Minimum Boat Requirements For Tuna Fishing 30 plus miles off shore

[Birdsnest]

Continued from the Tuna Shootout thread:

My boat is a Weldcraft Ocean King and it is listed at 20 feet. It is far from an ocean king that is for sure but it is my boat and I like it and it fishes tuna for far less than most boats.(except skulpin, I think he is doing well on fuel as well) It is measure from the bow to the inside of the transome. It is another 2 feet to the outside of the transom then 2 more feet for pod/swim grid then 2 feet of motor. Call it what you will. I run a singe 200 opti and a 15 kicker. I am comfortable doing this and have already done the run in on the kicker 30 miles. It was nasty out to but there are so many other factors to consider. one advantage that I have in Tofino is that it is a SW run to where I fish and if there is going to be a blow it will 99.9% of the time be from the SE or the NW so I get to run in the trough give or take 20 degrees going there and coming back most of the time. This is advantageous. I think that twins is great but having 2 mains will not free you of some common show stoppers such as electrical problems or water in the fuel. I had to put new fuel vents on my boat and to my surprise on a tuna trip they took on allot of water and shut down everything. I luckily had the proper systems in place to remove water from the system and I now know how to drain water from the motor.
You can have the biggest boat in the fleet but if you do not know your boat and have not gone through some of the routine issues with boat motors or particular issues with the boat you own then it isnt a good time to go tuna fishing. Would I fish in an 18 foot boat? Yes but only if it was my boat that I have been running for a year or two and I had at least 2 buddy boats. But where I got 20 some days of tuna fishing in last year with my boat with a smaller boat I would have only gotten maybe 3 days where I knew the weather was absolutely immaculate. There are never any "sure things" when it comes to weather.
I am running out of time here.
18 feet....is pushing it a bit far I think. Some guys think I am under gunned but I a sure they would like to have my tuna fuel bill apposed tho thiers. lol

I did this in a hurry so bear with all the mistakes.

 

[Sculpin]

Good idea for a thread. As summer is nearing and the warm water starts coming in closer, there will folks chomping at the bit to give it a try.

I think my boat was the smallest in the fleet last year. I know her very well (5.5 years of ownership and refitting etc.). She has self bailing decks, large enough fuel capacity, and built like a tank. She is 23' from the bow to the transom with a 2' pod for the main engine. She has a beam of 8'6" at the cabin but tapers back to 7'9" at the stern.

I think she is about the minimum I would be comfortable in way the hell out there. I have to pick my weather very carefully which leaves me at the dock a lot of the time when others can get out there. There are very few days that I can get out to the tuna grounds due to weather and the limited size of my vessel. This is serious stuff that should not be taken lightly.

I hope others post up some common sense stuff and I hope anyone even thinking about going out for the first time reads up on the safety stuff posted in the tuna talk thread on this site and threads on Bloody Decks, ifish, and other forums. It took me 9 months of researching and planning before I gave it a whirl in my own boat.

Safe tuna fishing folks. Remember..........their only fish! Not worth risking your life over if your not prepared.

Cheers,
John

 

[Charter Tofino]

I saw a 15 footer with an old single 60hp Johnson 2 stroke and no kicker fishing big bank (25 miles out) this summer. It was pretty calm but forecasted to blow 35 knots that morning. Did he die? No he didn't but it was extremely stupid. I think the internet is promoting offshore fishing so much that guys who don't really know what they are doing or are under equipped are taking to much risk.

Anyone who has spent time out there knows how fast the weather can change. Nicely spaced swell with no chop looks fine but can stack up and add an unforecasted 25 knots, then you're suddenly in the **** if your boats not adequate.Promoting a 18 or even 20 foot boat to fish Tuna is nuts. You can only role the dice so many times before you get caught. Coast guard and other boats are there for emergency but should not be relied on.

 

[GLG]

Seems to me we had reports from Nootka, a few years back, that tuna was 10 miles out.
Now I wonder if that's something 18 to 20 foot should be able to do.

 

[harper44]

IMO distance from the grounds to the barn should only be a factor when deciding if you have the fuel range. If I wasn't comfortable in my boat at the tuna grounds, what's the justification in fishing the banks in the same boat? How fast does unexpected weather come when you are offshore? If the seas are too big for you 50 miles offshore, they are too big at 15 miles. I would be far more comfortable in Barkley Canyon with an excellent, experienced captain in a well maintained 18' single engine center console than fishing southbank with some Yahoo in a 35' twin engine sportfisher.

I am comfortable with my skills, boat and equipment and in the right conditions I will take it anywhere. If you told me tomorrow that there was a wicked Marlin bite 150 miles out, I wouldn't hesitate (given safe conditions).


I think boat size is way down the list of priority when questioning the adequacy of fishing offshore.

 

[Birdsnest]

IMO distance from the grounds to the barn should only be a factor when deciding if you have the fuel range. If I wasn't comfortable in my boat at the tuna grounds, what's the justification in fishing the banks in the same boat? How fast does unexpected weather come when you are offshore? If the seas are too big for you 50 miles offshore, they are too big at 15 miles. I would be far more comfortable in Barkley Canyon with an excellent, experienced captain in a well maintained 18' single engine center console than fishing southbank with some Yahoo in a 35' twin engine sportfisher.

I am comfortable with my skills, boat and equipment and in the right conditions I will take it anywhere. If you told me tomorrow that there was a wicked Marlin bite 150 miles out, I wouldn't hesitate (given safe conditions).


I think boat size is way down the list of priority when questioning the adequacy of fishing offshore.

Good points 44. There 5% or less of it is the size of your boat. There rest are other factors. You won't see me past 50 miles tho. Ive never caught fish out there and it just so far. Not my bag. Just because its flat calm out there all day doesn't mean the last 12 miles in isn't blowing 25kn. Ive seen that a handful of times. And it sucks a$$! In many ways there is little difference between 1 mile and 40 miles. I know that may spark debate but I have fished close to shore so many times alone that when I think of the difference there is little. Catastrophic circumstances anyways.

 

[Sculpin]

There are experienced captains and inexperienced captains. We need to talk about the generally suitable sized boat for going that far offshore. I see some of the points posted, but by being the one that started the tuna talk thread I feel somewhat responsible for some of the questions being asked. In hind sight I wish I never even started that thread. I was (and still am) green with the whole fishery. I was gun ho like anyone that has experienced it for the first time and wanted to learn from the veterans that have done it for a few years. I read a few things here and there on here quite a few years ago. I then discovered the ifish forum, Bloody Decks, and others that will ruin any tuna fisherman.

The main thing that bug's me to date about all the tuna talk is safety. I don't want to see guy's out there in 16 ft. Double Eagles with gerry cans of fuel etc. I think a lot of folks have posted up quite a bit of safety information in various threads. I really hope people read them and heed the advice. This is not a cheap fishery. This is not just a walk in the park. I can not stress how much planning and preparedness goes into this type of fishery.

Please do your homework. Research, research, research. Get your boat ready, get your safety equipment ready, get your sh*t together and have it wrapped tight. I highly suggest going out with someone that has done it before in a fully capable and equipped boat. That way you can see if it's for you or not. You can see how it's done and see how the safety end of things work.

All of the above comes first. The fishing is secondary.

Cheers,
Sculpin

 

[seadna]

One thing that I don't think is discussed enough when it comes to smaller boats is the weight of all that fuel, ice and fish and it's impact on boat safety. I have a 25.5 C-Dory Tomcat. With twin Honda 135's, I can hit about 40MPH in calm water and can cruise at 25MPH in up to 3' wind waves. I have 150gals of fuel and there's no issue getting out and back. The deck is self bailing but like MOST boats that are under 28', the drop from the cockpit floor to the water line is not that far (maybe 8"). The basic issue is that if you put the cockpit floor farther off the water, the sides of the boat need to be taller and in boats in the 24-28' range, they don't look quite right with tall sides. So many manufacturers compromise and the self bailing decks are 8" off the water +/- a few inches. As a result, the scuppers are a one to a few inches above the water line. On the Tomcat, it's maybe 2" that is until I put on a full load of fuel (150gals = 922lbs), a few hundred pounds of ice and four guys on the boat. Then with the guys in the cockpit, the scuppers are basically at or slightly below the water line (the deck is still above the water line). Now I catch say 20 tuna at 20lbs each. That's another 400lbs. Oh they're biting really good and I get greedy, I put 50 tuna in the boat, that's another 1000lbs. I know that sounds crazy, but last year at Neah Bay, I saw a 24' SeaSport come in with 55 tuna, 3 crew members and 5 coolers with about 500lbs of ice.

Add up all that weight and one is WAY over the capacity plate. The boat wallows in the water a bit, the scuppers are close to or below the water line and it's not really safe. So I think the weight that one puts in the boat really needs to be given careful thought before you throttle up to return home. I know a lot of guys that will fish until they hit their limits and justify it by catching enough fish to "come out ahead" relative to fuel costs. Plus when you're into a wide open bite, it's VERY tempting to stuff the boat to the gills if you can. It is a lot of fuel expense and it's usually a long ways to get to the fish. Maximizing catch (and associated fun) is a natural instinct. As the boat gets smaller, it's even easier to overload it. So I think that's also something to consider.

 

[JAC]

If someone takes a half butt boat out there and get caught out he then has to radio for some other brave people to come and save him. To me if you have enough doubt to ask if your boat will be save then you already know its not a good idea. The other thing that should be taken into account is if your going out there witha group of boats safety in numbers, you may loss your boat but hopefully not your life. 98% of the time you will be fine but you always got to plan on the 2%. On a side note in Washington and Oregon there are a lot of guys taking all sorts of smaller boats out for Tuna and Hali there lots of video of aluminum jet boats way offshore!

 

[JAC]

Good points 44. There 5% or less of it is the size of your boat. There rest are other factors. You won't see me past 50 miles tho. Ive never caught fish out there and it just so far. Not my bag. Just because its flat calm out there all day doesn't mean the last 12 miles in isn't blowing 25kn. Ive seen that a handful of times. And it sucks a$$! In many ways there is little difference between 1 mile and 40 miles. I know that may spark debate but I have fished close to shore so many times alone that when I think of the difference there is little. Catastrophic circumstances anyways.

Some good points if your boat burns at 5 miles or 50 miles your still swimming!

 

[Birdsnest]

Very good points fellas. YOu can not go fishing tuna with out ice and the more I go the more I realize that to maximize quality of the tuna sufficient ice is necessary. There is not way I could do more that 40 tuna's of my boat. Wont even try. The best I could do is 30 tops but for me space is the issue. Its not good to have cramped decks. Its got to be workable and somewhat comfortable. Its a long day out there. I don't suggest going to anyone. Do so at your own risk.

 

[harper44]

There are experienced captains and inexperienced captains. We need to talk about the generally suitable sized boat for going that far offshore. I see some of the points posted, but by being the one that started the tuna talk thread I feel somewhat responsible for some of the questions being asked. In hind sight I wish I never even started that thread. I was (and still am) green with the whole fishery. I was gun ho like anyone that has experienced it for the first time and wanted to learn from the veterans that have done it for a few years. I read a few things here and there on here quite a few years ago. I then discovered the ifish forum, Bloody Decks, and others that will ruin any tuna fisherman.

The main thing that bug's me to date about all the tuna talk is safety. I don't want to see guy's out there in 16 ft. Double Eagles with gerry cans of fuel etc. I think a lot of folks have posted up quite a bit of safety information in various threads. I really hope people read them and heed the advice. This is not a cheap fishery. This is not just a walk in the park. I can not stress how much planning and preparedness goes into this type of fishery.

Please do your homework. Research, research, research. Get your boat ready, get your safety equipment ready, get your sh*t together and have it wrapped tight. I highly suggest going out with someone that has done it before in a fully capable and equipped boat. That way you can see if it's for you or not. You can see how it's done and see how the safety end of things work.

All of the above comes first. The fishing is secondary.

Cheers,
Sculpin

Good points John. I hope my comments weren't misleading. My point was that if you are questioning yourself or your vessel's ability to fish tuna, you should be thinking twice about fishing offshore period.

I don't think the discussion of "generally suitable sized boat for going that far offshore" is one that should be had on an open forum. It can lead to misconceptions about what makes a safe vessel for the intended fishery as people tend to read what they want to hear. Many people who ask questions of that nature on a forum like this have a strong pre-concieved notion one way or another and are only looking for affirmation. An open discussion with people of all different levels of experience often has enough comments that provides that affirmation regardless of the "general concensus".

The decision to take the risks involved in this fishery is one that needs to be made deliberately and with thoughtful planning. Discussions regarding safety and safety equipment etc. are very valuble and need to be open and public but there is no room for generalizations in this type of forum.

Having already trusted each other with the lives of our crews as buddy boats on a tuna trip, John, I would have no problem discussing all kinds of opinions on vessel size etc. with you. But these discussions never seem to leave the general public with the right impression of what it takes to be safe on the ocean.


Cheers,

 

[ComfortZone]

seadna, I comepletly agree...there are many smaller boats, that are capable of getting you out, and back home...IMO my boat being in this category (silverstreak welded aluminum, 19ft+2ft floatation pod , fully sealed cabin and positive floataion (foam filled hull)) ...where this fishery starts ruling boats like mine out is the weight assosiated with ice, gear, people, supplies, extra safety gear...all this isnt a big deal, and I could pack accordingly...but like you said the problem lies when you start getting into fish...and add another 1000# of meat before you know it on boats this size every 100# makes a difference...and again like you said, it is INSTINCT to keep going, no matter how dissiplined you think you are it isnt easy to stop once you reach that adrenilin fueled zone, which what i gather this fishery is bad for....

just my 2 cents...not promising I will never take my boat for tuna, but it definitly will require some more number crunching, planing, equipment and research...but from what see at a quick glance I doubt it will happen

 

[Sculpin]

One thing that I don't think is discussed enough when it comes to smaller boats is the weight of all that fuel, ice and fish and it's impact on boat safety. I have a 25.5 C-Dory Tomcat. With twin Honda 135's, I can hit about 40MPH in calm water and can cruise at 25MPH in up to 3' wind waves. I have 150gals of fuel and there's no issue getting out and back. The deck is self bailing but like MOST boats that are under 28', the drop from the cockpit floor to the water line is not that far (maybe 8"). The basic issue is that if you put the cockpit floor farther off the water, the sides of the boat need to be taller and in boats in the 24-28' range, they don't look quite right with tall sides. So many manufacturers compromise and the self bailing decks are 8" off the water +/- a few inches. As a result, the scuppers are a one to a few inches above the water line. On the Tomcat, it's maybe 2" that is until I put on a full load of fuel (150gals = 922lbs), a few hundred pounds of ice and four guys on the boat. Then with the guys in the cockpit, the scuppers are basically at or slightly below the water line (the deck is still above the water line). Now I catch say 20 tuna at 20lbs each. That's another 400lbs. Oh they're biting really good and I get greedy, I put 50 tuna in the boat, that's another 1000lbs. I know that sounds crazy, but last year at Neah Bay, I saw a 24' SeaSport come in with 55 tuna, 3 crew members and 5 coolers with about 500lbs of ice.

Add up all that weight and one is WAY over the capacity plate. The boat wallows in the water a bit, the scuppers are close to or below the water line and it's not really safe. So I think the weight that one puts in the boat really needs to be given careful thought before you throttle up to return home. I know a lot of guys that will fish until they hit their limits and justify it by catching enough fish to "come out ahead" relative to fuel costs. Plus when you're into a wide open bite, it's VERY tempting to stuff the boat to the gills if you can. It is a lot of fuel expense and it's usually a long ways to get to the fish. Maximizing catch (and associated fun) is a natural instinct. As the boat gets smaller, it's even easier to overload it. So I think that's also something to consider.

Great post.

I figure with the way I am set up, and to properly ice the tuna down, I am good for about 24 tops. This is like having 3-4 extra people on my boat. It does effect the handling big time. Seriously folks. Do your homework and research on ice to tuna poundage. You need a ***** load of ice folks. Many doing it don't have enough ice for the tuna they are bringing home.

You need a lot of ice just for the slush bucket (probably the most important step next to bleeding, for sushi grade tuna). You have to top this bucket off to keep the ice to water ratio good. Then you need enough ice for packing them in the coolers to take home. I'm talking salt ice here and don't even think about fresh water ice cubes etc. Commercial grade salt ice.

 

[Sculpin]

Good points John. I hope my comments weren't misleading. My point was that if you are questioning yourself or your vessel's ability to fish tuna, you should be thinking twice about fishing offshore period.

I don't think the discussion of "generally suitable sized boat for going that far offshore" is one that should be had on an open forum. It can lead to misconceptions about what makes a safe vessel for the intended fishery as people tend to read what they want to hear. Many people who ask questions of that nature on a forum like this have a strong pre-concieved notion one way or another and are only looking for affirmation. An open discussion with people of all different levels of experience often has enough comments that provides that affirmation regardless of the "general concensus".

The decision to take the risks involved in this fishery is one that needs to be made deliberately and with thoughtful planning. Discussions regarding safety and safety equipment etc. are very valuble and need to be open and public but there is no room for generalizations in this type of forum.

Having already trusted each other with the lives of our crews as buddy boats on a tuna trip, John, I would have no problem discussing all kinds of opinions on vessel size etc. with you. But these discussions never seem to leave the general public with the right impression of what it takes to be safe on the ocean.


Cheers,

I don't think anyone was misleading Andrew and I see your points about generalization. Thanks and I agree. I am just nervous about folks giving this fishery a whirl on a whim.

Cheers,
John

 

[harper44]

This season I am removing the tackle centers and adding a 250qt yeti in their place for tuna trips. This addition should get me comfortably in the mid 20's with proper icing. Thats about my limit as I cant stand coolers in the cockpit.

 

[Birdsnest]

I had to cut myself off of the tuna tackle but this year I will make insulated slush pails for the swim grid and put a couple of flush mount scotty mounts on the side of my cab for a couple of scotty rocket launchers. An extra rod holder off each side. Not so much as extra but better placement for the far outside PMO's

 

[Sculpin]

This season I am removing the tackle centers and adding a 250qt yeti in their place for tuna trips. This addition should get me comfortably in the mid 20's with proper icing. Thats about my limit as I cant stand coolers in the cockpit.

That sounds good. I can't stand coolers in the cockpit either but I have no choice lol. The half tote is good in that you can walk all around it (I have 10'9" of deck space) but when we start filling up the kill bag you have to step over it all the time. I plan on getting an extra kill bag to balance the load out on either side of the half tote. I need to make some cleats to fasten down the half tote as well. RVP pointed that out to me. If that half tote full of ice and or fish shifts to one side or the other, it will cause major stability issues.

 

[harper44]

I like having my kill bag on the swim step. If I didn't have the kicker I could get a 100" bag on there. I don't think it's possible to have too much fish storage. Always seem to need more

 

[Sculpin]

I like having my kill bag on the swim step. If I didn't have the kicker I could get a 100" bag on there. I don't think it's possible to have too much fish storage. Always seem to need more

I'm in the boat (pun intended) that seadna posted about, in that my deck height is quite low to the water line. My scuppers are effected if too much load is in the boat. This is why I figure I am capped at about two dozen with ice (the most I have had was 19 with ice). The only way I can get away with it is that my boat has about a 15 degree deadrise with a delta planing pad, and not deep vee. She holds a load better than a deep vee will.