On Sun, 1 Apr 2007 07:37:46 -0700, "John Reimer"
wrote:

But is there a general traditional guideline or at least in terms of what
size seas vs boat size that starts making YOU uncomfortable and more
concerned beyond the vigilance water should always be respected with?

Since one of the biggest dangers to any boat is rollover/capsize,
there has been some research with hard numbers in that area. The
consensus seems to be that a breaking wave that has a height of 1/2
the beam (width) of the boat is capable of rolling it.

After that everything gets very subjective. Some boats have published
ratings describing their intended usage, ie, protected water only
(small bays and rivers), inshore (typically waves less than 3 feet),
coastal, off shore, etc. A lot depends on construction and type, not
overall size.

Comfort is even more highly subjective, depending on expectations of
the people involved and the boat. For small planing boats, under 25
to 30 feet, operating at speed, anything over 1 or 2 feet is going to
get uncomfortable very quickly except for very gradual ocean swells.