Halibut West Coast

[battaglino]

Chrome,

That is true on the east coast people run 40 miles off in there Whalers. I think one of the keys is the boat will float if you do capsize. I had a boat get swamped at a marina years ago in a big storm it was a 23 foot crusier Inc. I think there must have been 30 boats swamped and most of them where on the bottom. Where as mine was filled with water but it was still floating. It was kind of weird you could sit in the seats and still stay dry. I decided at that point to never purchase a boat that was not a floation boat.

I also agree with the length you are able to ride the wave instead of being in the middle of it. Also try to go out with people that know what the hell there doing to show you how to come in when you are getting easterlys.

I wish I had done some of that when I started boating 25 years ago with no idea what the hell I was doing. On more that a few occation I wondered what the hell I was doing out there. Something about if it dosen't kill you it will make you wiser and stronger.



Joey B.

 

[Tsquared]

I agree with Concerned Angler--5 mile is fishable on a good day in a smaller boat. I'm thinking of a Bamfield trip this summer and have that idea in mind. 5 mile bank is south of Cape Beale, your depth goes down off of Beale and then as you move south it comes back up, roughly 5 miles off shore. You can see it quite plainly on the chart. Make sure you have 2 good motors in good working order, VHF and GPS and another boat to travel with.
I know I sound overly cautious but every couple of seasons there will be a day that goes from flat calm to blowing 40 in less than an hour--and it won't be on the weather forecast either. I was fishing outside of the wreck one evening and it was flat--not a breath--when I heard a guy on the VHF up off of Tofino talking to someone further west off of Estevan. I could only hear the Tofino guy's side but understood that the wind had picked up and the Estevan troller was getting the crap kicked out of him as he was trying to get in the lee of the point. The Tofino guy picked up and began to run in and about 10 minutes later he said he was into it as well. I went out and told my deckhand to start picking up the gear--we were heading into Ukee. He thought I was just thirsty but by the time we were half way to Amphitrite we were into the s%$# as well. My point with this long winded story is even with a fast boat you can't always outrun the weather so be sure you have enough boat to ride something out if you need to. That all having been said--see you on 5 mile during August! <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>
T2

 

[fishin_magician]

What makes a seaworthy boat is a very subjective thing.

Seaworthy is a relative term dependent on water conditions. You should have plenty of power to get up on step and plane quickly...you should have WEIGHT to your boat, beam is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT as well as deadrise, stability, freeboard etc.. Length is one component of that, in my opinion, you should have a sealed hull like a Whaler or Grady capable of self bailing/draining while under power. Fishing the banks 20 miles out? 22 footer minimum with self bailing cockpit...or be prepared for a very long ride back if you make the mistake of staying too long. Seaworthy is dependent on the safety of the vessel as well..twin engines or single? How fast does it move on auxiliary? How reliable is your power and boat systems? Do you have an ERPB? Do you have survival suits? Do you have radar or gps? Did you file an sailing plan? How much fuel does your boat have? How much fuel does your boat consume? All factors which are important. How fast your boat handle 5 foot seas 10 foot seas, 35 foot swells with seas?? What kinda interval between the waves? Some boats can handle having the crap pounded and slammed out of them on a hell run back to shore..others can't.

One of the other things is knowing how to drive your boat as well, to get the heck out of the rough stuff and through it to get back to shore faster. Some boats can move at 20 knots through slop water. Other boats, 10 knots. A BIG difference when time if of the essence.

All boats are not created equal..there are reasons why Boston Whalers cost money. There are reasons why Grady Whites cost money..and we're not talking "names" either.

There's a difference between "big" water and "dangerous" water as well.

At any rate, if you're inexperienced and stupid enough not to recognize when the weather is coming up and intensifying, then you're a fool to begin with. Usually one bad experience is all you should need to smarten you up if you're ignorant and arrogant, if you're lucky enough to survive, and if you make the same mistake again, you're really deserving---not that you weren't the first time.


Know your boat, know it's limitations. Know yourself, know your limitations. Boat and live within those limitations. Just cuz somebody else is there fishing, and seems unconcerned, means diddley..there's different limits for everyone. For example, a 30 foot Grady White with 500 horses off the back may be out there fishing comfortably, and have no problem flying back in on big water. Whereas a guy in a 21 foot Fishin' Machine with 200 hours would be begging for mercy....different situations entirely.

I can recall it blowing NW 25 knots off Langara, which makes for some big water, fishing off Langara Island on the Northwest Side for Springs. We were bottom fishing cuz the fishing was slow, and the boat I was in was very capable of handling the swells. Big boat, Big HP hanging off the back. We boated a 60 lb hali, I hog tied 'em and recommended it was time to head in. Not so fun when you have to think about what you're doing. The guests were comfortable so I put down some cut plugs off the downriggers, I could tell the weather was rising... and we spent about a half hour trolling in. We hooked a couple of 25 lbers, and then I suggested the "warm up" pit stop at the lodge and then a quiet evening fishing the tide at a favorite spot on the east side of island, calm, warm etc.. We hopped up on plane, and rode the 15 footers into the pass and back to the Lodge feeling very comfortable whereas everyone else (smaller boats) was to stay OFF the west side.

However, you really have to ask yourself. How much fun are you really going to have anyways putting yourself in that position? what kinda benefit are you really gaining? (none)

Answering questions like this REALLY should put it into perspective for you, and if you're putting in yourself into dangerous positions, you don't respect the sea, and it'll take your life. If you lost it because of that, hate to say it you deserve your predicament and fate. By the way, radios won't save you from sinking. The average response time for a helicopter, boat or search and rescue crew is far above what most people think, if you manage to get a mayday call through and they hear you.

By the way, if I think the weather is coming up you should be leaving WELL in advance, I'll stop and tell people on other boats I said so, and take them with me, or ask 'em if they're coming if not, I'll point that out. Oftentimes the suggestion is enough to wake 'em up.

By the way, you should NEVER be fishing out there in rising weather without a "buddy" boat. if they leave, you leave, if you leave, they leave. And you all leave together. That simple.

 

[SnowDog]

Great advice FM. People need to remember this is a sport and it is supposed to be fun. Always err on the side of safety and head in if you even think the weather is coming up.

The question of boat seaworthiness is more related to the skills of the skipper than anything else.

Cheers!
SD

"Plus ça change
Plus c'est la même chose"

Edited by - SnowDog on 04/18/2006 20:14:14

 

[Dogbreath]

"There's a difference between "big" water and "dangerous" water as well."
I know what you mean.
About 6 years ago I was driving a 17.5' Whaler for a friend-fishing' out of Ukee.
The NW swell was 10-12' and he had no idea how stupid we were to be out there-neither did the other guy.
The swells were evenly spaced and 'the boys' were having a fun ride-so they thought.
Well I'm an old single guy who's going to leave this plane sooner or later and have a lot of offshore experience so FWIW I kept us fishing.
The swells stayed even but one thing I did notice and have never seen in any other ocean is that while they came it sets of two occasionally the second wave had a passenger on it's back-a wave that actually traveled on the back of the swell.
What that means of course is that the first wave will put you down, the second will swamp you and the passenger will kill you dead.
As well there are always waves bigger than the one you become accustomed to and I saw some that day-18' of pure danger but I never mentioned or said "look to port" those dumb dope smokers wouldn't have understood anyway.

Keep your eyes open and Be Safe and don't expect any help from any quarter when you head out.

 

[marula]

What makes a boat seaworthy ........

The piece of greymatter behind the wheel !

 

[marula]

Fished flatties at constance bank 5 miles off of victoria one year during the swiftsure race weekend. Had a nice view of the sailboats heading up the coast all morning although radio chatter was calling it "driftsure" as there was little wind.

Later on the wind felt a little different, grabbed the binoculars and peered up to the point at race rocks and the furthest sailboat was keeled over hard in the wind. Yikes, I said were outa here, while pullin up the anchor and reeling in the gear you could actually watch the sailboats one by one get hit by the wind and keel over hard. By the time I got under way we were in 4 ft plus seas and I had to zig zag all the way in keeping those waves off my broadside. I plowed that bow under a wave a few times one the way home. Main motor failer would have been bad news as the kicker never would have controlled it.

It really sunk home when I passed a few sail boats giving up and heading back but seeing one limp back with a busted mast was a bit much!!

Instinct, training and experience kicks in and gets you home calm and safe but later back on shore it sinks in how bad it could have been, never trusted a flat calm day again.

 

[battaglino]

Very well stated FM. Damn I wish I had your knowledge. Now that we have scared the hell out of him we should tell him some stories of how calm and nice can be out there at swiftsure. Did we mention that the fog can roll in in minutes and be so thick you may not be able to see your 10 feet in front of you. Welcome to the West Coast.
I agree with you Marla about the gray matter but most of us have more testostrone then grey matter we want to catch one more before the winds kick up and that's when the trouble starts.

Tight lines

Joey B.

 

[5-Salt Fever]

quote:
I am curious, what makes a "sea worthy boat" some of the boys here clam 18 feet and under is not a sea worthy boat for the banks.No doubt it's serious out there. So what length of boat is considered sea worthy. So if you were out there and the weather goes sideways fast, what is it about a say 22 footer that makes you safer than a 18 footer. assuming all the safety equipment are on board both boats,floater suits, VHF, GPS with back up, radar, super bilge ect.
like to here it from the authorities.

Above replies are excellent.

Marula’s comment concerning Gray Matter really hits the nail on the head.

Here in Oregon we run 20-30 miles offshore to find good Halibut fishing. As well, we are tuna crazy down here and it’s not uncommon to find yourself 30-50mile offshore searching for temperature breaks. That being said, your question is a very common one on my home forum/board.


Here is what we hear back from same question the majority of the time:

The reality is that the majority of modern hulls 18ft & greater carry you safely way beyond what would be comfortable or fun. Tons of guys venture out 20-plus miles all summer long in 18-20ft hulls. The rule of thumb is: pick your day, know your limits, and be prepared for the worst - weather, fuel capacity, safety equipment and back up systems all need to be managed. The water temp five miles out is just as cold as 10, 20, 30miles out - at best you have 30-45mins in the water before hypothermia incapacitates you.

Weather:
Wx is a function of current wave conditions and forecasted trend over next 24hrs. As well, is actual weather playing out as forecasted or is it worse than forecast. We like to use the 1.5 rule: time in seconds between swells must be 1.5times combined swell and wind wave height in feet. In other words, a 2meter (6ft) combined swell/wind wave must be at least</u> 9-sec apart. I can tell you however that it will be a heck lot more fun and fishable they were 12sec apart.

Swell direction vs. forecasted wind direction is also very important: A predominantly NW swell being worked by a southerly wind is a recipe for very sloppy conditions and a guaranteed long and wet ride home. The opposing forces really kick up the wind chop quickly and jam them close together. Not un-common to have an hour run home expand to 4-5hours when conditions change quickly.

Fuel:
Rule of Thirds applies - 1/3 for running out, 1/3 for fishing, 1/3 for running home with a minimum 90mins reserve on top. Very important to plan that an hour outbound trip can turn into 4-5hour return in sloppy sea if wind kicks up. Many a skipper has run out of gas close to home because he/she did not factor the extend return fuel burn into their “required fuel” calculation.

Safety Equipment:
-Minimum 2 GPS/plotters: 1 hard mounted and 1 battery op'd handheld in the event your electrical system fails or gets swamped
-Minimum 2 VHF Radios: 1 hard Mounted DSC unit and 1 battery op'd handheld.
-Good Quality 12ft plus 6db Gain VHF antenna to ensure they hear your call for help when you are long ways out.
-Cell phone in water proof bag - last resort. Very poor substitute for VHF radio
-Must have Good Anchor and plenty of line in event engine fails and you want to stay off rocks and away from shore break while waiting for help. 7 to 1 rode is a good rule for holding in sloppy conditions - 15ft of heavy chain at the anchor will allow you the hold with shorter rode
-Emergency check list with specific instructions on driving, navigating, calling for help, etc... in the event the skipper is incapacitated.
-Good off-shore first aid kit
-All Coast Guard Safety equipment
-2-3x extra batteries for all handheld GPS/VHF
-Kicker or backup Motor
-Emergency food and extra clothing in case you get stuck out over night
-Tools and parts for emergency repairs.
-"Plan B" Fishing Destination - you give her the hairy eyeball condition check and it looks pretty sporty - the Plan B will make it a whole easier to make the no-go decision to stay in close and out of harms way. Get-there-itis has killed many a skipper - avoid the trap.

Not absolute must haves but, should have's:
-Exposure Suits
-Radar
-EPIRB


Cover all of the above, pick your days, and you can do a lot with a 18-20ft open hull and safely return. Upgrading from shorter to 20-26ft with garner you higher sides and transom, deeper-v, greater fuel capacity, better systems and electronics, floatation like that of a Whaler/Grady White and so on - all of which increases the number of days per season you can safely fish.




Edited by - 5-Salt Fever on 04/19/2006 10:38:21

 

[battaglino]

I'm not sure an 18 foot boat will float with all of that equipment. It is a great list of all the items you need you can never have too much safety equipment. The only thing I would add is an inflatable boat or life raft. The problem with all of this it gets to a point where you can't afford all the fancy equipment and it does get back to gray matter vs. testosterone. Let's be safe out there. All the information has been great on this subject. I think I have all of the equipment except the Eprib. I keep waiting for the price to drop.

Joey B.

 

[Even-tide]

quote:most of us have more testosterone then grey matter

Great posts guys, so much experience out there... the internet is amazing.
I think my take away is, the amount of grey matter someone possesses is not necessarily equivalent to the size of his boat.