Grand Haven to Milwaukee 70ish. Been across 6 times. Mostly GH to Chicago. 1989 34 searay dancer and 07 42 fountain ex. Usually scare the S*** out of myself one way or another. Running the troughs, sitting in the holes looking up 12 feet at breakers, in MI they call them 4 to 6s.
Not me in an open bow no way.

Consider starting at Mackinaw City, then head due North towards St. Ignace... If you have a trailer there is a really convenient bridge you could use!!
Sorry, couldn't resist.

Ditto BIG DAddy I dont think i'd do it in a open bow ,did the Pastrick to Saugatuck a few times and got hit with a bad storm that came in fast busted up our 32 Scarab pretty good and we had 2 ft of water in the boat and the Velocity we left Pastrick with Delamed and they did'nt make it back that nite and the dude died (no lifejacket) Losing site of land for an hour is pretty freaky :cool-smiley-011: good luck

Don't mean to nit-pic, but I think it is 81 mi Milw to GHaven, several crossings in a Carver Aft.

Yup, you got it. 83.7 statute mi. 72.7 nautical miles

Well thanks for all the input guys. This is what I wanted out of this thread. Looks like I'll be waiting to cross for a while. Unless anyones looking for a 23'jeboat with twins:D

I've always wanted to do that crossing as well but never had the balls to. I've heard stories about how the lake can get once you get out there in the middle. Someday.......

I have made the trip so many times i can count

Grand Haven to Milwaukee is one of the shortest trips

We used to do the cross lake 5 times a year

we would go from Grand Haven to Milwaukee or to Chicago we crossed in my Black thunder and before that in my 38 Scarab

I agree with the rest dont do it in a bow rider I have stuffed my boats in some real crap weather that started out as a flat calm day and turned nasty in 10 miles or running

Have some scarry stories of weather and water changing in just a few minutes

I love the trip but would not do it in much less than a 30 foot boat and if the boat was that small I would be going with a group of boats not alone

Just my two cents, I agree with Wally, don't do it alone. Throughout the summer the marina's around Sturgeon Bay do a sort of a dock swap with marina's in Charlavoix and that area. A flotilla of Stugeon Bay boaters go over to Michigan and the Michigan Boaters come over to Sturgeon Bay and use each others Seasonal slips. I want to cross the lake too, but I'm not going to do it with a single engined boat or a solo mission. I've spent a lot of time fishing on the big pond, and I've seen the whether turn in a heart beat. It can get really scary really fast. If you can hook up with a group like that, that is the way to go. Much more secure to travel in groups, and the party is usually better with more People.:cool-smiley-011:

Oh ya, your out of your freekin gourd if you do it in an open bow!!!!!!:D