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Go Sail Flathead Lake

Sailing School, Sailboat Rentals, Sailing Charters, Kayak Tours on Flathead Lake in Big Arm, MT.

Flathead Lake is the best place to sail in the Northwest with crystal clear glacier waters and a reliable 8-15 knot breeze throughout the sailing season! Join us on our fleet of monohull sailboats for sailing tours of Flathead Lake or ASA sailing lessons. Chart your own course with sailboat rentals and guided kayak tours of Wild Horse Island. We look forward to setting sail with you!

a close up of a sign

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There’s no better place to lake sail

With consistent 8-15 knot winds throughout the summer and the untamed beauty of Big Sky country, it’s no wonder people travel from around the country to set sail on Flathead Lake! Here are a few reasons we love sailing here:

  • Stunning wildlife: You’ll have the opportunity to see some of the west’s most beautiful native species, like bighorn sheep on Wild Horse Island! Deer, elk, native birds, and plenty of local fish are often spotted on our Flathead Lake tours and sailing adventures. 
  • Unbeatable views: There are so many beautiful sites to see on Flathead Lake. Montana is nicknamed the “Big Sky State” for a reason and you’ll be amazed at just how far you can see from aboard your sailboat. A few of our favorite things to admire are the various Flathead Lake islands, bays, and the expansive Mission Mountains. 
  • Easy travel: We are located just off US-93, a quick and easy trip from Glacier National Park, the Glacier Park International Airport!
  • Great sailing options: Choose from a variety of sailing tours on Flathead Lake, take an ASA sailing course or two, and even rent your own sailboat for the day! We also offer guided tours of Wild Horse Island.
  • Exclusive sailing courses: Go Sail Flathead is the first and only ASA certified sailing school in Montana! We offer small course sizes with plenty of one-on-one instruction time.

You’re in good hands

Go Sail Flathead Lake offers some of the best sailing instructors and captains in the business! Here’s why you’ll love setting sail on Flathead Lake with us:

  • Award-winning American Sailing instructors and captains with 30+ years of teaching and sailing experience
  • Unbeatable ratings: Five star ratings on Trip Advisor and Google
  • Small tours and courses: Never more than 5 passengers aboard
  • Expert instruction: We know sailing but better yet we are mastering the art of teaching everyday with patience and practice. Kindness and respect are at the heart of everything we do.
Go sail flathead lake crew

Explore Flathead Lake on a sailboat.

Meet our excellent captains and crew.

Learn to Sail on Flathead Lake.

Recent Graduates and Fellow Sailors

Learn about our students their Sailing Stories! First hand experience aboard our courses. Live vicariously or be inspired by the journey our customers have taken to get here.

Go Sail Flathead Lake's 5-star reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An eyeopener into life on a sailboat

It was one of the best experiences I ever had. It was fairly intense. It was definitely a learning to sail experience. It was an eyeopener into life on a sailboat and coastal sailing. -Edi Stan

Super knowledgeable and awesome instructors.

I took the 101 course with Trevon Baker and 103 with John Barlow. They were super knowledgeable and awesome instructors. I had zero experience and now I am absolutely hooked! I can’t wait to buy my own sailboat and will be taking the 104 class as soon as I can.

– Sarah Claridge, Google Review
Wild Horse Island State Park Sailboat Charter

We took a charter sail out with Captain Taylor. He was safety conscious, encouraging and enjoyed our conversation. The water and wind was perfect. Flathead Lake is a beautiful lake. Dayton is a quiet get away from the tourist areas.

– Chris Leistico, Google Review
Professional ASA instructor and good to learn from

Captain Genevieve is absolutely phenomenal in her knowledge and how readily she shares her insight. My husband and I want to build more confidence and skills in sailing our boat and asked Captain Genevieve to help us. She provided us an incredible lesson. She carefully listened to us for what we wanted out of the lesson. During the lesson, she offered direction and helpful hints, We love Go Sail Flathead Lake and highly recommend it.

– WeExplore2015, Tripadvisor
Truly incredible experience

This was a truly incredible experience. The team made the learning fun, effective and helped the knowledge stick. Our second course in particular, 103 with Jon Barlow, left me feeling confident I could charter my own keelboat and not leave it at the bottom of a bay somewhere. Jon is a great instructor and had a manner of ensuring you were comfortable with being effective on the water. If you do the 101, definitely follow with the 103.

– Paul Johns, Google Review
Excellent Private Charter with a Captain

We wanted to try something different and unique and selected this wonderful sailing experience on Flathead Lake. Our charter captain for our afternoon trip was a lovely, charming young man who has sailed all over the World on all kinds of boats and he made this trip perfect for us with his interesting travel stories. Very safety conscious and as much (or as little) time for us to practice sailing techniques. The lake is still a little cold for me right now, but we were also offered the option to take a dip and swim in the lake if we wanted. We would highly recommend Captained Sailing Charter this experience especially if celebrating a special occasion as we were welcome to bring our own cooler with adult beverages.

– cruzfool2005ft, Tripadvisor
Truly incredible experience

This was a truly incredible experience. The team made the learning fun, effective and helped the knowledge stick. Our second course in particular, 103 with Jon Barlow, left me feeling confident I could charter my own keelboat and not leave it at the bottom of a bay somewhere. Jon is a great instructor and had a manner of ensuring you were comfortable with being effective on the water. If you do the 101, definitely follow with the 103.

– Paul Johns, Google Review
Super knowledgeable and awesome instructors.

I took the 101 course with Trevon Baker and 103 with John Barlow. They were super knowledgeable and awesome instructors. I had zero experience and now I am absolutely hooked! I can’t wait to buy my own sailboat and will be taking the 104 class as soon as I can.

– Sarah Claridge, Google Review
Wild Horse Island State Park Sailboat Charter

We took a charter sail out with Captain Genevieve. She was safety conscious, encouraging and enjoyed our conversation. The water and wind was perfect. Flathead Lake is a beautiful lake. Dayton is a quiet get away from the tourist areas.

– Chris Leistico, Google Review
Professional ASA instructor and good to learn from

Captain Genevieve is absolutely phenomenal in her knowledge and how readily she shares her insight. My husband and I want to build more confidence and skills in sailing our boat and asked Captain Genevieve to help us. She provided us an incredible lesson. She carefully listened to us for what we wanted out of the lesson. During the lesson, she offered direction and helpful hints, We love Go Sail Flathead Lake and highly recommend it.

– WeExplore2015, Tripadvisor
Excellent Private Charter with a Captain

We wanted to try something different and unique and selected this wonderful sailing experience on Flathead Lake. Our charter captain for our afternoon trip was a lovely, charming lady who has sailed all over the World on all kinds of boats and she made this trip perfect for us with his interesting travel stories. Very safety conscious and as much (or as little) time for us to practice sailing techniques. The lake is still a little cold for me right now, but we were also offered the option to take a dip and swim in the lake if we wanted. We would highly recommend Captained Sailing Charter this experience especially if celebrating a special occasion as we were welcome to bring our own cooler with adult beverages.

– T. Rollons, Tripadvisor
Something to be learned throughout the day

It felt like a lot of growth happening in just a few days and each day felt pleasantly long but not overdone and there was something to be learned throughout the day. -Marc Gottlieb

A unique experience

It is a unique experience going from reading your manual, practicing the skills and then wrapping up the afternoon swimming with sea turtles. -Matt Fenlon

Honestly unbelievable

It was honestly unbelievable. It’s not something I ever thought was even remotely possible for me. If you would have told me two years ago I would be surrounded by the sailing community, I would have lost that million dollar bet. -Morgan Spitznagle

Learning from eachother

It was nice to meet new people from other backgrounds in sailing, as well as parts of the country, and learn from them as well since it’s an interactive sport. It was great to have that ability to bounce things off of people and learn from each other. -Todd Ferderer