new boat

nortus · #1 09-08-2006, 09:34 AM

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ok guys. a friend of the family was practically giving away his 23' four winns fishing boat (gotta love divorce liquidations) so my father, my brother in law and I are buying it. I consider myself to be an avid and fairly successful fisherman but it's always been either from surf, pier, or charter boats.

I'm looking for advice for outfitting it (electronics), and how/what to fish for for the end of this season. Like i said, i'm used to either chunking or using poppers from shore. now i'd also like to target porgies, tog, and big deepwater stripers.

I'm in no way looking for locations, just some advice on rigging the boat and how/what to go for.....

TonyDB · #2 09-08-2006, 10:45 AM

Yikes, those are some big questions.

I'll respond to one of your topic questions, outfitting your boat, specifically safety. The first order of buisness with boating should always be Safety. Boating in the ocean is not like driving in your car. You can't just pull over to the side of the road and call your mechanic/tow truck. You'd better have a plan.

Before you even get it on the water, make sure you know the condition of the boat/motor. Since you got it for short cash, you may want take some of that saved money and pay a qualified marine surveyor to evaluate it.

Make sure you have all the required safety equipment in certified working order....lights, PFD's, extinguisher, horn, flares, radio........ Read up on or better yet, take a course on boating safety and rules of navigation. Study up on the areas that you plan to boat in by looking at nautical charts, topos and aerials; having a good GPS chartplotter is a definate plus. If not, then get a good chart for your intended boating area and keep it onboard.

Organise all your stuff and know where all of it is stowed and make sure others on the boat know this as well. Make yourself a good checklist of inspection duties that you need to go through each and every time you board the boat, and keep it on board.

All this should be done before you even think about wetting your boat.

Once you do wet your boat, get comfortable with it. Build your confidence in the boat and in your operating abitities before you venture very far.

Well I think I'll stop there and let others chime in.

Good luck with your family boat. Boating can be a lot of fun, but it can also turn into a nighmare really fast. Not trying to scare you, just trying to make sure you're prepared.

nortus · #3 09-08-2006, 11:35 AM

thanks for the info tony. it's been about 10-15 yrs since i've owned a boat and with 5 boys (yes, 5 boys who all love to fish) safety is always first on mind. I definately want to take a 'refresher' safety course this winter since it's about 20 yrs since my last class.

as for the condition of the boat, it's only 3 yrs old and always been trailered. motor has less than 200 hours on it!

i LOVE divorce sales!!!! ((and i know some people who loved it when i had mine also))

TonyDB · #4 09-08-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nortus

as for the condition of the boat, it's only 3 yrs old and always been trailered. motor has less than 200 hours on it!

I know people who get brand new boats surveyed before they take delivery. I don't know if you heard this but one of the bigger boat manufactures out of NC had a crew drive one of their boats down for the Miami Boat show last winter. The boat sank and all hands were lost. Not sure what exactly happened (you never seem to hear that stuff). But the point is, brand new boat, professional crew, sh$t happens.

If you decide not to, then definately take it easy and don't venture too far at first. If you can buddy-up with another boat on a few of your first excursions, that works too. Know how to use your radio/flares to make distress contact with other boats, the coast guard, and Sea-tow (or whatever you plan on using). Remember cell phones don't work if they can't get a signal. Also, a GPS unit comes in very handy to provide exact co-ordinates and remember too, that you can get those off your charts. File a boating plan with someone on-shore with the general location and expected return time.

It's all pretty logical stuff but it really does pay to think it all through before hand. You may even want to practice certain "test emergency conditions" with your crew of 5. Things can go wrong real fast out there and a minute here or there can mean the difference between life and death.

While fishing with your boys may have been the primary reason for getting the boat, it should be one of the last things on your list of "things to do" or think about when preparaing for your renewed boating experience.

What kind of electronics does the boat already have?

nortus · #5 09-08-2006, 01:59 PM

it currently has gps, chartplotter, fish finder, vhf, cb, and 10 life jackets, flares, full emergency kit. back up bilge pump, 3 batteries, spare prop, 2 blowers (i/o engine). and he's transferring (for a $25 fee) the remainder of his 3 yr sea-tow membership.

TonyDB · #6 09-08-2006, 02:13 PM

Sounds like you're set for electronics. Just make sure the chip is there for your GSP/chartplotter and that it covers your intended boating area. Also, check your flares expiration date and when your extinguisher was last certified.

I noticed you're in CT. Will you be boating the Sound primarily?

Fish-Aholic · #7 09-08-2006, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyDB

having a good GPS chartplotter is a definate plus. If not, then get a good chart for your intended boating area and keep it onboard.

I just want to touch on this one point really quick....I know tony mentioned examining charts in the previous paragraph but here he makes it sound as if you only need a chart OR a GPS, well, just to clarify things, you should NEVER rely solely on electronics. Learn to read a chart and always have a good chart on board whether you have a good GPS or not. You never know when good old technology is going to fail you. If you aren't comfortable reading a chart I would recommend staying close and not even turning on the GPS until you fully undertand how a chart reads and how to follow a course or find a location on a chart.....just my $0.02

FISH ON 1111 · #8 09-08-2006, 03:02 PM

Just to add my 2 cents. I have been a hardcore fisherman for 30 years. Two years ago I made the moronic decision to buy a 32' Silverton, it was a good deal and since all my kids (4) and my wife (1

) love to fish I figured what the hell. Well needless to say I bought all the toys and gagets etc and then proceeded to almost kill my entire family In some pretty innocent looking conditions. Since that time the boat is gone, thank god and I will never buy anything over 17ft again.

Advice, go take a course and learn all that you can as fast as possible and never ever take any chances with your life or with those that you love. Even if you give the ocean the respect that she deserves she can still change your life forever in a matter of moments.

That being said, be safe, be aware at all times and have lots of fun.

Fish-Aholic · #9 09-08-2006, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FISH ON 1111

Just to add my 2 cents. I have been a hardcore fisherman for 30 years. Two years ago I made the moronic decision to buy a 32' Silverton, it was a good deal and since all my kids (4) and my wife (1

) love to fish I figured what the hell. Well needless to say I bought all the toys and gagets etc and then proceeded to almost kill my entire family In some pretty innocent looking conditions. Since that time the boat is gone, thank god and I will never buy anything over 17ft again.

Why don't you like the bigger boats?? I always feel safer in a bigger boat than a smaller one.

TonyDB · #10 09-08-2006, 04:04 PM

Thanks Jeff for clarifying my position as it was never my intention to suggest one or the other, both have their utility and if your electronics fails you've got a backup. Which really brings up a good point....redundency is the name of the game while boating on large bodies of water. BTW, I've also got a hand-held GPS that can run off the ciggy lighter or it's own batteries, besides the fixed GPS, charts and compass. We all tend to forget the later. But the charts aren't of much use when you can't see land to determine your position unless, you have a working compass. Lets see, what side of the tree does the moss grow on? :)

OK, now that we've frightened him out of wanting to ever own a boat, lets see if we can get it for a really good deal.

TonyDB · #11 09-08-2006, 04:16 PM

Jeff, I suspect the reason he's adverse to big boats is buried in the paragraph below the one you quoted. Would you want your first boat to be a 32 footer. Not me, I've been running an 18 footer for 7 years now and I don't think I'm ready to jump to a 32 footer. Imagine not only learning everything you need to know to boat safely along with learning to handle a monster like that. Pretty daunting as an inital undertaking.

Fish-Aholic · #12 09-08-2006, 04:40 PM

I could see that, but my bass boat is 17' and I couldn't imagine owning anything smaller :) I guess it is what you're comfortable with. The only thing I'm not comfortable with is the monthly payment on a big boat. I've progressively worked my way larger. Starting with Canoes at the young age of about 10, then working up to 15-17' boston whaler w/25hp outboard rentals at Ft Monmouth NJ, to 17' bass boat rentals at ft hood tx, to my 17' bassboat, to my cousin's first big boat, a Renkin 23' Cuddy, then the 25' Sportcraft and now the 2901 w/twin 250s. So I guess without realizing it I've worked my way up very slowly. Now I'm ready to jump into the 30'+ boats and do some serious canyon running. But thinking about the difference between the 2901 and the first little boston whalers I rented....I can see how a bigger boat could be very overwhelming.....

nortus · #13 09-08-2006, 04:44 PM

my first boat (15 yrs ago at least now) was a 22 Grady, which i felt was perfect in every way, heavy enough for some nasty weather that the sound may throw our way, but small enough also (not a 32 silverton).

As for what tony said earlier, i never had the luxury 15 yrs ago of gps etc... and since all i had were maps, compass, etc I became very proficient using those tools. (almost don't want to use a gps - aside from marking wrecks, great fishing spots, etc, because i always loved using my maps).

thanks for all the great advice, i'm a firm believer in safety first and redundancy when boating...... i had a very close call out at middleground about 18 yrs ago....

nortus

ps. as i'm going to only have about a month or maybe two before pulling the boat out of the water for the season... what's biting out on the open water now, aside from stripers and blues? porgy, tog, etc?

FISH ON 1111 · #14 09-11-2006, 02:35 PM

Hi guys, first of all my intention was not to be negative, i apologize if it seemed that way. I just wish I had someone to help me when I bought mine becuase i would have done it way different. I spent my entire life on the water, bass tournaments, trout fishing, quabbin etc.

But the ocean, ahhh now thats a whole different animal!! She is alive and I figured a word of caution could perhaps make the difference.

Be safe and have fun!!

Roccus · #15 09-11-2006, 02:49 PM

Seeing as I know a little about boats, I'll post my .02....

I do most of my fishing out of an 18'er,I've owned the same boat since 1987, what I've been thgrough in that"little" boat would send shivers down the spine of those with a weak heart....or anyone with a brain.

that said I've fished the salt on everything from 12' aluminum boats to 100' draggers.... it's all about common sense, THE most important piece of equiptment on your boat is a compass, the most valuable tool is your brain, if both are working in the proper manner you will always be safe....

The boat you discribe is a good boat, I have some working knowledge of them as I worked on them for years... if it's well maintained you will enjoy it.... ask Capt. Cal, he just bought a
four winns... (hopefull he's not getting divorced LOL!)