Too windy?

[KJM]

Just wondering what people consider too windy for boating. I know it depends on a lot of factors such as boat size and water body size, etc. Right now I'm not out fishing today and yesterday because of winds approx 30kms gusting to about 40/45km. It would be possible to go out in that wind but it wouldn't be a comfortable or enjoyable trip.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you have to judge for yourself, your boat, your skills, the geography of your surroundings, etc.

for example, a 40km/hr gust in one location may simply knock your hat off, in other locations it may cause 1.5-2 meter swells

 

[Bob_VT]

Maybe it is me getting older but high winds take to fun out of things forcing you to pay more attention to the boat instead of a fishing line.

It also depends on where you are oceans vs small lakes (Not the great lakes) sometimes you can find a less windy spot but, there may not be fish there.

Be safe!!

 

[dingbat]

As people have already said, winds affect bodies of water differently.

I primarily boat on the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is a relatively shallow north/south oriented body of water 200 miles in length.

Long term weather events have a much larger impact than localized wind speeds.
Most right minded people typically don’t venture out in winds much over 10 kts unless out of the West. If your back don’t give out your stomach will.

The cut off limit for “leisure” activities in my boat is 15 kts, but I’ve fished tournaments in conditions no right minded person would dream of yet lived to tell the tale. I also know of people who went out in decent weather and didn’t make it back.

Most charter boats (40’+) if they don’t cancel outright, will ask customers if they still want to go out at 20 kts. Most will decline

 

[Sea Rider]

If combo is badly propped won't be guaranteed to return safely or in time with a strong up wind in which will usually encounter large repetitive white caps, swells, uncomfy water conditions that won't allow to run the combo at speed, just minimum plane for the hull to bang the least on water and make the return trip the most comfy for the passengers...

Happy Boating​

 

[matt167]

I've been out on a 24' boat on Lake Ontario where it was very windy and waves were running 3-5' with a small craft advisory. One boat had went down that day, and we saw some of the wreckage... Fished all day with the waves and it was not a bad day at all... BUT that is not something I would do myself.

 

[roscoe]

I was out on Lake Michigan in dead calm winds. Beautiful sunny morning.
The problem was it was the morning after a big storm ripped through.
We were in 8' swells. Had to go 7 ? miles.

Luckily we were on a 40' sailboat.
Had to move it from a slip in one marina, to a newly acquired slip in another.

So, anything from 1 mph winds on up, can - could keep you at the dock.

Personally, 10-12 mph winds can kick up plenty of waves for my little boat.

 

[cptbill]

I'm with bob, after 26 years making a living on the water and being out or caught out in some pretty nasty stuff I can tell you I will not go out in wind that will make make my butt pucker just for fun. I will say that wind direction and tide or direction of flow of water make a huge difference, such as if your trying to cross over to the Bahamas you don't do it in wind that has north in it.

 

[dwco5051]

I'm with bob, after 26 years making a living on the water and being out or caught out in some pretty nasty stuff I can tell you I will not go out in wind that will make make my butt pucker just for fun. I will say that wind direction and tide or direction of flow of water make a huge difference, such as if your trying to cross over to the Bahamas you don't do it in wind that has north in it.

February 1980 headed to Norfolk from the South. 513 foot long boat and scared S****less. Never under estimate the North Wall Effect.

 

[briangcc]

I go by water conditions, not wind. Bunch of white caps stacking up...its fairly safe to say that I won't be out. I could do it but I doubt my wife and kiddos would be thrilled in the process.

 

[TheOceanCoach]

I like to say the fun stops at 12 knots of wind. Whitecaps start at about 11 knots. Below that, everybody on board is happy. Above 12 knots whitecaps form, and the boat starts rocking, and some people aboard might be getting scared.

For more experienced types, 15 knots is a reasonable cutoff.

 

[roscoe]

We were out on Halloween weekend, Fox river in Green Bay, 15 mph winds blowing right up the river against the current.
It was rough near the mouth, but not too bad as we went upstream where there are just enough slight jogs in the river to keep the waves from building too big.

Still, managed to get mighty wet while back trolling into the wind and trying to position the boat around the structure of the river channel.

Most of the boats were drifting with the wind to avoid the wave action.

 

[racerone]

Well ----I was on board a 32' sailboat ( 15 miles offshore ) when a weather warning came on channel 16.----Visually all looked good around us, in fact the diesel was running to keep boat speed at 6 knots.----Prepped the boat for high winds.----Put survival suit on + a lifejacket.----Had 10 minutes visually that it was coming.-----Winds reached 70 knots.-----Owner said that he was glad I was on board for this 80 mile trip.----His wife would have been really scared.----So 30 knots of wind on bigger sailboats is now routine.

 

[glust]

A lot of your decision is going to depend on your boat. I have a suntracker '30 party hut with the swim platform/hard roof on it. The wall act just like a sail so a little wind affects my boat differently.

 

[KJM]

Well ----I was on board a 32' sailboat ( 15 miles offshore ) when a weather warning came on channel 16.----Visually all looked good around us, in fact the diesel was running to keep boat speed at 6 knots.----Prepped the boat for high winds.----Put survival suit on + a lifejacket.----Had 10 minutes visually that it was coming.-----Winds reached 70 knots.-----Owner said that he was glad I was on board for this 80 mile trip.----His wife would have been really scared.----So 30 knots of wind on bigger sailboats is now routine.

Thats one trip i would gladly miss. How long did the wind last?

 

[Lou C]

I use the Windy app and also the Univ of Conn weather buoys that are across LI Sound, also I look out from my back porch if I see whitecaps on the bay I stay lol!
Anything more than 10-15 mph is not pleasant in a small boat.

 

[racerone]

About 20 minutes.----Boat was a Contessa 32 , these were studied after the 1979 Fastnet race as none sustained any damage.-------Quite scary when you do not know what the next gust is going to do.------On shore there were pine trees snapped like match sticks. broken 20' above the ground where they were 8" in diameter.-----Wish I had the whole thing on video to show folks what can happen.-----No smart phone back in 1994.

 

[Lou C]

Once and only once I went out during a small craft advisory winds were approx 20 mph, got green water over the windshield, my son who was about 7 at the time thought it was great fun, lol.

 

[KJM]

Once and only once I went out during a small craft advisory winds were approx 20 mph, got green water over the windshield, my son who was about 7 at the time thought it was great fun, lol.

That happened to me too once with my father inlaw and brother in a 16 ft. Thats when i decided " we need a bigger boat"