I don't know what the 6 to 8's look like in everybody's area, but I can't see a performance boat even being able to get on a plane in the Gulf of Mexico with real 6 to 8 footers. The waves are right on top of each other and steep. Not like the half mile space in between waves here on the Atlantic side. I guess they have to get up to speed before entering the pass. I'd have to see it to believe it.

I have run my Sonic at top speed in 6 foot waves when the entire surface of the ocean was white with blowing spray. At idle speed waves were coming in the boat and my wife was panicking. I had her go in the cabin and wedge herself in, then opened it right up.

Smooth as pie, screamed right over the tops of the waves, spaced very closely together. A 50 foot police boat was rolling 90 degrees and looked like he was going to flip over, so I screamed in for a close look, he waved ok, and then I sprinted for the island.

It was THE most exhilarating boat trip in my life. Of course I have also been in 6 and 12 foot breaking waves spaced farther apart, and then it is fast idle time and alot of praying to King Neptune.

How many people can accurately judge the actual size of a wave/waves?

When you are in the base of the trough, and the crests are just over your head, they're about 6ft waves.

I've taken wave and ocean engineering classes... real 6 to 8' waves are 12' from crest to trough... there is no way any 38' boat I don't care what brand it is is going to stay together in that kind of environment....

I usually laugh to myself when "boat" people talk about how rough the conditions they were in were.... their 6-8' waves are usually recorded as 2-4' and fyi you usually measure waves by the average to the top 1/3 biggest waves... look up some NOAA bouys where these guys are running their boats maybe they are seeing 0.5 to 1m waves... they aren't running in the hail storms..
Ernie

Ernie, would you like to be more specific in this statement???

My 12 foot breaking wave: twice as tall as your boat, you can't see unless you are on top of it, it gets you really wet, with water coming in the boat and the chartplotter fails in salt wash. Thought I was going to die.

Fast idle only. Same waves flipped over a 21 foot boat, coasties had to turn back after three failed rescue attempts as the coasties were breaking arms and collar bones in the inflatable orange rescue boat, not sure how that happened, but it did. Radio alert from Coast Guard kept repeating "watch for dead body."

Can you explain the "correct" way to measure wave height?

c'mon bro. let's be real. we all now a sonic is not going to take 6 to 12 foot waves even if they are spaced apart at full speed. let alone telling your wife to go down below and wedge herself in? is she still alive? don't you know that is the dumbest thing you could do? what would of happened if you rolled your boat?

That big box hangout on the back of the boat?