Finding the correct wind speed on lakes

I’m looking for some help finding wind. There is nothing worse than driving 2 hours to sit in a lake with no wind. I have found several online programs giving me wind forecasts. My question is on a TI what wind speed should I be looking for? What is the window, how much wind is too much or too little to sail in?

Also when out in a TI or AI, if you get into a storm is the boat grounded or are you one big lightning rod?

Thanks,

Jim B

That is the beauty of a Hobie Island... you can use the boat in zero wind to higher wind speeds. Hard for me to advise using the boat in conditions that exceed the local small craft advisory levels (they do vary by region and body of water type).

The problem with wind is that it can vary greatly by location on the same body of water. Shoreline angles or hills / mountains can bend, decrease or increase wind. You can only get an approximate speed from a local station.

I like weather underground. They have good readings and lots of history data for many areas.

http://www.wunderground.com/

or

http://www.windfinder.com/

Also... this graphic can help you see speed and directional changes in areas: http://hint.fm/wind/

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Where do I find out about small craft advisory levels?

US Coast Guard or your local marina should know.

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2009/10/small-craft-advisories-and-boating-safety/

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Windfinder.com can be tailored to give information for a specific area or lake. It's fairly accurate from what I've seen of it these past couple years.

There is nothing better than the windalert app

I use willy weather app. Great predictive quality.