What would you do to prepare for an open ocean trip?
09-11-2012, 04:29 PM
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What would you do to prepare for an open ocean trip?
I'm thinking about going from Miami -> Bimini -> Bahamas in my little outlaw. The trip would be in the day during calm weather. Aside from GPS what would you do to prepare for something like this? Radios? Charts? Preventative maintenance? I know a lot of you guys have probably done this before, tips on navigating reefs or just ocean boating in general?
09-11-2012, 06:13 PM
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09-11-2012, 06:26 PM
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09-11-2012, 06:33 PM
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Miami to Bimini is 50
Bimini to The Bahamas is about 80
The distance from where I put in to where I hang out on the lake is about 30 miles. I've run up there, turned around and run back absolutely as hard as she'll go numerous times. I know that the ocean is a totally different ballgame than a lake, but the distance alone doesn't seem to be that big of an issue.
Bimini to The Bahamas is about 80
The distance from where I put in to where I hang out on the lake is about 30 miles. I've run up there, turned around and run back absolutely as hard as she'll go numerous times. I know that the ocean is a totally different ballgame than a lake, but the distance alone doesn't seem to be that big of an issue.
09-11-2012, 06:44 PM
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I have made that trip in a 20' Seacraft (solo boat) with a single 175 Johnson more times than most here are years old, it's only 40 miles to the flats - is it smart looking back, probably not the smartest.
Always better with another boat but single engine is fine here's my advice:
- have a sat phone - you can call someone along the way and just say "hey we're doing good and we're here, call you in 2 hours" if they don't here from you they know where you were and the Coast Gaurd can figure out where you could be?
- always have plenty of drinking water
- spare set of belts
- oil filter, fuel filter and enough oil for 1 oil change
- spare prop
- sea anchor
- a chart is good and make a little list of compass headings before hand so you know without GPS what direction you should be heading to get to your next waypoint and so forth
- most important drive the boat easy and flat so it never leaves the water!!!
Do all that and you'll be fine, that's what we did for many years and of course another boat tagging along is great to have.
Always better with another boat but single engine is fine here's my advice:
- have a sat phone - you can call someone along the way and just say "hey we're doing good and we're here, call you in 2 hours" if they don't here from you they know where you were and the Coast Gaurd can figure out where you could be?
- always have plenty of drinking water
- spare set of belts
- oil filter, fuel filter and enough oil for 1 oil change
- spare prop
- sea anchor
- a chart is good and make a little list of compass headings before hand so you know without GPS what direction you should be heading to get to your next waypoint and so forth
- most important drive the boat easy and flat so it never leaves the water!!!
Do all that and you'll be fine, that's what we did for many years and of course another boat tagging along is great to have.
09-11-2012, 06:53 PM
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I have made that trip in a 20' Seacraft (solo boat) with a single 175 Johnson more times than most here are years old, it's only 40 miles to the flats - is it smart looking back, probably not the smartest.
Always better with another boat but single engine is fine here's my advice:
- have a sat phone - you can call someone along the way and just say "hey we're doing good and we're here, call you in 2 hours" if they don't here from you they know where you were and the Coast Gaurd can figure out where you could be?
- always have plenty of drinking water
- spare set of belts
- oil filter, fuel filter and enough oil for 1 oil change
- spare prop
- sea anchor
- a chart is good and make a little list of compass headings before hand so you know without GPS what direction you should be heading to get to your next waypoint and so forth
- most important drive the boat easy and flat so it never leaves the water!!!
Do all that and you'll be fine, that's what we did for many years and of course another boat tagging along is great to have.
Always better with another boat but single engine is fine here's my advice:
- have a sat phone - you can call someone along the way and just say "hey we're doing good and we're here, call you in 2 hours" if they don't here from you they know where you were and the Coast Gaurd can figure out where you could be?
- always have plenty of drinking water
- spare set of belts
- oil filter, fuel filter and enough oil for 1 oil change
- spare prop
- sea anchor
- a chart is good and make a little list of compass headings before hand so you know without GPS what direction you should be heading to get to your next waypoint and so forth
- most important drive the boat easy and flat so it never leaves the water!!!
Do all that and you'll be fine, that's what we did for many years and of course another boat tagging along is great to have.
+1 did it many times in a 25' Donzi
