Tuna and Jet Boats...

[Got Fish?]

I've deckhanded for various charters in the Ilwaco area a few years ago, and even have done some tuna trips. Well my friend has a 23 foot thunder jet with a 110 gallon feul tank and is possibly thinking about chasing tuna. But someone told me a while ago that tuna don't like the sound a vibrations put off by jets and they won't draw to them when trolling. Is that the case or are there any Ifishers that chase tuna with their jets??? :whazzup: Any help would be apprieciated because I'll be the one doing the trip if it's worth doing.

[sturgn]

I did my first Tuna trip almost 3 years ago in my 25' Jet and we didnt have any problems catching them, other than we almost ran completely out of fuel on the return trip.

[Mark Mc]

Ditto the concern Sturgn brought up.... just about every year someone with a jet boat runs out of fuel coming back from the chicken ranch on a halibut trip (and they weren't even trolling for hours at 6 knots).

Strike one is that a jet gets (at best) only 2/3 the fuel economy that a prop would.

Strike two is that a short, flat bottom sled only runs efficiently on a plane.

The magic question is, what kind of fuel economy will you get if you have to run 30 - 40 miles at 8 knots because the weather got snotty? You want to be darned sure you know the answer to that question before even thinking about taking a jet sled way offshore.

[corrirod]

Got Fish, don't tell that to Maverick Maxcat! He might try putting all those fillets back in the ocean! :shocked: :tongue: :grin:

I don't think jets will make a difference Got Fish. In fact, they may even work better for tuna?

As others said, fuel efficiency is the main factor.

[ 02-17-2004, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: corrirod ]

[Maverick Maxcat]

Corirrod is right! Twin jets leave a great bubbly, turbulent wake. We did as well as anyone out there last year, at least as well as they'd admit on the radio. If you can make it safely with the fuel you have, go for it!!!!

[Onokai]

My 2 cents is one went out the past year with the fleet and as noted they ran out of gas. Also ran out again on borrowed gas on trip in so thats twice out of gas on same trip. The day was a lake so if the weather came up and in got rough who knows???. As Mark Mc says know your fuel consumption and run out this winter so you know what the hull does in rough seas.Ps they did load up on tuna. But were a little short on common sense. Mark

ONOKAI

[fishwhenican]

A jet will work just fine, you should be ok with another 25 gallons of fuel. They suck fuel big time :depressed:

[Got Fish?]

Thanks for the info everyone. :grin: I know to plan for the worst and hope for the best as far as conditions go. I think ill play with the gallons per hour thing and also how efficient the boat runs at trolling speeds. Also I was wondering if people group up like we do halibut fishing where 2 or 3 boats head out to the fishing areas together and come in together. Safety in numbers right? Does I-fish ever set something up like these fishing parties?

[Lepper]

When tuna time hits.. it will be a different board here..

People will say where and when there leaving from anyone wanting to tag along.. yadda yadda yadda...


So all are welcome to bring boat and follow out ect...

Besides it's a little easier to find the fish when you have several boats looking forthem instead of solo.
d

[northriver1]

Twice in 2003 I took my 23' jet N/R tuna fishing and caught tuna both days Can't say I stacked them up but was not out fished by other tuna fisherman those days. I have a 90 gallon fuel tank and gas was not an issue. However, I did carry extra fuel just in case and would not want to range past 35 miles offshore.

[ 02-19-2004, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: northriver1 ]

[Got Fish?]

North river, what engine do you have in your jet, and how long did you troll? That is good news to hear that you did not have any issues with feul consumption. As for me we have the 454 with the hamilton jet so I don't know if that will make a difference.

[northriver1]

496 We fished most of the day but I do not remember how many hours we trolled. When we pulled up stakes to head in I felt like it was a long day and beat. Tuna fishing is work than you have to clean the fish. I have a third motor on the boat, 25hp, and we used both kickers to troll and acheive the speed we wanted. The 9.9 does not get the job done by its self. Not the greatest system in the world but it works. One of each, 2 stroke and 4 stroke. Extra gas cans, koolers, gear plus three fisherman there was not a lot of room left in the boat. Working on plan B to come up with more room. Being over 50 I like being comfortable and not tripping over stuff all the time as I do not have sea legs. Would be happy to answer any questions you may have but I am not even close to being an expert on this matter

[ 02-19-2004, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: northriver1 ]

[EVERREADY]

How about getting a fuel flow meter? Takes a lot of the guess work out it.

[corkyking]

Got Fish - I'd like to do the same thing (I have an 18' w/175SJ) but I think it's crazy to run out no matter what kind of boat I have unless I have a pretty good chance of returning.

You might take a look at a couple of things I've found: This fuel flow meter and a combination GPS and this fuel flow meter, both at very reasonable prices. (on the second one do a find "fuel" when you get there.)

I'm going to install the second option when I have the money. It should tell me just what I need to know in order to make wise decisions.

[Phil Layer]

You guys are talking jets and I'm guessing that means you have minimal V hulls or close to flat bottoms. Sleds, right?

Dang, my back is starting to hurt.

You could be looking at a very painful trip regardless of the amount of gas you take.

:shocked:

[Lepper]

just pic your days.. One time I went out last year it was like glass allllll dayyyyy lllloooooonnnnnnnggggggggg!!
d

[Mark Mc]

Hey Gotfish?...check your e-mail..... Mark

[WaterDog]

I've got a 18' with a 175sj (14 deg hull) and know what it burns gph wise. My range is about 200 miles on flat water at cruise. It would most likely be less loaded for a TUNA! trip. If it were to get sloppy and I couldn't get on step, my fuel consumption is double or more. Now if I had another 40gal of gas, I might try it. I've even concidered getting a 15 or 25hp motor to troll with.

Dang this TUNA! bug. :grin:

[ 02-20-2004, 07:52 AM: Message edited by: WaterDog ]

[jet]

Hey Rich, I am thinking the same thing. I have a 80 gallon tank and estimate my range at just a little above yours (250) with the 350 and Kodiak pump.

I think 4 beautiful red 5 gallon gas cans would look nice straped in the bow of the boat.

Just have to pick the day but plan for the worst.

Jet~~~

[WaterDog]

If only the warm water was closer. Last year in August while fishing out of Newport there was a boat catching TUNA! at 15 to 17 miles out while I was 10 miles out catching salmon. Of course I didn't have any TUNA! gear so I couldn't go if I wanted to.

Scott, the only thing about those red cans is the fill up in sloppy water. I'll just bum rides for now until I can get another boat. You can never have too many boats. :grin:

[corrirod]

Rich, you hit the nail on the head.

It would most likely be less loaded for a TUNA! trip. If it were to get sloppy and I couldn't get on step, my fuel consumption is double or more.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Lots of things to consider before making a tuna trip. Keep in mind 4 cans of gas at 6 gallons each = 100 lbs. You'll need 200-300 lbs of ice. Add another 80+ lbs for the water you'll add for your slush tank. Then you could catch as many as 30+ fish at an average of 20+ lbs. each. Even 10 fish = an extra 200lbs. in the boat.

Lastly, lets not forget your 20, 30, even 50 miles out so you'll have to deal with whatever adverse weather rolls in. Normally the ride out is calm but the ride back gets a little bumpy. Edsr can tell you first hand what it's like coming back in rough seas and he's got a Prop and 4 stroke outboard.

There have been many times when our Prop boats had trouble planing on the trip back in when loaded down with fish or the weather was rough. Only being able to go 10-12 knots is not unusual on the trip back.

Not trying to tell you guys not to go, just want to make sure you understand all the variables before you make your decision.

Be safe guys. There's lot's of open seats available with other Dogs so don't be afraid to ride with them until you're completely comfortable.

[Deepslayer]

Just like Sturgn said watch your fuel. I was on his jet for the maiden voyage to tuna town. The seas and the weather were great all day, but we still managed to suck up almost 100 gals of fuel with his 454. The fishing was great, but the ride back into Depoe not knowing if we had any gas left was real scary. Turned out we had almost 2 gallons left :shocked: .
,Ed

[Got Fish?]

Ok guys, lets say that I plan for the trip and take every precaution that I know but I still run out of gas... :blush: Then what? I hope this never happens and I don't plan on it happening but just that over looming case of "what if"?? Do you call on our friendly coast guard or hope to see another I-fisher? [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

Guys, just don't push the edge of the envelope....You can plan on good days, but the weatherman can be wrong. You can plan on having extra fuel, but you can miscalculate. It sounds to me that when you are using a jet pump, you are pushing the edge. Use all the precautions in the world and then add some room for miscalculations and then hedge on the side of caution and then make sure you have a back up plan and a fellow ifisher close by. And Murphy's law still applies.

[corrirod]

Got Fish,

It's not a matter of will we provide help, of course we will.......but we won't be happy about it if you came unprepared for the trip. That includes watching the weather, tides, bringing enough fuel, etc..

Chances are if you're running out of gas because of the conditions, I'm burning more gas too and need to keep fuel on reserve for myself.

It's kinda like when people try to anchor in the Columbia using the wrong kind of anchor. Yeah, it's possible to get the wrong anchor to work, and all the guys in the hog line "hope" you get it to set, but when your anchor pops loose and you go drifting across someone elses anchor line..............well, let's just say they won't be happy about you coming "unprepared".

Don't take this wrong GotFish, I do think your boat will handle the trip. There are days when you could take a canoe out to Tuna Town, just make sure your "first trip" is on that day and don't be discouraged if you have to continually cancel trips because it's NOT that day. The bigger boat you get, the more days will be available to fish.

Hope to see you out there gettin bloody!

[WP]

I like ATC's reply...caution, more caution, and more caution....that after being well prepared and thorough in your preparations. Helping out with fuel is less of a problem than getting the fuel from one boat to another! Many do not carry cans or portable tanks (I don't) and transfering them can be hazardous too. This combined with the difficulty in pouring gas on a bouncing boat means having more than adequate supply is essential. Better to come home with fewer tuna and more fuel than you needed than more tuna and less fuel than you needed. I am paranoid about having enough fuel. My first trip I had 15 gallons in jeep cans and didn't need it (lucky) but did pour one before we hit the channel, just in case. Turned out I didn't need it but I learned my lesson and now have way more quick fuel than I need but I have greater peace of mind. I do have 2-12 gallon plastic tanks with quick disconnects on them, if anyone needs/wants them. I have offered them to a number of people but no one has yet to claim them. First come...first take away! I used them last year only but have added 38 gallons more to my under deck so don't need them.
Dave

[Phil Layer]

WP,

How much for one of your tanks? That's what I need for my runs to the sacred grounds!

[Puffin]

YOU SLEDDERS DONT FORGET YOUR KIDNEY BELTS AND THE SALMON FISHERMAN AT 10 MILES OUT A HOOCHIE WITH AN EGG SINKER MAKES FINE TUNA GEAR YOU PROBABLY HAD SUFFICIENT GEAR ON BOARD AND DID NOT KNOW IT

[Puffin]

UGLY GREEN HAS SOME NICE TANKS HE MADE OUT OF SMALL BLUE PLASTIC BARRELS ABOUT 30 GALS I THINK ROD I DONT KNOW ABOUT TAKING A CANOE BUT HAVE HAD GOOD LUCK WITH A LARGE BATH TUB AND OARS ON THOSE FLAT DAYS

[Salty Walty]

WP I would be interested in 1 of your tanks also. I will PM you with my #. Walter

[Salmonator]

I can't tell you how many times I had planned on fishing the pile in my 22' thunderjet and turned around every time because the 2 and 3' chop was unbearable with a 12 degree hull. Sorry, I wouldn't ever head out 32 miles in an aluminum jet boat. Not because of safety but because the ride is too brutal and I can't afford to split 100 gallons of gas with a buddy :blush:

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

I don't want to pop anyones bubble, and I wouldn't want to see anyone hurt both physically or their feelings. But I have to speak my mind on this issue.

I own and operate a 55 foot charter boat that is equipped with all the safety and navigational stuff I can find. I'm inspected every year by the Coast Guard and spend more that $5,000 each time for repairs and upgrades ordered by them. I'm experienced on the pond, I've crossed it several times and have fished for tuna commercially and sport. A trip for me offshore to where the tuna are is not a major thing. BUT I'M PREPARED FOR IT and I know what I'm doing!

I have been reading with a dread of hard times waiting for some sport fishermen. The desire by some to take boats that are not designed for and are ill equipped to handle what the ocean can throw at you is asking to get spanked! Maybe your buddy took his lake boat out 32 miles and got away with it. Maybe your brother-in-law had two gallons of fuel left when he came back and he wasn't concerned.

You hear of those who brag of their ability to take a recreational sport boat out and back and have a good time on a clear day with no wind as if it were a walk in the park. But don't kid yourself!

With the availability of almost anyone getting a fair size boat, we are seeing a huge increase of small sport boats offshore. A few years ago, we never saw any sport boat larger than maybe 30 foot chasing tuna. But with the advent of GPS and the increase of communication capabilities, we are seeing many "newbies" venturing well offshore when they should not be there.

The weather reports should be your greatest concern because THEY CAN BE WRONG! More than once I've found myself being offshore when I shouldn't because the weather came up more than predicted.

Just a few years ago I saw a young man take a 25 foot Reinel offshore to go after tuna. He was confident, had spare fuel aboard and had filled all his available voids with foam floatation to be "unsinkable". He was found two days later inside his unsinkable boat that had rolled over when the wind picked up to a moderate 4 to 6 foot sea. And this can happen with just a 25 to 30 mile an hour wind. This young man lost his life because he felt confident with his limited knowledge of the sea.

Here's the problem. No sport recreational boat is required to follow any of the CFR for passenger safety. There is no way to insure the education of boaters to be safe on the water. The only way to be safe is through having the proper equipment, education and experience.

Most and I say MOST recreational sport boats have no business 30 to 60 miles offshore. They are not designed for it, are not able to take even moderate wave action, have limited fuel capacities and are almost never equipped with the right safety equipment.

The ifish forum has been the best source I've yet to see for the novice that wants to learn about safe boating on the ocean. We on ifish have some of the finest seafarers around who have been able to go offshore safely and know what to look for and be prepared for. I respect everyone's intention to help all those who want to go boating at sea. But I think it would be wrong to let anyone be led astray about the capability of their boat.

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, a jet sled was designed for shallow rivers and lakes and has no business being 30 to 60 miles offshore. It's an accident waiting to happen.

[corrirod]

Thanks Mike. I've had this thread on my mind the last couple of days and it has scared me. It's got bad news written all over it.

In fact I was just talking to another Ifisher about it yesterday and I think it's a bad idea. Even if the operator had plenty of previous ocean experience on another boat it is still not the safest situation, let alone having someone with very little ocean experience piloting the boat.

Planning is one thing, being prepared is another. All the safety equipment in the world still doesn't keep the boat rightside up in bad weather. Knowing how to pilot heavy seas helps but if you don't have the right boat you'll still end up in trouble.

I know we can NEVER have enough safety equipment to handle EVERY problem, however, if there is one thing that I believe is most important, it's having the right boat for the job. Even though we all can't afford 54' Delta's and all the safety gear and yearly inspections that ATC has to go thru, we still have to strive to get close. I'm as guilty as the next guy of taking my little 20' Trophy out much farther than I should, however before I started making 30, 40, and even 60 mile trips offshore I put in my time close to shore and tried to absorb as much knowledge as I could from people(like the ones on this board) that had "been there, done that".

I wish I still had it but several years ago I emailed PILAR, asking him about Tuna fishing and what I needed to be able to do it. John replied to me and told me the most important thing I could do is make sure my boat was bulletproof. He informed me of all the things we've talked about on this board about how to ready your boat for long offshore trips. Well I kept that email and spent a YEAR getting ready for my first tuna trip. I had spent years fishing for salmon off the coast and gradually worked my way up to a halibut trip. During my year wait I prepared my boat for the worst! Radar, GPS, handheld gps, and anything I could afford. I've been getting comfortable taking my boat farther and farther offshore but I know that that is not a good thing and that I need to do is limit myself until I can afford bigger/better/more seaworthy boats to get me safely out farther in the ocean.

We all take chances on the ocean and we can't prepare for everything but "you don't bring a knife to a GUNFIGHT!"

It's a lot easier, safer, and probably cheaper to take a charter boat out. Let them do the driving for you.

Everyone, let's be safe out there again this summer and stick together.

[kamloops]

A.T.C., Rod

100% of everything you said, the only thing I might add is the safety of diesel engine(s) and more importantly the combustion of different fuels.

[KChookem]

ATC - thanks for the dose of reality!

I like Carriod's approach to building your knowledge and experience. It is a good thing the men and women of the USCG are mostly young, otherwise they would not have any hair left to pull out.

[backlash442]

What ATC wrote I always thought but kept my opinions to myself. Sometimes it's not the size of the boat that makes for a safe boat either. I love the NW style boats but wouldn't go offshore tuna fishing in one. I'm just not a fan of small aluminum boats in the ocean. Some boats weren't designed with offshore fishing in mind either.

I'm sure some will take offense and I apologize in advance. Don't mean to offend anyone.

[corkyking]

I've done a lot of sailing. Alaska several times and around the world once.

A couple of my least fond memories are stepping over the hatch cowling in the dark in the Gulf of Ak and having the ship drop out from under me. You wouldn't think a whole ship could disappear. Another time we steamed 2/3 ahead for three days and were 19 nm back of where we started.

It's fun to think about and even to plan how I might do it but in truth I'll probably never take my boat past the GH buoy. Even then it will have to be nice.

[Phil Layer]

Corkyking,

Tell us more about the disappearing ship. How about the trip around the world.

If you take it really slow, the fish might be in by the time you finish.

[corkyking]

Phil Layer,
You asked for it:

1963 - I was lucky enough to get hired by the Dept. of Commerce US Coast and Geodetic Survey (now NOAA). They hired me to work in the engine room on the “Hodgson” a 136’ WWII minesweeper. We spent my first year doing hydrography (surveying for nautical charts) out of Everett.

3 squares a day, the privacy of my own bunk and a very short walk to work every day, not to mention learning a trade and travel, was very appealing to me at 18, still is.

1964 - In about an hour all the nautical charts of Alaska became Xmas wrapping when the earthquake hit. In places where there used to be 35’ of water, fishing boats were running aground. We, of course, were ordered to Alaska to start re-surveying.

By that time I knew everything that I needed to know to be a good sailor. I had heard all the nautical sayings like “Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea”, “Flower of the winds”, “A hand for the ship and a hand for yourself”. The Bos’n had me searching for some lubber line and the Chief Engineer had sent me for red and green running light oil. I’d heard just about everything but when you’re18 or so you sometimes have to live it to make it stick. I’d sailed a little but had never been in a real storm.

We were crossing the Gulf of Alaska when a big storm caught up with us. 60+ knot winds and really big waves when I went to the engineroom to stand my watch. When my watch ended 4 hours later it was also really really dark!

A minesweeper of that vintage has no railing from the superstructure aft. It has a couple of hatches, one to the engine room and one to the paint locker and this one had davits holding a couple of launches. The hatches have a small house covering them and a cowling about a foot high around them.

I turned things over to my relief and headed for some chow and a bunk. I climbed the ladder and stepped over the cowling and the ship was gone! I was falling free for what seemed like forever.

Then the ship came up to meet me.

I landed -hard- on my side and began rolling fast toward the side my arms flailing wildly. I hit a davit and grabbed but it was wet and I couldn’t hang on. I knew at that point that I was going die because it would be some time before anyone realized that I was gone. I reached again even though I knew that I was right at the edge of the deck. The Chief Bos’n (the smartest man I have ever known) had strung a safety line around that empty deck and I caught it in the crook of my elbow.

I hung on for dear life with one leg over the side until the ship rolled back the other way and was able, one inch at a time, to make my way forward.

“One hand for the ship and one hand for yourself” is more than a saying to me. I’ve even used it on jobs when the water was hundreds of miles away.

In 1967 the Coast Survey commissioned a new ship named the “Oceanographer”. She was, at that time, the most advanced oceanographic research vessel afloat. It was a big deal and in order to get a little publicity the government decided to send her around the world. By that time I was a Chief Survey Tech and I got to go.

We started in Florida then went to Norfolk, Va. From there to Plymouth England to Monaco and then the Black Sea (yes Russia).

On the way to Bombay we were escorted through the Suez Canal by a US destroyer 4 days before Egypt began shelling Israeli positions near the Suez Canal. The armament sticking out of the sand dunes made them look like pin cushions.
Bombay to Penang, Malaysia. We did some work in the Indian Ocean, I learned all I’ll ever need to know about Sea Snakes.

I met some of the greatest people I’ve ever known in Sydney and Fremantle. From Fremantle to Peru then up the coast to Seattle and home.

It was 1969 before we sailed through the Panama Canal to Barbados thereby completing the circumnavigation.

See any fish yet?

[Pilar]

Friends, please use some caution. I'm not the best example to follow as I use a small boat in ways it was never intended to be used. Having a larger boat is no substitute for experience but it does give you a margin of safety. Just having the larger boat is never enough to go on if that is all you have.

Rod brings up a very important point. Experience. Let me say first that most boats are more capable than the guy driving them. A very huge part of going offshore in a small boat is having some experience. Ocean boating is not the same at all as running the rivers. Piloting the boat in even a moderate sea can be very challenging and requires a degree of attention to detail and concentration few people can do for very long. Ask anyone who played near Depoe Bay and the 61 degree seamount last July 9 about that one. Can you pilot a boat in a rough sea for 4 or 5 hours without even a few seconds of respite? We got our tails kicked that day and no one thought after the fact that it was a good day to go 30 miles out.

This is why a long trip in a small boat can be so exhausting.

Anyone who just wakes up one day and decides to go offshore a long ways is kidding themselves. Most of you are used to making mistakes and learning from them. The Ocean might let you live if you screw up and it might not.

If taking your small boat out is something you want to do then follow a few simple steps.

1) Learn as much as you can about how the boat works and be handy with the Mr. Goodwrench. There is no way to park it and just walk away if it quits working right.

2) Properly equip and outfit your boat.

3) Take small steps. Rod nailed this one. Fish nearshore for a while. You will get your butt kicked at least once and you may decide to upgrade for a better boat. You may decide to change your mind about going out 30 or more miles.

4) If you still want to go, pick the best day. As ATC said the weather changes quickly and calm does not mean it will stay that way.

There are many more things to know and if you take the small steps you will survive the learning process. If all else fails go out on a charter or ride with one of the guys that have done this for awhile.

One other thing. Please be careful with refueling from cans at sea. It is very hard to pour fuel into your gas tank from inside the boat. Imagine trying it in a rocking boat. Gas fumes sink as they are heavier than air. Most outboard boats do not have blowers and you will have no way to remove gas fumes if you spill fuel. It is much better to have an aux fuel tank that is already connected to the fuel system with a 3 way valve. They sell these deck tanks at West and other stores.

Please remember that you have at best 15 minutes in the 50 degree ocean before your life begins to wink out like a short candle. The water is cold and you will not survive any kind of swim with just a PFD.

It's that serious.

[Phil Layer]

CorkyKing,

Thanks much for the tale. You not only know your seamanship, you have the gift to write. When you described holding onto the rope while your feet danlged over the side of the boat, I was squeezing the mouse so hard it almost broke.

If you've got a few more, I'm all ears!

[backlash442]

If you have to refuel your boat when you are only going 30 miles offshore you probably shouldn't even be taking it out imo.

It's not the size that counts it's what the boat was designed for in the first place. My boat was only 22'. Yet it had over 90sq ft. of deck space and held 132 gallons of fuel. It weighed more than 4k lbs dry. The hull was designed by a commercial ab diver. Amazing performance in rough weather but that's what it was built for. It isn't a do all boat though. Taking it on a lake was a joke. 3' foot waves it kicked up were probably some of the biggest the bass boats ever saw. Trying to find a do all boat is difficult. Especially if you want to do serious offshore fishing.

[skein]

Rod brings up a very important point. Experience. Let me say first that most boats are more capable than the guy driving them. A very huge part of going offshore in a small boat is having some experience.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">
Pilar, what you and Rod advocate makes me remember my first trip out of Depoe last summer in my new boat.

I got in some slop that my boat was handling pretty well, but was taxing my ability and experience. I turned around and punched my way back home, finding yet another hazard on the journey - heavy, heavy fog. Slipping into a tight little harbor like Depoe though that soup was a pretty good lesson in being prepared for the unexpected.

My GPS had the coordinates already set, and my shipmate, Mr Fisherman, had my backup GPS in his hand, already tracking, verifying the course and ready in case the main unit blinked out. Four eyes, two heads, and teamwork were worth a lot to me that day.

I have a good boat, good equipment, and good shipmates. Little by little I will learn. I fully intend to stay alive for graduation. :smile:

Skein

[ 02-27-2004, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: skein ]

[backlash442]

Radar my friend. Radar. Most offshore fisherman will have it. Can't imagine going through the shipping lanes at night and in fog. It's also very useful in finding the opening to a tight harbor in pea soup fog. Been there done that. When I was fitting out my boat, the friend with the Sea Ray didn't think I should get it. Our first trip out was pretty foggy. He said jee I'm glad you got the radar. Pretty invaluable piece of electronics.

[corrirod]

I would agree with you that radar is a great device but I will also say that trying to find Depoe Bay with radar is the hardest port on the coast. Radar is great for finding jetties and other ships but not so good when trying to find tunnels!

[ 02-27-2004, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: corrirod ]

[ANDYCOHO]

Rod and John bring up very, very good points.

I can only hope that people will give their advise the respect that it deserves!

One thing that John talked about I agree completely with, is how exhausting piloting a boat offshore and back in a day can be. To look at your GPS and see that your ETA to the dock is 4 hours away, can almost break a man right there. Especially if your fighting your boat and/or the sea the entire way.

John and Rod [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[backlash442]

Never been to Depoe Bay so can't compare it to Morro Bay. MB is only about 100 yards wide at most. What makes it hard to read are the red and green tin cans at the mouth. Your radar gives you a nice shadow that goes from the jetty to one can to the other and then over to the beach. So you can't see the opening unless you are coming straight into it. Which is at an angle to the beach btw. Add fog and some swell and it's pucker time. Actually ended up in front of the breakers once a few years ago.

[corrirod]

Backlash, the entrance to Depoe Bay is literally a tunnel. Width about 30-40 ft.

Here is a link to a Coast Guard site that has a couple of pictures that might give you and idea. It's really just a narrow crack in the rocks that opens up into a bay and the crack has a large 4 lane bridge over it so it's a tunnel on radar. Very hard to tell where it's at, especially if it's dark and foggy.

Click Here

[backlash442]

Now that's insane!

[Sourdough]

Radar is great and you should not be out there without it. However, like all other equipment, LEARN TO USE IT CORRECTLY. One of the worst moments in my life (it almost came to an abrupt end) was running at night in a fog on radar as a novice. I read it wrong and almost wound up between a sea going tug and his barge. Boy, they are big! Luckily, the skipper was right on top of both the situation and me and saved our bacon.

Radar is like getting a bigger boat. Don’t get too comfortable just because you bought a new toy. It is probably better than the dumb schmuck running it.

Learn to use your equipment.

[backlash442]

Best way to learn to use radar is run it during the day. See what you are actually reading on the screen and get used to it.

Had my run in with a tug and barge. At night. Radar doesn't pick up the tow line very well from a distance. We got close but never in any immediate danger. Still scary though.

[corrirod]

backlash brings up a good point. Practice with the radar during the day and approach different objects to see how they show up on the screen. Boats, ships, pilings, buoys, etc..