Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

[Glowplug007]

Just curious if the 8900 acre lake I will be boating is likely to ever get too choppy to boat on? I have a 17.5ft bowrider and ive heard my lake can get windy, but its not a huge lake and I cant imagine it ever getting crazy. What do you all think? Lake in question is Cave run in KY.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Any lake with a large open area can get very choppy.
Smallest lake I frequent is 900,000 acre feet and the area near the Dam is a large open area. Some times they will close the lake to boats less than 20 feet.

It can be a very large lake but have very little large open area and they are very safe. Even it the wind does come up you can find a place out of the wind.

In general winds Build slowly and you have time to get out before it get too bad. Of course the exception is large thunder storms or water spouts.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Lakes are funny, the terrain at the bottom of the lake can have as much an effect as the wind itself, I have learned from boating on Lake Powell that sometimes you just need to learn how to deal with big waves and wind, rule number one is when you are being hit by wind driven waves on a lake is to either find a sheltered cove or head into the waves until you get to shore, waves closer to the windward side of the lake will always be smaller then the down wind side(leeward). I was caught on Powell in a 17' outboard in 4' waves, scared the crap out of me but you have to learn how to deal with them properly, its just part of becoming a good Captain!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

If it does, you'll find out eventually. Always check the weather before taking your boat out. Don't get caught in a thunderstorm, head for the launch at the first rumble of thunder. If you don't, you'll learn the hard way like I did.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

look for a safe opportunity to run your boat in rough weather, without the family on board, so you will know how to deal with it. Most bow riders, by design, have a low bow and big scoop to take on water and swamp, and their rails don't divert water. You have to run with the bow high. Then you have to learn how to ride ovr waves, and accelerate at the right time, so you don't stuff the bow, or submarine. When you have a full load of people, they have to understand in advance that if bad weather comes, they will get wet, but you will need them seated where you can safely operate regardless.
Anyone can boat in good conditions. It's irresponsible not to learn how to deal with the bad ones.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Any body of water can get wild, depending on the weather conditions, we have lakes of all sizes and shapes here in Montana and being in the mountains, they can go crazy at the drop of a hat, it is very important that you learn how to handle anything that will be thrown at you. When weather comes up, unless you have experience it is best to head for shore. I have learned the hard way, never been swamped, but have been in some pretty sticky situations that made me pucker pretty good.

 

[Glowplug007]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

other then lightning whats so terrible about thunderstorms on a small lake? I like being out in the rain and thunder. Thanks for the tip about riding bow high and straight into the waves! and on a lake were not talking about big swells right ? just breaking waves?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Glow,

Depends on the topography of the area you are in, most thunderstorms are accompanied by pretty good winds that can create some very large waves, we have a 4500 acre lake that I regularly fish on, that I have seen and experience 4-5 foot waves on when those thunderstorms come in..

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

other then lightning whats so terrible about thunderstorms on a small lake? I like being out in the rain and thunder. Thanks for the tip about riding bow high and straight into the waves! and on a lake were not talking about big swells right ? just breaking waves?

That all depends...there's no clear cut answer to your question.

One factor I did not read in the responses above is the terrain. If the lake is surrounded by flat land....it's more than likely going to be affected by the wind and the chop will be more than a lake with a hilly or tree lined shoreline.

Rule of thumb for me for both my boats is if the wind is:

• 15 kts or more, I don't go out on the lake.
• 12-15 kts...I chart out a ramp that's on the leeward side of the lake and stay on the leeward side of the lake.
• 10 kts or less....I'm all over the lake!

Our lake is only 24,000 acres (Lake Lavon, Texas) and let me tell ya.....it can and does get choppy out on it.....especially in the spring and fall seasons.

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Glow,

Depends on the topography of the area you are in, most thunderstorms are accompanied by pretty good winds that can create some very large waves, we have a 4500 acre lake that I regularly fish on, that I have seen and experience 4-5 foot waves on when those thunderstorms come in..

EDIT: MTboatguy mentioned terrain while I was in the middle of posting my post....my bad.

 

[EMC 1810SS]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

I have been caught in 3-4 foot waves while on shallow lakes as small as 3000 acres. Small lake large waves are quite differnt from large water. The maller lakes suffer from waves bouncing off of the shores so it becomes one large undulting mess with waves coming from several directions rather than just with the wind. Very easy to scoop up a large amount of water.

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

I guess the bottom line is, don't jack with mother nature. Anyone who "intentionally" stays on the water during a squall line or thunderstorm is foolish.

Lightening can strike up to 20 miles from a storm. Just because a storm has passed, doesn't mean you're in the clear.

I recommend you take a Boaters safety course to learn more about being safe.

 

[MAXXIE]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

To quote Nichols Cage & the actor that played Glenn his foreman in "Raising Arizona", Glenn;"Does the Pope ware a funny hat", Nick;"Ya, I guess it is kind of funny". Yes, a smaller lake will get very choppy depending on wind & weather in general. I boat on a "puddle" Lake, very small, & I've seen it get very choppy when a storm is coming in, even though it's surrounded by mountains. The other lake I go to is the "Pawpak", Lake Wallenpaupak, To me it's a large lake, but to most people here that are from the mid west that have real lakes it's a small lake. It get's very rough up there between so many boats (holiday weekends you can walk across the lake on the boats without getting wet), & the location weather wise, is crappy. Storms come in very quickly. So the simple answer is yes.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

I intentionally went out in high winds last weekend just to see how my new to me boat would handle them. I picked an area where I could get out of the larger open area pretty quickly if necessary. It was great experience and I learned a lot. From now on putting the boat on the trailer without 30mph cross winds will be no problem !!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

the "rivers" where I boat are really estuaries, and they are really like lakes except with tides--which can double the size of waves when the wind is opposite the tide. Last weekend I was at the marina in my car and watched a squall line come in--from small riffles to big waves in an instant; water bouncing like crazy against the shore and piers, even water blowing up off the surface like rain heading up instead of down. from 10 to 30 sustained with gust to almost 50 (clocked at a nearby NOAA bouy). It would have been very hairy for any sized boat and a 17' bowrider would have been toast in the wrong hands, even though that is an otherwise suitable boat for these waters.
When you try to outrun a storm and it catches you, you are likely to get water over the stern and swamp your boat. If your boat doesn't drain itself, two green waves over the bow and you've pretty much had it. And some people who run from the storm to the ramp find themselves pinned against the lee shore with no protection. So sometimes it's the captain's call to go into the storm, or try to go to shelter laterally rather than down wind. This is also why you need to know how to read the weather and react long before the weather reaches you (which I understand can be difficult in lakes with high terrain around them).

Only experience can teach you what to do. Here, we can only scare you into learning.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

A long, relatively narrow lake that necks down on one end can get downright ugly on the narrow end if the wind is from the wider end and blowing down the lake. As the waves build they are forced into the neck of the funnel so to speak and can be dangerous. Compound that by the lake being shallow. Know your water and more importantly know your ability and that of your vessel.

 

[QC]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

• 12-15 kts...I chart out a ramp that's on the leeward side of the lake and stay on the leeward side of the lake.

You meant Windward . . . Confusing as it is kind of the lee shoreline but windward side of the lake. My head is spinning . . . But I still think it is the Windward "side of the lake" as long as you're looking for smoother water

There are two important things kind of missing from this thread although they have both been alluded to:

1) Fetch

2) the combination of fetch and depth and how that affects wave height . . . (sort of mentioned by bottom topography discussion)

 

[Pez Vela]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Just curious if the 8900 acre lake I will be boating is likely to ever get too choppy to boat on?

There are going to be times when it's best to get off the water, no matter where you boat, and your beautiful lake is no exception.

I cant imagine it ever getting crazy..

Well, if it's beginning to get that way, don't YOU be crazy ... be smart about it and head back to Salt Lick.

 

[444]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

I usually boat on small lakes and I've seen them get rough enough that I don't really want to be on them. You have to know your limitations.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Do small or medium lakes get rough water?

Our local lakes are not huge.but can get pretty rough just from all the boats churning up the water on busy days like 4th of july,Ive seen some nasty freak waves that build as wakes collide and bounce off shoreline etc.Wakeboarders and ski/tube pulling boats intentionally put out big wakes sometimes and a bunch in the same area can really make it rough.