 150 documented shipwrecks just in the western half of Lake Erie. Most of them went down in sudden gales. (maybe they had another problem.... but the gales finished them off.)

Source: Lake Erie Shipwrecks, by Wachter and Wachter.

Im typing about a mile from Lake Ontario.....Ive never been on the ocean but from what I can gather from pictures/watching races on TV etc is we NEVER have the widely spaced crests that you have on the ocean (it seems especially on the west coast) that allow you to catch major air time,(to the point water stops flowing out from under the boat!) get a rythem going and 'hop' from wave to wave in and out of the throttle......has anyone on the Great Lakes ever done that????.......I wish!!!........instead as stated above, I totally agree, we got deep, closley spaced mixed up, inconsistant washing machine crap that pounds the hell out of you with the odd deep hole thrown in to swallow you up......Id LOVE to do that hoppin' thing.......A buddy used to ask me to take him out on the Lake to do that.....I told him "it doesnt happen"......doug

For that reason,we have a substantially lower amount of cats and mostly Deep V's...they are more predictable in washboard water.

Nuthin' like jumping from one wave to the next and then getting banged from the side by a 3 footer..really gets your attention

FYI: The Great Lakes (all of them combined, including their connecting waters such as Detroit River, Lake St. Clare, etc...) have produced more shipwrecks than all the 7 seas combined since shipwrecks have been reported. Now, these numbers include sunken "boats" the settlers used to traverse the lakes with their supplies.... so many of the wrecks are boats we might not consider "ships." Go to the Great Lakes Shipwreck museum in the Soo some time... very interesting.

And to quote Reggie "the" Fountain of information, "the Great Lakes are the roughest waters I've ever raced on." Ask anyone that was at the COPS party, was it last year or the year before?

Now, I declare this thread a dead horse and we should stop beating it!!

It's why I run what I run. Lead sled.
6000 plus pound 26 deep V.
Top speed is only 55, but the weight keeps me from getting my azz kicked as bad.
There's just so many more rough days than calm days when you get really get some use out of a cat or a river runner style hop up.

But it's only February.

Great info,Mike..that run was in 2003...my boat hit the front of a wave shot straight up...I almost flipped out the back of the boat and lost my bolster...
Candyman's boat looked like it is just suspended it was so high...