Saftey Question

[FishinAddiction]

I recently purchased a 19' Sea Pro CC with a 140 Suzuki Outboard. Would this be a safe outift to take offshore? If so, how far would yall recommend?

[Here We Go]

NO!

Personally I wouldn't venture past the light tower in a 19' boat.

[TUNALUNATIC]

Pick your days and you will be fine. Make sure you have safety gear- especially EPIRB for going offshore.
If the weather is in question dont go.

[kapoc]

I wouldn't go past the light tower and have a buddy boat. Summer storms can make a glassy day into the worst thing you've ever seen.

Capt. Mike

[cuhollow]

I recently purchased a 19' Sea Pro CC with a 140 Suzuki Outboard. Would this be a safe outift to take offshore? If so, how far would yall recommend?

Questions like this never seem to make sense to me. Basically if you have the safety gear you can go anywhere you want to go you just are going to get beaten up a little more in a small boat. If you have to ask the answer is usually no.

[Laker]

I have a 20' Hydra Sport with a 200 hp on it. The boat and motor weighs about 4000 lbs. Anything more than 3 feet and you are going to get wet. Especially in a beam sea. I have been 15 miles out of OI a few times.

Anything over 4 and you are going to get bounced a lot. Depending on where you go out of wind direction and tide are going to matter a lot going through the inlets. The other thing you need to look at is the interval between swells. If it is 4-5 seconds it is going to suck, but a 8-10 second gap and 2-4 forecast is pretty manageable. Check windguru, NOAA, and buoys and compare. Make sure you are equipped with all the emergency gear and everybody on board knows where it is.

I would have a plan B, inshore option and make the decision once you see it. In most places there are other things you can do and still have fun. Puppy Drum, Blues, Trout in Rudee, The Sound down in OBX, and the Ches. Bay. Your boat is great for those places.

[smells like fish]

Great advice Laker

[Mike McCabe]

I agree with the other guys about limiting myself to the light tower in that boat. It's the perfect size for fishing the bay out to the tower. Just remember, keep a wiery eye toward the west-southwest for those severe summertime thunderstorms. They can pop up on you in no time at all. If you are out at the tower and a line of severe thunderstorms come up on the horizon, it's probably too late. That being said, you would really be in trouble 40 miles offshore in a 19ft. boat and no radar to help you navigate through and around bad thunderstorms. You still should outfit your boat with the best safety gear possible: two radios, handheld VHF, good GPS, handheld GPS, good offshore lifejackets with whistles attached, flare kit with 12 gauge shells and launcher, good firstaid kit, good fire extinguisher and EPIRB. I also carry a spare bilgepump with battery clips to clip right to the battery in the event of taking on water. Just remember, alot of people don't think about all of the things that could go wrong until it's too late....Don't be one of those people.
JUST MY 2 CENTS,
Mike-Red Eye

[Seagrass]

How big is JETSKIBRIANS jey ski? I'm pretty sure its smaller than 19'. Watch the weather and go fishing.

[Mike McCabe]

Seagrass,
Just curious, what is a jey ski? I've never heard of a jey ski, for all I know it could be bigger than 19ft.

Mike-Red Eye

[Seagrass]

:computer::computer:
Seagrass,
Just curious, what is a jey ski? I've never heard of a jey ski, for all I know it could be bigger than 19ft.

Mike-Red Eye

Sorry I don't sit at a desk all day typing on my keyboard like you. :computer: I have fat fingers and the keys are to small.

[Mike McCabe]

Seagrass,
Are you one of those people?
:roflguy::roflguy::roflguy:

[PlaynHooky]

Mike you sit at a computer in your Carhartts????? Thats gotta look cute......LOL

I am of the OTHER opinion.....but I am a little on the edge anyhow......If I had a 19' boat with a large enough fuel tank and all the proper safety gear along with a good forecast........There is no where I wouldnt go......keep in mind, I would never put anyones life in danger........except maybe mine......

[Mike McCabe]

Robert,
According to Seaweed, I sit in front of a computer all day long. I didn't know you troubleshot heating & air systems by sitting behind a computer all day. Come on Seaweed, get with the program. Robert, ask Seagrass about his ultimate April fools day punk we pulled on him involving one TLD 5, UPS AND A false package with a bogus invoice slip and a bundle of rocks inside........probably the best april fools prank ever played on someone. Thanks Butch, thanks for the priceless entertainment!

[twobyfour]

If the boat is 19' and has a notched transom, it would not be a good candidate for offshore fishing in my opinion. It's just not big enough. A decent bay boat on good days only. Even to the light tower you will need to pick your days very carefully. It can get real sporty at the mouth of the bay extremely quick, and you don't want to be there in a 19' boat. Just my opinions.

[talley2191]

Doesn't a 19' sea pro fairly short gunwales ? Even relative to other CC of the same length. What about some of those Makos or Whalers ? I don't own one, but I have friends that do and they have offered to venture out with them. They are in the 21-23 foot range.

[TEAM BILL ME]

If im not mistaken there used to be some guy in OC that ran a 13 foot whaler to the canyons.
Not sure if hes around now.

[PlaynHooky]

:eek2: 13' Whaler......thats very old man and the seaish......they are "unsinkable":D Where did he put the gas???

That sounds rather comical Mike......you will have to tell me more about that another time!

[Kayak fisherman]

After going out 70 miles in the calmest weather imaginable last year, and after going out in the roughest weather I'll ever go out in again this week, I have no advice except to look for a bigger weather window. If the forecast is one good day surrounded by a bunch of crappy days, do something else.

I don't really know what boat is the best "safe" size; I don't know jack bone. You can't even pretend to compare yourself to Jet Ski Brian though, 'cause he walks with the Gods.

[Pogyboat]

I thnk it was a 17' whaler out of chincoteague and he'd go anytime. Now hes got a 26or is it 27 cat and hes unstopable. Been out at the Wash and beaten on the way out and ther ehe was an hour ahead of us. In the whaler.

[Nutz]

Doesn't matter what the forecast is, if you go offshore, at some point you will encounter conditions much worse than expected. I've seen days where it was forecast 2-3 ft and it ended up 6-8ft in the afternoon. I've also been out with 20% chance of thunderstorms and had a line of storms we couldn't escape with winds over 40kts. You take that boat as far as the fingers or canyon ten times, at least one of those times you will be wishing you hadn't.