There is so much more to staying safe than the size of the boat and the angle of attack. Kill switch and PFD wear are a must. Watch the weather and know how to read it. Have multiple layers of communication. Have a ditch kit and damage control kit. I strongly prefer a self-bailing deck and on boats that have a bilge, a LARGE bilge pump. The greatest danger in boating is not being in the boat anymore. Whether from fall overboard, ejection, capsizing, swamping or sinking, not being in the boat anymore costs boaters there lives more than anything else. Still, people stubbornly refuse to wear a life jacket. I wear a comfortable life jacket and have a more protective device on board. When running blind bends and waterway intersections, slow down and expect someone to be coming from the other side.

I would also wear my pfd in those conditions. Since I fish from my kayak, I feel that having my pfd on always is critical. If I switch to a motorboat, I likely would continue using the pfd since I'm used to wearing it for the last 14 or so years.

It really is possibly to do more with less when it comes to fishing. Love how adaptable these types of skiffs are for inshore fishing.

Why don't you drive to Venice and make the 7 mile trek across through Baptiste Collette

I have a 215 xts , 21’ bay boat. All this still applies. It’s all relative

@JonMillerFishing

2 ай бұрын

Yes, even the offshore boats have to obey the laws of nature when they are in big off-shore seas

my current boat is a 17 footer it’s a triumph cc170 it’s made entirely of plastic and unsinkable, but you could still submerge it. Worst thing is, it has no weight to it so it makes for a very rough ride

Jon, have you made time to stop in these 3’-4’ wind waves you are traversing, to see how the boat acts whilst not underway?

@JonMillerFishing

2 ай бұрын

This is an excellent question because a lack of power changes things. To be clear, I have been in 3-4 footers twice but not intentionally and no I didn’t stop and float. I have been hit by 3’ wakes while floating in FL. I got everyone into the center of the boat and hanging onto something. The boat bobbed over the wake without taking on any water, which is typical for small lightweight boats.

And I always have to sit on the front when I go with you 😝

@JonMillerFishing

2 ай бұрын

😂

it’s that short wave interval they get people in trouble I cut my teeth for 20 years in a 17 foot cage on special 46 inch bottom with a 35 Johnson. That thing has spent more time in deep open water than most other peoples big boats ever see and I’ve probably got 100 miles of drifting across Lake Pontchartrain as long as I keep the bow in the air and you’re good to go on the lake. I would be able to just ride the tops of the waves because they’re so close together.

This is a great video. At the end of the day, it just depends on your tolerance to be bounced around. My tolerance is almost nill 😂

Jon, shud a large wave be taken headon or at a 45* angle?

@JonMillerFishing

2 ай бұрын

That should probably only be answered situationally, but I will provide some general comments based on my own experience and observations from other sources. It is very dependent on the boat design itself. In my boat I know that if I can keep the bow high at the correct speed, my bow will pull out a four ft wave in a head sea. That may require micro changes in speed at various stages of the process to keep the bow up but not launch. One thing that happens to boats that climb a monster wave at 45 degrees (bow sea) is that they get rolled over at the top of the wave because at a 45 degree angle there is less resistance to rolling than if is were a head sea. If there is one huge wave/wake coming (not a tsunami) it may be better to turn and run in a following or beam sea until the energy of the wave dissipates some, or run on a bead sea till you can get around the highest point. If I ever got into a situation where I was in danger traveling in any forward direction, I would run beam sea or quartering sea until I could get somewhere safe. Worse case is to be without power, someone overboard, or obviously capsized. I would rather end up somewhere I didn't launch from than helpless in a tempest. I have never been in a situation where I couldn't run to safety but I also will not knowingly put myself in a position where that is a serious risk. I watch wind and weather forecasts very closely.

@johnfontenot7861

2 ай бұрын

@@JonMillerFishing great response, thanks!

and what happens if a big boat wakes you out or you take on a big way from the back everyone thinks their boats are special so do give bad advice to the next guy who going to be out there in 3-foot chop with wind and current going the opposite direction and find themself in a bad spot because their boats are " special "

NO they are not