Why so few catamarans in the Great Lakes?

[Indefatiguable]

Originally Posted by pcmm

I'd agree Item #3 isn't even a thing of concern up here on the great lakes? Microbursts? doesn't happen very often At least not really an issue on Lake Ontario

I have zero knowledge of sailing lake ontario, but having raced out of MYC for a decade or so on lake michigan (inc mac/several misc distance races annually) I can say microburst activity is a legit concern here.

[LuckyCanuk]

Thanks for all of this - I've learned a bit from the responses so far and will be doing some additional investigation - narrow beam for dockage and lifting seems to be a big factor in decision re floating Summer cottage/condo on GL.

I appreciate continuing responses and perspectives!

[Joli]

The main problem for multi hulls on the great lakes is dockage and hauling. On Lake Erie the only spot I know of to haul a larger cat is in Cleveland by crane. I'm not aware of any travel lift wide enough to haul a 40 some footer.

Regarding storms on the great lakes it is a concern, straight line winds can reach 80~100 mph. There was a hammerhead tri that flipped during a Mac race, the couple drowned. There was a Chris White 47 that flipped on Traverse Bay, everyone was rescued.

There are multis on the great lakes, just not many.

[Svsumurun]

Where are you Lucky?
Because besides the whole cat discussion, there is a wealth of knowledge on here re: the different lakes/areas as well. Not sure if you would have a choice on where to be, but for example, in certain parts of Ontario you could pick between 3 lakes (4 if you count St Clair) within driving distance. Not only the sailing, but the areas can be immensely different!

[Indefatiguable]

Originally Posted by Joli

The main problem for multi hulls on the great lakes is dockage and hauling. On Lake Erie the only spot I know of to haul a larger cat is in Cleveland by crane. I'm not aware of any travel lift wide enough to haul a 40 some footer.

Regarding storms on the great lakes it is a concern, straight line winds can reach 80~100 mph. There was a hammerhead tri that flipped during a Mac race, the couple drowned. There was a Chris White 47 that flipped on Traverse Bay, everyone was rescued.

There are multis on the great lakes, just not many.

That tri that pitch poled during a mac race, I was about to the line of the hook race when that storm got to us (assuming we're recalling the same incident, was years ago). Crossed the line with our smallest jib up, no main, planning 32 knts (yep thirty two. no typo) on a j/92. Had to just jump for the dock line in hand to save the boat from being blown into the bridge there in the channel by sturgeon bay.

Don't care what anyone else thinks or says - that storm was the Witch of November come early.

[MGRodems]

I recall Dennis Connor flipping Stars & Stripes (the Cat) over on Lake Huron during the Mac a few years ago.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Joli

The main problem for multi hulls on the great lakes is dockage and hauling. On Lake Erie the only spot I know of to haul a larger cat is in Cleveland by crane. I'm not aware of any travel lift wide enough to haul a 40 some footer.

Regarding storms on the great lakes it is a concern, straight line winds can reach 80~100 mph. There was a hammerhead tri that flipped during a Mac race, the couple drowned. There was a Chris White 47 that flipped on Traverse Bay, everyone was rescued.

There are multis on the great lakes, just not many.

Pretty sure that was a Chris White 42

[Joli]

Originally Posted by smj

Pretty sure that was a Chris White 42

May very well have been, my memory is foggy. This was many years ago.

[Chris8120]

Large slips are rare on the great lakes. And the steep waves can give a really harsh ride. My experience on a cat in Lake Ontario was wonderful if it weren't for the day of rough water.

[chris mac]

We bought our cat on lake Ontario. It was in Whitby, canadian side. The slips were wide enough, no problems or extra costs. We also docked on walls or board walks in several towns going east.
Weather and seas were not a problem, but we were only there the one season. We were out in 30 knots with roughly 10 foot. It really wasn't any different than ocean sailing. But as pointed out earlier lake ontario is deep. That would have been rough in a shallow lake.
Haulout was a problem. The PO hauled in Whitby using the yacht club rented crane, spring and fall. We hauled for the survey in Hamilton. It was the only lift on the canadian side that could accommodate the beam. I think they maxed at 23 or 24 feet.
Transportation in and out is easy. Two owners ago returned from a circumnavigation thru the river. We went south thru Oswego canal and Erie canal. It was a fantastic trip

[marshmat]

It really boils down to operating cost. The cost of owning a boat on the Great Lakes is utterly dominated by marina fees. Almost all of the marinas on the Great Lakes are set up for monohulls in slips with finger docks; moorings are rare and permanent berths on walls or hammerheads are even rarer. So if you have a multi, you're either paying for two slips, or you're fighting for one of the few (often premium priced) spots where it'll fit.



Small to midsize multis like PDQs, Geminis, Corsairs, F-tris, etc. are not uncommon. And tris that can fold for trailer launching have a significant advantage in season length; they can go in well before the mobile crane shows up for the monohulls, and stay in long after the monos are up on their cradles.


But big cats? There's simply nowhere to dock and haul them, at least not without paying thousands extra per season. That suppresses demand, and since demand is low, the supply of new ones is also low. And you can't move them over land here without spending more than they're worth. So if you really want a big cat on the Great Lakes, you usually have to buy it on the coast and sail it up the St. Lawrence or motor it up the Erie. That keeps the supply of used ones low.

[valhalla360]

We had a Gemini for 8-10yrs. We did the Great Loop and spent several summers on the Great Lakes.

All the issues with catamarans on the Great Lakes are present in other areas. Nothing really different from the Chesapeake or the Gulf Coast.

Of course, as we traveled around, cats weren't common pretty much anywhere. It is changing and we noticed it on the Great Lakes also. 20yr ago, I don't recall seeing a cruising cat on Lake St Clair. 5yr ago, I know of around a dozen.

So my take is, it's largely a perception issue that they are less common on the Great Lakes.

[Mike OReilly]

Things also vary from Lake to Lake, and even more importantly, region to region. The southern Lakes have more facilities than the northern Lakes. And larger urban areas of the Lakes tend to have more, and larger, facilities than smaller areas.

The Lakes also vary in weather and sea conditions. Sailing on the little Lakes is different than Superior or Huron.

[CFS Klopas]

There are a few cats here in Chicago. I know of 2 boatyards that routinely use cranes for winter hauling and docking can be handled by endties. Delivery to the region is certainly a problem, I doubt more than a handful have ever been built in the region. Furthermore, there are very few large new boats of any kind on the GL and cats were less popular 30 years ago.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

We had a Gemini for 8-10yrs. We did the Great Loop and spent several summers on the Great Lakes.

All the issues with catamarans on the Great Lakes are present in other areas. Nothing really different from the Chesapeake or the Gulf Coast.

Of course, as we traveled around, cats weren't common pretty much anywhere. It is changing and we noticed it on the Great Lakes also. 20yr ago, I don't recall seeing a cruising cat on Lake St Clair. 5yr ago, I know of around a dozen.

So my take is, it's largely a perception issue that they are less common on the Great Lakes.

They're definitely out there, but also a minority. Same way a lot of the monohull sailboats tend not to be much over 40 feet at the biggest, at least on Lake Ontario. There are bigger ones, but they're a minority. Not because there aren't places that can handle them (there are plenty), but because for cruising primarily within the great lakes, the smaller boats offer a lot more options.

Go too big or to a cat and plenty of good places to go become off limits. As an example, we spent last weekend at Pultneyville Yacht Club. No way you're getting a cat in there, and anything much over 40 feet probably isn't either.