I'm thinking about buying my first boat, possibly a 17 foot bow-rider
(e.g. Maxum 1800 MX, Crownline 180, Bayliner 175 etc) and I'm keen to
know what sort of sea-state this type of boat can handle. All sales
pictures show them flying along on flat lakes but never out to sea.
All my boating would probably be within a couple of miles of the south
coast (England)

I've just done the RYA level-2 powerboat course in a 7m RIB. That
could easily handle the inshore waters around Wales. It was blowing a
force 4-5 with a 3-4ft choppy swell - it was brilliant fun flying up
and over the waves and then surfing back towards shore but how would a
bowrider handle those sort of conditions?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

how would a
bowrider handle those sort of conditions?

It's hard to give a definitive answer, since there are a lot of variables
such as the wave height, the wave period, and the exact style, weight, and
loading of a given bowrider.
If you take a bowrider out into a sea that is too large for the boat you run
the risk of having waves come over the bow and into the boat. If this
happens repeatedly it will overrun the capability of the bilge pump and
start filling the boat up, causing a loss of manouverability or worse.
Having the boat full of people will increase the pitching of the boat and
cause the boat to dive between waves more, and if the waves are close
together you can stuff the bow into the next wave. The way you handle the
throttle and trim can also make a big difference in the way the boat can
handle the seas.
If you could find a bowrider that has scuppers with a closed bilge that
would be good for you if you intend to operate in rough water a lot, or
maybe you need a boat with a closed bow.

The pictures show the boats on glassy lakes because that's what they are
designed for.
Rough seas get exciting. Bowriders have little freeboard: good boat handling
may keep the water out, but there's the danger of stumbling and falling
overboard or being bruised because there's not much to lean against for
stability. Crossing wakes and waves at less than 90 degrees isn't always
enough to keep the water from coming over the bow: that low freeboard
requires playing with the throttle to keep the bow high. Keeping the bow
cover on helps to divert any water that does come over the bow back
overboard, but then you give up easy access to the bow section.
I've taken my 19' bowrider into the Pacific Ocean out of San Diego Bay, but
when there are storms within a couple of days, or strong winds, it's no fun
when you have to hold on all the time and constantly watch the water.

"Floyd in Tampa" wrote in message
news
how would a
bowrider handle those sort of conditions?

It's hard to give a definitive answer, since there are a lot of variables
such as the wave height, the wave period, and the exact style, weight, and
loading of a given bowrider.
If you take a bowrider out into a sea that is too large for the boat you
run
the risk of having waves come over the bow and into the boat. If this
happens repeatedly it will overrun the capability of the bilge pump and
start filling the boat up, causing a loss of manouverability or worse.
Having the boat full of people will increase the pitching of the boat and
cause the boat to dive between waves more, and if the waves are close
together you can stuff the bow into the next wave. The way you handle
the
throttle and trim can also make a big difference in the way the boat can
handle the seas.
If you could find a bowrider that has scuppers with a closed bilge that
would be good for you if you intend to operate in rough water a lot, or
maybe you need a boat with a closed bow.

On Thu, 6 May 2004 08:16:35 -0700, "William G. Andersen"
wrote:

The pictures show the boats on glassy lakes because that's what they are
designed for.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That's exactly right. If you want to run at speed, on plane, safely
and comfortably, no more than a 6 to 9 inch chop at most.

I had a 19' bowrider that I used on Lake Superior a lot, usually loaded
with about 1000# of people and/or camping equipment. It would handle a
foot of water while on plane in comfort. More than that I had to slow
down. I've been in 6 foot swells with no discomfort or stress at all,
but at only 6 knots.

A three to four foot wave becomes more interesting while fully loaded
and I would not recommend traveling loaded like that unless you have a
reinforced snap on cover. I supplemented mine with a spectra (expensive
no-stretch sailing line) laced under the cover so a big wave won't break
the snaps free. I have nosed into waves big enough to break over the
bow, the bimini top and into the cockpit behind, but it wasn't enough
water fir the bilge pumps to work on, only enough to get everyone excited.

I tested this arrangement in big, cruiser induced waves I tried to dive
into on a local lake in 80 degree water close to shore, prefering this
location to the 39 degree Lake Superior water. I also had two large
bilge pumps, although if you take a big one over the bow, you are not
likely to pump out before another one sinks you. The good news is that a
boat of this length has level floatation.

I wrote an article about this entitled "Superior Thinking" that was
published in the March 2004 (I think) issue of Trailer Boats magazine.

A lot of how much water you get in the boat depends on your boat
handling skills. Fool around with the boat in some warm waves. Try to
take in water and try to avoid it. It mostly depends upon your touch on
the throttle.

Capt. Jeff