Top 5 Great Lakes Sailboats! Ep 280 - Lady K Sailing

Looking for a Great Lakes Sailboat or a fresh water sailboat? This week we talk about Great Lakes sailboat draft, storm sailing the Great Lakes, which sailboat keel is best for the Great Lakes and look at Hunter Sailboats, Tartan, Beneteau, Hughes, C&C sailboats, and more! Join us as we discovering sailing the Great Lakes and sailboat shopping thoughts on which sailboat is best for the lakes.
Need a consult? Click here to drop a message: ladyksailing.c...
Want to help support Lady K Sailing? Click here to become a Patron: / ladyksailing
Or here to make a one time donation: www.ladyksailin...
Follow Lady K on Facebook: / ladyksailing
Or Instagram: / ladyksailing

[@tomclause9555]

Love the focus on Great Lakes subject matter.

[@tomlambert1833]

SAILed lake Erie on our Mac 26X out of Port Colborne😊

[@justingizinski1348]

Love the focus on the Great Lakes! I hope you or Practical Sailor plan to cover some or all of the Bayview Mac race being it is the 100th running and the most boats ever to enter. I am sure many owners would be more than happy to do video tours and interviews about their boats. Both the Port Huron start and Mac finish have awesome parties. I love the channels but would love some more focus on the excitement and challenge of racing, when I started sailing I had zero interest in racing, but after 5 years and still feeling less than confident on the lakes I decided to join a team and now its 90% of the sailing I do. 4 years later and I have no plans of stopping. Some of the highlights and biggest challenges of my life have been racing, now its family affair and the center or our socail life. In my opinion, joining a team is one of the best ways to get on the water and learn to sail. There certainly is no sortage of boats looking for eager crew. Anyway keep an eye out for Amante2, we will be defending our title from last year as 1st in our class and 3rd overall at the Bayveiw Mack

[@daysailor_c34]

Around the northern IL/southern WI area of Lake Michigan and across the lake on the Michigan side most of the sailboat storage is mast up. I pay less than $4500 for the marina and winter storage for my Catalina 34.

[@clintontaylor8904]

Fellow great lakes sailor here...lake superior mostly. I'd take 20ft ocean waves over 7ft lake superior waves any day.. Rapid succession waves just beat a boat to death,add in the fact that a man overboard drill is really just a body recovery due to cold water immersion/shock.

[@outbound2explore119]

1985 CS36T owner here. Love the boat great in heavy weather. Fully restoring it over the last few years.

[@stevewindisch7400]

Thanks for another cool video. Along Erie's southern shore (US side), Tartans, Hunters, C&C's, and Catalina's are indeed the most popular. Used to be O'Days as well but not many left it seems. Don't recall many Endeavors (seen a ton in FL though). Never understood lazy or cheap marina owners who refuse to bury the wires... Unless they like charging for mast stepping / unstepping maybe? Regarding sail rigs, get one that you can easily reef down alone in a hurry... That lake is unforgiving especially with the truly frightening thunderstorms we see around August that appear in a couple minutes and turn the sky green and have 100 MPH wind shears....often with a bonus of multiple water spouts along the storm front. The worst of them are seen around the Erie Islands at the Western end.

[@dr.daveaussickerph.d.8395]

Nice feature on the Great Lakes! My observation is most sailboats store outside with mast up for the winter. Shrink wrap or custom covers are common.

[@mikestephan2568]

This is great stuff for a Lake Superior / Apostle Islands sailor

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@clintontaylor8904]

Agreed...keep my boat in bayfield WI and love the apostles

[@justinmhuerta]

You’re becoming a national treasure good sir! Love seeing a new video from lady K pop up in my feed 🍻

[@LadyKSailing]

Thank you kindly

[@CPTCleoTorris]

Thanks for making this video! I spent 3 weeks sailing with Zingaro and we were out in a bit of chop. Now James... new myself and another crew member sailed the Great Lakes and he was obviously deluded about what that meant. He asked me if I ever sailed in conditions like we were in... (assuming it was way rougher then our lake sailing experiences) I retorted by laughing and said "All the time". Some Ocean goers just do not realize what the Great lakes are and how challenging they can be.

[@brucec2635]

Sailed Lake Eria 80-85. Never had a boat in my life. Bought a ten year old 31ft. sloop, one up made in Canada from a design from a famous designer from Aukland, NZ. Designed for the Pacific. Just what a never sailed before guy needed. I memorized The Annapolis Book on Sailing. Worked. Single handed. Will keep an eye out for more Great Lakes stuff. Thanks.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@MacGregor5]

You have the absolute best most informative sailing channel on the internet in my opinion. Really appreciate your content. I bought an 80s McGregor 22 ft with the retractable Keel and half trailer for $750 from a co-worker who wanted to get rid of it. It is in good shape but does need minor repairs. I haven't had it on the water yet and am not an experienced sailor. I'm in the Cleveland area so Lake Erie will be my training ground. I've heard that if you can sail Lake Erie you can sail anywhere for the very reasons you stated at the beginning of this video. Anyway, thanks for all the great content.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thank you so much 😊

[@ewjorgy]

I sail an Ericson 27 here in the San Francisco bay and a normal sailing day is 25kts of wind with square 4' chop. The Ericson handles it without problem and I have had her out in 35+ gusting to 45knts. Although weight matters when it comes to weather I think that the hull shape matters much more. My Ericson slices through the chop and maintains headway whereas a Catalina 27 would slam itself to pieces and come to a dead stop on every wave in the same conditions. Just something to think about. Thank you for the great videos! I really enjoy watching them! All the best from California! 🧡

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@dennywoodford3537]

Ericson 29, Lake Erie… handles like a champ

[@todddunn945]

A friend of mine had a Tartan 31 that he liked quite a lot. Nice solidly built boat. He decided it was too small though and upgraded to a Sabre 402, which was a big steep up from the Tartan both in size and build quality. That boat was a very nimble fast boat that could handle some weather. There are lots of boats here in Maine with multiple spreader rigs. Yes they are a bit harder to rig, but no one who owns that type of boat does the rigging themself. Another type of rig to consider is a deck stepped rig. A deck stepped rig is much easier and faster to rig than a keel stepped rig. This year it took only about 45 minutes to step and tune both masts on my Allied ketch.

[@ashleymalamute]

I've always been fascinated by the Great Lakes and would love to visit one day. I'd love to see more content on the Great Lakes, specifically: what they are like during winter, water quality, weather, customs procedures between Canada and the USA, why you have to haul out over winter etc

[@SailingJura]

Thanks for Great Lakes focus, we sail a C&C 38 Landfall out of Bayfield Ontario and love it. I could use a little extra room for the family with its tapered stern, but we point high and out maneuver most of the newer beamy boats.

[@masalajeff]

Can confirm she's a good sailing boat!

[@willthesinger1]

It does not matter how big your sailboat is. All that matters is how big your dinghy is. Love all of Lady K’s videos!!!

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching! 😎

[@josephplace9754]

Love my 1970 Tartan 34c! She is a tank and awesome for the great lakes! But yes... just finishing the last of the deck core repairs! However, it is 100% done now! She will out live me now!

[@genglandoh]

I have been sailing for 30 years on Lake Erie. I also pay between $3K - $5K per years for my Watkins 27.

[@dr.daveaussickerph.d.8395]

Yes, 5k to 6k for slip and storage is probably the median on Lake Michigan

[@chrisg7733]

Been wanting to buy a sailboat for Lake Michigan perfect video.

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

The mast too if you plan on sailing out of the great lakes. And if Erie canal you need the shallow draft. Boat slips can be cheap in the great lakes. I had a C&C Landfall.

[@alexlister9897]

Hey mate, fellow St. Clair sailor here. Been crewing on a racing boat for about 2 years. Love the Great Lakes content. Keep up the awesome videos!

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks, will do!

[@ORBEX]

We sail and cruise a CS36T on Georgian Bay and I have yet to come across a better boat for a cruising couple or young family. Bombproof, comfortable and fast. Tough to imagine a better boat for $50-$60K.

[@bobwyllner6064]

Hey Tim - not to do with this episode but I wanted to catch your eye to say what an amazing job you are doing over at Practical Sailor. The content and its presentation has been fantastic. They hired the right guy. It’s been a renaissance for them from my perspective. Well done.

[@LadyKSailing]

Wow, thanks!

[@davidpodbury8415]

I have been watching your content for a few months now. Love the videos. We have decided to buy a sailboat and plan to sail the north channel. Found your channel well doing some research. This entire experience has been overwhelming. There is a ton of boats for sale right now. That being said we are struggling to find the right fit for us. What's your opinion on a 1989 Hunter 30-2?

[@robertgold2643]

Another great episode!

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@faircompetition1203]

Hard to beat a C&C with an odd number on the great lakes for a well made racer cruiser . Mast head rig works well in the light winds . . 6 foot draft is about the max you want , even that will limit where you can dock it . The 35 mark 3 can be had in a centerboard too . Only issue with those older boats is the type A old style layout - that does not work for me . Hunters are OK , but lightly made and not known for their performance at all .

[@jefflloyd394]

Great as always, Valkyrie III, Pearson 35

[@goodnewsfromgod-bybob5710]

I live in Illinois and this and all your videos are so good and helpful

[@LadyKSailing]

Glad you like them! 😊

[@jackwalby6257]

Pretty much agree about 6' draft being a non-issue. I go through the freshwater rig comment all the time with guys from the coasts. I've seen a ton of mast with 40 year old rigging. That doesn't make that totally right but it's almost impossible to tell visually that something is wrong with it. Probably is just fine. Depends i would think if boat has been raced or pressed hard for a long time

[@SailingWolf47]

Thanks for making this! I've been looking at moving back to Western NY here pretty soon, and I have wondered what kinds of boat will work out on either Erie or Ontario (or both). Appreciate the advice.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@beorbeorian150]

Those Hunter Legends got me dreaming

[@kevinsheedy7157]

Good show about the 5 Great Lakes. Would love to hear your views on the other 2, Great Slave Lake and Great Bear. Also, Lake Winnipeg probably counts which makes for 8 Great Lakes. Lake of the Woods?!

[@svsalserenity4375]

Yeah I leave my mast up now, it takes a week to get it back up in the spring. When I head down south I will go around this time, not through the Erie canal again , its to much of a pain to take the mast down and back up again.

[@markweaver1012]

We solved Great Lakes sailing by doing it in a 26' trailerable. We never had enough vacation time to sail the way to all the amazing places, but on the trailer, we took our boat to the North Channel many times along with the Mackinac Straits, Beaver Island, Grand and Little Traverse Bays, the Manitou Islands, and even a couple of weekends in Chicago. Also the Lake Erie Islands a couple of times. And it's easier going through customs on the road than in a boat. Quarters were a bit tight for our family of 4 and our retriever, but the boat has plenty of deck and cockpit space, and it was always summer, so we were outside in the water or exploring most of the time when we weren't underway.

[@LadyKSailing]

Sounds like a great idea

[@leif2335]

Sailing the Bras Dor lakes on a 71 MK1 35 c&c. If I had my time back I would have bought a newer and bigger boat. Thanks for the videos and inspiration to start sailing.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@Jim-jh9bd]

Good solid pics and some you would find south Agree on the Great Lakes . Ontario can be like the ocean

[@pierremitham2964]

Ah, the difference between the great lakes, Here on Lake Ontario I'd say the average boat is a bit bigger than 26, closer to 36 and lots of bene 40's and Cat 400's /42's around even starting to see Hanse here on Lake Ontario. gotta agree with you about the CS36, we have at least 8 at our club alone.

[@allanrheaume5549]

I agree, I'm on the east end of the lake on my 30 footer and most boats at anchorage are 35' to 40' and even 45'. CS36's are popular and plentiful here too.

[@BruceGeffen]

Gotta love Great Lakes sailing focus! The BEST! Too bad you left out good solid stable multihulls.

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

THANK YOU.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@humbertojimenez3475]

Worst waves I’ve ever been in where in the eastern end of Lake Ontario in early spring. (my experience is between Chicago and the Caribbean. And that day on Lake Ontario was definitely the worst.) 9.5’ freeboard from the bow to waterline and it was way too rough. It was very hard to turn around and get into Sodus in that 85’ m/y!

[@yzScott]

We finally closed on our boat last night. I've been shopping hard since Christmas. Deal #1 fell apart at closing. Plan B turned out way nicer.

[@LadyKSailing]

Way to go! Congratulations!

[@yzScott]

@@LadyKSailing Thank you. She will get a channel of her own (actually, it already exists).

[@LadyKSailing]

oooh that is interesting :)

[@SYBlueFlame-Swan59]

@@LadyKSailing Content coming soon...

[@yzScott]

@@SYBlueFlame-Swan59

[@charlesherdt]

I would love a video explaining in more detail why you dislike the bnr rig from the Hunters.

[@mikemeechan]

Yeah. I like my 95 Hunter 376, although I am in a marina on Georgian Bay (Wye Heritage) where the mast stays up in the winter. Even the winter cover from Genco has spots for the mast and shrouds. And it has a 6' fin keel.

[@valeriesorrells]

learned to sale on a 22ft Catalina and then a 30 ft tall rig Catalina on Ontario. The 30 was much better and more versatile on Ontario, and was used almost every weekend.

[@richardduval9237]

Great video! Thank you! Like sailing the Med is worst then long atlantic swell.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks for watching!😎

[@effingsix3825]

Ha! I was looking to start out on a foiling dinghy!

[@JeepWrangler1957]

I’m retired and have always wanted to learn to sail. Where can we go to learn the art?

[@ncnmra5882]

Hi Tim. Been following your channel for some time. Looks like you're in Ontario? Would love to connect as I'm looking to get into sailing and am nearby. This video is of particular interest.

[@kathrynedwards9072]

Another great video. Do you have any idea of how to access yacht finance in Canada? Very hard to find anyone who does it here.

[@LadyKSailing]

No, sorry

[@mickmacy6161]

Good stuff!

[@aaronj8600]

Awesome video, now do the Sea o Cortez 🎉

[@Chris-qc8dl]

have a 28 ft boat at a public marina in Toronto and I pay almost $8K per year!

[@LadyKSailing]

Wow!

[@Warerdog24]

Have you looked into many J Boats ? The true classic racer cruiser for the Great Lakes . J110

[@andrews2203]

I’m shocked he never mentioned J boats

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Australians envy your huge inland waterways & rivers. We have bugger all, in fact, none. Does Lake Macquarie count lol?

[@collarandhames]

Or you can spend 3 grand on a grampian 26, and regularly beat the 80 grand boats in club races. Just saying, you don't need to spend anywhere near those numbers Lady K. We've done a little work on our G26, and its still pretty spacious, 6' headroom, sleeps 5 in a pinch, 3 separate bunks, (but one is the settee) and the outboard can be brought in your trunk to a dealer for servicing. I did have to find sails,, as mine were bagged, however I found a great set a 6 hour drive away into NY state for 450$ us. I'm on my fifth season on them and they are still crispy. I average 30-40 sails on my grampian, and dollar for dollar , they are amazing, albeit old design, they are solid and well built. I might upgrade at some point, but for now, my old crazed turd of a sailboat is beyond paid for , and insurance is covered under my homeowners policy. All in all, leaves me more money for butcher shop steaks on the BBQ.

[@aninoutski]

Wow, you are pretty normal for an American. Subscribed.👍

[@LadyKSailing]

Thanks! I’m 🇨🇦 actually 😎

[@toddwever4916]

Hey Tim have you ever done an episode on Amels?

[@LadyKSailing]

Yup kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJquhKuldtanmcUsi=ovpiBwA9Qk2stjqm

[@jimwinkelbauer2772]

As a Lake Erie sailor, I think this is pretty good info. Thanks Tim.

[@LadyKSailing]

Thank you for watching!😎

[@DG-jq2jq]

Why did you put picture of Contessa talking about lake sailing? And not any Contessa but one specific that's been twice in Arctic?

[@LadyKSailing]

Good pictures that are royalty free are hard to find. KZbinrs use what works.

[@paxYmo]

Hunter legend 37

[@seanrhone5306]

Why does most storage require the mast to be dropped?

[@LadyKSailing]

When the boat is lifted out, most cranes, winches, etc, don’t have the headroom/space for a mast

[@seanrhone5306]

@@LadyKSailing So you have to drop the mast while on the water? Yikes, I've never done that before.

[@roderickstewart8040]

Another issue with having to drop a mast is whether it is keel stepped or deck stepped. We had to drop masts for storage at RHYC as we all were lifted out with a crane. The mast crane had limitations with taller (double spreader) keel stepped masts. Love the video. We sail Lake Ontario and have been patrons since COVID. (Seems like so long ago). Keep up the great work Tim. Currently we are members at PCYC. If you are ever in the area, would love to buy you a drink.

[@LadyKSailing]

Yes while at the dock

[@alexanderjbeeston8580]

What's happening with Charlie the Truck?

[@LadyKSailing]

still a work in progress, more to come soon :)

[@ssadams]

I just watched a vlog where the guy trashed you throughout his video. He only promotes newer boats and had issue with your purpose. I tried to explain what you are doing but I don't think it landed.

[@bhoutdoors507]

Have you ever done a video specifically on trailer sailers? MN here, 2 hrs from Lake Superior. Love the great lakes!

[@LadyKSailing]

Check out this episode- kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnnXeWp8mqyXqdksi=F0xGeDMLbAe1fIQt

[@bhoutdoors507]

@@LadyKSailingthank you! I have a Mac 25 and love it so far.

[@bernieouellet1653]

C€C or hunter for solo?

[@LadyKSailing]

Depends what water you're on and what style of sailing you do. C&C is faster but Hunter usually more comfortable at the loss of weight