Georgia can get quite rough at times – been there, done that! I personally would stay with an “offshore” type designed hull. Offshore boats are designed to those big waters and large waves. They range from 20 feet and up, are deep veed, and they have a significant dead rise of 20 degrees or more. That dead rise gives them the ability to cut into a wave rather than pounding on top of it. And, because they cut into a wave, their bow needs to be big and deep. If it is planned to be used on WCVI offshore – it should have twins. Face it; 25-30 miles off the beach is no place to break down and have no power to get home. In addition, towing a boat in from that far, is NOT fun either.
You need to buy a boat based onYOUR and ITS intended use and design. Most small boats are built with a very small dead rise (the angle of the hull in the water) and short gunnels (the side of the boat). They are designed for inshore fishing. Bay boats are the first to come to mind when I think of an inshore boats. They are built for bay fishing – and yet on every trip I make I see them as far as 30 miles out and almost always powered by a single engine with a kicker. Someone who believes they are going to motor in on a 9.9 kicker on a 25 foot boat, just might be wrong - hope you have an offshore wind, with an incoming tide!
There are a lot of Center Consoles, Walkarounds, Runabouts, Bow Riders, Cruisers, Deck Boats running around that look like offshore boats; but they are in fact - “Bay Boats.” . These bay boats are now coming out in lengths over 24 feet. They are NOT true offshore! No true offshore boat can be used inshore very easily, and no true inshore boat can be used offshore. So, for most, here comes the answer – a modified "bay boat". Trying to be the best of both worlds it is has a shallow enough draft to fish inshore, yet has a larger deadrise and somewhat bigger bow that lets it get offshore. Sooner-or-later, that design will get one running offshore in trouble. Best bet, just ask the manufacturer if you should take that bay boat very far offshore and you are liable to get a big “no!” They simply are not designed for it!
To some offshore means five miles to others (me included) offshore is closer to 25 miles. My insurance is acrually valid to 150 miles offshore, which also happens to be my fuel range! A rule of thumb I use… if the boat doesn’t carry enough fuel in its factory tanks to get me there and back – I won’t go! Gasoline, rough seas, and jerry cans just don’t mix for me. I quit carrying jerry cans years ago.
If the intent is to runoffshore, you should get a truly designed “offshore” boat. Most would say minimum is 25 feet, plus, with twins. The top tree rated by J.D.Powers, is Grady-White ranking highest in the coastal fishing followed by Boston Whaler and Century. The goal of every offshore hull design is to achieve the ultimate in sea kindliness. Anyone who has experienced an offshore in rough sea conditions will attest to the offshore hull design of those three boats. Those hull designed finely Veed forward hull sections result in a forward entry which literally cuts through seas effectively eliminating pounding and/or slapping in head seas, regardless of size. Size does make a difference! It is as simple as this, a 30 foot Grady-White will be ride better and be safer in larger waters than a 25 footer, and a 25 foot will be safer than a 22 footer, and a 22 foot will be safer than a 20 footer! I would not suggest taking anything less thana 20 foot offshore, just for the reason of potential “floundering”! BTW… Most small boat don’t capsize – they flounder then rollover!
