Best way to run in boil

[DaveJ50]

I have a 17 ft modified V (more modified than V I think) aluminum riveted boat that I purchased last fall and I am completely new to boating. I made a couple of trips up the river to fish and never had any problems with the occasional boat wakes.<br /><br />I made the mistake of taking the same trip on a holiday with temps in the mid 90-s. The trip up was fine but on the way back I ran into a lot of traffic and really rough, churning, choppy water resulting in a new wrinkle in my forehead and a long trip back.<br /><br />I tried to take the wakes at a 45 but there was also one at 15,30,60,90 and I may have once been surrounded by a 360. All of this was happening on top of a sort of boil from the previous wakes.<br /><br />Am I better to run slow and pick and choose my path or run faster? It seemed that any attempt to run faster resulted in a good pounding. Is the pounding as hard as it sounds or not such a big deal? Does the pounding get better or worse with more speed. If a little speed is good, am I better to trim the nose up or down. <br /><br />My plan for the next holiday is not go or fish until dusk but I still wanted to ask.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Slower is Safer,+ Better in My book.....

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Best way to run in boil

You have to figure this out on your own. I have tried everything in numerous boats (to 18') and all have different sweet spots, course they were all different too.<br /><br />I have, at times, sped up to hit waves faster, thus minimizing the pounding. Gotta be your own judge and the seat of your pants well tell you when you are right.<br /><br />Main place to get into trouble is taking water over the bow, or following seas overtaking you. Other than that you may get drowned by spray, or seasick from wallowing from side to side, but can usually find something that works.<br /><br /><br />But you need to know yourself and your boat. There will be times that you'll get caught out in open water and knowing what you and your rig are capable of can mean the difference between disaster and sleeping in your bed that night.<br /><br />But, I have never had to deal with 12' waves, or 55 mph winds as a skipper; fisherman on a charger yes, with the waves.<br /><br />HTH,<br /><br />Mark

 

[MRS]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Dave, I run and older tri-hull 17 1/2ft. when I do get caught out in ruff water with waves going every witch way it is slow go. Like the other guys said you got to learn your boat and how it handels plus the 45 deg. goes out the window and you just have to learn how to run in and out and on top of the soup. When the swell are going the same way you can open and run fairly smooth I have broken things in the boat and on the boat before from trying to run to fast to get out of the ruff stuff. I do not do that any more.

 

[rottenray6402]

Re: Best way to run in boil

I have found that like Bondo said..slower is safer. If it is really rough with wakes, current, and so on I like to get the bow up higher than normal and kind of "cut" the wake with the bottom of the hull vs going "bow on". It makes for a smoother and dryer ride and I think easier on the boat.

 

[QC]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Personally I think Texasmark has said this best. All different, all conditions . . . With that said, in almost all cases that I can think of slower is better, especially with transom deadrise below around 18 degrees. It is amazing what you can do with speed and 20 degrees plus though. I often brace myself and then nuttin'. That there is a great feeling

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Best way to run in boil

The only hard and fast rule that i have "Learnt" is bow up, speed down and alway's be aware always............Bow down while slowing in a heavy chop is in my experience a very bad thing.<br /><br />However it is problably a good ideal to learn you boats personal preformance. You might want to go and find some swells or waves and see how it rides over various heights of the waves. Some boats can just cleave 3-4 foot chop and ride like there on air, some cant take a 2 foot swell. It goes back to being aware.....and that's half the fun. There's alway's gonna be a OHHHH **** to some degree.... are you mentally prepared errr practiced... and that can be a lot of fun...

 

[jnewtonsem]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Also be very careful about taking waves broardside especially at speed. Almost flipped a boat once when caught by a wave coming in broadside.

 

[rottenray6402]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Also that 17' aluminum boat is going to handle water totally different than a glass boat of equal length. Glass boats are heavier and in my experience tend to ride better and not bounce around as much as an aluminum boat.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Don't overlook the fact that an aluminum hull boat will have the tendency to sound like they are pounding much worse than what they actually may be. You will become more comfortable with rough water the more experience you get. Don't get too overwhelmed by the traffic, keep your cool and always pick your track.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Actually i really miss my old aluminum hull i grew up with. Trouble free and could take a pounding that's to be envieded....

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Thanks, maybe I didn’t do too bad after all. I used the slow / pick and choose method which worked except for a few bad picks that resulted in a pound. I just didn’t want to find out much later that if I lit it up I could ride on top of all the crud which I didn’t see as possible.<br /><br />-------------------------------<br />Texasmark<br />But you need to know yourself and your boat. There will be times that you'll get caught out in open water and knowing what you and your rig are capable of can mean the difference between disaster and sleeping in your bed that night.<br />-------------------------------<br />Yep, I’m sure that is real true. I wouldn’t have learned anything if it was just another flat water trip back. I think I could do better today than I did Monday. Sure is nice to have informed people to ask questions without being called an idiot. I already did that about 200 times Monday afternoon.<br /><br />Great Forum with Great Folks<br />Thanks Again

 

[AaronG]

Re: Best way to run in boil

I've found that my boat is much better with the trim all the way in (bow down). Bow up makes the boat slam through.

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: Best way to run in boil

Mine also did better trimmed down. It didn’t really force the bow down so much as it stopped it from raising so high.<br /><br />I did learn one important lesson. You can’t assume that just because the motor runs the bilge pump is fine.<br /><br />Every time I take the boat out I hit the bilge pump button and listen for the motor. On this trip I never did turn the pump on (not automatic) but when I got back to the truck I realized that there was just enough water that I could have tested the pump.<br /><br />So I took it home, filled the stern with enough water to pump and hit the button. The motor ran but no water came from the discharge hole. I blew down the hole and could hear a plug loosen and move. I then hit the button and the first 2 ft of the discharge stream was muddy brown. The discharge is within 2 inches of the top of the boat so I suspect critters and not just muddy water.