Bought a 17ft Bonito CC w/ 75HP Evinrude * Now What?*

[SwankBait]

Good Morning, Everyone. I've been freshwater bass fishing for the past 30+ years. After moving to South Jersey (Gloucester County) about 4 years ago I can see that the saltwater fishing is much more prevalent down here. A friend at my church was selling his boat and it seemed like it was the right opportunity to jump into this. It's an 1987 Bonito 17ft Center Console with a 2006 2 stroke 75HP Evinrude Ficht. I took it out down the Mullica River and into Great Bay a couple of times but I really want to navigate out to the inshore reef sites and make the most of it. So, what would be an ideal forecast to make a trip out of the Little Egg Inlet and out the 7 miles to the Little Egg Reef?

[Duffman]

Good Morning, Everyone. I've been freshwater bass fishing for the past 30+ years. After moving to South Jersey (Gloucester County) about 4 years ago I can see that the saltwater fishing is much more prevalent down here. A friend at my church was selling his boat and it seemed like it was the right opportunity to jump into this. It's an 1987 Bonito 17ft Center Console with a 2006 2 stroke 75HP Evinrude Ficht. I took it out down the Mullica River and into Great Bay a couple of times but I really want to navigate out to the inshore reef sites and make the most of it. So, what would be an ideal forecast to make a trip out of the Little Egg Inlet and out the 7 miles to the Little Egg Reef?

So my first question would be did you have the boat surveyed?

Then answering the “Now What” would be a little easier.

[SwankBait]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have not had any surveys performed. I got the boat from a friend who got it from a friend and we all go to the same church. Between the two of them they've had it for 20 years.

[bulletbob]

Here's how I "survey"a boat 17 foot glass boat.. Look it over.. Are the floors hard and not waterlogged?. Transom as well?.. no flexing, no cracks? no soggy wood?.. Everything look solid, and all electricals in working order??.. yes?.... Well then take it out a few times in nearshore bays, tidal rivers etc.. Any water come out of the drain plug at the ramp after takeout? ?.. A few gallons is ok,, If its running out heavy and looks substantial each time out, the gelcoat is porous or cracked somewhere.,,, If it performs well, take a trip or two out the inlet close in first few times when the weather is right...The boat will tell you all you need to know in short order after a few trips.. Unless it was badly abused, or in an accident, a decent 17 foot glass hull is usually trouble free, with the main problem spots being floors and transom.. if they are solid, and the boat doesn't get a lot of water, there is very little to worry about.. FIRST thing I would do with any 17 no matter how good it looks, is have backup power.. Get a good running 9.9 on a bracket on the boat. That, a good VHF radio, and you should be fine to go out within sight of land.. Personally, I would never go out even on the bay without backup power.. You an get a tow in of course, but in my day, I have seen guys stranded, desperate ,with no power, or boats filling with water, and guys nearby in sea worthy boats that were too interested in their fluke drifts to bother to help.. I have towed a lot of stranded boaters back to the ramp in my time... ANY recreational fishing boat that goes in the ocean needs backup power in my opinion.. As far as the glass hull, if it looks and sounds solid, doesn't leak water, it usually just fine.. I have seen very very few "bad" glass hulls, unless they were damaged.. Transoms are your main concern.. Look for cracks where the transom joins the body, and pull on the motor to check for flexing.. Its only my opinion, but paying to survey a 17 bay boat? I wouldn't. Take it out a few times and it will tell you all you need to know... bob

[NoLimit]

The first thing you do is put winguru.com On your phone and check the forecast for wave height and wind and make sure you don’t have any poor conditions and that 24 hour period. And then come here and check for Fishing reports and learn how to bottom Fish and learn how to drift for fluke and learn how to troll. But also learn how to crab. That is the best thing you can get out of the water. South Jersey is a blue claw crab Mecca.

[SwankBait]

Here's how I "survey"a boat 17 foot glass boat.. Look it over.. Are the floors hard and not waterlogged?. Transom as well?.. no flexing, no cracks? no soggy wood?.. Everything look solid, and all electricals in working order??.. yes?.... Well then take it out a few times in nearshore bays, tidal rivers etc.. Any water come out of the drain plug at the ramp after takeout? ?.. A few gallons is ok,, If its running out heavy and looks substantial each time out, the gelcoat is porous or cracked somewhere.,,, If it performs well, take a trip or two out the inlet close in first few times when the weather is right...The boat will tell you all you need to know in short order after a few trips.. Unless it was badly abused, or in an accident, a decent 17 foot glass hull is usually trouble free, with the main problem spots being floors and transom.. if they are solid, and the boat doesn't get a lot of water, there is very little to worry about.. FIRST thing I would do with any 17 no matter how good it looks, is have backup power.. Get a good running 9.9 on a bracket on the boat. That, a good VHF radio, and you should be fine to go out within sight of land.. Personally, I would never go out even on the bay without backup power.. You an get a tow in of course, but in my day, I have seen guys stranded, desperate ,with no power, or boats filling with water, and guys nearby in sea worthy boats that were too interested in their fluke drifts to bother to help.. I have towed a lot of stranded boaters back to the ramp in my time... ANY recreational fishing boat that goes in the ocean needs backup power in my opinion.. As far as the glass hull, if it looks and sounds solid, doesn't leak water, it usually just fine.. I have seen very very few "bad" glass hulls, unless they were damaged.. Transoms are your main concern.. Look for cracks where the transom joins the body, and pull on the motor to check for flexing.. Its only my opinion, but paying to survey a 17 bay boat? I wouldn't. Take it out a few times and it will tell you all you need to know... bob

I looked the boat over as soon as I went to pick it up. Walked the entire floor and found no soft spots. I'm not a small guy, 6'3 225lbs., So I definitely would have known. Checked the entire transom and found no concerns. I fixed the bilge pump when I got the boat home. Had to rewire the navigation lights. Then I took it out on the Mullica River on a calm day. She ran great. Wind was working against the tide so there was no drift, but I managed 1 short fluke at the mouth of the river. I guess my main concern is figuring out how to study all the factors that could contribute to a good day inshore vs a bad day. What wind/ tide in combination with swell height and timing for a boat my size.

[SwankBait]

The first thing you do is put winguru.com On your phone and check the forecast for wave height and wind and make sure you don’t have any poor conditions and that 24 hour period. And then come here and check for Fishing reports and learn how to bottom Fish and learn how to drift for fluke and learn how to troll. But also learn how to crab. That is the best thing you can get out of the water. South Jersey is a blue claw crab Mecca.

Thank you for replying. I've been out on party boats for fluke, seabass, striper and blues for years. Just never been the captain. I just want to be sure I'm making the right decisions when I decide to venture out of the inlet. Thanks for the app info. I'll download that now.

[NoLimit]

In general, light west winds are the ticket for a good day. Be wary of an outgoing inlet tide against the wind - it will be treacherous. Never ever ever get sideways. Use ample throttle but never enough to bury the bow. I have waited two hours outside waiting for the tide to subsid before entering the inlet

[Detour66]

Don't forget to invest in "SeaTow". Money well spent and you will be so glad you have it if you ever need it! Good luck!

[Duffman]

I looked the boat over as soon as I went to pick it up. Walked the entire floor and found no soft spots. I'm not a small guy, 6'3 225lbs., So I definitely would have known. Checked the entire transom and found no concerns. I fixed the bilge pump when I got the boat home. Had to rewire the navigation lights. Then I took it out on the Mullica River on a calm day. She ran great. Wind was working against the tide so there was no drift, but I managed 1 short fluke at the mouth of the river. I guess my main concern is figuring out how to study all the factors that could contribute to a good day inshore vs a bad day. What wind/ tide in combination with swell height and timing for a boat my size.

So only reason I asked the original question was to see where you were at with knowledge of the boat ya just acquired. I'm an absolute nut with maintenance and safety. its an obsession.

So that being said....... only ran out of LEI a few times and dont want to sound like an internet expert captain.West Winds your friend and watch the south winds kicking up in the afternoon.

[SwankBait]

So only reason I asked the original question was to see where you were at with knowledge of the boat ya just acquired. I'm an absolute nut with maintenance and safety. its an obsession.

So that being said....... only ran out of LEI a few times and dont want to sound like an internet expert captain.West Winds your friend and watch the south winds kicking up in the afternoon.

I really appreciate your time. I started getting into everything on the boat to get familiar with it. I'm someone who likes to know how things work. I couldn't imagine getting into a situation and not having a plan. That's why I'm here trying to learn. I'll be teaching my 3 boys everything I learn, so all of the help I get from you guys will get passed down for years. Thanks again.

[SwankBait]

In general, light west winds are the ticket for a good day. Be wary of an outgoing inlet tide against the wind - it will be treacherous. Never ever ever get sideways. Use ample throttle but never enough to bury the bow. I have waited two hours outside waiting for the tide to subsid before entering the inlet

Thank you for the advise. Thats something I wouldn't just think of checking before heading back in. Is all that visible to the eye when you're making you way through?

[SwankBait]

Don't forget to invest in "SeaTow". Money well spent and you will be so glad you have it if you ever need it! Good luck!

Yes. I've already done that. The guy I bought the boat from had SeaTow until May. I bought it after that expired so I renewed it.

[bulletbob]

In general, light west winds are the ticket for a good day. Be wary of an outgoing inlet tide against the wind - it will be treacherous. Never ever ever get sideways. Use ample throttle but never enough to bury the bow. I have waited two hours outside waiting for the tide to subsid before entering the inlet

Good advice here!... Seatow too. worth the cost big time, if you ever need it. Personally, I would hang a good running 9.9 on a bracket as well, with a separate tank.- ask how I know. Make sure you have a good filter/water separator in the fuel line as well. If you are out on a nice day and you see those ominous dark clouds gathering, start working your way inshore with an eye on the sky.. The fish has never been created thats worth getting caught in thunderstorm miles out in the ocean on a 17 foot boat.. happened to me once in a 26 footer, and its the most terrified I have ever been in my life,, You'll love your "new boat I'm sure! I remember well the anticipation and freedom I felt when I bought my first 17 foot Wellcraft CC years ago..Now I could go where I wanted to, avoid the crowds, fish at the hours I wanted to fish at... I was the captain. Good memories. I hope you make some as well! bob

[Gerry Zagorski]

Welcome aboard Swank! A 17 foot boat with a 75 horsepower engine you are really going to need to pick your days and be very careful!

As mentioned before, the wind and wave forecast is most important and in general west wind is best. The reason for this is the land acts as buffer and because it's coming off land, the wind does not have as much of an opportunity to build waves over open water.. Point in case, it could be 20 knots out of the west and tight into the beach it will be like a mill pond. If however you get more then a few miles off the beach it will be noticeably rougher. The worst winds are East and North East and that's because the wind is blowing over the open ocean and those wind directions usually means unsettled weather. South winds are fairly common here and in general a favorable direction as long as it's not blowing too hard.

Until you get your feet wet and are more comfortable with running your boat and knowing it's capabilities and running the inlet, prolonged west winds or any variant of west like SW or NW with 10 knots or less and waves 2 feet or less is what I'd be looking for...

The inlet is going to be where you really need to watch yourself. Wind against tide and boat traffic can cause standing waves at the mouth of the inlet which can be very dangerous. For this reason you want to try and time your run at the inlet when the tide is either slack or the wind and tide are in the same direction. That means running at slack tide or an outgoing tide and west winds or east winds and an incoming tide. And remember once out of the inlet you have to get back in so you need to time both.

You asked if inlet conditions will be noticeable and the answer is yes.. If the conditions are unfavorable you'll see noticeable standing waves, in which case you may choose not to run it or wait from more favorable conditions. The last thing you want to be is tentative. If your gonna go for it then plan to go all the way since trying to turn around in a inlet puts the side of your boat into the waves and you want to avoid that and or not going fast enough so you don't loose steering. Point is case there was a video I saw this year where a boat much larger than yours made that mistake. They were inbound, got cold feet because of the conditions and slowed the boat down and were overtaken by a wave. Speed and power are your friends, especially when the waves are behind you. You need to be moving faster then the waves or you loose steering. If you get caught in those conditions you want to maintain just enough speed and stay in between the waves so they don't swamp you from behind or the side.

In addition to having towing insurance a VHF radio is a must and you should know how to use it and make a proper mayday or assistance needed call.

I'll put more info below this post to elaborate more on some of these subjects...

Bottom line.. Err on the side of caution, be confident in your boat and boat handling skills, be mindful of winds and tide directions and if you do happen to get caught out in unfavorable conditions, be prepared and know how to overcome them.

[Gerry Zagorski]

So, here are some tips on running inlets.

- If you're not familiar with an inlet make sure you have charts so you are aware of the correct approach. Shoaling usually occurs on the south side of most ocean inlets here in NJ. Some have rock remnants that are out a good distance from the mouth of the inlet that may be submerged during high tide. Running up on a shoal or into rocks may not cause an immediate sinking but it can certainly lead to one. There is an inlet in Morgan NJ that's entire east rock jetty is submerged a few feet under the water during high tide. Imagine not knowing that and cutting that corner. If you don't have a chart or are familiar with the inlet wait and follow another boat in.

- If you’re running out of an inlet and you encounter unfavorable conditions, the mouth of the inlet is the worse place to turn around. If you are at the mouth it’s best to tough it out through the inlet and then if you decide to head back in, make your turn out in the ocean where the waves are not as bad. The waves are usually not as frequent or steep in the ocean and you have better maneuverability and there are fewer boats around to be concerned with.

- Large swells at the inlet entrance are caused by the inlet currents meeting the ocean and boat traffic. This is usually more pronounced when you have a wind against tide situation, especially an outgoing tide and an east winds. If you’re running a small boat why not take the car down to the inlet before you run it to check the conditions. Either that or get on the radio and try and reach someone who had just run it.

- Following seas can be very dangerous and unnerving to small and especially new boaters. They are most frequently encountered when running into rather then out of an inlet. When the back of a wave hits your stern it causes you to loose steering and therefore control of your boat. In small outboard boats with open transom wells they can also cause swamping.

- Another problem in following seas is Pitchpoling. You can liken it to surfing a wave. Easy to do on a surfboard but not to be done on a boat. If you're climbing over a wave once over the top and down the back of it you can build up excessive speed and make your bow dig into the trough of the next wave. The pressure on the back and front of the boat can cause it to roll. This happens most often when you have tight steep waves instead of swells. Best thing to do to avoid Pitchpoling is keep you bow up and as light as possible and avoid getting caught between waves. For this reason when you’re approaching an inlet in following seas hang outside the inlet and observe the wave patterns. Most often waves will come along in-groups of 3s with the last wave being the largest. You want to follow behind that 3rd wave and keep up enough power so any waves don’t catch you from behind. You need a lot of power for this maneuver and some skill. If you or your boat is not up to the task best to stay on the ocean side until conditions improve in the inlet.

- The weather doesn't have to be terrible or the wind howling for inlet conditions to turn sour. Boat traffic also effects the ability of a small boater to run an inlet for 2 reasons 1) Boats cause wakes which are exaggerated in the small confines of an inlet and 2) Boat traffic dictates how fast or slow you can go as well as where and when you can or can't turn. It's always best to hang back and let larger boats clear the inlet before you run it.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Here is some general stuff and be sure to read how to use your VHF radio and make calls

Boat Fishing Tips, Common Courtesy and Safety

1) Always check and set your drag BEFORE you start fishing. You don’t want to be adjusting your drag when fighting a fish. This is a sure-fire way to loose that 50 pounder.
2) Never run over the area you intend to drift. Running your boat over the area will scatter the fish
3) When chasing birds do not run into the flock. Stay on the edges with the motor off and drift into the flock. Running into the flock will scatter the fish and most of the larger fish are usually on the edges any way.
4) When you get back to the dock always spray your reels and poles off with a fine mist of fresh water. This helps stop the corrosive effects of salt water. A hard full force spray is worse then not spraying at all as it forces the salt into the reels components.
5) Don’t be boat stupid or cheap. It costs a ton of time money and effort to own and maintain a boat. If you’re invited on someone’s boat it’s a common courtesy to offer to bring the bait, sandwiches or
refreshments and to offer your help and assistance to get under way or clean up. If you’ve burned up
some fuel make an offer to chip in for it. Your host might not accept but I can assure you the offer will
be appreciated none the less. If you don’t offer don’t be surprised if you don’t get invited again.
6) If you intend to fish at night make sure all your running lights are in good working order BEFORE you leave the dock. It’s also a good idea to carry spare bulbs.
7) If your fishing at night you should be very familiar with the areas you will be running and fishing. You should not be fishing a new spot for the first time at night.
8) When you’re running make sure to give your fellow boaters plenty of space. If you get into a situation where someone needs to give way you should be the one to give way. Don’t take a chance that the other boater knows the rules of the water or even sees you.
9) If you’re in a field of boats and want to move run at no wake speeds avoiding other boats fishing space. You don’t want to disturb the fishing for others and your wake could cause smaller boats trouble.
10) Don’t troll in an area where others are anchored and don’t anchor in an area where others are drifting.
11) Always err on the side of caution when it comes to bad weather. If you happen to get caught in high winds and seas keep your bow pointed in the direction of the oncoming waves even if it means running in an opposite direction of your port. This is especially important to boats with outboards and open transom cut outs. These cut outs are a very common cause of swamping especially in a following sea.
12) If your taking an offshore run make sure you have enough fuel, an epirb and a good working radio. You should always let someone know when to expect you back or file a float plan. You should always have 1/3 more fuel then you will need for the run. If a storm comes up and conditions get rough and you can’t run up on plane your going to need all of that extra fuel to make it back in.
13) Take it from me…..Never rely on your GPS as your sole source for locating buoys, markers, shoals and shoreline. The shoreline changes drastically and frequently. Shoals move, buoys come off anchor etc. Use your eyes and ears in addition to the GPS and you won’t wind up on the beach or stuck on a shoal . Happened to me once at night at the rips. My GPS showed me a good 100 yds off the beach yet there I was shaking hands with the surf casters.
14) Always stop and help others in distress. If they are dead in the water and don’t have towing insurance tow them in and make them promise to get some insurance. Don’t take any money for gas just chalk it up as a good deed and hope that someone will do the same for you. If you’re towing another boat make sure you leave at least 3 boat lengths between your boats. If conditions are rough make it 5 boat lengths. Unless you know what you’re doing always tow below planning speeds. The boat being towed should have the lower unit in the water and the steering wheel pointed straight so it will stay on course while being towed.
15) If your boat capsizes or is taking on water stay with the boat. Boats 25 feet or under built after 73 must have flotation built in so they should float even if full of water. It’s much easier to spot a boat then someone floating alone in the water. Don’t try and swim to shore or swim to keep warm. Swimming burns up energy and regardless how warm the water is if you expend all your energy swimming you’re likely to succumb to the effects of hypothermia sooner. Keep all your extremities close to your body to conserve heat.
16) If your dead in the water and in no immediate danger of sinking it’s a good idea to throw your anchor so you stay in one place.
17) Observe no wake zones. The law states that you’re responsible for the damage caused by your boat’s wake.
18) Do not attempt to approach and or board another boat in pitching seas unless it’s an emergency. Doing so is tricky and if not done correctly it can result in injury, boat damage or both.
19) VHF radios are a must even if you plan to stay inshore. Don’t leave the dock with out one. Larry can fill you in on his lesson here. Besides being able to radio for help the coast guard and most towing companies are equipped with radio direction finders. They can use your radio signals to help locate you. Cell phones are a great back up but coverage can be spotty inshore and nonexistent off shore.
VHF radios are also handy to be advised of any changing weather conditions.
20) Channel 16 is used for emergencies. Keep this channel clear of all idle chit- chat. Once you establish communications with assistance on 16 switch off to another channel. If you can’t raise the Coast Guard on channel 16 you are likely out of radio range. Your best bet now is to switch to a channel that most boats in the area monitor. High 60s and low 70s are good bets here in NJ. Once you make contact with another boat see if they can contact the Coast Guard for you since they might be inshore of you and be with in radio range and act as your relay. They might also have a single side band radio which is much more powerful then VHF and should be able to contact the Coast Guard no problem.
21) There are 2 types of distress calls you should be familiar with Pan –Pan and Mayday. Pan is used to report a possible problem and Mayday is to be used if your boat is in immediate need of assistance due to sinking or fire. If reporting a mayday turn your radio to channel 16. Here is an example of how you’d do it :
- Mayday, Mayday, Mayday
- This is the fishing vessel Off The Hook, fishing vessel Off The Hook, fishing vessel Off the Hook.
- Fishing Vessel Off The Hook approximately 3 miles SE of the Ambrose Tower.
- Struck submerged object and taking on water and do not believe we can stay afloat for more then 1 hour. We are a 25 foot white hull with a hard top and 4 persons aboard.
- Maintaining watch on channel 16
- This is the fishing vessel Off the Hook over…..
If you do not get a response continue repeating until you establish communication.
22) If you have guests on board not familiar with your boat it’s your job to make sure they know where the life preservers and fire extinguishers are and how to operate the boat and the radio in case of an emergency. You should also make them familiar with the emergency procedures so you can assign them different tasks in case of a sudden emergency. If the captain has to do everything and something happens suddenly some important things might not get done. Here is a good emergency procedure:
- First thing you want to do is make your MAYDAY call and report your vessel name, it’s
approximate or exact location or GPS coordinates, the nature of your distress, a description of your vessel and the number of people and the medical condition they are in .
- Locate and put on your life preservers.
- While you or someone else are doing this, someone should be trying to remedy the cause of emergency. This could be extinguishing a fire, temporarily plugging the hole in hull or turning off a through hull valve etc….
- You should only abandon ship when the water or your life raft is a better place to be then your
boat. People in a sailboat race in Spain ran into some weather and abandoned ship. The sail boat was found afloat a few days yet the people were found dead in their life raft. There is an old saying… Don’t get into the raft unless you’re climbing up into it.
- If you have a life raft whenever possible you should manually inflate it rather then let it auto-
inflate. If the boat sinks and it causes the raft to auto-inflate the raft may be in a place that is hard to get to or it could even blow away. For this reason you and your crew should know how to manually inflate the raft.
- Keep your life raft tied to the boat with the painter line if possible. The boat is a much bigger target for someone to spot then the a life raft. Even if the boat sinks, it will keep you in one place rather then being adrift and making you harder to find.
- If you do decide to abandon ship it a good idea to have a ditch bag. This is a water proof bag
you’d take with you on the life raft. Some things you might want to have in it are
. Handheld GPS and VHF radio
. Signaling flares
. Signaling mirror
. Water
. EPIRB
. Food
. Mini reverse osmosis fresh water maker
. Fishing line and hooks
. Compass
. First Aid Kit
. Flash light
- If you decide to abandon ship a good rule of thumb is not to eat or drink anything for 24
hours. You never now how long your going to be out there so it’s best to conserve. If it’s cold
you should eat and drink immediately since your body needs energy to provide heat.
23) Practice Man Overboard Drills (MOB) with the people who are usually with you when boating. Throw a hat over and do a HOB (Hat Overboard) drill. People who you run regularly with should know exactly what is expected of them and how the whole MOB procedure works. The first thing you want to do if someone falls in is turn the boat towards the side that the person fell over and post a look out so that at least one person is responsible for keeping in visual contact with the MOB. The next thing to do is take anything that floats and throw it overboard. Coolers, fenders, seat cushions, buckets, the throw cushion your supposed to be carrying by law etc…..This accomplishes 2 things 1) It gives the person in the water something to float on and 2) It creates a visible floating debris slick which will help you or someone else locate the MOB should you loose visual contact with them. Last year some guy whose boat got overturned clung to a cooler for 18 hours and was rescued. If it wasn’t for that cooler the guy would not have survived. Next thing if you have a GPS hit the MOB button to mark the position. Now you want to return and pick up the MOB. It’s not really safe or effective to back your boat down since boats do not handle as well backing down as they do while moving forward. If you have the person in site the best thing to do is what’s called a Racetrack turn. What you do is make a big oval to get back to where the MOB is and pick them up. If you lost site of the person the best thing to do is a Williamson turn. This is done by making a turn 60 degrees more then your present course, putting your wheel hard over until you’re on the reciprocal course. Here is an example….. You’re on a course of 90 when someone yells MOB. You turn your to bring your boat on a course that is 60 degrees higher then your original course. In this case that would be 150 degrees (90+60). Once your reach a course of 150 turn your wheel hard over in the opposite direction and this will bring you on a reciprocal course of 270 and take you right back to the MOB location. This is the preferred method to use when you have lost sight of the MOB because it will bring you back on a reciprocal course every time. It does however require some skill and a maneuverable boat.
24) The best way to avoid someone going into the water in the first place is to apply some sensible rules for your crew to follow. No one comes up on the fly bridge unless the captain is aware they are coming up. Many a person has ended up in the drink trying to climb the latter. If the captain doesn’t know your coming up and you fall in on the way up your in trouble. The 2 man rule… Whenever someone is on deck another person should be with that person in case something happens. If you’re going to go down below and catch some sleep tell someone so they know where you are. All people should be accounted for at all times. I heard a few stories that will drive these rules home. Some guy late at night was alone on deck sitting on a gunnel and fell overboard when the boat pitched on a wave and threw him into the water. No one realized he was gone for a half-hour until they couldn’t find him on the boat. He ended up being rescued but that easily could have easily had a much different ending
25) Be very careful running your boat in a following sea. When you’re riding down the crest of a wave you can loose your ability to steer. If you’re going too slow a wave can come up behind you and swamp the boat. For that reason it’s sometimes best to take a following sea at angle even if it means running off course to get to your destination. If your running an inlet in a following sea and it’s not possible to run at an angle your best bet is to position your boat between waves staying closer to the back of the wave ahead of you. Keep up just enough speed to make way and keep you boat between the waves.

[Broad Bill]

Lot of good advise I'll add to. Don't overload the boat, a 17 ft boat is a small boat for the ocean. As others have said, you need to pick your days and make sure you factor wind against tide conditions at the mouth of inlets. Make sure you have all your safety equipment and keep an eye on your surroundings. Smaller boats have a greater risk of being hit by running boats. Make sure you have an ample anchor with proper length and chain. If you ever lost power in a West wind, by the time they got to you if you don't anchor up you could be two or three miles further offshore where the wave heights will get more extreme the further out you go. And keep an eye on your weather channel as storms especially in the afternoon can come up quickly and you do not want to get caught in those conditions approaching the inlet in a 17 ft boat.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Lot of good advise I'll add to. Don't overload the boat, a 17 ft boat is a small boat for the ocean. As others have said, you need to pick your days and make sure you factor wind against tide conditions at the mouth of inlets. Make sure you have all your safety equipment and keep an eye on your surroundings. Smaller boats have a greater risk of being hit by running boats. Make sure you have an ample anchor with proper length and chain. If you ever lost power in a West wind, by the time they got to you if you don't anchor up you could be two or three miles further offshore where the wave heights will get more extreme the further out you go. And keep an eye on your weather channel as storms especially in the afternoon can come up quickly and you do not want to get caught in those conditions approaching the inlet in a 17 ft boat.

Great point about not overloading… A 75 horsepower engine might be fine for bays and rivers where it’s calm and you don’t need to overcome waves. In fact, it’s not the size of the boat that matters as much as the power to weight ratio. I’d rather be on a powerful jet ski running an inlet than an underpowered boat. Put more then a few people on the your boat, fighting waves and the lack of power to overcome come them and the inability for quick to maneuvering will defiantly make it a lot less safe.

[SwankBait]

Wow. I can't thank you all enough for all this Information. I'm glad I decided to join the forum and ask questions. I looked around for a while and couldn't really find a lot for a new salt water boater. Nevermind all in one place. I do feel a little better knowing the things you all shared. I'll hang around in the bays for a little bit and get more comfortable with the boat. Waiting for a day to have the all the right conditions to navigate out of the inlet for the first time.

[SwankBait]

Great point about not overloading… A 75 horsepower engine might be fine for bays and rivers where it’s calm and you don’t need to overcome waves. In fact, it’s not the size of the boat that matters as much as the power to weight ratio. I’d rather be on a powerful jet ski running an inlet than an underpowered boat. Put more then a few people on the your boat, fighting waves and the lack of power to overcome come them and the inability for quick to maneuvering will defiantly make it a lot less safe.

I will only be out with one other adult or my 2 older sons (13 & 10) and minimal gear. I made sure I have all of the safety equipment required and some additional items I thought necessary. Got a good handheld VHF with the boat. I will familiarize myself with that better. Things can get a little hairy on a nice weekend in the back bays just with the amount of boats on the water. Found that out real quick.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Lots of great people on here and our thanks will be you getting used to your boat and getting back safely.

Good luck and let us know how the fishing is!

[NoLimit]

Thank you for the advise. Thats something I wouldn't just think of checking before heading back in. Is all that visible to the eye when you're making you way through?

When you get back, the inlet wont look like the ocean. For 100 yards or so, it will look like a white water river.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcnWi0l3afA

So just anchor up outside in a calm spot, probably off the front of one of the jetties until the tide slows down.

[SwankBait]

When you get back, the inlet wont look like the ocean. For 100 yards or so, it will look like a white water river.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcnWi0l3afA

So just anchor up outside in a calm spot, probably off the front of one of the jetties until the tide slows down.

Yea, I'll do my best to never be put in a situation like they were in. I appreciate the info, man.

[Duffman]

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