MacGregorSailors.com

Has anyone ever sailed Lake Koshkonong in Wisconsin? It is a very shallow lake, but it is really big. The average depth of the lake is 6ft and the bottom of the lake is muck.

Same question for lake Delavan. I stopped by Lake Lawn Marina (lake delavan) last weekend and there was an X slipped there, so I am assuming that the lake is at least somewhat good for sailing. I have been on neighboring Lake Geneva, but not Delavan. I can't afford Lake Geneva and the $6,000 for a slip, so that is why I am looking at Delavan.

I am looking for something that is closer to home than Racine. It currently takes me 1.5 hours to get there. It makes a quick sail impossible. This lake and lake Delavan are two that are in my consideration. Slips on Koshkonong are cheap ($800 range and a 35 minute drive), Delavan is $2400 (and a 20 minute drive). It will be tough going from the really big lake to a small lake, but I might get in more sailing time if the boat was closer to home.

Any information on either of these two lakes would be much appreciated.

http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/maps/DNR/0808700a.pdf

I found the map above fro Lake Koshkonong which seems to indicate a pretty consistent 6' min. depth through most of the lake. You have an X (swing keel) so it should not be a disaster if you go into mud. but it does not look likely. Also, a quick look on Google maps(satalite view) shows some sailboats at docks. That is NOT the case for Lake Devalan - small powerboats only. I also saw that there is a sailing club on Lake Koshkonong which is obviously a good sign.

Rob

Thanks, I saw the depth map, but it is from 1969.

There is a sailing school on lake delavan too. There is actually a kind of funny video on youtube about some racers scaring the crap of some fishermen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KKtTNBa ... r_embedded

I know that Lake delavan is at least somewhat good for sailing. There is at least one X there and a few smaller sail boats. I really have no knowledge of Lake Koshkonong, so if anyone has any first hand experience with that lake I would appericate hearing about it.

The map shows the lake having depths from 3 - 7 ft. The specs on the 1997 Mac26X have a 5.5 ft depth with the swing keel down - so you should be "mostly" ok. And you don't have to HAVE your swing keel all the way down.

Note that lake Ponchartrain is 4 feet deep "on average' - yet people still drown in it.

robbarnes1965 wrote:http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/maps/DNR/0808700a.pdf

I found the map above fro Lake Koshkonong which seems to indicate a pretty consistent 6' min. depth through most of the lake. You have an X (swing keel) so it should not be a disaster if you go into mud. but it does not look likely. Also, a quick look on Google maps(satalite view) shows some sailboats at docks. That is NOT the case for Lake Devalan - small powerboats only. I also saw that there is a sailing club on Lake Koshkonong which is obviously a good sign.

Rob

The beauty of the X or M is they will sail "ok" with no keel. Tacking is harder but you can still have a good time. I love watching other boaters panic as they see me heading through the shallows on our lake.

Great video Tompolak.

That's what happens when you try to fish in the middle of an E boat regatta!
It's obvious they've never watched a sailboat race before.

Delavan is a good sailing lake for scows (M-20s,M-16s, C boats, E boats, A boats). They've raced them out of the Delavan Lake Yacht Club for over 100 years.

It should be a good lake for your X. Just watch out for the weeds and shallows.
There's a good Fishing Hotspots map of the lake published. You should be able to pick one up at a local
bait shop or at a Blaine's Farm & Fleet near you. It'l show the weedbeds and depths.

Dale

vinnaflix,

robbarnes1965‘S post is ten years old; his last post was was over three years ago. Just saying, don’t expect a response, but one never knows.

NiceAft makes a good point.
Try sending an email via the contact block on the right side of the original post.

Lakes tend to get shallower over the passage of time… engineered or ‘fill’ lakes all the more so as sediment ‘muck’ settles over time.
Try and find as current a depth map as you can.
Suggestions would be to call the local bait shops that service the lake in question and try and contact the sailing club…even by post card.
Most clubs are little affairs and most people like to help.

The swing up keel is a life saver when bumping bottom straight on, turns could be a problem.
Skegg type (shallow draft long keel) boats were often used in places like Denmark and the muddy tidal flats of England and France.
The Mac26X can emulate that by limiting how much keel is lowered. Try just exposing a blade width down and see how it handles.
This may/will affect handling but should be really only a matter of feel.
Even with the keel all the way up you should be ok with just some side slip on the windier days.
It’s a small lake so your not really needing to get anywhere in a hurry so enjoy the ride!

Best Regards
Over Easy

PS:
Found these charts and links that might be of interest…

Lake Koshkonong, WI
https://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/maps/DNR/0808700a.pdf



Lake Delavan, WI
https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/del ... wisconsin/