How windy is too windy?

i want to head to the lake this week, but the winds are looking to be 18-25mph. I'm just curious what's too windy for you guys to ride in?

It depends on the lake (how protected it is) and the rider (how spoiled you are). I don't think I would be happy with winds much faster than 5 knots. I would say when it hits a consistent 10 it's no bueno. Get a kite for 15 & above.

I'm in the midwest, so it's ALWAYS windy, and to be honest, I've gone out, dragging friends with me, when it's blowing 35 MPH.
If it's less than 5MPH, usually a storm is just about to hit us.
So I say, as long as you know the spots, ride on. Find somewhere out of the wind and get after it, the more witnd there is, the more likely there won't be that many other boats out there

anything windier than this is completely unacceptable:

http://www.sailingusa.info/wind_and_seas.htm

Around 10 MPH and I figure it's not worth it. Wind direction and time of day also factor into this. If the wind is blowing North or South I will try even with higher winds as I can ride the creek which runs East-West and is somewhat sheltered. If the wind is coming from the East (not common), is not terribly strong and it's either early morning or late afternoon when boat traffic is less I will try riding on the main river as it runs North-South. If the wind is coming from the West I'm screwed as I know no sheltered spots to ride from a West wind. If no small craft advisory and I have nothing else to do I might hit the river and just burn some gas or anchor up and swim/chill, hoping for a break in the wind.

If others are like me I'd imagine it's not just wind speed but how sheltered your riding spots are and how many spots you can get to that are sheltered from different directions and not overwhelmed with boat traffic.

If it's white capping it's too windy.

riding on the river we do...there can be winds N-S that can blow 20 mph and the water will still be glass the way it is sheltered. If the wind is E-W and it's above 5-10 mph, mine as well not make the trip!

Originally Posted by kamighazi

anything windier than this is completely unacceptable:

That's what I'm used to. It sucks.

Realistically speaking, white capping waves is generally the time we head back to the ramp. If it's just barely white capping once in a while, we may head out just to go to a cove and hang, but if there are white caps all over the place, we usually don't go out. I don't think its really a driver or experience issue. Its more of a comfort issue.

to ease the knot vs mph
http://www.disastercenter.com/convert.htm

It's all relative to where you ride and how protected it is from the wind. On the lake where I ride if the wind is out of the south, winds can be 35 mph + and you will still have butter. However, when wids are north east, the cove on that side of the lake isn't as protected, so anything over 10 mph and it's choppy. I actually love it when the forecast is 35 + winds out of the south. A forecast like that tends to scare everyone else away leaving me with all the butta!

If the waves get rough the surf board or AirChair come out. It's harder picking up a downed rider and reloading the AirChair when the waves get close to three feet. (but that just makes the driving a more entertaining activity)

gotta know your waterway. One of my favorite spots is a cove on west side of the lake. Generally protected from wind, but I have to cross a channel that's 2 miles across to get to/from the launch. I've pulled out of there some afternoons when a storm was blowing in and had 2-3 foot waves to deal with. Retrieving in high winds can be really fun too.

Originally Posted by cjh1669

If it's white capping it's too windy.

This

Early in the season thats acceptable but as it moves on, hell no!

This is what I'm use to:



Our lake is a big "U" shape, so there is always at least one good shoreline - but usually 15+ is pushing it for me