Cobalt R5 on Lake Michigan?

[Hockeyguy4u]

Looking at buying a 2015 Cobalt R5. Can it handle the sometimes rough Lake Michigan water? I am looking to be able to go, for example, from Charlevoix to Mackinac. Thank you!

[AsLan7]

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So glad you found us Hg4u....and hopefully you can connect with someone here.

Welcome aboard mate.

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[Mjg07]

I have an R5 on Grand Traverse Bay. It's a great boat for the bay and can handle Lake Michigan depending on the weather, but Charlevoix to Mackinac is a 50 mile trip with a lot of very exposed areas. I grew up on a 40' sailboat that we kept in Charlevoix and have done that trip many times, but I wouldn't consider it in my R5. The straits can be challenging with currents and rapidly changing conditions that could make for a very uncomfortable trip in any 26' power boat. I would make a run from Charlevoix to Beaver Island on a nice day and would go out in the straits around Mackinac, but would trailer the boat between those destinations 100% of the time. I guess there are days/weather windows that you could make the trip and be fine, but the R5 is a bit small for 50+ mile open water trips in my opinion. Its a great boat for Lake Charlevoix and the larger inland lakes around here.

[jhnmdahl]

A sightseeing boat called the Vista Star hit a breakwater coming back to the Duluth area on Lake Superior just last night because it ran into five foot waves it wasn't anticipating. I'm sure you could make the trip successfully many times on an R5 if you kept an eye on the weather, but it's that one time in a hundred when waves start coming over the bow and you're half an hour from shore that would keep me from doing it.

https://www.startribune.com/injuries-re ... 600382566/

[AsLan7]

I have an R5 on Grand Traverse Bay. It's a great boat for the bay and can handle Lake Michigan depending on the weather, but Charlevoix to Mackinac is a 50 mile trip with a lot of very exposed areas. I grew up on a 40' sailboat that we kept in Charlevoix and have done that trip many times, but I wouldn't consider it in my R5. The straits can be challenging with currents and rapidly changing conditions that could make for a very uncomfortable trip in any 26' power boat. I would make a run from Charlevoix to Beaver Island on a nice day and would go out in the straits around Mackinac, but would trailer the boat between those destinations 100% of the time. I guess there are days/weather windows that you could make the trip and be fine, but the R5 is a bit small for 50+ mile open water trips in my opinion. Its a great boat for Lake Charlevoix and the larger inland lakes around here.

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Good input Mjg07…so glad you found us.

And welcome aboard mate.
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[Hockeyguy4u]

mjg07–

Thank you…Charlevoix to Mackinac is too dicey.
I am transitioning from a tritoon (which I use on Burt/Mullett lakes) to something more versatile and fun on Lake Charlevoix. I also intend to use it in Little Traverse Bay between Charlevoix and Harbor Springs, mostly hugging the coastline. I think the R5 would be fine for that.

[Mjg07]

R5 will be a great boat for that. You will know quickly when you go under the bridge and through the channel if its a Lake Charlevoix or LTB day.

[sailor55330]

I am more cautious than many, but have spent a fair amount of time offshore in sailboats. For me, No way in an not only an R5, but any open bow runabout designed for inland lakes. Look up self bailing cockpits or check out the youtube videos. The R series are great boats, but not designed for any potential rough weather past an afternoon thundestorm on a lake. Anything over 3 ft would make for a miserable ride. You take a wave over the bow and you have a lot of exposed electronics in the engine compartment to short out. Your bilge pump is probably rated at 600-1000 GPH. A large wave could deposite several hundred gallons in a second.

Offshore and heavy weather in these boats----not a good idea to me

[billk2632]

Yeah - an R5, really any open bow Cobalt's or any manufacture, are just not good in this regard. You take a wave over the bow in an R5, an everything get's soaked. The ski lockers don't have gutters - none of the storage does. Every storage compartment is going to get wet. There are drains in the cockpit, but they just drain into the bilge. There was a half baked effort at putting proper gutters with drains around the engine compartment, but on mine they leak everywhere into the storage areas in the engine room. Not knocking it - I love my R5, it just is not made for that kind of use, it's an inland lake boat - a really good one. My SeaRay bowrider was about the same. One or two big waves over the bow, everything is wet, the bilge is full of water and you are in trouble.

[Hockeyguy4u]

Thank you everyone for your input. I’ll tool around in Little Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan shoreline) once in a while only on very calm days. Anyway, I bought the R5. It’s fantastic.

[jhnmdahl]

Congrats on a great boat - be careful out there! Handheld marine radios are cheap, and may be worth sticking in the glove box.