Lake Michigan newbie looking for guidance

[bdgray]

Hello all,

I am not by any stretch an experienced boater. I grew up in Kansas where the only boats I saw were in magazines or TV. But I'm now 42, have a healthy income, and love the idea of spending weekends on the water with my wife and kids. Living in Chicago, the only real access to nature is the lake (or cornfields 40 miles away).

My ideal boating experience:
Weekend 1: Skiing and wakeboarding with my teenage boys
Weekend 2: Overnight cruising with my wife on Lake Michigan's east coast
Weekend 3: Fishing with the kids
Weekend 4: Sitting on my arse and drinking beers on the pier

This makes me think that a single engine cabin cruiser would be ideal. Would really appreciate thoughts on that.

Budget: I definitely plan to buy used. $50K wouldn't break me but I don't need to spend if I don't have to. I'm not interested in impressing my neighbors. This is purely for my family and me to enjoy. If the main difference between spending $50K and $20K is just some dated upholstery and fewer gadgets, I'd buy el cheapo. I am not a mechanic but I've DIY'd my entire house so upkeep, if it is "youtubable", doesn't scare me.

Location: Lake Michigan is right next door. Does it get warm enough for watersports? Seems like there would be lots to explore on Michigan. Wisconsin lake country is less appealing just because it is a full day commitment to get there & back (or I would have to add a lake house to the budget which seems a bit extreme).

Trailerable vs non-trailerable: how much does this matter? I understand you lose portability but I don't plan to store this on my driveway. I would keep it in the water all season and just grin and bear that expense. Given that, I'm guessing the main drawback is wintering options off the water are a lot cheaper?

Lastly, what haven't I thought of?

Thank you in advance,
Brian

 

[southkogs]

Welcome aboard Brian:

You're about to get a lot of varying answers, but I think you're almost describing two different boats. Something you can weekend on up and down the coast of Lake Michigan is gonna' be a booger to ski and wakeboard behind ... conversely, you're not gonna' sleep on a tow boat. I'll also suggest that I wouldn't want (personally) to weekend on anything much smaller than a 24' ... but for a first timer, a 24' boat is kinda' a beast to learn the ropes on (not that it can't be done).

Also - the difference between trailerable and not: slipping a boat all year in Chi-town has got to be pricey, BUT you're gonna' get real tired, real quick, of towing a 24' boat (or bigger) to and from the lake. I tow a 19' and it's reasonably easy, but add another few feet and a cabin ... it's a significantly bigger boat.

Two thoughts: 1) start a little smaller, maybe an 18' - 22' that you can trailer and get to know boats and drives with (you can fish, cruise or ski off them but you can't overnight). Use $10k - $15k to get your feet wet, and then upgrade in a year or two ... or ...

2) More to fit what you're looking for: find a 24' - 30' boat in reasonable shape and then get a larger jet ski to act as a tow boat for the little bit of water sports you want to do.

Lake Michigan is a nice lake for playing on. It's a little chilly, and I would think it'll be a little choppy as often as not ... so probably not as nice to ski on as an inland lake, but I would think wake boarding would work out fine.

 

[drrpm]

There is a lot of boatable water in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin that is much friendlier to a beginner than Lake Michigan. The Chain of lakes on the Fox river and Lake Geneva are 2 good examples. A boat good for watersports and general fishing would not be a good choice for Lake Michigan unless the conditions are near calm. Lake Michigan is BIG and COLD even in the summer. There are lots of boating accidents, frequently fatal when the weather takes a quick turn for the worse.
Its easier to start with a smaller boat and work your way up if you really want to. I have found that a boat around 20 feet long is big enough to hold a fun sized group, engage in water sports and trailer fairly easily. I'd definitely want something significantly bigger on Lake Michigan and that would be a tougher way to start.

Though I have lived in Georgia for a long time, I grew up in the northwest suburbs and boated on the Chain of Lakes and various lakes in Wisconsin and have swam in Lake Michigan so I do know the area pretty well.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I'm with southkogs and drrpm. Start small and move up. I didn't grow up with boats but started off with a 12ft boat, then 14ft, and now 16ft. That's big enough for the waters that I generally fish. However, I've crashed into docks and rocks enough over the past two decades. I've learned a lot that can be applied to bigger boats. This past weekend I just had my 16.5ft boat in Lake Michigan off Milwaukee. She was a different beast to learn and understand. It's nice to make your mistakes and a smaller and less expensive boat.

My two cents is to buy a smaller 17-18ft boat that you can use inland to do some of the watersports that you were describing. Once you've done that for a few years then you can buy your bigger boat and start learning that one.

Also - don't forget that it is a REALLY good idea to take a boating class. Learn about the do's and don'ts, learn about knot tying, safety, etc. It may not save your life but it may save the life of your family members or someone else's family.

 

[tpenfield]

Water sports and overnights are a tough combination. I am thinking the Formula 260SS, or the 280SS or any boat similar to those might be decent for both types of boating. There is a 270SS, but those are more recent and may not fit the budget.

You can always do wet suits if the lake is too cold.

 

[CV16]

I live in Racine, about an hour north of Chicago and have been on Lake Michigan my entire life. If it were me, I would buy a 20' bow rider. I have a Glastron GX 205 that works great for water sports and all around fun. Hold up to 10 people or 1,450 lbs. Start out with something like that first. After a year or so of that, buy another boat to slip in the marina. For weekending on Michigan I would suggest a twin motor set up. It's always nice to make it in if one motor or drive has issues! I motored in with a little trolling motor more than once. The boat I'm looking at now is 27' with twin 4.3 v6's. Lastly, when you see what it costs to slip in Chicago, look north to Racine or Kenosha. Only about an hour drive and you can get a much better deal on slips. Lots of boats in our Racine marinas are from Chicago. I know of some that bought houses here as well. One on Michigan Blvd. For sale now that has a great view of the lake. I think the guy is from Chicago too. Plus, Racine has the best beach on the lake (I might be a bit prejudice).

Sorry for the book!

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard.

as stated, northern Illinois has a bunch of small lakes which are better suited for water sports. you can do watersports in lake michigan, I grew up doing it. 6mm wet suit at a minium because the water is really really cold.

if you skip the over-nighters, a well equipped bow rider, with a head on it would be ideal for the fishing, watersports, general tooling around. when you get into cuddys and express cruisers, the boats get bigger, the ability to fish gets reduced, and your pocket book starts to squeal when you need to fill up after a day of watersports (I went thru 75 gallons of fuel last full day of skiing and tubing)

 

[redneck joe]

Welcome to the forum. I sent you a private message.

The great lake is a different animal than the inland lakes, just be aware of that whichever you choose.

What is your current or expected tow vehicle?