i live in downtown chicago and after spending 3 years looking at boats drive by ive decided this is the year i will buy my first boat. i'm a west coast guy and always loved Nordics. i'm debating on a 25 or 28 ft. i know thats on the small end for lake michigan, but its all i can afford, and i dont see myself living downtown forever, and hope to have a cottage on a small lake in a few years.


any tips for a newbie like myself as i get out on the lake this summer? i dont want to be "that guy" out on the water.

Just remember the Lake can get rough at times so you'll want a true deep V hull unless you really can pick your days.

A twin would be the safest, but not a necessity. There are alot of good boats out there for great prices. You need to determine if you prefer a go fast, cruiser or what. Then narrow it down to a couple brands.

The Lake is not forgiving...so spend a little more for a well constructed boat.

Locally there are a few dealers that have some decent buys:

Shogren http://www.teamshogren.com/

Grand Sport http://www.grandsportcenter.com/

And a bunch up North by the Chain O'lakes, Fox Lake, Volo Etc...

thanks. i'm pretty set on buying a Nordic, a good friend of mine is friends w/ the company owner, and i own a house near their headquarters in Lake Havasu. my biggest concern is the size of the boat. being a first time boat owner is challenging enough, add the unforgiving nature of lake michigan and a small boat to boot, and i may be asking for trouble. that being said i hear of 25 footers out there all the time?

as big as you can! you can always use more room, and i have been out there on a 25 bowrider when it was rough, once. if you are a "fair weather boater", just remember there are still 12 to 15 foot waves on this lake.some even larger.

thats my dilemna, 28ft is as big as i can go per my budget. and while you mention the 15 foot waves, others say they have 27 foots no problem...and the marina star docks can only hold up to 30' boats, so how do others do this?

You'll be alright in a 28...Magic Medicine had one. You'll just have to keep an eye on the marine forecast. 2-3s are doable, anything bigger, you are gonna be DRIVING that beotch...remember...sometimes faster is smoother. We do get a fair amount of flat days in the summer...nice south or west winds and the lake is like a mirror. Around downtown, it's usually a washing machine...I think you'd do better in a 28 for sure.

thanks.

i apologize for being such a novice with dumb questions, but if you took 100 days of summer and divided them into 3 categories: flat, 2-3', pure hell, how would you allocate the 100? trying to figure out how much time i'll get each summer. and being a newbie, i'll probably only be out on the easy days

I only made it over there once last year, yup 2-4 footers in the open water on my trip from Benton Harbor 70ish miles to your great city. Then I get inside the break walls anticipating some smoother water. Ummm........ I think your washing machine remark maybe understated. Back on topic if you can afford the 28 go for it, but if your only going to spend a season or 2 on the big water then move inland, flip a coin every inland lake is different and even 25's will be to big.

25 is too big for the inland lakes?

Some yes, I live in Michigan and theres only a few I would take mine in. the largest Houghton lake, been there once never going back. lots of shallow areas. I launched and as I was idling out fom the ramp with the drive all the way up thankfully and I could feel the boat bouncing of the bottom. Another way to look at it you get a boat that will run near 70, thats a over a mile a minute, get on a lake thats 5 miles long how long will it take you to get from one end to the other. Do the math. Big boats little lakes don't always match up.