Skerry adventures on Flathead Lake
by David Bixby

To a boat the size of my recently completed CLC Skerry, Flathead Lake in northwestern Montana is an inland sea waiting to be explored.

Flathead Lake is the largest, naturally occuring, freshwater lake in the western United States. It has over 120 miles of shoreline, a multitude of undeveloped islands, easy public access sites spread around it’s perimeter, stunning scenery and diverse camping opportunities. Its glacially-replenished water is crystal clear. Many shoreline residents still take their drinking water unfiltered straight from the lake. In late summer, the water temperature in the middle of the lake sometimes reaches the 70’s. In Montana, that’s bath water.

Flathead Lake is the largest, naturally occuring, freshwater lake in the western United States. (click images to enlarge)

For small non-motorized boaters, the State Park Service maintains the Flathead Marine Trail System. This is a network of camping opportunities, spread strategically around the perimeter of the lake and on some of its primitive islands. Marine Trail campsites are reserved for opperators of small non-motorized craft that can be pulled onto shore by hand.

Flathead Lake was the inspiration for my first and only boat building attempt. The Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) Skerry is growing quickly in popularity. I made many modifications to mine. My first-time boat building experience was greatly aided by the folks on the Skerry discussion forum maintained by Skerry builder and Duckworks contributor Steven Roberts.

The Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) Skerry is growing quickly in popularity.

In my first season sailing and rowing Bonnie Dune on Flathead, I have had several memorable experiences.

My inaugural point to point voyage on the lake was a family trip to visit Wild Horse Island. We sailed and rowed out to the huge mountainous island that is home to a small herd of wild horses. The mild sailing conditions made for a fun and relaxing day trip that included a hike to one of the summits of the island.

My inaugural point to point voyage on the lake was a family trip to visit Wild Horse Island.

Conditions on Flathead are not always so tame. During a solo camping trip to Cedar Island, rain and 15 to 20 mph winds made for some exciting and adventurous sailing. I believe the Skerry’s dory shape gives it its excellent sea worthiness. In swells up to four feet, Bonnie Dune never shipped any green water. One of the nice things about navigating the lake in a small boat is that its convoluted shoreline and distribution of islands allow one to explore a lot of beautiful landscape without getting too far from a safe haven if the weather kicks up. I have yet to attempt a crossing of the main body of the lake, but I also have yet to see a need to do so. Campsites and small towns are nicely spaced around the lake’s shore in such a way that one could complete a several day circumnavigation of the lake with easy distances between campgounds and other services.

During a solo camping trip to Cedar Island, rain and 15 to 20 mph winds made for some exciting and adventurous sailing.

The lake is deep (over 300 feet) and its shores and bottom rocky. Primative (in otherwords desirable to my thinking) landing sites usually take the form of pebble beaches. There are some cliffy areas were no landing can be made, so one needs to keep an eye on the weather and plan accordingly when transitting these areas. NOAA weather radio reception is good in the Flathead Valley and there are reporting stations at several locations around the lake. The lake supports a large fleet of sailboats and is popular with Jet skiers and fast motorboats as well. Even so, with Flathead’s enourmous size the boat traffic feels light and I have never had to wait for more than one other unit to use a boat ramp.

This winter, I’ve set to work on some unfinished details and modifications for Bonnie Dune. These include a new, higher-peaked boomless sprit sail with brailing and reefing capablilities and some interior refinements.

Anyone interested in learning more about Flathead Lake should check out these links:

Article about the -- Flathead Lake Marine Trail

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks – Flathead State Park

To learn more about the Skerry, try these:

Get-Outside -- This site contains a discussion forum for Skerry builders and owners.

Chesepeake Light Craft -- The makers of the Skerry kit.