St Clair boat size

I’m thinking of getting a boat next summer. I’m going to be towing it with a doge caravan so I can’t get anything to big. Would a 15 foot legend Handel lake st clair on an average day in summer?

Ever single boat you buy will have limits. Usually personal experience and skill level are the real limits of any boat. The smaller the boat the less day you can be on big water.

I am very sure you can fish out of a 15’ boat on lake St Clair and extremely sure many days you will not be able to. You could spends weeks waiting for weather to get out in a 15’ boat or you could go every day several days in a row. There is no way to determine or guess if you will be able to get out often as that’s all weather related and even the so called experts get that wrong often.

Good answer and advice Disco.

Arnie

Been there a couple of times. Would not buy a 15' boat to fish St. Clair.

I used to have a caravan and a 19ft searay...keep the boat under 3000lbs and you be fine.

Thanks for the information guys. I think I’ll try it but keep my days limited to really calm days until I feel I can read weather better. Kevin G

I take a 12 ft tin on lake o trolling salmon. Pick your days and you'll be fine. And don't venture too far from the launch, making sure you can make it back within a reasonable time if the weather changes for the worst.

I have fished LSC for over 50 years. Dad and I had a 14ft, I've had a 19ft searay, 16ft starcraft and now a 20ft polarkraft. you can go out with any of these boats, but you can also get into trouble with all of them as well. I have been out in waves on LSC from calm to close to 10ft.

it pretty hard to keep a boat under 3 000lb, have to remember that just because the boat only weights 1 000lb, you have to add everything else including people in the vehicle. My 20ft weights in at 1500lbs. by the time i'm done, I figure I'm in the 5000lb range or close.

Good point about the weight.

I have a 17’ 2” Crestliner with a 115.

Just the hull is 1100 pounds. Motor 375 lbs. full gas tank 400 lbs of gas approx. that’s 1875lbs no gear trolling motor or trailer. It adds up fast. I would bet I am 2500-3000 pounds.

Story for ya also. Happened to me in my first boat.
I was on Lake Erie in a 16’ 2” PrinceCraft. Their was no forecasted storm at all. It was bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky. We were close to shore for bass and we saw a massive storm form straight south of us over PA. In fifteen minutes we saw 3 boats out from us appear and disappear over and over. The storm moved over the lake in minutes and we were trapped in this small boat in 8’ plus waves. We buried the nose of the boat so many times I can’t count. I could stand and only see the next wave coming as I couldn’t see over the top of the wave in front of us. I kept the boat moving forward trim up tip up powering through the waves in the hole for 5km. On the way in one of the three boats out from us we didn’t see after awhile. Later that day we found out it went down and three people lost their lives.
I share this as I am a weather watch and I grew up on big water in boats my whole life and I honestly wasn’t sure we would get back. No matter how careful you are be aware of your abilities and limits on water not just your boats limits.

Disco, I have a story for LSC even though it is a small lake, you have to be careful. Years ago is my 19ft searay was fishing for pickerel about 6 miles from ramp. lake was glass, I noticed light grey clouds to the north where I had to go. I was getting fish, saw ripples on the water, decided to pack it in. 3 ft waves by the time I put in gear to go. Rain and lightning waves got to about 6ft. Person died that day to out there. Point to both stories is you can never take it for granted that the lake will stay calm, and must be prepared to leave in a hurry.

All great points.

Erie, Ontario, LSC and even Simcoe are all large bodies of water so everyone going there has to be really careful.

I also went in my 16 footer on big waters but the issue is that how fast can you get back to shore in a small boat with small engine when the weather is changing very quickly?

so, call me a chicken crap, but I have yet had the right day to hit Erie for walleye this year.


normally I would have a dozen outings by now....that's in a 16 foot smokercraft and I normally range out 3-6 miles

I could have made it on some weekends but prefer to avoid the gong show at the ramps if possible

as mentioned all of these water bodies can get ugly real quickly so anything under 16 feet is really pushing your luck imo