The red cig i saw was from 3 weeks ago Saturday (week before the boat show)

stillhaulin@61 is my father. In the end, thinking gas prices (twins) and slip costs, he got cold feet and decided to get into the game smaller. He wanted a boat he did not NEED me to participate in, so by having it at the hoist in Channel Islands (original plan), he got most of what he wanted, sacraficing size, but completely capable by himself. I told him, if you go small, at least get a big engine, so he bit the bullet and found a Baja 232 with a 454 Mag in it, shipped from Texas. It will hit 70MPH GPS, so on calm days, I am jealous

I am getting used to Channel Islands myself. I always seem to go on the rough days, haven't had a dead calm day this year. But everytime I boat on LA/OC harbors, I think how happy I am to have the challenge of CI. I was at LB last week on a Baja 23ol, made a trip out to Catalina, dead calm, WOT the whole time from harbor to harbor. It was fun, but 33 miles each way and you want different excitment then just speed.

Part of the fun is NOT being able to go WOT, and if you do, for no more than 10 seconds, because you will get hurt if you screw up. Plus, it gives you something to do then just hit the sticks. Like you did, if I get beaten around in a little Baja for awhile in the SB channel, upgrading to a bigger boat will make it that much easier to tackle later on.

What specifically did you find different between the 24ol and the cig when boating out of CI/Ventura, I mean like on rough days, where did the "cancel the day" threshold move to?

Chris

i like to take rough seas at a 3/4 angle, trimmed down. lengthens out the back of the wave and time in the "Valley" to get some speed. trimmed down keeps it locked to the water. Tres goes over rough water handeling in his class. I highly reccomend it.
I usually find myself running in 3-4' "washing machine" type slop. in which case, find the path of least resistance, tabs down. bow lift is your enemy then.

So its the angle of the dangle verses the torque of the dork!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must say. I was very impressed with the way my Baja handled the big water. Of course it could be I was too stupid to know better. But even back then I rode in my friends 38 Scarab, Cafe Racer, 36 Nordic, 38 Formula and some others on a fairly reglar basis.

I just got tired of getting thrown around and beat up in the big water. I don't care what boat you're in. If you're running high speeds the little boats are going to get tossed around a lot more than something with a little more weight behind it.

So when it was time to step up. I knew I wanted a wave crusher. We started looking at Cafe Racers but ended up with the gun.

You know how nasty the water around here can get. There's small craft warnings on a bi-weekly baisis. It all just comes down to a comfort leval. Like when we turned around in the Tiger. It's not that the boat couldn't take it. It's just getting wet with water/wind coming over the bow and going down into holes you can't see any land from turns from fun boating to work. Not to mention the beating you take when slamming into the next swell. This is supposed to be a pleasure sport, not a rally race.

It's no fun when it's like this!

Much better for cocktails like this

And running hard like this

true dat

damn bro, did you really say that? wussie

speak for yourself, i live to run in the big stuff! i wish it was like that every time i go out.

Tank
That would be great!
Although I really enjoy the stability of Christopher's 272, and can't even imagine the ride in a 30' or 35' hull, I have to admit that the challenge of keeping my little 232 under control while pushing against my personal speed "envelope" is truly a blast. Even my wife is gets excited with "Mr Bill's Wild Rides"!