Around 6/24/2005 7:49 PM, Mr Wizzard wrote:

As far as what I'd be doing with it? - well, whatever I *can* do with it.
Lots of local lakes here, and just to get it out on the ocean/Lake
Washington,
Puget Sound, or whatever/wherever I can safely go with it.

Lake W. is a blast. I've got an aunt and uncle with a waterfront home
and a dock at the south end, and I always enjoy tubing down there.

Just last weekend, I took my dad for a nice Father's Day weekend day
trip. Launched at Everett, headed down to Seattle and went through the
locks, cruised around Lake Union for a while, and headed back. Saw some
nice boats, got a nice tan, and even saw the Garth Foss, looking good as
usual. It was especially fun watching the North American Laser
Championship races taking place north of Shilsole Bay, but not
particularly fun trying to work our way around them.

As for wherever you can safely go, my dad took the 14' all the way up to
Desolation Sound when he was a teen. I personally have had it as far
north as Nanaimo. *If* you pick your weather and take your time, a 17'
should be able to handle most of the Puget Sound and Gulf Islands.

Of course, my dad and I both had larger "support" boats along in case of
emergency...


--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

As for wherever you can safely go, my dad took the 14' all the way up
to
Desolation Sound when he was a teen. I personally have had it as far
north as Nanaimo. *If* you pick your weather and take your time, a 17'
should be able to handle most of the Puget Sound and Gulf Islands.


Of course, my dad and I both had larger "support" boats along in case
of
emergency...


************

I agree with Garth....
PIcking the weather will be very important when using that boat on
Puget Sound.

Under better than average conditions you will be fine.
Under average conditions, you will occasionally be challenged.
Under anything much worse than average conditions, you will need to be
somewhat skillful and/or moderately lucky.
If the wind really starts to howl, you could be in serious trouble.

Advice for Mr. Wizzard:

If you're hitting the salt water with your new boat, make sure you
install a VHF. VHF is not required safety equipment, (and some people
think they can substitute a cell phone), but the smaller the boat the
more the reasons why you want to be able to communicate not just with
the Coast Guard or your family back at home but other vessels in the
vicinity where you will be using the boat. VHF is less critical on a
small lake, as most of the other boats won't have a VHF or won't be
monitoring it, (and if the wind comes up unexpectedly you might bo only
a few minutes from the ramp)......but out on the Sound etc almost
everybody with a boat of any size will be monitoring the VHF.

Have a great time! :-)

wrote in message
oups.com...
As for wherever you can safely go, my dad took the 14' all the way up
to
Desolation Sound when he was a teen. I personally have had it as far
north as Nanaimo. *If* you pick your weather and take your time, a 17'
should be able to handle most of the Puget Sound and Gulf Islands.


Of course, my dad and I both had larger "support" boats along in case
of
emergency...


************

Thanks Chuck, and all the others in this thread for the wonderfull info.
Shopping for boats has been very difficult for me with all the old junk
out there, the used, the new, the unforeseen problems on used ****, prices
of new ****, hell, my head was about to explode! - I couldn't handle
the anguish anymore, it was consuming me, I had to put and end to it.
So, I went out Sunday morning, had breakfast, drove down to Olympic,
spend an hour+ talking to the guy and thinking about it, and walking
back and forth and back out to the parking lot for a smoke, and said
screw it, I gotta put an end to this madness, and I walked back in and
told the guy, ok, lets do it, sign me up, lets get this over with. So I did
it, and I'll take delivery of my new 2005 Bayliner 175 this Wednesday night.
BTW, this was another salesman at another store than the one I originally
went to. Also learned more about the pricing on this boat too. They make
exactally $168 on this boat, and thats set in stone, and thats all there is
to it.

And I'll look into getting a VHF rig. And as a ham radio guy, this would
be a welcome addition anyways. So between now and Wednesday night,
any last minute things I need to know about (or should get) ? I do plan
on getting their little Coast Guard kit they have with fenders, life vests,
etc.

Thanks !






I agree with Garth....
PIcking the weather will be very important when using that boat on
Puget Sound.

Under better than average conditions you will be fine.
Under average conditions, you will occasionally be challenged.
Under anything much worse than average conditions, you will need to be
somewhat skillful and/or moderately lucky.
If the wind really starts to howl, you could be in serious trouble.

Advice for Mr. Wizzard:

If you're hitting the salt water with your new boat, make sure you
install a VHF. VHF is not required safety equipment, (and some people
think they can substitute a cell phone), but the smaller the boat the
more the reasons why you want to be able to communicate not just with
the Coast Guard or your family back at home but other vessels in the
vicinity where you will be using the boat. VHF is less critical on a
small lake, as most of the other boats won't have a VHF or won't be
monitoring it, (and if the wind comes up unexpectedly you might bo only
a few minutes from the ramp)......but out on the Sound etc almost
everybody with a boat of any size will be monitoring the VHF.

Have a great time! :-)

Congrats!

You might check the contents of that Coast Guard Kit, and its price,
against building your own from scratch at Boater's World or West
Marine. Particularly as it isn't a "throw in" with this boat.

Upgrade the fire extinguisher.

Be sure to stow some sort of anchor with maybe 40- 60 feet of rode.
(your brakes in case of an engine malfunction). You can get a small
boat set-up that will sit under the bow in a carrying bag until the day
you (hopefully won't) need it.

Think about a first aid kit. Not as big a deal if you're never more
than a couple of minutes from the boat ramp and there's a kit in the
tow vehicle....but even so.....

If this is a first boat or you are going to be venturing into the sound
for the first time, pick up a copy of Chapman's at a marine supply
store and let that be your bedside reading for a while. Better yet,
sign up for a USCG Aux or Power Squadron course.

Above all, have fun. That's why you bought a boat. :-)