rookie wants to try the ocean
...i have a 30 horse and 17' aluminum boat.....1965 crestliner .....seems pretty sturdy to me....covered bow with a wind shield
so i ask pilar for some info.....heres what i got........
The small motor is only an issue if you encounter bad conditions. You need the horsepower to buck an ebb tide at the bar, stiff wind or for long distances. If the boat will plane and get decent mileage you should be ok the rest of the time. I suggest you learn about your mileage before you try the open Ocean. Make a long run on the Columbia with the gear you plan to use in the Ocean (for weight) and limit your speed to about 20mph. This should give you an idea about how much gas to bring with on your Ocean trips. Use the 1/3 rule for fuel. 1/3 for the trip out, 1/3 for the trip back and 1/3 for oh **** . 20 Mph seems slow but the majority of the time this is the highest speed that is practical. The Ocean is so different from driving on the river. Like the difference between I-5 and the Indy 500. You can never let your guard down on big blue.
The key to small boats on the Ocean is situational awareness. You must know as much as you can know about the weather and conditions (tides, wind, currents) for your trip and base all your decisions on that. I was very selective in the 'Frog' (still am in the larger boat 'Pilar') about sea state and weather. It is not unusual for me to abort a trip at the beach based on a look at the Ocean and deciding that it is too rough or windy.
It goes without saying that if your boat goes **** up, you can't just get out and walk away like you would on the freeway. So making the boat perfect is important too. Fix it at home and make everything work before you go to the beach.
If you want to play in big blue, follow a few rules that keep me alive and out of the newspaper.
1) Never plan on crossing a bar on the ebb tide.
2) If the sea state adds up to 10 fa gedd aboud it, stay home and organize your sock drawer. That is add NOAA predicted sea and swell and get less than 10 or stay home.
3) Never go alone. The extra eyeballs, brains and hands make your job easier and safer. Man overboard when alone is usually fatal.
4) Fix it in the driveway not at the boat ramp.
5) Use the rule of 1/3's for fuel load.
6) Bring 2 of everything
7) Keep a log and write down what you learned to read later.
8) Plan your trip for the morning and be off the Ocean by noon if at all possible. The wind machine likes the afternoon. A calm morning can turn into a fight for survival in the afternoon.
9) Make the outward bound trip into the wind. Your trip home will be down wind and a smoother ride even if the wind picks up.
10) Make a formal float plan, leave it with someone you trust and call them when you are back safe.
...always travel with another.....
i have a small motor...so i ask questions first....i never been on the big blue being the capitain.....
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