BYYB Forums

Maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but putting the first coat of primer on my Mini-Cup got me thinking... I'm in a landlocked state, surrounded by mountains, where am I going to sail this thing? :?

So, I decided to ask this question- How big of a lake do you really need for a worthwhile sail? Watts Bar lake is about 30 minutes away and the Horizon Yacht Club sails from there. Not a single boat under 26 feet in that fleet. I'm absolutely sure I could sail there. On the other hand, Concord Yacht Club is in Knoxville on Fort Loudon Lake. They have a fleet of 15 footers and I'm also sure I could find some wind there. On the third hand :? Melton Lake in Oak Ridge is 6 minutes (or less) from my house. I have seen one sailboat there parked in the marina and one windsurfer on the lake about two years ago.

So, to rephrase the question, how Small can a lake be and still accomodate sailors? Thought this would be an interesting thread for future boaters. And when's a good time to hit the public boat launch? My budget won't quite allow the membership fees at either of these esteemed yacht clubs. :roll: Thanks!

Check out SWF forum....

A lot of these lakes we sail on are less than 1000 acres....Quail Creek is less than 600 acres. Yuba is 628 acres...plenty of room. You want to stay away from lakes with high banks on both sides, wind becomes unpredictable.

Small lakes are just fine. The lake I sail on is less than 200 acres....a little small for a Weekender, but, hey, it's in my yard.

A small lake with a mini cup is a great choice. A lot of smaller lakes don't allow big engines on the boats, some are electric only which is where I sail my 12.5 footer. It's great fun to sail circles around the fishermen with their trolling motors. The lake I sail is only 800 acres and I havn't seem many other sailors out there but I have a ball on it when the wind is blowing hard. I've sailed there with 30mph gusts hiked out on the windward side while the lee rail just touches the water. Now I wouldn't put my Vacationer out there but for a small boat you can't beat it.

Have fun

Keith