Mackinac to Port Clinton, OH

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BryanK

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
RO Number
17747
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I am very close to purchasing a boat located in Ottawa, IL (about 80 miles west of Chicago on the Illinois River), and need to move it to Port Clinton, OH.

While I could hire a captain to do this (and may do so), I would really be interested in making the trip on my own. The problem is... I don't have a whole lot of time to do it. One thought I have is to hire a captain to bring it up to Mackinac and then I would take over from there. Does anyone know approximately how long it would take to travel from Mackinac down to Port Clinton (Put-In-Bay area)? I'm guessing about 12 hours of drive time at 22 MPH.

Has anyone made this trip before? If so, any advice is appreciated!

Thanks!
 
BryanK,

It is a two day trip of hard running at 22 knots. I have done the trip several times and it can be done in one day but not with one person at the helm and lookout and it would take very favorable conditions on Lake Huron and Erie. What type of vessel, year and engines.

Email me at blas.mbrookatyahoo.com and i will give you my phone # to discuss.
 
Thanks for the post. I would be running a 2003 Silverton 38C with 8.1 HO gas engines. Not exactly fuel efficient!

I'm seriously considering having a captain bring the boat over, but I don't like the costs associated with that!
 
Bryan,

I grew up on those waters, and I agree with Mike. It's 2 long days. It's give or take 370 miles, or about 17 hours of running at 22 mph. Add fuel stops and you could easily run out of daylight in Lake Erie. With all of the unpredictable fish nets in the Middle Sister area, I wouldn't chance it.

The good news is that the prevailing W-SW winds make the Michigan side of Huron cruising-friendly. Very few hazards often let you stay close enough to shore to avoid the bigger waves. Of course, southerlies DO happen, and in that case you could be in for a rough ride. Otherwise, the Michigan ports offer easy in-and-out fuel ports on a very regular basis. Once you get past the open water of the Saginaw Bay, you're pretty much home free.

The halfway point from Mackinaw (city w/ a W, island w/ a C) is Harbor Beach, which is just south of the tip of Michigan's "thumb". I'm saying that for reference, not as a suggested stop-over. No offense if there any "Harbor Beachers" here, but yuck.

Lexington on the other hand, is great.

Once you have Port Huron's Bluewater Bridge in sight, weather won't be a concern again until you see the Detroit Light in Erie. St. Clair is rarely smooth, ok - never, but most of that is just wake-stirring. It won't bother a 38C.

I'm fundamentally opposed to paying OTHER PEOPLE to take a boat trip, so I say even a quick boat trip is better than none!
 
Sounds like SLW is itching for a boat ride as navigator. :)
 
Bryan,

Split it up... have SRM's delivery captain run the boat to the Lake (the locks are a pain, you can easily wait two hours for a lockage; you also have the Chicago Sanitary Canal (aka the 12 miles of hell) to traverse - worst part of the trip...), and take the fun ride in the open water. I think you'll find their guy competent and affordable. Mind you, he'll budget two days to make the 100 miles to the Lake.

Best of luck,
Mark Gibson
 
Great information! I figured traveling on Lake Huron will be easier than traveling up Lake Michigan, which is why I may hire someone to bring the boat up to Mackinaw for me.

I'll keep you posted on whether or not I go with this boat... if so, I'll probably be asking about recommended ports to stop at along the way!

Thank you!
 
I would consider SRM's guy. At the same time I would ask Jim Thoorp at Spring Brook Marina 815-357-8666 for his recommendation. I think they may have a very experienced Capt. for you to consider and have the truck and trailer to offer an alternative way. They are very nearby in Seneca. Big operation.
Wow! This is going to cost big bucks.-fuel-Capt.-over night marina charges. How do these costs compare to trucking?
I have fond memories of Jeremy's Marina in PC in the 70's. I lived in Bay Village at the time. Good luck.
 
SLW. We will be bringing a boat home to Ashtabula from the Saginaw River (Bay City). They tell me Port Austin is 4 hours from the river with this boat. I have been thinking about our first overnight stop...should I try and get all the way to Lexington? I think that would make for a long first day especially in a new to me boat.

Our little trip (about 325 nm) is about break even on gas burn vs trucking but what fun is a truck!!
Thanks
Niles
 
Trucking for me really is not an option... the cost is a lot less (about $2,500), but I would need to have the bridge removed (including all electronics, cables, etc.), have a special cradle made for the bridge, have it all reassembled at its final destination, and pray to God that it all works again!

Plus, as noted above, what fun is it to truck it over!

We're actually torn between two boats right now. The Silverton 38C and a Carver 410 Sport Sedan. The Carver is located 5 miles from my home marina... that option sure looks good right about now!
 
I was wondering about that. Lake Erie has a lot of boats available.
 
BryanK - Send me an email at blas.mbrook at yahoo.com (written out so not scrambled)I have an option that I cannot mention on the forum.

Lexington is a great stop - check out their website and concerts in the park series - really nice park and stage located in the marina.

One word of warning though, their entrance has not been dredged for years and they are showing shoaling with a max depth of 3.8 feet. I cannot get into the marina anymore with a draft a little over 4 feet. Two years ago, a sailboat got stuck right at the entrance for about two hours until the local sheriff helped to get it off.

Here are details of a July 07 survey by the Corps of Engineers:

http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=5473&destination=ShowItem
 
Niles,

A friend of mine just bought a boat in Buffalo, so we were looking for ways to get it home. As Sugilbert correctly noted, I have the boat-trip itch... I was looking forward to the ride, even if beating across Erie in an unknown boat was against my best judgement. I wanted to cover all bases though, so I asked Kenny to recommend a trucking company. My buddy called him and a few hours later, my opportunity for a free trip was gone. I'm not sure what the guy said, but he must've been convincing!

I think we should enjoy the cruising part of boating as much as we can, and that means choosing ports carefully. Port Austin makes sense. Four hours might even be stretching it for the "shakedown" period. That stop will give you the opportunity to skip ugly ports like Harbor Beach. (don't be fooled by the name. They should've called it "Dirty Silos in Mud-town")

If you plan to stop in Lake St Clair, I recommend our winter port of MacRay Harbor to ANYONE. My next choice is Metro Beach Metropark. Hopefully that community's "free shuttle" will still be operating. It's a convenient way to reprovision and get to restaraunts not within walking distance.
 
Getting a new to you boat and then saying you dont have much time to run 350+ miles, weather be damned doesn't sound at all like a:
a. good plan
b. fun plan
c. a way to enjoy the boat.

The worst thing you can have is a hard schedule and the need for speed built in to it.

I had a 26 dancer 89-91. Out of boating for years, got the urge again and bought a 450 da in Michigan City IN and took it to Cleveland. Great time, had a semi schedule, but if it got bad with the wx and i ran out of time, then was planning on leaving it and getting it later. The WX cooperated, ran about 100 nm a day and spent 3 days in the North Channel. It was a fun trip and it sure made sense to all the marina fees, diesel, food etc. Great time.

My last trip was a forced march from Ft Myers to Charleston SC in a different boat. Had a great time, but we were more on a let's get there mode and not near as much fun. All relative though--how can moving a boat be anything but good? Had some WX issues around Cape Canaveral and those things do happen. The next day was ugly also so we stayed on the ICW and could afford the extra time. But, still felt this need to get going and everytime we had the chance, we were pushing it up, getting a few fingers, and running hard to the next slow go.

Not an expert on Great Lakes WX but May i would guess is not the smoothest of months for the water. We left IN the day after Memorial Day and hardly saw a boat for the entire trip. On Mackinaw Island, the tulips were still coming out and this was Jun 6th.

Your plan has you blasting past the North Channel and that happens to be only the best fresh water cruising grounds in the WORLD--ask SLW et al.

My advice...get a new plan
 
Niles,
I just saw your post about wanting to stop at Port Austin. Huron is down 4", Port Austin needs to be dredged bad, near the fuel dock its down to 3 1/2- 4'. Also make sure you go around the Charity Islands, I would not attempt to take the shortcut the water is too low and there is several spots not marked that are less than 2'. I go in tomorrow, if your still at Bay Harbour stop by.Chris
 
Thanks Chris.
The last time I was up Art pointed out on a chart and told me to go around the islands also. We have closed on the boat and the marina is getting it into the shop for a small deck repair as part of the deal. While it is in there I am having them install tabs and a windlass. Matt has given me a dock for however long we need it. We will be up sometime after the work is done to clean and provision. I have a crazy schedule and I am not sure when we will bring her home. We will look you up the next time we are there. Good luck with the put in.
Thanks
Niles
 
quote:
Originally posted by SLW

A friend of mine just bought a boat in Buffalo, so we were looking for ways to get it home. As Sugilbert correctly noted, I have the boat-trip itch... I was looking forward to the ride, even if beating across Erie
Click to expand...


SLW...did your freind change his mind? I saw a lone boat out there yesterday heading west taking on a stiff breeze from the NW.

Niles
 
Nope - it's still in NY.

I'm glad no-one I know was out there on Saturday - those were some nasty winds. I wanted to move to the next slip to work on the starboard side, but the gusts changed my mind.
 
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