It depends on the waves. Spacing, rollers, chop, consistent, etc.

I have been in a 19' boat running BIG water in Lake Michigan but they were rollers and there was huge spacing between them. So, they were more like "jumps" than waves.

I have also ran bigger water when the waves are very close together and I could get on top of them. If the spacing gets further apart it's a whole different ball game.

Most of the time a small boat just doesn't have the length to span them or the weight to crush them. You just need to safely learn the limits of your hull.

Ok thanks for the info guys :-)

I have a 47 Fountain and it runs great; however, there is water on the Great Lakes that is no fun. I just ran across from Illinois to Michigan on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and it was terrible. Bottom line is that no matter what boat you have, you have to choose the right days and on other days it's better to stay home or do something else.

[QUOTE=ajfisher;3206283]Best bet with that size single to run 70 would be a fountain fever 27 or 29, Powerquest silencer, sunsation 288, donzi as previously mentioned... etc... there are many options... but a 496ho or preferably 500EFI will be needed for power along with a labbed prop on some of the boats. I'm not a big fan of boats that big with a single engine due to the fact that the twins are much smoother and easier to maneuver. The extra motor and drive contributes more weight that is needed to run hard on the big water for longer periods of time. Don't be afraid of twins they can be intimidating but are superior for the type of boating you're referring to. Good luck!

Agreed! The only Plus to a single in a 29ft boat is the easy access if you like to "Tinker". I was looking at a 29ft Baja with a single 525 at a shop I use and I couldn't believe the room it had, you could play handball in there! I have a small 24ft Baja, and its really tight for a fat azz like me, and the twins I have looked at [except for the staggered set ups in 40ft+ boats] looked really tight as well.I boat in the St Lawrence river/Lake Ontario and if it gets rough I head for home! On nice days its more than enough boat for what I do. Although I agree you CANT beat twins for the handling.

Michael

Well said

There's some compromise here, that the better riding 28's are typically the flat bottom, traditional rigs (Pantera, Active Thunder, Powerplay), and the faster ones are the stepped hull newer rides (Sunny 288, Donzi 28, Fountain 29). Actually, the South Fl boats with flat hulls are all true 28's, and bigger boats than the step boats w/ built in swim platforms.

So, to go 80 in a boat that'll be comfortable on the great lakes in a 28, you'll need bigger power. Or, you can ride rough and go 80, that one day a year the weather's nice! There are lots of 288's and Fountains that are faster than my PP......until the water's rough.

I've ran w/ a 288 and by a Fountain 29 in 2-3's where the non-boat people on my boat noticed the pounding those guys were taking as they sipped their beers.

Oh, and my boat w/ a single 500 runs 67/68 w 3 people, 1/4 tank of gas. It has more in it w/ a labbed prop I'm sure. An Active Thunder 28 will run 72/73 w/ a 525 I think. So, it doesn't take outrageous power to do 70ish.

I think to run the speeds your talking on lake Michigan, your days would have to be pretty selective in a 20ft boat...I've got a Baja Boss 275 and Lake Michigan is my playground...but I've chosen to stay in port on quite a few days as well...that lake isn't anything to mess with when those waves kick up. If they're 2 - 4 footers we could deal with it...but you do have to watch your speed...the fun thing is sometimes we take a good splash over the bow and we all get cooled off...rollers are the best...but again, that lake has a tendency to start throwing some unpredictable "chit" at you...one time before I knew it, I was in a total fog white-out in not so good weather...scooched my butt home via my GPS...but it could have gotten ugly real quick. I've yet to see any powerboat of any size handle that lake when it's temperamental...at least not without sacrificing something. My buddy was out running hard hopping waves..until his radio literally popped out of his dash and just missed his head...

yeah i hear ya went out again last sun and had fun in the places where I could find 1' 2' chop but the further out I got the bigger the waves got and before I knew it we were in 4' 5' rollers again not so much fun
I play around in the setons bay area and lee point head to power island now and then clinch park some east bay some but mainly stick to the west bay side.

Over on this side we can always head for Brown's Bar .

Is it on the water?