Minnetonka

adamel111 · Post by **adamel111** » Tue May 17, 2005 4:36 pm

Does anyone regularly sail Minnetonka or has anyone ever sailed there? I have been considering Minnetonka as a sailing spot cause I have friend who takes a boat out regularly on Minnetonka and thought I might be able to squeeze in some sailing sessions in conjunction with some weekend boating.

chanrider · Post by **chanrider** » Tue May 17, 2005 7:28 pm

If you're talking kitng I have no idea, but if it's windsurfing I believe there's a guy named Peter or something who sails pretty regularly off of the Excelsior park public beach. I've tried it once and it was ok, but I don't think the winds are as strong or consistent as Waconia and as summer approaches I get weirded out by all the boat traffic on Mtka.

The Excelsior beach is a point so it is sailable in most wind directions with the exception of maybe due South?

I have seen guys kickin' butt on Mtka though so it can't be all that bad... but I'm not sure where the other launches are.

johnbaker17 · Post by **johnbaker17** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:40 am

There's an island on Lk Mtka calleld Kite Island for obvious reasons. Go to the Lakes section of this site and click the link at the bottom of the left side. Strangely, there's no more information there than a simple map, but maybe someone else can offer more info. I've never sailed there myself, only seen that map in the Lakes section.
John Baker

Tom L · Post by **Tom L** » Wed May 18, 2005 8:33 am

Kite Island is a winter only launch. Not usable in summer, no beach & rock city.

For windsurfing there are a few launches but Excelsior commons (on a N or NW) might be the best. Most people windsurfing on the lake are using private launches. There are numerous small public beaches but most are restricted once the swimming areas are designated with boueys.

There is a public beach on Big Island where you can kite on a N or a S wind. Drift launching from a boat is an option, and there are a couple of sandy reefs that you could get to by boat for drift launching.

Basically Minnetonka is a challenging place to windsurf, and even more so for kiting. Weekend boat traffic is another big negative.

There are a few here on the board who might have some info to add. Rob Evans might know of a few secret launches.

adamel111 · Post by **adamel111** » Wed May 18, 2005 10:26 am

Thanks for the info. My friend has a private launch I think I could use. Otherwise I could sail off of Excelsior. I know that boat traffic is pretty heavy on the weekend, but sailing is sailing! I just like to have as much knowledge as I can get before sailing in a new spot.

Thanks again.

johntr · Post by **johntr** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:49 pm

Watch out for weeds on Minnetonka too! I was out last summer on a friend's 29-er*, and the weeds were the worst I've ever seen anywhere. At one point we had to wade the tipped boat about 100 yards out of a weed bad to get somewhere we could sail with the centerboard down!

John

* If you have a chance, sailing a 29-er is a blast. it's as close to windsurfing as I've come on a fixed mast boat. Pretty gnarly to ride, especially with two big bodies on board, but quite a rush!

adamel111 · Post by **adamel111** » Wed May 18, 2005 1:10 pm

29er would be great. Anyone have a 49er? I had a friend in san fran that had a 49er and would take it out on the bay. i never got to sail it but my friend would sail it with my brother who is 6'4" 230+ and said they could really get hauling.

Tom L · Post by **Tom L** » Wed May 18, 2005 1:12 pm

Weed fins are a must starting in June. It sucks, but it's the only way.

hert0035 · Post by **hert0035** » Wed May 18, 2005 2:47 pm

I don't have a 49er but i do have an International 14, which is also a double trappeze skiff with a huge asym spinnaker and an extending bow spirit. Plenty fast and very gnarly ride...too much fun. If anybody want to get out for a ride let me know.

As far as tonka goes...it sucks for anything with a centerboard or fin longer than a few cm. The weeds are insane, seriously, i tried to sail the 14 on tonka last season and found that we couldn't make it 100 yards in any direction at any time anywhere on the lake with out picking up weeds, and on that boat weeds=crash.

I think drift lauching a kite would work fine but the weekend traffic is extreemly ignorant of right of way. I do plan to get a few sessions on tonka with the kite and the I14 but it will have to be the right conditions.

good luck,

stefan

mheinric · Post by **mheinric** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:51 pm

i've been out in Excelsior bay, Guidons bay area a number of times not as good as Waconia, alot of weeds near shore, the wind is not as steady and strong becuase of the bays. I can't see Kiting in the water unless it was from the Big Island Beach on weekdays.

Mike Heinrich

952-474-0033
mheinrich@geometricconsulting.com

gopher38 · Post by **gopher38** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:21 am

I've been curious about Mtka also. I grew up near the lake, but it was before windsurfing had gotten popular, so I've never sailed there. Now I live overseas, but I come back every summer for a couple of months to visit my family (plus, I think I'll be moving back permanently within 2 years), so I try to scope out windsurfing spots on my visits. I've only been to Calhoun and Waconia so far, because - although it's closer - I've always figured that Mtka would have too much traffic. Maybe I'll try Excelsior beach next trip home. What is a "weed" fin, by the way. I think I've been lucky enough to never have needed one of those.

johntr · Post by **johntr** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 12:12 pm

Weed fins are fins that are shaped to try to shed weeds. They work pretty well when there is a modest weed load in the lake, but by the end of summer the weeds have tentacles and suckers and hang on to the bottom of your board whether you have any fin or not

.

I've heard one of the problems with Minnetonka described as an 'arms race' among boaters. Everyone knows there are lots of boats creating lots of waves, so everyone knows you need a big boat so you don't mind the waves so much. each year the size of boat you need to enjoy the lake grows by 10%. We're about 20 years into the arms race now

.

John

gopher38 · Post by **gopher38** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:07 am

I remember we used to take a little Alumacraft boat with 5 HP motor out to go fishing near Big Island. Somehow I think we'd lose the "arms race" that you're talking about today. They ought to limit the size of boats on Mtka. What do you need an ocean liner for an an inland lake, especially one like Mtka where there are no huge expanses of open water.

dave t · Post by **dave t** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 12:55 pm

Here's why:
$200,000 house - $20,000 boat
$2,000,000 house - $200,000 boat

You have to show what your worth out there.

Or, maybe they're is some compensating going on.

Tom L · Post by **Tom L** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:13 pm

After watching this thread with mild amusement, I feel I must set the record straight. I live on the lake, and your assumptions are not true.

Many of the largest home owners have smaller boats. Look at the largest homes on the lake (from the lake) and you will see I am right.

Many of the largest boats are owned by people who don't live on the lake, but rent a slip at a marina. They use there boat as place to hang out on the lake. Kind of like a cabin away from home but it is a boat.

You will also see small homes with very large boats. For these people it is so important to be on the lake in a large boat and they will sacrifice the size of their home to have a large boat on the lake.

The arms race is a myth.

johntr · Post by **johntr** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:08 pm

Hey! Tom: your arguments don't relate to the arms race I was talking about. Your arguments only refer to the question of whether houses and boats must be related.

There may or may not be an arms race going on in home size/boat size, but that's independent of the problem that if some people have very large boats it pushes everyone to want a very large boat. (Because it's uncomfortable to be rocked in the wake of a large boat while you're sitting in a small boat. As is brutally clear to all us light wind sailors every summer!)

John

Tom L · Post by **Tom L** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:52 pm

I agree the waves suck on weekends. There have always been large boats on Tonka on weekends & there always will be.

At 11:00 am on a weekday there is no one out here. It's beautiful.

I would say the bulk of new boats on the lake are 3 kinds, and all small. PWC's, Bass boats, and ski boats. The hottest new toy out here is a tricked out ski boat with the huge rig on top, and a huge sound system, (and a crappy wake boarder attempting crappy tricks). Very un-appealing from my stand point. I'm more sick of them than the large boats, actually.

Stroh · Post by **Stroh** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:23 am

the only thing I don't like in that the people on pwc's and people pulling tubers Don't Watch where they are going. they get tunnel-vission so bad that they pose a threat to us kiters if your wind dies and your siting in the water in the middle of the lake chances are nobody will see you.

So play it safe and don't go on busy lakes. It's not worth loosing a limb or dieing.

BSMITH · Post by **BSMITH** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 12:03 pm

Jesus! I personally like the big waves. The bigger the wave the higher I go in my "little" 21 footer. I was out at big island yesterday. There was a large raft of boats full of extremely attactive 18 somethings playing Girls Gone Wild. I love Tonka!

Tom L · Post by **Tom L** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 12:46 pm

Thata boy!!

Brian I like your attitude!

I used to jump my 16' Boston Whaler so much that I broke the crank shaft. Ooops.

P.S. You gotta swing by next time your out. White dock with 4 chaise loungers out on the dock. (with me and a cold one, sitting in one of them). You know the bay.

Disregard if windy!

LAKAWA

Minnetonka

Minnetonka

mtka

Windsurfing on Minnetonka